Managing well integrity in Queensland

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 810
Author(s):  
Michael P. Scott
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Continuous Improvement Process ◽  
Well Integrity ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Abandoned Wells ◽  
Integrity Management ◽  
Compliance Program ◽  
Systemic Problems

A significant increase in activity in the Queensland petroleum industry began around 2005 with the rapid growth of coal seam gas developments. The integrity of these drilled wells is paramount to the continued safe operation of the Queensland petroleum industry, ensuring no detrimental effect to safety, health and environment. The Queensland Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate (PGI) is responsible for monitoring industry compliance with well integrity management requirements under the regulatory framework. This is achieved through three proactive actions (engagement, inspections, audits) and three reactive actions (response to enquiries, complaints, incidents). This paper focuses on the well inspections and audits conducted by the PGI. The PGI conducts an annual program of well inspections as part of its risk-based compliance program. These inspections are in addition to the inspections performed by industry. Although recent inspections have found well integrity-related deficiencies requiring rectification, no major or systemic problems have been identified. In fact, industry generally appears to be proactively addressing any deficiencies they find through their own well integrity management processes. The PGI is in the process of ensuring a renewed focus on well integrity during its own well inspections through structured and standardised inspections that have clear aims. This is part of a continuous improvement process and is a risk-based decision informed by the data that have been gathered. This will help ensure the program is not simply focused on quantity of inspections, but also on outcomes and quality. To complement the well inspection program, several audits have been conducted over the past 4–5 years. As part of this, in the first quarter of 2019, the PGI began conducting audits of the well integrity management systems (WIMS) of the four major coal seam gas producers. The results of this audit show improvement in both WIMS documentation and the implementation of those systems. Future PGI work in this area includes continuing with the recent audit programs, reviewing inspection processes and a plan to increase focus on plug and abandoned wells over the next 18 months.

QUEENSLAND’S NEW PETROLEUM LEGISLATION—ITS IMPLEMENTATION AND OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES

2006 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 525
Author(s):  
P.M. Green ◽  
S.G. Matheson ◽  
K.D. Ralph ◽  
M.E. Thompson ◽  
T.J. Brain
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Coal Seam ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Petroleum Resources ◽  
Managing Risk

up-to-date legislative environment for the petroleum industry in that State. The legislation specifically addressed issues in relation to upstream competition for exploration acreage and provided for storage of petroleum for a third party. It implemented the coal seam gas regime which provides a mechanism for the optimisation of the State’s coal seam gas and petroleum resources. The rights of existing holders of petroleum tenure were protected through the continuation of the Petroleum Act 1923 for selected authorities to prospect and petroleum leases. A new safety regime was implemented with the aim of addressing and managing risk rather than the emphasis being on the prescriptive compliance with Regulations. The safety regime covered all aspects of petroleum, from its production, transportation and use. The implementation of the new legislation required the development of work procedures to assist with uniform decision-making under the new legislation. This is particularly important owing to the continuation of the Petroleum Act 1923.

Perspectives on successful coal seam gas well decommissioning

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Cameron R. Huddlestone-Holmes ◽  
Thomas G. Measham ◽  
Talia Jeanneret ◽  
James Kear
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Gas Well ◽  
Local Stakeholders ◽  
Abandoned Wells ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Well Abandonment ◽  
Term Monitoring

Decommissioning of wells and well pads (plugging and abandonment of the well and rehabilitation of the well pad) is an important activity in coal seam gas developments due to the large number of wells drilled and their co-location with other land uses. Successful decommissioning will need to be conducted in a way that is effective, efficient, complies with regulatory requirements and is socially acceptable. This study sought to understand the perspective of industry, government and local stakeholders on the decommissioning process and asked the question ‘what does successful decommissioning mean’? The study was conducted through workshops held in Camden, Chinchilla and Narrabri involving industry, government and local residents. All stakeholders agreed that the goal of successful decommissioning is to effectively have no legacy issues arising from the abandoned well or well pad, in perpetuity. However, there were differences in the confidence that stakeholders had in the process of achieving this outcome, largely based on the varying levels of understanding of well abandonment. This lack of confidence and understanding contributes to cross-cutting themes that emerged from the workshops. Local stakeholders expressed a strong desire for independent oversight and assessment of well abandonment processes, with increased transparency and access to information on abandoned wells in an understandable form. They also stated that long-term monitoring of wells post abandonment would assist in providing them with confidence that wells can be successfully decommissioned.

Coal seam gas associated water treatment and management—opportunities and limitations

2013 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 185 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huanfei Jia ◽  
Johann Poinapen
Keyword(s):  
Water Treatment ◽  
Coal Seam ◽  
Thermal Processes ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Brine Management ◽  
Beneficial Reuse ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Policy Direction ◽  
Alternative Solutions

