home Magazine Environmental problems and their causes in the oil industry. Research work "The impact of oil pollution on the natural environment of Khmao-Yugra

Environmental problems and their causes in the oil industry. Research work "The impact of oil pollution on the natural environment of Khmao-Yugra

Smolensky State University

Test

on the subject of technogenic systems and environmental risk

on the topic:

« Ecological problems oil industry"

Performed

5th year student of ecology

Bazanova A. A.

Lecturer: Tsiganok V.I.

Smolensk 2010

PLAN

1. Historical information about oil. First booty.

2. The emergence of oil

3. Oil and gas production

4. Modern oil production technology

5. How long will the oil last

6. Impact of oil production on nature

7. Dangerous fishing

8. Accident in the Gulf of Mexico - man or nature?

10. Literature used

Historical information about oil. First booty

The world oil market in its modern form is quite young, but at the same time, oil has been used for various purposes for a very long time. The word use is specially used here, because people who lived in such a temporary distance did not bother themselves in any specific actions related to the extraction and even more so the processing of this raw material. If we turn to the history of oil and its first use, then we will have to touch on the ancient period. exact date it is simply impossible to know the first fact of obtaining and using a flammable liquid, and at the same time there are certain average figures that various sources cite.

The dates of the first use of oil go back to 7000-4000 millennium BC. Oil was then known to ancient Egypt, there were fisheries on the banks of the Euphrates, as well as on the territory ancient greece. As a rule, oil seeped through cracks in the earth's cover, and ancient people collected this interesting oily substance with little or no effort to extract it. This was one of the options for mining. The second option was already more time-consuming. In places where oil was observed from the ground, wells were dug, where it itself was recruited, and to use it, it only remained to scoop it out with some kind of container. Now this method is practically impossible due to the depletion of reserves at shallow depths. As you can see, those distant times differed in many ways, including resource extraction technologies. Oil was already used as: building material, lighting oil, wheel lubricant, military gun, medicinal product, such as scabies and other ailments.

Yes, this is very far from the current date, and now one can hardly imagine how one can be treated or, for example, illuminate a room with a black flammable liquid. The progress of mankind makes itself felt - new technologies, one way or another, are replacing the old ones.

The emergence of oil

First of all, I would like to highlight such a delicate and controversial issue related to the emergence of oil. Until now, scientific points of view clash with each other. And there are reasons for that. There are two main theories of the origin of oil:

● biogenic

● abiogenic

The biogenic theory is a more classical variation on the origin of oil. It is also supported by the majority of scientists. According to the organic (biogenic) theory, oil arises as a result of the accumulation of plant and animal remains on the bottom in various fresh and marine water bodies. Then, after accumulation, the sediment is compacted and, through natural biochemical processes, it partially decomposes with the release of hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide and other substances. After the end of biological and chemical processes, the sediment sinks to a depth of 3000-4500 meters, where the most important thing happens - the separation of hydrocarbons from the organic mass. This process takes place at a temperature of 140-160. Further, oil enters underground voids, filling them and thereby forming what people call deposits. Moving further down, the organic layer is subjected to an increasing temperature load and above 180-200º C it stops releasing hydrocarbons (oil), but at the same time it begins to actively release gas, the same gas that we use daily.

The abiogenic or chemical theory of the origin of oil is the main opposite opinion in relation to the biogenic in a number of scientific specialists. Ten years later, in October 1876, D.I. Mendeleev where he put forward his scientific view on the origin of oil. He argued that water entering the cracks in the earth's cover seeps deep down and reacts with iron carbides under the influence of pressure and temperature, transforms into hydrocarbons and then rises up, filling the porous layers. Through experiments, Mendeleev proved the possibility of synthesizing hydrocarbons (oil) from inorganic substances. In fact, it was the famous Russian chemist - D.I. Mendeleev for the first time clearly, extensively substantiated his point of view. It must be said that until now scientists have not agreed on a common opinion. But the world is made up of opposites. And most likely it is the desire to discover something new, to prove something or to show others in a new light that drives the world.

Oil and gas

Rocks with large pores in which oil collects are called reservoirs or reservoirs. The pores between the particles are filled with a mixture of oil, gas and water; this mixture is squeezed out during compaction and is thereby forced to migrate from the pores of the rocks.

Oil and gas occur in rocks of all ages, even in fractured and weathered near-surface zones of the Precambrian crystalline basement. The most productive reservoir breeds North America were formed in the Ordovician, Carboniferous and Tertiary periods. In other parts of the world, oil is extracted mainly from Tertiary deposits.

Oil and gas fields are confined to structurally elevated areas, such as anticlines, but regionally, most of the fields are located in large depressions, the so-called sedimentary basins, where large volumes of sands, clays and carbonate sediments are deposited over geological time. There are numerous such oil fields along the edges of the continents, where rivers deposit the material they bring into the depths of the sea. Examples of such areas are the North Sea in Europe, the Gulf of Mexico in America, the Gulf of Guinea in Africa and the Caspian Sea region. Wells are drilled here at a sea depth of up to 1500 m.

The first oil well was drilled in 1865. However, systematic oil production in the world began only after 2000 years. To this day, well drilling is the only way to break through to oil deposits. After drilling a well and access to its field. Due to the pressure inside the reservoir, oil usually begins to flow to the surface of the earth.

There are three most common ways to extract oil:

▪ fountain - it is also the easiest way to extract

▪ gas lift - a specific method of production

▪ pumping - a commonly used method of extraction

I would like to single out the pumping method separately, since about 85% of all oil produced on our planet is extracted with the help of it. Depth oil wells can vary from several tens (very rarely) and hundreds of meters to several kilometers. The width of the wells can reach values from 10 cm to 1 meter. On the territory of Russia, oil deposits are located at very great depths - from 1000 to 5000 meters.

