A Review of Flaring and Venting at UK Offshore Oilfields: An analogue for offshore Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery Projects?

This study aims to re-address the issue of flaring and venting of reproduced gases in carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2EOR) projects. Whilst a number of studies have not recognised the impact of flaring/venting in CO2EOR developments, a study completed at Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS) “Carbon Accounting for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery” highlighted the significant control that flaring/venting of reproduced gases may have on a projects life cycle greenhouse gas emissions. This study utilises operational data from offshore UK oil fields to analyse the rates of current flaring and venting in oil operations in these established fields. Although no CO2EOR developments are currently operating in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS), it is thought that these offshore fields may provide an analogue for flaring and venting rates at future offshore CO2EOR fields. An even better analogue may exist in the form of non-CO2 offshore EOR projects of which there a number operating in the UKCS (Awan et al. 2008). Given that some of these EOR projects utilise gas injection, much like the proposed CO2EOR projects, flaring/venting rates at these fields in particular will be analysed further.This study aims to re-address the issue of flaring and venting of reproduced gases in carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2EOR) projects. Whilst a number of studies have not recognised the impact of flaring/venting in CO2EOR developments, a study completed at Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS) “Carbon Accounting for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery” highlighted the significant control that flaring/venting of reproduced gases may have on a projects life cycle greenhouse gas emissions. This study utilises operational data from offshore UK oil fields to analyse the rates of current flaring and venting in oil operations in these established fields. Although no CO2EOR developments are currently operating in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS), it is thought that these offshore fields may provide an analogue for flaring and venting rates at future offshore CO2EOR fields. An even better analogue may exist in the form of non-CO2 offshore EOR projects of which there a number operating in the UKCS (Awan et al. 2008). Given that some of these EOR projects utilise gas injection, much like the proposed CO2EOR projects, flaring/venting rates at these fields in particular will be analysed further

A Review of Flaring and Venting at UK Offshore Oilfields

This study aims to re-address the issue of flaring and venting of reproduced gases in carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2EOR) projects. Whilst a number of studies have not recognised the impact of flaring/venting in CO2EOR developments, a study completed at Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS) “Carbon Accounting for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery” highlighted the significant control that flaring/venting of reproduced gases may have on a projects life cycle greenhouse gas emissions. This study utilises operational data from offshore UK oil fields to analyse the rates of current flaring and venting in oil operations in these established fields. Although no CO2EOR developments are currently operating in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS), it is thought that these offshore fields may provide an analogue for flaring and venting rates at future offshore CO2EOR fields. An even better analogue may exist in the form of non-CO2 offshore EOR projects of which there a number operating in the UKCS (Awan et al. 2008). Given that some of these EOR projects utilise gas injection, much like the proposed CO2EOR projects, flaring/venting rates at these fields in particular will be analysed further.This study aims to re-address the issue of flaring and venting of reproduced gases in carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2EOR) projects. Whilst a number of studies have not recognised the impact of flaring/venting in CO2EOR developments, a study completed at Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage (SCCS) “Carbon Accounting for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery” highlighted the significant control that flaring/venting of reproduced gases may have on a projects life cycle greenhouse gas emissions. This study utilises operational data from offshore UK oil fields to analyse the rates of current flaring and venting in oil operations in these established fields. Although no CO2EOR developments are currently operating in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS), it is thought that these offshore fields may provide an analogue for flaring and venting rates at future offshore CO2EOR fields. An even better analogue may exist in the form of non-CO2 offshore EOR projects of which there a number operating in the UKCS (Awan et al. 2008). Given that some of these EOR projects utilise gas injection, much like the proposed CO2EOR projects, flaring/venting rates at these fields in particular will be analysed further

Low carbon oil production: Enhanced oil recovery with CO 2 from North Sea residual oil zones

Residual Oil Zones (ROZ) form when oil has leaked or migrated from a reservoir trap through geological time, leaving a zone of immobile oil. Here we assess the feasibility of ROZ production with CO2 flooding, in a North Sea oil field for the first time. We identify a hydrodynamically produced ROZ, with an oil saturation of 26%, in the Pierce Oil Field of the Central North Sea and adapt established recovery factors for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery (CO2 EOR) from onshore fields, to estimate oil resource and CO2 storage potential. Our mid case results show that CO2 utilisation increases commercial reserves by 5–20% while storing 15 M t CO2. Based on our calculations CO2 EOR can produce low carbon intensity crude oil from a mature basin and could store more CO2 than is released from the production, transport, refining and final combustion of oil

