Reducing the Risk of Disaster

Oil and gas production may be a profitable industry, but it does come with an immense share of risks and danger. There are many risks involved with oilfield drilling equipment and these can have a huge impact, not only on the environment, but also on the workers and surrounding mammal life as well. Let us take a look at the different risks present.

Environment:

While many of us would not like to believe it, oil drilling can harm the environment as it a source of waste. A leak in the oilfield equipment can cause the fluids used in the drillers, which are made from oil based mud, to discharge into the environment. The mud contains mineral oil and diesel fluid, both of which are harmful to the environment. Companies are conducting endless amounts of research to create environment friendly fluids.

Oil spills that take place from transportation vehicles or from the oil well itself can wreak havoc on the environment. Also, it is time consuming and extremely expensive, amounting in millions of dollars. Oil spills can have a disastrous effect on wildlife. Birds, different types of fish, sharks and even sea lions can die from ingesting oil into their systems.

People:

Oil well workers are always on the alert, for it is their quick thinking and action that can stop an oil leak or explosion. And the effects of an oil spill on human beings can be immense. A person may end up suffering from respiratory problems, chest pain, dizziness, coughing, vomiting and headaches. This tends to happen when the body is exposed to chemicals that get released in an oil spill. Scientists are still assessing the impact of oilfield drilling equipment leaks and oil spills on human beings as it is difficult to distinguish common illnesses from toxic symptoms. This can lead to DNA damage in later life.

So what can one do to reduce the number of risks involved? One can:

• Place absorbent materials around the equipment to prevent the oil from reaching drains.
• Concrete curbing built around the oilfield equipment can prevent leakage and buy the cleanup crew time to do their job.
• Use drain inlet covers to prevent the oil from being discharged into the environment. Drain plugs can also be used.
•  Such and similar methods can help us to reduce the risks of oil leaks and spills and their impact on the environment.

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Ameliorating for Excellence

Annular Blowout Preventer

Oil rigging may be one of the most profitable industries in the world; but it is also one of the most dangerous. Blowout preventers or BOPs as they are called in the industry; are the last defense for preventing a complete blowout on an oil rig.

When it comes to offshore drilling, rigs usually use both ram and annular Blow out preventers for more safety. BOPs are usually controlled by activating the hydraulic pressure in the BOP, which is monitored via remote control. While this may be the basic method, there are different ways in which a BOP can be controlled:

• Electrical signals sent via a control cable
• Remote operated vehicles to manually operate valves at deep surfaces
• Dead man switches, which is a fail-safe option during emergencies.

New technologies are constantly being developed to make the work easier and safer. Companies are expanding their product line of new remote monitoring and diagnostic technologies. This will help drillers to increase safety and performance, increase durability of products and optimize efficiency. A new technology that is making waves is a gas and drilling system. This is helping engineers to create up-to-date reports with detailed information on cycle counts, event sequences and machinery maintenance. 

New hardware is being produced to display the exact position of the ram blocks and the amount of pressure that is used to close it. This saves a lot of time in determining problems with the ram blocks and immediate action can be taken. Gas handler systems are also being developed to divert gases that have gone into the riser before the blowout preventer could be closed. They prevent gases from reaching the bottom of the rig, just below the wellhead. 

While these advancements are definitely making oil rigs a safer place to work, other bodies are taking steps to make the work safer. Greater scrutiny is going into the design of oil rigs. Some experts are suggesting placing more instrumentation on wellheads and BOPs to monitor what is going on underground or in sub sea.

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