Important oil and gas fields surround the Gulf of Mexico and continue into its underwater part. They include the rich deposits of Texas and Louisiana, Mexico, Trinidad, the coast and interior of Venezuela. Large oil and gas areas are located in the frame of the Black, Caspian and Red Seas and the Persian Gulf. These areas include the rich deposits of Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and the United United Arab Emirates, as well as Baku, Turkmenistan and western Kazakhstan. The oil fields of the islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Java constitute the main mineral zones of Indonesia. Opening in 1947 oil fields in Western Canada and in 1951 in North Dakota laid the foundation for new important oil and gas provinces in North America. In 1968 were opened largest deposits off the northern coast of Alaska. In the early 1970s, large oil fields were discovered in the North Sea off the coast of Scotland, the Netherlands and Norway. Small oil deposits are found on the coasts of most seas and in the sediments of ancient lakes.

Of course, now oil is not extracted, simply waiting for it to fill a natural well or squeezing out limestone rocks saturated with hydrocarbons. In real conditions, the way to access oil fields has changed little in relation to a little more than a century ago.

Modern oil production technology

The process of oil production can be divided into 3 stages:

1 - the movement of oil along the reservoir to the wells due to the artificially created pressure difference in the reservoir and at the bottoms of the wells,

2 - the movement of oil from the bottomholes of wells to their mouths on the surface - the operation of oil wells,

3 - collection of oil and associated gases and water on the surface, their separation, removal of mineral salts from oil, formation water treatment, collection of associated petroleum gas.

The movement of fluids and gas in reservoirs to production wells is called the process of developing an oil field. The movement of liquids and gas in the right direction occurs due to a certain combination of oil, injection and control wells, as well as their number and work order.

The deepest well in the world is located in Russia on the Kola Peninsula - it is located at a depth of 12.3 kilometers, but the truth belongs to the category of scientific ones. Scientific wells are mainly used to study the geological and chemical composition of the earth's layers.

How much oil will last

This question can be heard now anywhere and from anyone, from grandmothers on a bench at the entrance to talking over big round tables video studios of leading channels. Doesn't it seem strange that just a hundred years after the start of mass oil production, humanity is at the stage of exhaustion of this necessary resource. Yes, indeed, it is unusual - just a little over a hundred years of mining and resources that have been formed for millions of years are over. But everything is controversial in our world.

Let us compare two simple averages of world oil production: the volume of oil produced by 1920 is 95 million tons, by 1970 it is 2300 million tons. On the this moment experts estimate the total world oil reserves at 220-250 billion tons. Of course, this figure is given taking into account undiscovered reserves, which are approximately 25% of the above figure. And yet, let's try together to calculate how much oil our planet will last based on the explored world oil reserves and the average annual world demand:

● Explored oil reserves of 200 billion tons

● Annual demand for oil 4.6 billion tons

Here I would like to emphasize once again that 43.5 years is an average figure. The exact number, i.e. the number of years for which oil is enough cannot be obtained by any specialist, due to the fact that constantly:

♦ changes in the volume of world demand for oil

♦ data on oil reserves in each country changes

♦ oil production technologies are developing

♦ energy production technologies are developing

Also, undiscovered reserves do not take part in the calculations.

The impact of oil production on nature

1. Irregular in the economic sense, the growth of volumes and rates of production of oil, gas and other fuel and energy resources causes dangerous degradation processes in the lithosphere (landslides, local earthquakes, failures, etc.) ... One of the reasons for frequent earthquakes is an increase in the stress of the earth's crust under the influence of in high pressure water wells.

2. One of the large-scale atmospheric air pollutants during oil production is associated gas, which, along with fractions of light hydrocarbons, contains hydrogen sulfide. Millions of cubic meters of associated gas have been flared for decades, resulting in the formation of hundreds of thousands of tons of nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and products of incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons.

As can be seen, despite the a high degree the use of associated gas, every year tens of millions of cubic meters of this valuable raw material are still flared or simply lost during oil production. Oil is a mixture of about 1000 individual substances, of which more than 500 are liquid hydrocarbons. After getting into the soil or on the water surface, volatile hydrocarbon fractions are released from the oil into the atmosphere. Thus, the case of accumulation of hydrocarbon vapors along railway due to an accident on a pipeline with condensed hydrocarbons in Bashkiria. When passing passenger train these fumes ignited and a massive fire around the train resulted in numerous casualties.

3. When the oil content in water is 200-300 milligrams per cubic meter, the environmental equilibrium is violated certain types fish and other aquatic life. Oil also actively interacts with ice, which is able to absorb up to one-fourth of its mass. When melting, such ice becomes a source of pollution of any reservoir. With these waters, more than ten thousand tons of pollutants entered the reservoir. Groundwater has been polluted by the oil industry for a long time. The study of groundwater pollution processes showed that 60-65% of pollution occurs during the accident of sewage conduits and drilling of wells, and 30-40% of pollution occurs due to malfunctions of deep well equipment, which leads to the flow of mineralized water into freshwater horizons. Hydrochemical control of springs and artesian wells, carried out in 1995, showed that 90 out of 523 springs are characterized by an increased content of chlorides in the water.

4. Annually for drilling oil wells, laying pipelines and highways more than 1000 hectares of land are allocated, of which most of returned after recultivation. However, despite the re-cultivation work, part of the land is returned with a degraded agrochemical structure or becomes completely unsuitable for growing crops. The foregoing shows that oil and oil products are pollutants that enter into chemical interaction with the components of the natural environment.

5. When refining oil, there are also environmental problems associated primarily with the primary purification of oil and its desulfurization. In 1996, during the primary processing of oil in environment 91.8 thousand tons of gaseous pollutants were received.

