scholarly journals Response, Remediation and Risk Management of a Crude Oil Pipeline Spill

1998 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. Doupe ◽  
W. R. Livingstone
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Human Health Risk ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Flood Plain ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Monitoring Wells ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
Subgrade Soils ◽  
Major River

In December 1995, an oil spill was discovered along a section of pipeline located near the bank of a major river, less than 1 km upstream of the water supply intake of a southern Alberta community. The spill, which involved light crude oil, was observed at ground surface over an area of approximately 3 000 m2 at the top of the river slope and had also migrated downslope through the subgrade soils and along the groundwater table toward the river. The initial emergency response activities consisted of removing and disposing of oil-stained vegetation and snow, and the containment and recovery of free oil pooled on ground surface. Subsequent subsurface assessments involved the drilling of test holes and boreholes, and installation of groundwater monitoring/recovery wells. Based on the results of these assessments, a remedial action plan was developed. As part of this plan, some of the impacted soils were excavated and placed in lined treatment cells for bioremediation. The limits of the excavation were based on field screening measurements and on soil clean-up criteria developed through an assessment of the human health risk and ecological impacts. Investigations conducted at the site also indicated that phase-separated crude oil had migrated further downslope and had accumulated at the water table within the flood plain sediments adjacent to the river. Therefore, remediation systems were installed to recover the oil, recover and treat the impacted groundwater, and prevent further migration of the impacted groundwater and oil toward the river. Impacted groundwater recovered from the flood plain deposits was treated onsite and was then injected back into the flood plain deposits via an infiltration gallery. The performance of the pumping and remediation systems was monitored regularly and water samples were recovered from the treatment system, selected monitoring wells and the river. Based on the results of these analyses, the quality of local groundwater steadily improved and the zone of impacted water was effectively contained.

scholarly journals Assessment of Freeze–Thaw Hazards and Water Features along the China–Russia Crude Oil Pipeline in Permafrost Regions

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 3576
Author(s):  
Mingtang Chai ◽  
Guoyu Li ◽  
Wei Ma ◽  
Yapeng Cao ◽  
Gang Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Influential Factors ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Model Calculations ◽  
Surface Flows ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
Freeze Thaw ◽  
Permafrost Regions

The China–Russia crude oil pipeline (CRCOP) traverses rivers, forests, and mountains over permafrost regions in northeastern China. Water accumulates beside the pipe embankment, which disturbs the hydrothermal balance of permafrost underlying the pipeline. Ground surface flows along the pipeline erode the pipe embankment, which threatens the CRCOP’s operational safety. Additionally, frost heave and thaw settlement can induce differential deformation of the pipes. Therefore, it is necessary to acquire the spatial distribution of water features along the CRCOP, and analyze the various hazard probabilities and their controlling factors. In this paper, information regarding the permafrost type, buried depth of the pipe, soil type, landforms, and vegetation were collected along the CRCOP every 2 km. Ponding and erosive damage caused by surface flows were measured via field investigations and remote sensing images. Two hundred and sixty-four pond sites were extracted from Landsat 8 images, in which the areas of 46.8% of the ponds were larger than 500 m2. Several influential factors related to freeze–thaw hazards and erosive damage were selected and put into a logistic regression model to determine their corresponding risk probabilities. The results reflected the distributions, and forecasted the occurrences, of freeze–thaw hazards and erosive damage. The sections of pipe with the highest risks of freeze–thaw and erosive damage accounted for 2.4% and 6.7%, respectively, of the pipeline. Permafrost type and the position where runoff encounters the pipeline were the dominant influences on the freeze–thaw hazards, while the runoff–pipe position, buried depth of the pipe, and landform types played a dominant role in erosive damage along the CRCOP. Combined with the geographic information system (GIS), field surveys, image interpretation and model calculations are effective methods for assessing the various hazards along the CRCOP in permafrost regions.