Carbon Accounting for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil recovery

It is recognised from currently operating CO2EOR projects that the operations and processes involved in CO2EOR are energy intensive and may compromise the overall carbon footprint of a project (ARI, 2009; Dilmore, 2010). This study intends to provide a medium to high level life cycle assessment of CO2EOR operations for a theoretical offshore North Sea project. The study will focus on upstream operations involved in the CO2 EOR process and aims to quantify all significant processes and activities that contribute to a projects carbon footprint. An attempt will also be made to incorporate the impact of new infrastructure on the carbon inventory of the project.It is recognised from currently operating CO2EOR projects that the operations and processes involved in CO2EOR are energy intensive and may compromise the overall carbon footprint of a project (ARI, 2009; Dilmore, 2010). This study intends to provide a medium to high level life cycle assessment of CO2EOR operations for a theoretical offshore North Sea project. The study will focus on upstream operations involved in the CO2 EOR process and aims to quantify all significant processes and activities that contribute to a projects carbon footprint. An attempt will also be made to incorporate the impact of new infrastructure on the carbon inventory of the project

Development of the ways of helping questionnaire: A measure of preferred coping strategies for older African American cancer survivors

Although researchers have identified beneficial coping strategies for cancer patients, existing coping measures do not capture the preferred coping strategies of older African American cancer survivors. A new measure, the Ways of Helping Questionnaire (WHQ), was evaluated with 385 African American cancer survivors. Validity evidence from factor analysis resulted in 10 WHQ subscales (Others There for Me, Physical and Treatment Care Needs, Help from God, Church Family Support, Helping Others, Being Strong for Others, Encouraging My Healthy Behaviors, Others Distract Me, Learning about Cancer, and Distracting Myself). Reliability evidence was generally strong. Evidence regarding hypothesized relationships with measures of well-being and another coping measure was mixed. The WHQ’s content coverage makes it especially relevant for older African American cancer survivors

Distribution of Metals in the Termite Tumulitermes tumuli (Froggatt): Two Types of Malpighian Tubule Concretion Host Zn and Ca Mutually Exclusively

The aim of this study was to determine specific distribution of metals in the termite Tumulitermes tumuli (Froggatt) and identify specific organs within the termite that host elevated metals and therefore play an important role in the regulation and transfer of these back into the environment. Like other insects, termites bio-accumulate essential metals to reinforce cuticular structures and utilize storage detoxification for other metals including Ca, P, Mg and K. Previously, Mn and Zn have been found concentrated in mandible tips and are associated with increased hardness whereas Ca, P, Mg and K are accumulated in Malpighian tubules. Using high resolution Particle Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE) mapping of whole termites and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spot analysis, localised accumulations of metals in the termite T. tumuli were identified. Tumulitermes tumuli was found to have proportionally high Mn concentrations in mandible tips. Malpighian tubules had significant enrichment of Zn (1.6%), Mg (4.9%), P (6.8%), Ca (2.7%) and K (2.4%). Synchrotron scanning X-ray Fluorescence Microprobe (XFM) mapping demonstrated two different concretion types defined by the mutually exclusive presence of Ca and Zn. In-situ SEM EDX realisation of these concretions is problematic due to the excitation volume caused by operating conditions required to detect minor amounts of Zn in the presence of significant amounts of Na. For this reason, previous researchers have not demonstrated this surprising finding

Security of Storage in Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery

The Pembina Cardium CO2 Monitoring Pilot was used as a test site to determine the relative roles of trapping mechanisms. Two methods to assess this distribution are presented. A geochemical approach using empirical data from the site was used to determine the phase distribution of CO2 at a number of production wells that were sampled monthly during a two-year CO2 injection pilot. In addition, a simplified reservoir simulation was performed. Results indicate that significant amounts of CO2 are stored in the oil phase thus reducing the amount of CO2 available as a buoyant free phase and hence increasing storage security

