Petroleum

Activity concentrations of 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K in raw and waste petroleum materials (Egypt and Kuwait) were measured using gamma ray spectrometer. The average values of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K were 21.1 ± 3.2, 7.6 ± 1.3 and 88.4 ± 8.2 Bq kg −1 for Egyptian samples while for Kuwaiti samples, they were 25.2 ± 3.4, 6.1 ± 2.2 and 67.8 ± 6.4 Bq kg −1 , respectively. All samples had activity less than the exemption level recommended by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Moreover, radiological indices of radium equivalent, external, internal, alpha and gamma indices and radiation dose as well were calculated and their values were lower than the recommended regulatory limits. Thus, radiation exposure to petroleum materials did not present a significant radiological hazard.

This is a study of monthly natural gas production in Nigeria as a time series. The realization sampled and analyzed spans from January 2008 to December 2015. Knowledge of the trend of the production and a model which adequately accounts for variability in the series could be helpful for planning and administrative purposes. The time plot shows a generally increasing trend. It is observed that the series is also seasonal of period 12 months. A nonseasonal differencing of the series is stationary and a first order moving average model is fitted to it. That is, fitted to the original data is the BoxJenkins model, ARIMA(0,1,1). Taking advantage of the seasonality of the series, a seasonal differencing is done on the differenced series and a SARIMA(0,1,1)x(0,1,1)12 model is fitted to the original series. This latter model is found to outdo the former in adequacy on all counts. In addition, using the January to May 2016 data, with this model, there is out-of-sample observation/forecast go...

An integrated fluidized bed reactor (FBR) has been employed as the treatment for petrochemical industry wastewaters with high organic matter and aromatic compounds, under anaerobic and aerobic conditions. The system was operated at hydraulic residence time (HRT) of 2.7 and 2.2 h in the anaerobic and aerobic reactor, respectively. The degree of fluidization in the beds was 30%. This system showed a high performance on the removal of organic matter and aromatic compounds. At different organic loading rates (OLR), the chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal in the anaerobic reactor was close to 85% and removals of the COD up to 94% were obtained in the aerobic reactor. High removals of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, styrene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene and naphthalene were achieved in this study.

This study was originally aimed at suggesting a two-dimensional program for the Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) process based on the correlations proposed by Heidari and Pooladi, using the MATLAB software. In fact, the work presented by Chung and Butler was used as the basis for this study. Since the steam chamber development process and the SAGD production performance are functions of reservoir properties and operational parameters, the new model is capable of analyzing the effects of parameters such as height variation at constant length, length variation at constant height, permeability variation, thermal diffusivity coefficient variation and well location on the production rate and the oil recovery among which, the most important one is the thermal diffusivity coefficient analysis. To investigate the accuracy and authenticity of the model outcomes, they were compared with the results obtained by Chung and Butler. The privilege of this method over that proposed by Heidari ...

The Vapor Extraction (VAPEX) process, a newly developed Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) process to recover heavy oil and bitumen, has been studied theoretically and experimentally and is found a promising EOR method for certain heavy oil reservoirs. In this work, a simulation study ...

From 1995 to 1999, four experiments were conducted on greenhouse roses to assess the effectiveness of the nC24 petroleum spray oil (PSO), D-C-Tron Plus, against two-spotted mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acarina: Tetranychidae), and to determine how the oil could be most efficiently and effectively used in combination with the predatory mite Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot (Acarina: Phytoseiidae) in an integrated pest management program. The results showed that 0.5% PSO applied fortnightly to roses gave excellent protection from T urticae infestation when the mite population was not already established. However, PSO applied after roses were infested with T. urticae above the economic threshold only stabilised populations without reducing them below that threshold. Populations of P. persimilis in the upper and lower canopies were unchanged after two sprays of PSO at 7-day intervals, and application of PSO to the upper canopy was as effective in controlling T. urticae in the p...

