Ecology and Oil & Gas Industry

The oil & gas industry works closely with government to protect the health and safety of workers and public. Industry regulations reflect modern scientific knowledge about hazards and the technology available to reduce them. New designed management systems in petroleum industry are safer not only for workers, but for environment too.

The examples of such initiatives are:

• Introduction of specialized equipment and training to protect workers from exposure to toxic concentration of the hydrogen sulphide in sour gas.

• Automated equipment and remote control systems reduce potential for hazardous work

situations in the petroleum industry.

• Sophisticated pipeline inspection devices, maintenance programs and monitoring systems reduce the number of pipeline accidents.

Today protecting terrestrial ecosystems is a key aspect of development of oil & gas industry. Most land use by oil and gas industry is temporary. Seismic crews conduct the surveys and move on. The average well produces for about 20 to 25 years. Other facilities will be shut down as soon resources are depleted and new technologies emerge. National and foreign operating companies are responsible for sites until reclamation is complete. New technologies allows the industry to reduce impacts considerably. The design of new facilities now shall include full cycle provisions - from construction through decommissioning.

However, upstream oil and gas activities still can affect environment, plants and wildlife in several ways. The direct impacts occur when operations disrupt the habitat of the species. Indirect impacts occur when the industry’s roads and cutlines create access for other users who the habitat.

Soil Pollution. A large portion of oil spilled on land will eventually evaporate or be consumed by natural bacterial action. This process can be speed up by tilling and fertilizing the soil. The global oil industry traditionally used this method of “land farming” on the majority of spills. In other instances the soil is excavated and trucked to the approved industrial site.

Water Pollution. Today oil and gas industry put a high priority on the protection of water resources. In our country, for instance, the main concern is protection of Caspian Sea waters.

The petroleum industry routinely handles large volumes of liquids, such as crude oil and natural gas liquids. There are considerable volumes of salt water produced with crude oil. This saltwater is separated from the oil at processing facilities and re-injected underground into the oil producing rock formation. Corrosion in oil field pipelines carrying mixtures of oil and saltwater is the most common reason for upstream spills. The industry solves this problem by stepping up inspection and maintenance of facilities, installing new computer technology to detect leaks. When a spill threatens surface water, the special crews prevent the contamination from spreading.

In addition to crude oil and water, the industry handles many other liquids-drilling fluids, fuel, lubricants, solvent and various chemicals- that can contaminate water if improperly released into the environment. Wherever possible, the industry reduces the volume and the toxicity of liquids used in operations. New regulations and industry practices are improving this situation. Double-walled fuel storage tanks and walled concrete pads for chemical drums are examples of improved containment. Based on extensive research and design, new regulations detail the procedures and criteria for management of oil field waste.

Another examples of such approach are as follows: acidic water runoff from sulphur stockpiles is neutralized in special pond and must meet standards before being released into the environment. Sulphur storage facilities are lined and enclosed by barriers to prevent acidic water from contaminating groundwater.

Notes to the text:

1. Hazards – Бедствия

2. toxic concentration – токсичные концентрации

3. hydrogen sulphide – сероводород

4. sour gas – кислый газ

5. аutomated equipment – автоматизированное оборудование

6. pipeline – трубопроводы

7. protecting terrestrial ecosystems – защита наземных экосистем

8. seismic crews – сейсмические команды

9. well – скважина

10. sites – участки

11. reclamation – рекламация

12. decommissioning – вывод из эксплуатации

13. upstream – разведка и добыча

14. soil pollution – загрязнение почвы

15. natural bacteria – природные бактерии

16. tilling – вспашка

17. fertilizing – удабривание

18. «land farming» – «сельскохозяйственные угодья»

19. Spills – площадки

20. water pollution – загрязнение воды

21. protection – защита

22. crude oil – сырая нефть

23. natural gas liquids – сжиженный природный газ

24. salt water – соленая вода

25. corrosion – коррозия

26. upstream spill – верхний разлив

27. leaks – протечки

28. surface water – поверхностные воды

29. drilling fluids – буровые растворы

30. fuel – топлива

31. lubricants – смазочные материалы

32. solvent – растворители

33. various chemicals – химические вещества

34. environment – окружающая среда

35. double-walled fuel storage tanks – двойные стенки резервуаров для хранения

36. acidic water – кислая вода

37. sulphur – сера

38. contaminating groundwater – загрязнение подземных вод

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