The Environmental Implication of Gas Flaring in Sapele Community of Delta State, Nigeria

Despite longstanding laws against gas flaring in Nigeria which is the burning of natural gas during oil extraction, and shifting deadlines to end the practice, the activity continues, with serious environmental and health consequences for people living nearby. In the Niger Delta, especially in the Sapele community of Delta State where most of the flaring takes places, residents living near gas flares complain of respiratory problems, skin rashes and eye irritations, as well as damage to agriculture due to acid rain. The major environmental implications considered in this study are environmental pollution, and ecological disturbance or destruction. Several visitations to the neighboring communities like Amukpe and Ugberikoko Communities of Delta State adjacent to most gas flare locations were carried out to ascertain any existence of common environmental hazards. Data were gathered through a well-designed survey and direct and first-hand observation from the flared environment. Different samples at various proximities from the gas flare locations were taken and measurements and experimentations were logically carried out. The result obtained in this study showed some variations away from the flare point in the flow stations. The temperature tends to normalize at 31oC. This result shows a surface temperature elevation of about 1.8 oC above mean normal daily temperature within a distance of 400 m radius away from the flare point. Hence the thermal equilibrium within Sapele localities has been altered. Soil PH is near neutral (6.62-7.88) away from the flare points and the average high soil moisture content ranges between (92% - 94%) as against 96% for the flare points and control distance. These values portray a good omen for these communities under investigation. However, less than or closer to 400 m from the flare point, residents are likely to be exposed to gas flaring effects. Nigerian oil and gas industries should design and develop a gas compression and re-injection facility with the sole objective of achieving zero flaring. The facility should also be designed to ensure export capability and to compress wet and dehydrated gas to gas re-injection wells. Finally, residential buildings should be sited at least 1 km away from the flare point

Polymer nanocomposites application in drilling fluids: A review

Indubitably, drilling fluid is the most crucial component of drilling operations. With the current exploration of hydrocarbons in deep water horizons, unconventional formations, and anticipated production from the arctic regions, there is a need to improve the properties of existing drilling fluids for harsh conditions. Recently, the synergic combination of polymer and nanoparticle (polymer nanocomposite) has gained prodigious attention for application as a drilling fluid additive due to its sterling and fascinating properties. Herein, the application of polymer nanocomposite (PNC) as an additive in drilling fluids has been reviewed. The survey of the literature shows that PNC significantly improved the rheological, filtration, and shale swelling inhibition properties of drilling fluids. Nonetheless, accurate modelling of its behaviour remains elusive. The mechanism of the improved efficiency of PNC as a drilling fluid additive was elucidated. Finally, the gaps in the research were highlighted, and recommendations for future studies were outlined. Overall, drilling fluids containing PNC exhibited comparably higher efficiency and immense potential to overcome severe wellbore problems encountered with conventional drilling fluids

Rheological and filtration control performance of water-based drilling muds at different temperatures and salt contaminants using surfactant-assisted novel nanohydroxyapatite

Today, the high-performance rheological and filtration properties of nanosized particles (NPs) in water-based muds (WBMs) are continuously reported. Nevertheless, NP's properties performance at different temperatures and salt environments, specifically the salt-screening process, needs additional knowledge. Hence, this study developed a WBM system using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-assisted nanohydroxyapatite (Nano-HAp) for different temperatures and salt contaminants. The impacts of the newly-produced Nano-HAp on the density, pH, rheology, and filtration characteristics of WBM at 298 K and 353 K were examined. The effects of salt cations (Ca2+/Na+) on a bentonite-based suspension (BN-WBM) at 298 K and 393 K and SDS-aided Nano-HAp as a salt-tolerant ingredient in drilling muds were also examined. The Herschel-Buckley and Power law models best described SDS-aided Nano-HAp drilling mud's rheology at 298 K and 353 K, respectively. Nano-HAp improved the rheological and filtration capabilities in salt and water solutions at 298 K, 353 K, and 393 K, making it a perfect field additive. 1.0 g of SDS-aided Nano-HAp is recommended, and it is thermally very stable, according to the thermal gravimetric analysis findings. It increased the viscosity performance by 78.6% at 298 K and by 79.2% at 353 K, provided desirable shear stress between 1.0 and 1000 s−1 shear rates, and decreased the fluid loss by 31.8% (≤ 8 mL) at 298 K and 25% (≤ 11 mL) at 353 K. In BN-WBM, it decreased the viscosity of the BN-salt solution from a 35-fold increase to less than a 5-fold increase and made the BN-based suspension less salt-reliant. It operated by attaching to the BN platelets' positive edge and negative face surfaces, shielding Ca2+/Na+ cations from the BN's ion-susceptible regions to decrease the viscosity and filtration of the BN-based suspension. This study demonstrates the possible use of Nano-HAp particles as effective filtration and rheological control additives in WBMs. It further demonstrates that Nano-HAp was appropriate for enhancing the drilling performance of BN-WBMs while increasing their resistance to salt cation contamination

Dynamic modelling of reservoir fines retention by mesoporous silica nanofluid to improve oil recovery during low salinity water flooding of a consolidated sandstone

Mesoporous silica (SiO2) nanoparticles (MSNP) was used to stabilize formation fines for increased oil recovery during low salinity water flooding. Likewise, the effect of porous media length on dynamic retention of fines at high temperature reservoir condition was investigated. Breakthrough curves of reservoir fines adsorption by mesoporous SiO2 nanofluid (MSNF) were described using Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models. Similarly, effect of concentration, flow rate, porous media length and temperature on the retention capacity of reservoir fines was modelled using Box Behnken design of experiments. Subsequently, effect of reservoir fines stabilization on oil recovery was evaluated. Formation damage remediation propensity of MSNF was investigated. Finally, the oil recovery mechanisms were determined using the sessile drop contact angle and Wilhelmy plate methods. Experimental results of the dynamic adsorption with coefficient of determination (R2) values between 0.967 and 0.999 signifies that the reservoir fines adsorption by MSNF were well predicted by Thomas and Yoon-Nelson models. Consequently, MSNF stabilized the reservoir fines by attaching onto their surface rather than on the porous media thereby changing the wettability to water-wet, decreasing the contact angle to 16.1°, 17.1° and 20.7° for kaolinite, illite and montmorillonite, respectively. Thus, increasing oil recovery by 22–23% original oil in place

Improving the Lifting Capacity of Drilled Cuttings Using Henna Leaf Extracts and Lignite in Bentonite Water-based Drilling Mud

One of the basic functions of drilling fluids is to transport drilled cuttings to the surface. Bentonite with low solids content is preferred in carrying out this task. However, a low amount of bentonite in the drilling mud is incapable of effective cuttings lifting and suspension. In this study, a new, green, low-cost henna leaf extract and lignite in bentonite water-based drilling mud was used to transport cuttings to the surface. The effects of three hole angles (0°, 45° and 90°) were examined at different cuttings size diameters (0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 2.0 mm and 2.4 mm) for the mud systems. The average cuttings transport efficiencies were found to be in the following order: 52-94% for 0.5 mm diameter, 45-93% for 1.0 mm diameter, 38-90% for 2.0 mm diameter, and 33-83% for 2.4 mm diameter. Viscosity and hole angle are directly related to cuttings transport efficiency. A plastic viscosity of 16 cP and yield point of 12.5 lb/100ft² were the most effective mud properties for a 45° hole angle, which needs attention while preparing the drilling mud. Addition of henna and lignite can be used to improve the rheological and filtration properties of bentonite water-based drilling mud