Benthic study of the continental slope off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina

Concern was raised by the NCESRP (1992) that since not much is known about the bottom communities around the Manteo 467 lease block, exploration activities could result in significant environmental disturbance. Therefore, the principal task of this study was to survey the sea floor of the Cape Hatteras continental slope in the vicinity of the Manteo 467 site prior tn any decision on permitting of exploratory drilling. The study objectives as listed in the scope of work are as follows: 1. Define the \u27unusual benthic community\u27 that exists offshore North Carolina which is at its peak in the vicinity of the proposed Manteo drill site and \u27the Point.\u27 The working definition shall be based on species composition and relative abundance. However, the definition must also consider the impact of physical oceanographic processes, oxygen levels, and sediment types and flux. 2. Using the Offshore Operators\u27 Committee (OOC) model (MOEPSO, estimate the area between the 300- and 1,500-m isobaths which could be covered by the deposition of muds and cunings at the proposed drill site. 3. Survey the area of the Manteo site for the \u27unusual benthic community\u27 as defined in objective No. 1. The survey must include benthic mcgafauna as well as the infauna.

Development of an Integrated System for the Simulation and Assessment of Produced Water Discharges from Offshore Platforms

Techniques for modeling of marine pollution have been studied for decades. Specialized modeling methods have been used to simulate the dispersions of pollutants from offshore outfalls. Produced water, the largest volume waste stream discharged from offshore oil and gas production activities, is a complex mixture of dissolved and particulate organic and inorganic chemicals including metals and hydrocarbons. In recent years, the growing importance and interest in the ocean environment assessment has urged further evaluation of produced water impacts on the marine ecosystem. This thesis study describes an integrated system for the modeling and assessment of produced water discharges in coastal area. The system integrates ocean circulation simulation, pollutant fate and transport modeling that couples near field mechanisms and far field processes, and risk assessment approaches where exposure risks and probabilistic risks are evaluated. A literature survey is first introduced to review and present capabilities and limitations of the most widely used methods and models associated with assessment of the impact of marine pollution. This review identified the need for an integrated system with configurations of numerical schemes of Princeton Ocean Model (POM) for ocean circulation simulation, a Lagrangian method to simulate near field transport processes in three dimensional cross flows, and a numerical solution for far field transport modeling. The physical models are dynamically integrated to ensure mass and energy conservation. Furthermore to assess risks, a modified Monte Carlo method which uses a statistical model to establish the relationship between uncertainty parameters and output concentrations is integrated with physical modeling system along with risk characterization approaches to map risk levels. Evaluation and field validations are conducted for each individual sub-models and for the overall integrated modeling results. Specifically, the near field model is validated against a field study performed in USA platform located about 100 miles of New Orleans Louisiana. The computational efficiency and accuracy of the far field model are evaluated through test cases in comparison with concentration distribution results generated from an exact analytical solution and a RWPT (Random Walk Particle Tracking) method. Validations of ocean circulation results and the integrated produced water dispersion results are conducted in a case study carried out on the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, Canada. Validations show good performance of the developed modeling system which is used to provide satisfactory 3D simulation of marine pollutant dispersion for effective assessment and management of offshore waste discharges. Finally, a risk assessment is carried out to predict risks associated with predicted lead and benzene concentration resulting from potential future produced water discharges in the East Coast of Canada. This research study provide a tool for the modeling of complex transport processes in the coastal area, and improved methods for risk assessment of produced water impacts on the regional water environment

Produced water discharges to the Gulf of Mexico: Background information for ecological risk assessments

This report reviews ecological risk assessment concepts and methods; describes important biological resources in the Gulf of Mexico of potential concern for produced water impacts; and summarizes data available to estimate exposure and effects of produced water discharges. The emphasis is on data relating to produced water discharges in the central and western Gulf of Mexico, especially in Louisiana. Much of the summarized data and cited literature are relevant to assessments of impacts in other regions. Data describing effects on marine and estuarine fishes, mollusks, crustaceans and benthic invertebrates are emphasized. This review is part of a series of studies of the health and ecological risks from discharges of produced water to the Gulf of Mexico. These assessments will provide input to regulators in the development of guidelines and permits, and to industry in the use of appropriate discharge practices

Radionuclides, Metals, and Hydrocarbons in Oil and Gas Operational Discharges and Environmental Samples Associated with Offshore Production Facilities on the Texas/Louisiana Continental Shelf with an Environmental Assessment of Metals and Hydrocarbons.

