Monday, 1 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 composed of a mature source rock containing oil and gas accumulations, the formation of which has been abetted by geologic elements and processes. Petroleum is a general term for a compound that contains high concentrations of either hydrocarbon gas, shale, coal, condensates, crude oil, and bitumen. And it is a system because of the interdependent elements and processes that make it functional.

This hydrocarbon system is composed of an active source, a reservoir, a seal, and an overburden rock. Processes involved include the trap formation, the generation of petroleum, and then their accumulation. If one part and a necessary process are even just a bit off, the system will not work at all.

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.

Other considerations are the safety of personnel and third parties. The project engineer should obtain the needed permits, regulations and standards from all the relevant authorities. Logistical requirements include site specific drawings and specifications that record all the components of the site. These include the size and location of tanks, pumps, pipes, and cables.

The contractor should make it top priority to ensure that all the hired personnel have the training, qualifications, and experience that would make sure that they do their job safely and competently. It goes without saying that this is a responsible job, unpardonable when done wrong. All the necessary precautions that would ensure the streamlined operations of the site and the safety of its constituents and the environment should be taken and made a top priority.




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