Dangerous fishing

The oil industry has always been and remains a risky business, and production at continental shelf is doubly dangerous. Sometimes mining platforms sink: no matter how heavy and stable the structure is, there will always be a “ninth shaft” on it. Another reason is a gas explosion, and as a result, a fire. And although major accidents are rare, on average once a decade (tougher safety measures and discipline affect compared to onshore mining), but this makes them even more tragic. From a burning or sinking steel island, people simply have nowhere to go - the sea is around, and help does not always come on time. Especially in the North. One of the largest accidents occurred on February 15, 1982, 315 km from the coast of Newfoundland. Built in Japan, the Ocean Ranger was the largest semi-submersible platform of its time, and due to its large size it was considered unsinkable, and therefore it was used to work in the most difficult conditions. The Ocean Ranger had been in Canadian waters for two years now, and people didn't expect any surprises. Suddenly a severe storm began, huge waves flooded the deck, tore off the equipment. Water entered the ballast tanks, tilting the platform. The team tried to correct the situation, but could not - the platform was sinking. Some people jumped overboard, not thinking that they would be able to survive in icy water without special suits for only a few minutes. Rescue helicopters were unable to take off because of the storm, and the crew of the ship that came to the rescue tried unsuccessfully to remove the oilmen from the only lifeboat. Neither the rope, nor the raft, nor the long poles with hooks helped - the waves were so high. All 84 people working on the platform died. The most recent tragedy at sea was caused by hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which raged in August-September 2005 on the east coast of the United States. The elements swept through the Gulf of Mexico, where 4,000 production platforms operate. As a result, 115 structures were destroyed, 52 were damaged and 535 pipeline segments were disrupted, which completely paralyzed production in the bay. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but this is the biggest damage ever done to the oil and gas industry in this area.

Accident in the Gulf of Mexico - man or nature?

The accident in the Gulf of Mexico, where after the explosion and flooding of the drilling platform, a huge oil slick formed on the water, became the first such disaster in the history of mankind. To eliminate it, as experts note, it may be necessary to use extraordinary means, and the consequences of the emergency may force a review of plans for the development of offshore oil production.

A BP-operated oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico sank on April 22 after a 36-hour fire followed powerful explosion. Oil on this platform was produced from a record depth of 1.5 thousand meters. Now the oil slick has reached the coast of Louisiana and is approaching the coast of two other US states - Florida and Alabama. Experts fear that the animals and birds of the national reserve in Louisiana and surrounding national parks will suffer. The biological resources of the bay are under threat.

The Coast Guard and the US Mineral Resources Administration are investigating the cause of the drilling platform explosion.

Who is guilty

On Tuesday, Russian experts spoke about the causes of the accident and methods for solving it at a press conference at RIA Novosti "The environmental situation in the Gulf of Mexico: how to prevent this from happening in Russia?"

The cause of the accident could be a sudden release of oil due to the movement of the platforms of the earth's crust, says Yury Pikovsky, a leading researcher at the laboratory of carbonaceous substances in the biosphere of the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University.

According to the expert, in this situation, entirely on human and technological factors it is impossible to rely on - the main cause of the accident could be the impact of all subsoil users on the earth's crust in this area, which could lead to a sudden release of oil under high pressure.

The structure of the earth's crust in the bay has a block structure and a very large amount oil platforms located at the junction of blocks, while they are strongly affected by drilling and exploration work. Joints are the most permeable places where a lot of stress is created and abnormally formed. high pressure.

When drilling in such places, there is a high probability of getting a sudden blowout. The platform on which the accident occurred is located at the junction of two large blocks.

According to statistics, oil spills from ships and during transportation in the aggregate cause more harm to the environment than major disasters, said Vladimir Gershenzon, General Director of the ScanEx Engineering and Technology Center.

If you look at the statistics of such major accidents, then the statistics of pollution during transportation, transportation of petroleum products is much higher than even during such major disasters, the expert noted. He cited the situation in Novorossiysk as an example, where satellite monitoring made it possible to identify five ships dumping oil products right on the roadstead of the seaport. According to Gershenzon, bringing to justice the captains of ships that pollute the water area is very difficult in Russia; this requires the coordinated participation of a number of departments.

However, according to the expert, even tougher sanctions for pollution may not have an effect, since ships will dump oil products in international waters, so it is necessary to introduce international regulations and a system of international control.

The technologies that are available in Russia make it possible to monitor the development of deposits in the Arctic, the ecosystem of which is especially sensitive to human impact. It should be accompanied by the introduction of modern satellite monitoring systems.

“Where there are interested parties and public control, information about accidents spreads very quickly, and they themselves are eliminated promptly. At the same time, for example, in sparsely populated areas Western Siberia the development of oil fields was accompanied by significant environmental pollution,” the expert said, adding that it is necessary to be especially correct and develop appropriate monitoring systems in advance.

“Space is a good helper (for) so that the entire population of the planet skillfully, could and monitor what is happening on the territory,” Gershenzon concluded.

Outcome

It is quite possible to reduce the negative consequences of the activities of oil companies

Unfavorable oil production conditions have a negative impact on people, materials and the environment.

It is well known that oil production brings great harm to the environment. Wastewater and drilling fluids, if not completely cleaned, can make the water bodies where they are discharged completely unsuitable for flora and fauna and even for technical purposes. Emissions into the atmosphere also cause significant damage to the environment. Recently, Rosprirodnadzor actively checks the activities of oil and gas companies from the point of view of preserving the environment and sends its conclusions on the revocation of licenses from those companies that violate the environment in the territories of their activities. These violations, unfortunately, are diverse. In the latest State report published today “On the state and protection of the environment Russian Federation in 2005” it is noted that the largest total volume of emissions into the atmosphere was recorded for enterprises producing crude oil and petroleum (associated) gas - 4.1 million tons (one fifth of the total emissions from stationary sources in Russia as a whole). Extractive enterprises use about 2,000 million cubic meters in total. m of fresh water, including in the extraction of crude oil and natural gas- 701.5 million cubic meters m.

In the reset structure in water bodies polluted (51.2%) and normatively clean (40.5%) wastewater prevail. The share of standard treated wastewater is insignificant - about 8%. Of course, measures such as the introduction of dust collection plants and the utilization of associated petroleum gas sharply reduce emissions into the atmosphere. However, it is precisely rational use water and the implementation of water protection measures allows not only to reduce the main volumes of water that are used by oil production enterprises mainly for the needs of maintaining reservoir pressure, but also to prevent pollution of water bodies sewage. In this regard, the most effective are the construction of treatment facilities and the recycling of water.