Evaluation of Volume and Performance of a Free Phase Recovery System in an Oil Spill – Case Study of an Accident in Araucária, Brazil

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 1021-1025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson Oswaldo Luna Caicedo ◽  
Artur Cezar Bastos Neto ◽  
Alexandra Finotti ◽  
Clarissa Lovato Melo
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Spill ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Monitoring Wells ◽  
Cooperative Action ◽  
A Value ◽  
Recovery System ◽  
And Performance ◽  
One Year

ABSTRACT On July 16, 2000, about 4000 m3 of crude oil were spilled in a pipeline accident at the REPAR Refinery in Brazil, reaching part of the refinery area and the banks of the Barigui and Iguaçu rivers. An Oil Recovery and Cleanup Action Plan was conducted as a cooperative action between PETROBRAS and the Federal and State environmental agencies. One of the areas which suffered the most impact was Ponto Zero, right behind the pipeline failure site, where there was a lot of time for infiltration. Thus, a large amount of oil infiltrated and a free phase was formed for the oil. An estimate of the free phase volume from fluid levels in monitoring wells was conducted using the method of Lenhard and Parker (1990), on two occasions during the recovery action plan, the first in October 2000 right after the oil spill with a value of 43m3, the second in August 2001, after constructing the hydraulic structures to recover the infiltrated crude oil, at a value of 5.5 m3. The recovery system consisted mainly of closed trenches with well-sorted gravel to control the groundwater level and conduct the oil and water collected to a separator system. This recovery system was very efficient (about 87% in one year of operation), at a relatively low implementation and operation cost.

scholarly journals Geophysical investigations for stability and safety mitigation of regional crude-oil pipeline near abandoned coal mines

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-162
Author(s):  
B Butchibabu ◽  
Prosanta Kumar Khan ◽  
P C Jha
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Seismic Refraction ◽  
High Resolution Imaging ◽  
Weak Zone ◽  
Near Surface ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
Refraction Tomography ◽  
Geophysical Investigations ◽  
Resolution Imaging

Abstract This study aims for the protection of a crude-oil pipeline, buried at a shallow depth, against a probable environmental hazard and pilferage. Both surface and borehole geophysical techniques such as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), ground penetrating radar (GPR), surface seismic refraction tomography (SRT), cross-hole seismic tomography (CST) and cross-hole seismic profiling (CSP) were used to map the vulnerable zones. Data were acquired using ERT, GPR and SRT along the pipeline for a length of 750 m, and across the pipeline for a length of 4096 m (over 16 profiles of ERT and SRT with a separation of 50 m) for high-resolution imaging of the near-surface features. Borehole techniques, based on six CSP and three CST, were carried out at potentially vulnerable locations up to a depth of 30 m to complement the surface mapping with high-resolution imaging of deeper features. The ERT results revealed the presence of voids or cavities below the pipeline. A major weak zone was identified at the central part of the study area extending significantly deep into the subsurface. CSP and CST results also confirmed the presence of weak zones below the pipeline. The integrated geophysical investigations helped to detect the old workings and a deformation zone in the overburden. These features near the pipeline produced instability leading to deformation in the overburden, and led to subsidence in close vicinity of the concerned area. The area for imminent subsidence, proposed based on the results of the present comprehensive geophysical investigations, was found critical for the pipeline.

scholarly journals Data Analysis and Discussion on the Reliability of the Control Principle of a Sealed Crude Oil Pipeline

2021 ◽  
Vol 1927 (1) ◽  
pp. 012021
Author(s):  
Junjiang Liu ◽  
Liang Feng ◽  
Dake Yang ◽  
Xianghui Li
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
Control Principle

Experimental study on the wax removal physics of foam pig in crude oil pipeline pigging

2021 ◽  
Vol 205 ◽  
pp. 108881
Author(s):  
Xuedong Gao ◽  
Qiyu Huang ◽  
Xun Zhang ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Xiangrui Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Study ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
Wax Removal

Simulation of Liquid-Gas Replacement in Commissioning Process for Large-Slope Crude Oil Pipeline

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanyuan Chen ◽  
Jing Gong ◽  
Xiaoping Li ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Shaojun He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Flow Rate ◽  
Liquid Flow ◽  
Liquid Flow Rate ◽  
Fluid Model ◽  
Engineering Application ◽  
Computational Procedure ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Production Operation ◽  
Oil Pipeline