Coal seam gas (CSG) is a new major export for Australia. The production of CSG releases a significant amount of brackish water to the surface, known as associated water. Queensland’s Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (DEHP) has predicted that the peak yearly flow of the associated water could range between 100-280 gigalitres (GL) per year. This presents a major challenge to the CSG industry in water and its by-product (brine) management. CSG water quality varies across regions, but is typically high in total dissolved solids, bicarbonate, hardness, and silica. Consequently, CSG water without treatment is unsuitable for beneficial uses. To date, reverse osmosis (RO) desalination processes with suitable pre-treatment steps have been employed to remove elevated salts and other compounds before CSG water can be used beneficially. One type of beneficial reuse of the treated water that has gained acceptance and prominence in recent times is the irrigation of agricultural crops and forestry. RO brine, a highly saline stream, requires a managed response to ensure a socially, environmentally and financially sound outcome. Conventional evaporation in brine ponds is not considered favourably under existing government directions and, consequently, alternative solutions are sought. Thermal processes, such as brine concentrators, have been used in the treatment of CSG RO brine. The resulting high-quality distillate produced by thermal processes can be used in a number of applications along with a greater proportion of water recovered from such processes. This peer-reviewed paper concludes that a thermal process in conjunction with a high-recovery RO membrane plant, configured as a hybrid membrane/thermal configuration, is probably a suitable solution to meet policy direction by improving system recovery as a precursor to advance associated water treatment and brine management. The discussion is generated out of MWH’s experience with CSG water treatment and management processes, which totals a number of significant projects in the CSG industry.

The changing face of Queensland's petroleum industry

2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Troup ◽  
Peter Green
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Petroleum Industry ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Petroleum Wells ◽  
Well Data ◽  
Coal Measures ◽  
Exploration Well

The cycles and related changes in exploration targets identified in this study show the evolution of the Queensland petroleum industry from conventional petroleum to coal seam gas dominance. Delineation of these cycles was undertaken using petroleum exploration well data, and production and reserves statistics. Although the cycles are defined on the basis of exploration activity, there is a very different history in the types of targets and commodities explored for in the Bowen-Surat and Cooper-Eromanga basins. Trends in exploration success have been influenced by technology improvements, better understanding of target reservoirs, proximity to infrastructure, government policy and world oil prices. Four distinct exploration cycles have been identified from the data. During the first cycle (1959–74) exploration focused predominantly on the shallower Jurassic-aged reservoirs in the Bowen-Surat basins resulting in the discovery of most of the major conventional oil and gas fields. The second cycle (1979–89) saw exploration begin in earnest in the Cooper-Eromanga basins and a switch to predominantly Triassic-aged reservoirs in the Bowen-Surat basins. The first coal seam gas exploration wells were drilled during this cycle. The third cycle (1990–99) shows a decrease in the number of conventional petroleum wells across both regions and the beginning of the switch to the present dominance of coal seam gas. The fourth cycle (2000–present) shows a significant decrease in the number of conventional exploration wells drilled across both regions, but an increase in the success rates. All conventional discoveries in the Bowen-Surat basins during cycle four have been in Permian-aged reservoirs, reflecting a change in the exploration focus to deeper parts of the Bowen Basin. Coal seam gas exploration has expanded significantly, with the Walloon Coal Measures being targeted, resulting in nearly four coal seam gas wells drilled for each conventional petroleum exploration well state-wide since 2000. Examination of coal seam gas exploration highlights the many false starts since the first well was drilled in 1980. Exploration has shifted from area to area as companies tested different exploration concepts and completion techniques. The most obvious shift has been from Permian-aged targets of the Bowen Basin into the Jurassic-aged Walloon Coal Measures in the Surat and Clarence-Moreton basins, as its prospectivity was realised.

Informal and Nonformal Adult Learning in the Coal Seam Gas Protests: Mobilizing Practices and Building an Environmental Justice Movement for Change

2021 ◽  
pp. 074171362110053
Author(s):  
Tracey Ollis
Keyword(s):  
Adult Learning ◽  
Coal Seam ◽  
Environmental Justice ◽  
Water Supply ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
The Public ◽  
Theory Of Practice ◽  
The Earth

This case study research examines informal adult learning in the Lock the Gate Alliance, a campaign against mining for coal seam gas in Central Gippsland, Australia. In the field of the campaign, circumstantial activists learn to think critically about the environment, they learn informally and incidentally, through socialization with experienced activists from and through nonformal workshops provided by the Environmental Nongovernment Organization Friends of the Earth. This article uses Bourdieu’s “theory of practice,” to explore the mobilization of activists within the Lock the Gate Alliance field and the practices which generate knowledge and facilitate adult learning. These practices have enabled a diverse movement to educate the public and citizenry about the serious threat fracking poses to the environment, to their land and water supply. The movements successful practices have won a landmark moratorium on fracking for coal seam gas in the State of Victoria.

scholarly journals Classification of coal seam outburst hazards and evaluation of the importance of influencing factors

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianzhi Shi ◽  
Dazhao Song ◽  
Ziwei Qian
Keyword(s):  
Coal Seam ◽  
Multivariate Regression ◽  
Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Coal Seam Gas ◽  
Geological Factors ◽  
Hazard Level ◽  
Outburst Hazard

AbstractCoal and gas outbursts are the result of several geological factors related to coal seam gas (coal seam gas pressureTo classify the outburst hazard level of a coal seam by means of statistical methods, this study considered the geological parameters of coal seam gas and statistical data on the amount of material involved in coal outbursts. Through multivariate regression analysis, a multivariate regression equation between the outburst coal quantity andUsing a significance evaluation of the aforementioned factors, the relative contributions of the gas-related geological parameters to the outburst hazard level of a coal seam were found to follow the orderThis work provides a scientific basis for evaluating the outburst hazard level of a coal seam and adopting feasible and economical outburst-prevention measures.

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