However, during the development of oil fields, especially in permafrost conditions, negative processes occur, which are not always reflected in the existing statistics. At the same time, recent studies have found that this negative impact of oil production can be mitigated under certain conditions.

Let's start with the fact that the chemical and physical properties of oil affect the environment in different ways (and not only negatively). The fact is that oil has a high freezing point and viscosity. In order for oil to flow through pipelines at the required speed, it is heated. To do this, the pipes are insulated, because otherwise, due to large heat losses, it will be necessary to build heating points too often. In addition, high heat transfer leads to thawing of the upper layer of permafrost soils, which leads to an increase in the growing season for plants and favorably affects the number of animals (especially in years with extreme conditions).

A change in the state of permafrost leads to a change in the gaseous state of the atmosphere. An increase in the thawing depth changes the ratio between the aerobic zone of the soil located above the groundwater level and the zone below the anaerobic (oxygen-free) zone. The aerobic zone is a source of carbon dioxide emission, which is formed during the decomposition of organic matter in an oxygen environment, and the anaerobic zone produces methane. The greenhouse effect of methane exceeds that of an equal amount of carbon dioxide by about 20 times. Thus, the destruction of the upper layer of permafrost leads to a decrease in methane in the atmosphere, which stabilizes the climate on the planet. The release of carbon dioxide contained in the upper layers of permafrost and absorbed by vegetation and plankton during the thawing of permafrost significantly reduces the effect of global warming, which occurs when a gas that is not absorbed by biota, methane, enters the atmosphere.

In areas damaged by heavy all-terrain vehicles, due to the intensification of microbiological processes, an increase in the productivity of secondary (derivative) plant communities is noted. In these places, derived secondary herbaceous communities are at least four times higher than the primary tundra communities in terms of the annual increase in aboveground biomass, and their root systems have a pronounced soil-reinforcing and anti-erosion ability.

Oilfields are one of the main sources of forest fires in the zone of near-tundra light forests, when up to 20–40% of trees die. In the burnt areas of the forest, the vegetation cover changes, conifers are replaced, for example, by small-leaved ones. However, fire also has a stimulating effect on the development of biota.

The restoration of the animal world of regions where intensive oil production is carried out can be affected by a change in the moisture regime of the territory being developed. Damped reservoirs formed along roads, embankments and pipeline routes are inhabited by aquatic invertebrates and fish. They become a habitat for near-water and waterfowl, the density of which, under anthropogenically modified conditions, sometimes exceeds that under natural conditions. It was found that on dry sandy loamy interfluve watersheds of Western Siberia, where pine-small-leaved forests grow, technogenic embankments more than double the moisture content of soils and their trophicity (i.e., fertility and bioproductivity). It is to such habitats that a huge number of West Siberian oil fields are confined.

The positive (albeit not so significant) environmental impact that arises from oil production must be taken into account when drawing up environmental impact assessment (EIA) plans. According to V.B. Korobov, when operating oil structure facilities, one should use heat loss from oil pipelines and increased watering of the territories adjacent to the embankments. For effective use heat losses in near-tundra light forests and in meadow vegetation zones along pipelines, it is necessary to choose places with a higher concentration of animals and plants. In these areas, it is possible to reduce the thermal insulation of pipes so that heat flows reach the earth's surface and increase the air temperature, increasing the growing season. Discharge of warm waters into reservoirs and streams in cold period year can contribute to the formation of quasi-stationary polynyas, which, under certain circumstances, can ensure the existence of semiaquatic birds.

Used Books

1. Wikipedia is the free encyclopedia of the Internet.

2. www.yandex.ru///Influence oil industry on the environment.

During exploration and production drilling (“field drilling”), as well as during the extraction and primary processing of oil, tens of thousands of tons of various wastes are generated, the main of which are drilling fluids, cuttings and formation waters. Stepanovskikh A.S. Environmental protection during oil production. M.: Unity, 2006 S. 52

1. Drilling fluids are the most toxic part of drilling waste.

The concept of "Drilling fluids" covers a wide range of liquid, suspension and aerated media that perform various functions: improving the drillability of the rock, its erosion and removal, maintaining the integrity of the borehole walls, protecting drilling equipment from corrosion, etc. Fundamentally, drilling fluids can be divided into three groups: oil-based, synthetic and water-based (the least toxic).

The chemical composition of the drilling fluid depends on its purpose, type of rock and drilling method, although there are a number of mandatory points. An indispensable component of any drilling fluid is bentonite (montmorillonite clay). Clay is used as a mortar structurant and viscosity regulator. In some cases, palygorskite clay is used - atapulgite.

Abnormally high reservoir pressures often exceed the hydrostatic pressure of the drilling fluid column in the well, so it must be weighted, for which barite weighting agent (anhydrous barium sulfate) is used, which is the only material used abroad for this purpose. As an alkalinity regulator, reagents such as caustic soda (NaOH) are used. Surface active agents (surfactants) are also part of any drilling fluid. Sulfanol, disolvan, stearox and various ethoxylated alcohols are used as surfactants. For degassing drilling fluids, defoaming agents are used: soastok, carbolineum, synthetic fatty acids, etc.

In offshore oil production, water-based drilling fluids are usually discharged into the sea without prior purification and neutralization.

2. Sludge - is a rock drilled in a well, raised to the surface with drilling mud. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the composition and quantity of specific contaminants (toxic) substances in drill cuttings on the Sakhalin shelf have not been properly studied. However, it is known for sure that fishery MPCs for this type of waste are not set.
3. Formation waters - waters coming from oil and gas bearing underground formations together with oil and gas in the process of oil production. As a rule, they contain residual amounts of oil, are contaminated with natural low molecular weight hydrocarbons, inorganic salts and suspended solids. The volume of oil entering the sea as part of formation waters can reach tens of tons per year. For example, in the North Sea, oil coming from formation waters accounts for 20% of all oil discharges in this region. In addition to oil proper, reservoir waters are characterized by a high content of polyaromatic (especially toxic) hydrocarbons.

