Scholarly record

WAYS OF ECOLOGICAL PROBLEM SOLVING IN DEVELOPING BITUMEN FIELDS

AL. LIPAEV, Z. Yangurazova

Abstract

Natural bitumen (NB) fields development in ecological terms is a complicated and responsible activity for a person. The activities consequence show up as air pollution by different harmful impurities, fresh water and land pollution by oil, bitumen and waste waters(1). Main sources of environment pollution (atmosphere, land, surface and groundwater) in oil and gas producing industry are oil and gas surface and subsurface structures. According to the existing legislation, NB field development project and design papers should be provided with major administrative and technological arrangements for population safety, conservation of mineral resources, environment protection from possible impact related to a certain field development. The following factors influence spread of pollution focuses: • physipollution by oil, bitumen and waste waterscal and geographical conditions; • geo and hydrodynamic peculiarities; • oilfield structures location and maintenance nature; • peculiarities of applied methods and technologies in structure development, etc. Bitumen is produced, as a rule, with thermal methods application (thermal steam treatment and recovery methods, fireflooding) NB production using thermal methods involves considerable fuel and power expenditures both in oil industry and in related industries (in materials and agents production, equipment and metal manufacture, transporting, etc.). Under such conditions the ecological impacts of gas blowout, fumes from steam generators, boiler plants, heaters and afterburners that cause air pollution are: thermal, carbon dioxide, hydrosulphuric, etc. Thus, 4.5- 5 tons of fumes with temperature 320-360°C are emitted into the atmosphere for production of 1 ton of oil by steam recovery methods. Similarly, high viscous oils and natural bitumen are produced using fire flooding methods with the only difference that the part of the fuel is being fired in the formation. In-situ combustion gases generation up to 1,000 m3 per ton of oil produced would occur and it would need up to 200 m3 of natural gas for its neutralization. There may be two major tendencies in thermal recovery methods and technology enhancement : measures to reduce energy supply rate and environment pollution by means of tangible and thermal waste products utilization and cut; transition to ecological and energy-and-resource-conscious production technologies.

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