This report presents concentrations of radionuclides, metals, and hydrocarbons in samples of produced water and produced sand from oil and gas production platforms located offshore Texas and Louisiana. concentrations in produced water discharge plume / receiving water, ambient seawater, sediment, interstitial water, and marine animal tissue samples collected in the vicinity of discharging platforms and reference sites distant from discharges are also reported and discussed. An environmental risk assessment is made on the basis of the concentration of metals and hydrocarbons determined in the samples

Development of photolysis enhanced oxidation technologies for the removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from offshore produced water

Offshore Produced Water (OPW) represents the largest volume waste stream from offshore oil and gas (OOG) production activities. It poses major environmental and operational challenges to offshore petroleum industries for requiring more efficient and environmental friendly on-site management. This is true particularly under growing regulatory and economic pressure to reduce the impact of waste discharges. Conventional on-site OPW monitoring and treatment is mainly focused on the oil and grease portion for meeting the regulatory standards, while limited efforts have been given to dissolved compounds especially including Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are proved as one of the most significant contributors to the ecological hazard posed by OPW discharges because of their toxicity, persistency, and potential for bioaccumulation even at a trace level. As a result, effective measurement of PAHs in OPW is imperative, and advanced on-site treatment of the effluent is desired to improve the conventional systems. This dissertation research focused on the development of new analytical testing methods and photolysis and its enhanced oxidation technologies for treating PAHs in OPW. They are composed of the key tasks including: a) refining of solid-phase extraction (SPE) and liquid-phase microextraction (LPME) pretreatment systems to extract PAHs from OPW; b) enhancement of gas chromotography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analytical methods for background and residual PAHs analysis; c) design and fabrication of photochemical oxidation reactors for batch- and bench-scale experiments; d) systematic one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) analysis of key parameters and factors in the course of direct photolysis and photocatalysis; e) investigation of efficacy, parameters/factors interactions, kinetics and mechanisms of the enhanced hybrid oxidation systems by integrating photolysis and ozonation (O₃) and/or hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂); and f) development of central composite design (CCD) based response surface modeling (RSM) models for process simulation and optimization. The major contribution of this research is the development of compact, efficient, and eco-friendly technologies for on-site OPW testing and treatment. The developed technologies are proved technically sound by lab experiments with high efficiency in detection and removal of PAHs. The research outcomes bring significant environmental, economic and social benefits to industry, government and academia by providing not only effective but also environmentally benign methods for treating OPW generated from OOG production

Managing, Controlling And Improving The Treatment Of Produced Water Using The Six Sigma Methodology For The Iraqi Oil Fields

Produced Water (PW) is the largest volume of waste that is normally generated during oil and gas production. It has large amounts of contaminants that can cause negative environmental and economic impacts. The management method for PW relies highly on types and concentrations of these contaminants, which are field dependent and can vary from one oil field to another. Produced water can be converted to fresh water if these contaminants are removed or reduced to the acceptable drinking water quality level. In addition, increasing oil production rate and reducing amounts of discharged harmful contaminants can be achieved by removing dissolved hydrocarbons from PW. In order to identify the types of these contaminants, effective tools and methods should be used. Six Sigma, which uses the DMAIC (Define- MeasureAnalyze- Improve- Control) problem-solving approach is one of the most effective tools to identify the root causes of having high percentages of contaminants in produced water. The methodology also helped develop a new policy change for implementing a way by which this treated water may be used. Six Sigma has not been widely implemented in oil and gas industries. This research adopted the Six Sigma methodology through a case study, related to the southern Iraqi oil fields, to investigate different ways by which produced water can be treated. Research results showed that the enormous amount of contaminated PW could be treated by using membrane filtration technology. In addition, a Multi Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) framework is developed and that could be used as an effective tool for decision makers. The developed framework could be used within manufacturing industries, services, educational systems, governmental organizations, and others. iv This work is dedicated to my scholarship providers and supporters wi