1. Drilling fluids. Bentonite clay in its composition does not pose a threat of chemical pollution. However, it increases the turbidity of the water, which is important for offshore oil production. Increased turbidity of water scares away fish from spawning grounds and migration routes. This is especially important for Northern Sakhalin, where the deterioration of the ecological situation has already led to the fact that 40% of salmon spawning grounds have been disturbed, and 130 rivers have largely lost their spawning significance. Fields of increased turbidity disrupt the production processes in the upper photosynthetic layer, which can lead to disturbances at the ecosystem level. High turbidity adversely affects the filtration apparatus of molluscs and crustaceans. It has been established that even in minimal amounts that do not affect survival, bentonite and atapulgite cause abortive spawning in bivalve mollusks. Silting in the area of drilling operations, which occurs as a result of sedimentation of suspensions from discharges of cuttings and drilling fluids, leads to a change in the nature of soils, and, as a result, to a change in the structure of benthic communities.

Barite. The assessment of the toxicity of barite differs somewhat in our and foreign literature. American scientists consider it a practically non-toxic, or low-toxic, substance. In the works of our own and individual Western toxicologists, data are presented that indicate a higher toxicity of barite. Barite, like clays, increases the turbidity of water, but settles to the bottom faster, so its effect is more noticeable for benthos than for plankton. Barite significantly reduces the abundance of polychaetes, and, to a lesser extent, molluscs, in benthic communities.

Oil and gas companies often refer to the fact that the substances used in drilling are of low toxicity, and their discharge does not exceed the norm. But this means an assessment of the degree of toxicity according to American standards, and the norm - according to average discharge volumes. Khaustov A.P., Redina M.M. Environmental protection during oil production. M.: Delo, 2006 S. 80

Meanwhile, it is quite difficult to assess the real degree of toxicity of a substance using the classification of the American Institute of Petroleum Research.

In general, changes occurring under the influence of drilling fluids at the ecosystem level are as follows:

* Decreased life expectancy in most populations;
* complete extinction of some species;
* anomalous outbreaks of the number of individual forms;
* change of dominant and subdominant species.
2. Drill cuttings. When cuttings come into contact with the drilling fluid, its mineral particles adsorb toxic substances that are part of it. Also, the drilled rock accumulates crude oil and its fractions in the process of drilling the lower horizons.

According to some international standards(GESAMP, 1993), the allowable oil content in the sludge should not exceed 100 mgl. But, even if we assume that this norm is maintained, then it is much higher than the concentrations that cause a lethal effect for some types of organisms.

In water, sludge is differentiated into large and heavy particles, which quickly settle to the bottom, and small fractions (0.01 mm in size), which can float in the water column for weeks, increasing its turbidity. An increase in the concentration of suspended solids leads to a decrease in transparency and, as a result, to a change in the thermal regime of the surface layer of water, which, in turn, affects the process of water evaporation and the rise of cold bottom masses.

3. Formation waters. The main danger of formation waters is the high content of petroleum hydrocarbons. As a rule, oil separators mainly separate suspended and dispersed oil, while water-soluble oil fractions in concentrations from 20 to 50 mgl and above remain and enter the territory adjacent to the development site with discharges.

When mastering oil and gas fields each time it is necessary to compare the relative ecological risk of impact on forest and wetland ecosystems. The table below discusses the main options for impact on forest and wetland ecosystems during the development of oil fields and their consequences in the general case. Gray F. Oil production. M.: Olimp-Business, 2001 S. 79

The consequences of impacts on wetland ecosystems cannot always be considered unambiguously as negative. When filling with sand and when laying a pipeline, swamps are often replaced by forest communities, which may be more valuable from an environmental point of view. The trend of replacement by forest communities and the accumulation of tree undergrowth is observed during the drying of bog ecosystems, when the bog runoff is blocked by road dams. With weak salt pollution in oligotrophic habitats, the growth of pine increases tenfold, and sphagnum mosses change to hypnum mosses. In all these cases, the sustainability of wetland ecosystems is lower than that of forest ecosystems, but the ecological risk can be regarded as less, depending on the specific situation.

Table 1. Impact of oil production on ecosystems

Impact	Forest ecosystems in dry habitats	Wetlands and swamp forests
oil spills		1. Plants die both from lack of oxygen in soils and from toxic effects of excess salts.
2. Weakly polluted, as liquids roll down and accumulate in waterlogged habitats occupied or swampy forests or swamps.	2. Accumulate pollution and promote distribution in the surface layer. They dissolve salts and take them out of the oil spill.
3. The leaching regime of soils contributes to the removal of polluting liquids into groundwater and self-purification of habitats.	3. The absence of a leaching regime contributes to the accumulation of hydrocarbons on the surface, which worsens the air supply to the soil.
4. It is possible to plow and destroy the continuity of the oil film, which ensures the supply of oxygen to the soil and the rapid microbial destruction of oil.	4. It is not possible or technically difficult to carry out traditional reclamation activities by destroying the continuity of the oil film, for example, by plowing.
Salt pollution	5. No observations at low concentrations.	5. Low concentrations (up to 100 mg/l) lead to an increase in productivity and the change of oligotrophic communities by mesotrophic and eutrophic ones.
6. High concentrations lead to the death of some species of the community, tree undergrowth, depletion of the species composition and simplification of the structure.	6. High concentrations (more than 100 mg/l) lead to the death of the original biological community and the formation of cattail or reed thickets.
backfilling with sand	7. Leads to the formation of automorphic forest communities.	7. Leads to the formation of forest communities.
silting	8. Little impact on the stand in dry habitats. There is a restoration of the ground cover as after burnt areas and clearings.	8. With a thick layer of siltation in waterlogged forests and swamps, the death of a tree stand from a lack of oxygen in the soil is observed. A new forest-type community is being formed.
Dusty and weak silting	9. Has little impact on the community. Prolonged impact leads to depletion of the species composition and degradation of the ground cover.	9. Peat mineralization occurs, decomposition processes intensify and hydromorphism increases. Sphagnum communities are replaced by sedge ones.
Flooding	10. There is a death of a forest stand and the formation of swamp communities.	10. There is a change of dominants, the formation of moss communities of the hollow type.
	11. Little changes the composition and structure of communities.	11. There is a change of dominants, the formation of cotton grass communities and the accumulation of tree undergrowth.
Multiple travel	12. Recovery rates are high and comparable to recovery after burnt areas and fellings.	12. Recovery rates are low and lead to the formation of hollow communities.
Laying of pipelines, portage	13. A high diversity of microhabitats is being formed, which leads to an increase in the species diversity of communities. The original type of communities is being restored.	13. A high diversity of microhabitats is being formed, which leads to an increase in the species diversity of communities. Promotes the formation of forest types of communities.

