Tuesday, 2 October 2018

The Science And Process Of Petroleum Systems Installations

By Virginia Long


The province of Nova Scotia has vast oil and gas resources, both onshore and offshore. Estimates of proven oil reserves in offshore NS number more than one hundred and twenty trillion cubic feet of natural gas and eight billion barrels of oil. That excites considerable prospects among contractors and investors should they think about Petroleum Systems Installation Nova Scotia.

A petroleum system is made up of an active source rock enclosing oil and gas accumulations. Petroleum may be found in various states, from hydrocarbon gas, liquid fuel, and solid condensates like bitumen. An appropriate relative timing of both elements and processes is indispensable in order for this reservoir to be functional, which is why it is called a system.

The parts of a petroleum complex comprise of an active source rock, a migration pathway, a reservoir rock, and a trap and seal. This hydrocarbon system will not work if these essential elements and the processes do not coincide in time and space. Processes include the trap formation, the generation of hydrocarbons and their migration and accumulation.

The application of petroleum systems ranges from research, resource evaluation, and exploration. Exploration is done in regions in which reserves have been proven to exist or has a high likelihood of existing. This can be readily identified by geophysicists and mining engineers by singling out the places where these unique elements and processes are known to occur or have a reasonable probability to occur. In this sense, there are three levels of certainty, known, hypothetical, and speculative. Known means the place is a positive source of oil, rock or gas. Hypothetical relies mainly on geochemical evidence while speculative relies on geophysical evidence.

A caveat that should always be kept in mind, though, is that handling petroleum products will always involve risk. By nature, these substances are toxic, combustible, and flammable. When not managed properly, theres always an accident waiting to happen. Fortunately, responsible and accomplished oil industries have been successful in preventing these liabilities.

It goes without saying that there is always the impending probability of system failure. To preclude this from happening, however, high standards in logistics and engineering are required. The primary concern here is to operate and manage the system in a way that the deposits do not seep off and remain in the reservoir. Physical leaks should be detected and fixed at the earliest probable time. To altogether prevent product loss, the contractor should select sturdy and recommendable materials right off the bat. Take note that Nova Scotia has implemented an Environment Act that regulates certain types of petroleum storage tanks.

Before the installation is done, a site analysis should be rendered. This includes the soils properties to ensure that it would be stable during the excavation. Another is the degree of environmental risk on the site and other such practicalities. During post installation, the contractors should conduct leak monitoring, leak testing, and pressure tests for new tanks.

Another consideration that should be taken into account is personnel and public. There are all the paperwork, from permits and standards and regulations that should be acquired from the proper authorities. Other requirements to be complied with include detailed drawings of the site that outline all its components and other particularities. These particularities include the locations and dimensions of materials like tanks, pipes, pumps, and electrical cables.

The operator should make sure that all of the personnel have the necessary experience, training, and qualifications that would enable them to do their duties competently and safely. Most system failures are attributableto poor workmanship. So the contractor should take all the necessary steps to ensure that the work is carried out in such a way that presents no danger to the site, personnel, customers, the public, and the environment.




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