The story of Francis William Rickett is riddled with contradictions. Bluff and resourceful, notorious for his exploits in the world of oil in the 1930s, he remains an enigma today. Speculator and businessman he was, but he also had deeper links with oil companies and foreign governments than appeared in the press reports of the time. Above all, he lived in interesting times, and through his exploits we have a tantalizing glimpse into behind-the-scenes struggles for the control of oil.

An innovative bioprocess method, Systematic Environmental Molecular Bioremediation Technology (SEMBT) that combines bioaugmentation and biostimulation with a molecular monitoring microarray biochip, was developed as an integrated bioremediation technology to treat S-and ...

«Soil Gas Geochemistry» ha demostrado ser una herramienta eficaz para prospectar bajo capas profundas.
La escasez de oxígeno y el enriquecimiento del dióxido de carbón en el suelo atmosférico pueden ser usado como indicadores de mineralizaciones y estructuras enterradas.

This report provides an assessment of the potential costs of a worst-case hydrocarbon spill from Enbridge Energy Limited Partners’ Line 5 pipeline system (Line 5) in the Straits of Mackinac. The assessment was conducted over the first half of 2018 by Michigan Technological University and its subcontractors, and was performed for the Michigan Departments of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources, the Michigan Agency for Energy, and the Michigan Office of Attorney General (collectively the State) as recommended in the Michigan Petroleum Task Force Report of July 2015.

This is a study of monthly natural gas production in Nigeria as a time series. The realization sampled and analyzed spans from January 2008 to December 2015. Knowledge of the trend of the production and a model which adequately accounts for variability in the series could be helpful for planning and administrative purposes. The time plot shows a generally increasing trend. It is observed that the series is also seasonal of period 12 months. A nonseasonal differencing of the series is stationary and a first order moving average model is fitted to it. That is, fitted to the original data is the BoxJenkins model, ARIMA(0,1,1). Taking advantage of the seasonality of the series, a seasonal differencing is done on the differenced series and a SARIMA(0,1,1)x(0,1,1)12 model is fitted to the original series. This latter model is found to outdo the former in adequacy on all counts. In addition, using the January to May 2016 data, with this model, there is out-of-sample observation/forecast go...

La aprobación de la reforma energética (2012-2018) planteó cambios importantes en la explotación y en la administración de Petróleos Mexicanos, asumiendo que la apertura a la participación de las empresas privadas llevaría a una mayor competitividad y contribuiría al desarrollo del país.  Sin embargo, se ha demostrado que las inversiones en capital y en tecnología con llevan graves impactos de carácter social, cultural y ambiental, propiciando además, en las regiones o en los territorios, una escasa integración económica. Por ello, propusimos trabajar en torno a tres importantes cuestiones: analizar el tema de los hidrocarburos vinculados con las problemáticas sociales, geográficas y ambientales. Incidir, si acaso como punto de partida, en la conceptualización del extractivismo en México, y la tercera cuestión, se centra en el estudio de los conflictos socio ambientales que la explotación de hidrocarburos ha generado en México desde hace más de un siglo. Así, se conformó esta monografía con siete trabajos que fueron presentados y discutidos en el Seminario Efectos territoriales del petróleo en México, que tuvo lugar en el Instituto Dr. José María Luis Mora. Uno de ellos hace una revisión historiográfica, seis hacen hincapié en las dinámicas y efectos que la explotación petrolera ha generado y pudiera generar en el futuro inmediato en el territorio. Acorde con los temas que se analizan, fueron agrupados en torno a tres líneas principales: En la primera se presentan dos trabajos que se centran en el estudio de la actual realidad petrolera de México y sus futuros impactos en el territorio como resultado de la reciente reforma energética. Los dos trabajos inciden en ello, uno desde la generalidad amparada en la historia ambiental y el segundo, vinculado a la normativa actual relacionada con el ordenamiento territorial y la protección ambiental. La segunda línea comprende tres trabajos que analizan las afectaciones e impactos generados en el binomio hidrocarburos-territorio. En la tercera línea se incluyeron dos estudios que se centran en el análisis de las ciudades y las transformaciones que el petróleo ha generado en las mismas.