In general, the impact of drilling waste on the environment comes down to the following Gray F. Oil production. M.: Olimp-Business, 2001 S. 113:

1. Changing the conditions of existence of animals and plants
2. Pollution of water and soil with toxic substances:
- * chronic pollution with heavy metals (mercury, cadmium, lead, arsenic, zinc, etc.) contained in drilling fluids and cuttings;
- * entry into water of oil and its fractions, low molecular weight hydrocarbons, highly toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons and organic acids (GESAMP, 1993);
- * formation of radioactive sludge by radionuclides coming with formation waters.

It is difficult to say how fair the expression “environmental problems of the oil industry” sounds? Industry, like any other human activity, cannot have environmental problems. It is the environment that has problems due to human intervention and the use of its resources. Because of oil, environmental problems arose and became large-scale. Especially after another industrial revolution. When the fuel oil produced from it became the main source of energy for industry, displacing coal.

It has been used by mankind since time immemorial. Before fuel oil, the most popular was kerosene, obtained from it in a simple, by today's standards, way. Since the end of the 18th century, kerosene has been used for lighting lamps.

The impact of oil causes environmental problems only after its withdrawal from natural storages. If it is located in the place of its natural occurrence, that is, underground, it does not cause problems for nature. There is also no mention that oil has caused damage to the environment, its environment, that is, under the surface of the earth. There is no evidence that she herself, without human participation, caused significant damage to terrestrial nature. Its spills, protruding to the surface in some regions of the Earth, are so insignificant that they should not be taken into account.

general characteristics

Oil is a natural liquid. Oily and flammable. It has a specific smell and color from yellow-green to brown-brown and black. It consists of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons and various impurities. It belongs, like peat, coal, shale, to natural fossil fuels - caustobioliths. The depth of its occurrence is from several meters to 6 km, it belongs to non-renewable resources.

It got its name from the Persian language. In other languages it is called "stone oil" or "mountain oil". It is a flammable liquid.

Industrial processing began in the 18th century, before that it was used in an unrefined form. The first borehole produced oil in 1848 in the Baku region, and the first plant was built there in 1857.

The process of its origin in nature is still controversial among scientists. The main theory speaks of its organic origin.

The explored reserves are about 210 billion tons and the unexplored reserves are about the same. Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Russia, Libya and others have the largest reserves. These are the countries that produce it the most.

Problems

It is also not correct to talk about the problems caused by the oil industry as an industry. economic activity person. Nature suffers not only when drilling wells, laying pipelines or burning fuel oil. Isn't crude oil spills on the surface of the sea or soil an environmental disaster? Does fuel oil or other products made from it, dumped into rivers by ships, cause environmental damage? It is not the oil industry that burns the same fuel oil at thermal stations, but gasoline and diesel fuel in private car engines. But this does not reduce the problems of nature. And it is impossible to look for the causes of environmental problems only in this industry.

To some extent, oil-related environmental problems should be considered comprehensively. They consist of problems caused by oil and the production processes in which it is involved. The impact on nature occurs when the ecosystem comes into direct contact with crude oil, during exploration, production, storage, transportation and processing, as well as the transportation and use of petroleum products.

Industry, its divisions

In the oil industry, the essence of the environmental problem lies in the imperfection of technical processes and equipment, their insufficient equipment to ensure safety, avoid accidents and use it as efficiently as possible at each technological stage.

The oil industry is one of the leading sectors of the economy, those countries of the world where there is oil. The industry consists of several divisions. Each division performs a specific set of tasks. The activity is divided into stages: production, which is preceded by exploration and drilling, storage, transportation and processing.

The first stage of the "relationship" of a person with oil is its extraction. It's complex manufacturing process, which includes geological exploration, drilling of wells, purification of extracted raw materials from water, paraffin, sulfur and other impurities, as well as pumping to primary storage and accounting points.

Impact on nature

When extracting oil, environmental problems arise almost immediately. They begin with clearing places for the installation of drilling equipment. To do this, deforestation or other cleaning of the site from vegetation is carried out. At the same time, the area allotted for work is clogged with human waste products, waste materials, soil raised to the surface. The surrounding area is suffering. It is used by workers for their needs. Access roads are laid to the drilling site. Clearing the meta for laying the pipeline. As a result, nature receives a whole complex of pollution. But this is only a preliminary stage. Since the beginning of the extraction of raw materials, the damage to the environment has increased significantly. Primarily due to the spill of crude oil. It can be both technological and emergency outflow. In this case, the soil, surface and underground water sources receive such pollution that it will take them many years to recover from. The negative consequences for nature do not end with pumping from an underground deposit. The resulting voids lead to the movement of soils. Soil sinks, displacement and erosion occur. It should be noted that, as a rule, hydrocarbon deposits are located in natural areas with a very fragile ecosystem. The ecological balance in these places was formed very difficult and can be easily destroyed.

Next come the transportation of oil, its storage and processing. The biggest problems arise during transportation. Whatever mode of transport is used for this, it is poured everywhere. When transported by pipeline, railway or by car spilled oil falls on the soil, if water - remains on the surface of the water. It is soluble in organic solvents and insoluble in water. Therefore, its spots remain on the surface for a long time.

The last stage, which is attributed to the oil industry, is processing. It is produced from different kinds fuel, raw materials for chemical industry, building materials and so on.

Products obtained as a result of processing have most of its properties. When they are burned as fuel, a large amount of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and various sulfur compounds are released. Increasing their content in the atmosphere leads to climate change, "acid rain" and "greenhouse effect".