Pipeline commissioning, which is a key link from engineering construction to production operation, is aim to fill an empty pipe by injecting water or oil to push air out of it. For a large-slope crude oil pipeline with great elevation differences, air is fairly easy to entrap at downward inclined parts. The entrapped air, which is also called air pocket, will cause considerable damage on pumps and pipes. The presence of it may also bring difficulties in tracking the location of the liquid head or the interface between oil and water. It is the accumulated air that needed to be exhausted in time during commissioning. This paper focuses on the simulation of liquid-gas replacement in commissioning process that only liquid flow rate exists while gas stays stagnant in the pipe and is demanded to be replaced by liquid. Few previous researches have been found yet in this area. Consequently, the flow in a V-section pipeline consisted of a downhill segment and a subsequent uphill one is used here for studying both the formation and exhaustion behaviors of the intake air. The existing two-fluid model and simplified non-pressure wave model for gas-liquid stratified flow are applied to performance the gas formation and accumulation. The exhausting process is deemed to be a period in which the elongated bubble (Taylor bubble) is fragmented into dispersed small bubbles. A mathematical model to account for gas entrainment into liquid slug is proposed, implemented and incorporated in a computational procedure. By taking into account the comprehensive effects of liquid flow rate, fluid properties, surface tension, and inclination angle, the characteristics of the air section such as the length, pressure and mass can be calculated accurately. The model was found to show satisfactory predictions when tested in a pipeline. The simulation studies can provide theoretical support and guidance for field engineering application, which are meanwhile capable of helping detect changes in parameters of gas section. Thus corresponding control measures can be adopted timely and appropriately in commissioning process.

Permafrost Hazard of MoHe-DaQing Crude Oil Pipeline

2013 ◽  
Vol 734-737 ◽  
pp. 2659-2663
Author(s):  
Yun Bin Ma ◽  
Dong Jie Tan ◽  
Hong Yuan Jing ◽  
Quan Xue ◽  
Cheng Zhi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
The Other ◽  
Frost Heave ◽  
Permafrost Soil ◽  
Buried Pipeline ◽  
Soil Frost ◽  
Plastic Deformations ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
Thaw Settlement ◽  
Slope Instabilities

The crude oil pipeline from MoHe to DaQing (hereafter called Mo-Da pipeline) is part of China-Russia oil pipeline. Mo-Da pipeline is the first pipeline that through high latitude cold regions of China. The pipeline is in so complicated geography environment that many kinds of permafrost hazard are easily to happen including frost heave, thaw settlement, slope instabilities, and collapse and so on. The pipeline and the permafrost act and react upon one another. On one hand, soil frost heave and thaw settlement can produce extra stresses on pipe walls, which may result in centralized stresses and plastic deformations under certain conditions, even causes pipeline faults. On the other hand, buried pipeline will disturb ambient environment and then degrade the permafrost soil and finally impact safety of the pipeline. This paper mainly introduces the permafrost hazards of Mo-Da pipeline and demonstrates some methods for monitoring the influence of permafrost.

Design and Construction Challenges of a Roped Insulated Pipeline

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neetu Prasad ◽  
Graeme King ◽  
Arfeen Najeeb
Keyword(s):  
Ground Surface ◽  
Large Temperature ◽  
Worst Case ◽  
Oil Pipeline ◽  
Upheaval Buckling ◽  
Timely Completion ◽  
Construction Contractor ◽  
Cold Bends ◽  
And Control ◽  
Design And Construction

Abstract Thermally insulated hot buried pipelines pose a unique set of challenges. This paper discusses those challenges and how they were met during design and construction of the 150 km long Husky LLB Direct Pipeline, the longest thermally insulated oil pipeline in Canada. Thermal insulation materials are soft and can be easily damaged during construction and backfilling, and by large restraining forces at bends when the pipeline is operating at high temperatures. The large temperature difference between pipeline installation temperature and maximum operating temperature leads to large axial compressive forces that can cause movement at bends, crush insulation, increase temperatures at ground surface, cause loss of restraint, and in the worst case, lead to upheaval buckling and loss of containment. Special design and construction features to deal with these challenges, including insulation specifications, insulation of pipe bends, pipeline pre-straining, long radius bends, deeper burial, and pipeline roping, were therefore necessary. After pipe has been insulated with polyurethane foam it cannot be bent in standard field bending machines used for uninsulated pipes because the foam is too soft. The induction bends and cold bends that are shop insulated after bending are expensive. The Project minimized the number of these expensive insulated bends by using an engineered ditch bottom profile. This meant that shop bends were only needed to reduce excavation depth at sharp changes in ground surface elevation where the roped profile required excessive grading. Care was therefore necessary in the selection and development of specifications for the insulation system and shop fabricated bends, and to design and construct a ditch profile to minimize forces on the insulation and control upheaval buckling. Close co-ordination with vendors and the construction contractor was crucial for a successful and timely completion.

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