Sulfide accumulation due to bacterial sulfate reduction is responsible for a number of serious problems in the oil industry. Among the strategies to control the activity of sulfate -reducing bacteria ( SRB ) is the use of nitrate, which can exhibit a variety of effects. We investigated the relevance of this approach to souring oil fields in Oklahoma and Alberta in which water flooding is used to enhance oil recovery. SRB and nitrate -reducing bacteria ( NRB ) were enumerated in produced waters from both oil fields. In the Oklahoma field, the rates of sulfate reduction ranged from 0.05 to 0.16 M S day À 1 at the wellheads, and an order of magnitude higher at the oil -water separator. Sulfide production was greatest in the water storage tanks in the Alberta field. Microbial counts alone did not accurately reflect the potential for microbial activities. The majority of the sulfide production appeared to occur after the oil was pumped aboveground, rather than in the reservoir. Laborator...

The risk of soil acidification is high in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) in Alberta, Canada, due to elevated SO2 emission and the resultant acid deposition to sensitive, coarse-textured soils. Understanding the sulfate adsorption characteristics of soils sensitive to acidification will help establish critical loads of acid deposition in AOSR. Sulfate adsorption properties were evaluated and relationships between sulfate

The Gulf of Suez in Egypt has a north-northwest–south-southeast
orientation and is located at the junction of the African and Arabian
plates where it separates the northeast African continent from the
Sinai Peninsula. It has excellent hydrocarbon potential, with the
prospective sedimentary basin area measuring approximately
19,000 km2, and it is considered as the most prolific oil province
rift basin in Africa and the Middle East. This basin contains more
than 80 oil fields, with reserves ranging from 1350 to less than 1
million bbl, in reservoirs of Precambrian to Quaternary age. The
lithostratigraphic units in the Gulf of Suez can be subdivided into
three megasequences: a prerift succession (pre-Miocene or Paleozoic–
Eocene), a synrift succession (Oligocene–Miocene), and a
postrift succession (post-Miocene or Pliocene–Holocene). These
units vary in lithology, thickness, areal distribution, depositional
environment, and hydrocarbon importance. Geological and geophysical
data show that the northern and central Gulf of Suez consist
of several narrow, elongated depositional troughs, whereas the
southern part is dominated by a tilt-block terrane, containing numerous
offset linear highs.
Major prerift and synrift source rocks have potential to yield oil
and/or gas and are mature enough in the deep kitchens to generate
hydrocarbons. Geochemical parameters, sterane distribution, and
biomarker correlations are consistent with oils generated from marine
source rocks. Oils in the Gulf of Suez were sourced from potential
source rock intervals in the prerift succession that are typically
oil prone (type I), and in places oil and gas prone (type II), or
are composites of more than one type (multiple types I, II, or III
for oil prone, oil and gas prone, or gas prone, respectively).
The reservoirs can be classified into prerift reservoirs, such as
the Precambrian granitic rocks, Paleozoic–Cretaceous Nubian sandstones,
Upper Cretaceous Nezzazat sandstones and the fractured
Eocene Thebes limestone; and synrift reservoirs, such the Miocene
sandstones and carbonates of the Nukhul, Rudeis, Kareem, and Belayim
formations and the sandstones of South Gharib, Zeit, andpost-Zeit. The majority of oil fields in the region incorporate
multiple productive reservoirs. Miocene
evaporites are the ultimate hydrocarbon seals, whereas
the shale and dense limestones of the prerift and the
synrift stratigraphic units are the primary seals. Structural,
stratigraphic, and combination traps are encountered
in the study area. The Gulf of Suez is the most
prolific and prospective oil province in Egypt, and any
open acreage, or relinquished area, will be of great interest
to the oil industry.