Oil and oil products pollute the waters of the planet. Every year, up to 10 million tons of them enter the World Ocean. But only a liter of oil, floating as a spot on the surface of sea water, deprives it of 40,000 liters of oxygen. A ton can have a negative impact on an area of 12 km2.

A decrease in oxygen in water and an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are the main "symptoms of disease" of the biosphere. Without taking the necessary actions, it can lead to fatal consequences, primarily for a person.

Video - Oil slick on the surface of the Yenisei

Characteristics of the oil industry

Today, the oil industry of the world is one of the most important components of the world economy, and also has a great influence on the development of other industries. For many states, oil production and refining is the main source of income and an industry that determines the stability of the country's currency and domestic economy.

Definition 1

Extraction, processing, transportation, storage and sale of minerals, i.e. oil and oil products, refer to the branch of the economy, which is defined as the oil industry.

Oil is the only natural resource that can be processed to produce a wide variety of essential products, such as: fuel, synthetic fabrics, all kinds of coatings, detergents, fuel oil. The composition of the oil industry is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Components of the oil industry. Author24 - online exchange of student papers

The main regions where oil is produced include: Russia, the United States of America, Saudi Arabia.

Problems of the oil industry

The main challenges facing the oil industry include:

Insufficient provision of a number of the world's largest countries with oil reserves (USA, Great Britain, Norway, etc.). This problem necessitates an increase in exploration work, the use of alternative fuels, a policy aimed at resource conservation in all areas of activity, and the purchase of oil from other countries.
Increasing oil production in developing countries of the world. The oil authority of such countries as Iran, Venezuela, Mexico, Indonesia is growing. National companies of these countries are developing quite dynamically, which in the future means an increase in importance in the oil complex of the world.
Creation of independent oil refining companies in the USA and Western Europe. Competition between Western and Eastern companies in the industry petrochemical production will give impetus not only to improving production technology, increasing the yield of petroleum products, but also to increasing the production of products of petroorganic synthesis.
Oil shortage in countries Far East namely Japan and China.
Fluctuations in world oil prices in recent years.
Social problems. The main one is the increase in fuel prices. This results in an increase in travel public transport, food prices, etc.
Ecological problems. They represent one of the main problems of the oil industry. Often, emergencies occur during the extraction or transportation of oil, thereby causing great harm to the environment. It should also be noted that oil is a non-renewable raw material source, and its production leads to an additional increase in the surface temperature of the Earth's atmosphere, the development of the greenhouse effect, and the reduction of the ozone layer. The solution to the environmental problem will primarily be the deepening of oil refining, which will affect the rationality of its use and the state of the natural environment.

Importance of the oil industry in the global economy

In terms of economic and political significance, in terms of its scale, the oil trade is one of the essential elements world economic relations. Extraction and refining of oil require large investments, however, on the other hand, they significantly replenish the budget of a country that supplies oil to less industrialized countries.

The need of the world's population for refined products is so great that this type of mineral is constantly mined and used. Further development energy in the world will lead to the fact that the share of oil in the fuel balance of the world will be reduced, and oil will increasingly be a source for all kinds of industrial products. Studies by world geologists show that all the oil reserves available today will run out by 2034 if the rate of its production remains at the same level.

There are two main functions of oil: an energy carrier and a chemical raw material. The energy function of oil is extremely important: in road, sea, and air transport, fuel is used that was obtained from oil. It is impossible not to note the importance of oil as a chemical raw material, since it produces such a quantity of products as cannot be produced from any other mineral. At the same time, the development of new industries for the use of refined products does not stop.

Oil can be described as the most important strategic raw material, serving as the basis for the production of fuels and lubricants. Consequently, oil prices affect a wide range of sectors of the world economy. Movement in the stock markets depends on oil prices. This especially affects emerging markets that are focused on oil exports.

Remark 1

The largest oil companies in the world: Rosneft, Lukoil, Gazprom Neft, Saudi Aramco, National Iranian oil company, ExxonMobil and PetroChina.

The development of the modern oil industry is influenced by three negative fundamental factors:

Reducing global demand for petroleum products by several million barrels per day;
Increasing global production of alternative liquid hydrocarbons that do not require processing;
High profitability and full utilization of refineries before the crisis gave impetus to the initiation of new projects to expand capacity.

Thus, factories will be closed in developed countries and new projects will be curtailed. In turn, new modern oil refineries will be created in the developing countries of Asia. Especially the cancellation of projects will affect the United States and the countries of the European Union, whose policies are aimed at increasing the use of biofuels in the transport sector and the use of alternative types of engines. The following factors will influence the development of global oil refining in the future:

Increasing demand for refined products in developing countries
Increasing the growth rate of commissioning of new capacities in the oil refining process in countries with low costs;
Processes of mergers and acquisitions of oil refineries
Concentration on the production of innovative products.

Enterprises annually oil industry violate up to 15 thousand hectares of land, emit more than 2.5 million tons of polluted substances into the atmosphere, flare about 6 billion associated gases, take about 750 million tons of fresh water, and leave hundreds of barns with drill cuttings unliquidated.

Every year, up to 20 thousand accidents occur on the field pipelines of Russia with a frequency of 1.5-2 breaks per 1 km of the route. Only in Western Siberia, up to 840 thousand hectares of land are polluted with oil and oil products. Losses of oil and oil products due to emergencies reach 20 million tons annually. With an oil price of $50/barrel, the damage to the Russian economy, not counting the environmental impact, is $7 billion.

The listed problems consist of local impacts of extractive enterprises. Environmental problems can be grouped into three areas: organizational and economic; technological; natural resource.

Organizational and economic problems

Terms of Reference (TOR) for the preparation technological scheme field development, environmental protection measures are formulated rather vaguely. For example, there is no information about what economic and environmental damage will be caused to the environment and the local population. It is still not recognized that the costs of environmental activities are related to production and are the same necessary cost elements as the costs of electricity and water supply.

Whole life cycle field and the cost of marketable oil depend on the quality of environmental and economic estimates of the cost of PR. damage and compensation measures.