A minimal binding footprint on CD1d-glycolipid is a basis for selection of the unique human NKT TCR

Although it has been established how CD1 binds a variety of lipid antigens (Ag), data are only now emerging that show how αβ T cell receptors (TCRs) interact with CD1-Ag. Using the structure of the human semiinvariant NKT TCR–CD1d–α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) complex as a guide, we undertook an alanine scanning mutagenesis approach to define the energetic basis of this interaction between the NKT TCR and CD1d. Moreover, we explored how analogues of α-GalCer affected this interaction. The data revealed that an identical energetic footprint underpinned the human and mouse NKT TCR–CD1d–α-GalCer cross-reactivity. Some, but not all, of the contact residues within the Jα18-encoded invariant CDR3α loop and Vβ11-encoded CDR2β loop were critical for recognizing CD1d. The residues within the Vα24-encoded CDR1α and CDR3α loops that contacted the glycolipid Ag played a smaller energetic role compared with the NKT TCR residues that contacted CD1d. Collectively, our data reveal that the region distant to the protruding Ag and directly above the F′ pocket of CD1d was the principal factor in the interaction with the NKT TCR. Accordingly, although the structural footprint at the NKT TCR–CD1d–α-GalCer is small, the energetic footprint is smaller still, and reveals the minimal requirements for CD1d restriction

A comparative genomics screen identifies a Sinorhizobium meliloti 1021 sodM-like gene strongly expressed within host plant nodules

Background We have used the genomic data in the Integrated Microbial Genomes system of the Department of Energy’s Joint Genome Institute to make predictions about rhizobial open reading frames that play a role in nodulation of host plants. The genomic data was screened by searching for ORFs conserved in α-proteobacterial rhizobia, but not conserved in closely-related non-nitrogen-fixing α-proteobacteria. Results Using this approach, we identified many genes known to be involved in nodulation or nitrogen fixation, as well as several new candidate genes. We knocked out selected new genes and assayed for the presence of nodulation phenotypes and/or nodule-specific expression. One of these genes, SMc00911, is strongly expressed by bacterial cells within host plant nodules, but is expressed minimally by free-living bacterial cells. A strain carrying an insertion mutation in SMc00911 is not defective in the symbiosis with host plants, but in contrast to expectations, this mutant strain is able to out-compete the S. meliloti 1021 wild type strain for nodule occupancy in co-inoculation experiments. The SMc00911 ORF is predicted to encode a “SodM-like” (superoxide dismutase-like) protein containing a rhodanese sulfurtransferase domain at the N-terminus and a chromate-resistance superfamily domain at the C-terminus. Several other ORFs (SMb20360, SMc01562, SMc01266, SMc03964, and the SMc01424-22 operon) identified in the screen are expressed at a moderate level by bacteria within nodules, but not by free-living bacteria. Conclusions Based on the analysis of ORFs identified in this study, we conclude that this comparative genomics approach can identify rhizobial genes involved in the nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with host plants, although none of the newly identified genes were found to be essential for this process

Atypical natural killer T-cell receptor recognition of CD1d-lipid antigens

Crucial to Natural Killer T (NKT) cell function is the interaction between their T-cell receptor (TCR) and CD1d-antigen complex. However, the diversity of the NKT cell repertoire and the ensuing interactions with CD1d-antigen remain unclear. We describe an atypical population of CD1d-α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer)-reactive human NKT cells that differ markedly from the prototypical TRAV10-TRAJ18-TRBV25-1(+) type I NKT cell repertoire. These cells express a range of TCR α- and β-chains that show differential recognition of glycolipid antigens. Two atypical NKT TCRs (TRAV21-TRAJ8-TRBV7-8 and TRAV12-3-TRAJ27-TRBV6-5) bind orthogonally over the A'-pocket of CD1d, adopting distinct docking modes that contrast with the docking mode of all type I NKT TCR-CD1d-antigen complexes. Moreover, the interactions with α-GalCer differ between the type I and these atypical NKT TCRs. Accordingly, diverse NKT TCR repertoire usage manifests in varied docking strategies and specificities towards CD1d-α-GalCer and related antigens, thus providing far greater scope for diverse glycolipid antigen recognition