In most projects, there are no indicators of the environmental status of the components of the PS, defined by the Rules on carrying out ecological expertise; projects do not meet the requirements of official environmental impact assessment (EIA) documents; there are no predictive scenarios for the impact of the production facility on the environment; there are no schemes for organizing environmental monitoring, as well as calculations of economic damage and payments for the lease of land, for waste disposal, for environmental pollution; there are no plans for compensatory measures.

When designing the development of hydrocarbon deposits, all risk groups should be identified: geological, construction, operational, engineering, financial, marketing and environmental. The latter can arise at any stage of the project implementation as a result of natural or man-made events.

When setting limits on the impact on the environment of an oil producing enterprise, the impact standards are approved for 5 years, which are extended for a new period without reducing the volume of emissions, discharges and waste generation, while the actual operating conditions of the facility are poorly taken into account. In addition, insufficient substantiation of the boundaries of mining allotments, as well as the allotment of land plots for the construction of wells, is carried out.

Following the law "On Environmental Protection", any enterprise producing emissions into the environment is obliged to conduct monitoring observations, the purpose of which is to obtain indicators of the state of the substation. Most mining enterprises do not have their own monitoring services, and observations are carried out sporadically and unsystematically.

Technological problems

Analysis technological processes construction of wells, arrangement and operation of oil fields, organization of work on environmental protection revealed:

insufficient efficiency environmental solutions in projects for the development and development of fields, construction and repair of wells, programs for enhanced oil recovery;
poor-quality implementation of design solutions due to low operational reliability technical means and low effectiveness of the control system;
insufficient level of environmental training of specialists in all sections of the "well - main pipeline" chain.

Oil spills are caused by the large length and low reliability (80% wear) of field oil and water lines in the formation pressure maintenance system (RPM). The causes of accidents at MN are as follows: 34% - external influences: 23% - defects during construction; 23% - corrosion; 14% - factory defects: 3% - erroneous actions of the personnel.

With an increase in oil water cut, the rate of corrosion of pipes and equipment increases. With a water cut of 10 to 80%, the corrosion rate is , and with a water cut of 90%, this parameter increases to .

Due to the high aggressiveness of formation waters (hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, chlorine ions, etc.), through holes in the equipment may appear 5 years after the start of operation, and when corrosion inhibitors are supplied, the trouble-free service life of pipelines from carbon steels may be extended up to 10 years.

The choice and dosage of corrosion inhibitors depend on the composition of formation fluids. The corrosion monitoring service is perceived as a secondary subdivision, however, if we take into account the amount of damage caused by accidents and the cost of rehabilitating ecosystem components, then such ideas are incorrect. Accident prevention is a necessary preventive measure, which should be reflected in the environmental policy of the enterprise and in the Industrial Safety Declaration.

There is a need to improve protective coatings to prevent asphalt-paraffin deposits and methods for cleaning field pipes. Service life of bituminous isolation on external coverings does not exceed 10 years. therefore, a transition to new materials and coating technologies is necessary.

One of the most important problems in the oil industry is the problem of utilization of associated petroleum gas (APG). Only in the flares of oil fields in Western Siberia, about 15 billion of this energy carrier is annually burned. The APG utilization rate varies from 25 to 95%. During the exploitation of deposits, a fee is charged for its burning. In case of exceeding the MPE at the border of the sanitary protection zone, the flare system is improved for the purpose of more complete combustion, and not measures for its processing. In this case, APG is treated as production waste (like gasoline in the 19th century, which was poured into rivers at night), which allows pollution charges to be attributed to the cost of production, as well as the costs of disposal of formation waters. Formation waters, like APG. are also a source of valuable raw materials for petrochemistry (contain, etc.).

One of the methods of APG utilization is its injection into reservoirs in order to increase oil recovery. Application efficiency gas methods increase in oil recovery increases with low reservoir properties of productive formations. When injecting APG, a number of problems are solved:

payments for emissions into the environment are reduced and the quality of atmospheric air in the working area is maintained at the level of standards;
the length of field corrosion-hazardous communications is reduced;
geodynamic stability of the reservoir is ensured;
the water cut of well production is reduced and APG is saved as a resource for subsequent extraction.

In Russia, there are more than 150 thousand oil and gas wells. Approximately 10% of them are either mothballed or in need of conservation and liquidation. Mothballed wells under the influence of changes in the earth's crust can "come to life", releasing oil, gases and formation brines. There are more than 1,500 such dangerous wells in Russia. In Kazakhstan, for example, dozens of discharging wells went under water when the water level in the Caspian Sea increased.

One of the stages of waste generation is drilling of wells, for the period of construction of which up to 5 hectares of land is provided. Within a year after the completion of the well construction, the territory of the drilling site must be reclaimed and transferred to the land user. For the period of operation of the well, 0.36 ha is allocated. Rationalization of placement of well clusters makes it possible to reduce land acquisition by reducing the area occupied by field communications.

When repairing wells, it is necessary to control the use of solvents, gels, acids and other reagents that must be injected into the reservoir during well stimulation. When treating the bottom-hole zone of wells, 10- and 5-% solutions, respectively, of hydrochloric and hydrofluoric acids are used. Well workovers generate up to 2 toxic fluids per well operation. In addition, when flushing pumping units, tubing, up to 5 liquid wastes occur per operation. The field must have special well with absorbing horizons for disposal of liquid waste from production processes.

Oil and gas wells are complex and expensive structures that need constant monitoring and technical measures maintaining operating conditions. Corrosion damage to cement stone in wells leads to a decrease in the proportion of oil in the produced fluids and to pollution of artesian and groundwater used for water supply. For this reason, griffins are formed at the wellhead. As a result of untimely diagnostic studies, more than 20 thousand wells are idle in the industry, subject to major repairs.

Tank farms of mining enterprises are also sources of oil and mineralized water pollution. Many tank farms "float" on lenses of petroleum products that have formed over years of oil leaks. Periodic diagnostics and cleaning of tanks from sediments with their subsequent disposal can reduce the severity of this environmental problem.