Onshore Unconventional Hydrocarbon Development Legacy Issues and Innovations in Managing Risk–Day 1: Proceedings of a Workshop (2018) / Chapter Skim
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4 Observations, Monitoring, and Technology Evolution and Revolution for Legacy Issues
4 Observations, Monitoring, and Technology Evolution and Revolution for Legacy Issues
Pages 31-42
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From page 31... ...
PANEL PRESENTATIONS Observations and Monitoring: Reclaiming the Surface and Measuring Progress Peter Stahl, University of Wyoming As Director of the Wyoming Reclamation and Restoration Center, Stahl said he has been involved in revegetation of surface coal mine landscapes since the 1980s, as well as oil and gas well sites. He noted that revegetation or reclamation has now turned into habitat restoration with five important areas to consider: baseline data and reference ecosystems; differences and similarities between reclamation or restoration of unconventional well pads compared to conventional well pads; restoration progress; monitoring; and the long-term legacy impacts of surface disturbance.
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From page 32... ...
Stahl emphasized that from a surface disturbance and restoration perspective, little difference exists between a site producing conventional or unconventional hydrocarbons. Unconventional well pads may be larger in surface area due to the hydraulic fracturing equipment that is placed on the site during operation.
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From page 33... ...
The success of these efforts, in part, depends on the resiliency of the sagebrush grassland ecosystem in Wyoming. Challenges and Breakthroughs in Downhole Technologies: From Plugging to Long-Term Monitoring Barry Freifeld, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Freifield has spent the last 25 years of his career at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory examining subsurface technology with more recent focus on the natural gas storage industry.
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From page 34... ...
Operators had been interested in the technology to look at fluid flow, but had not applied fiber optics regularly to examine the casing. He noted that operators pay attention to what is taking place in the production zone, but they do not have an incentive to examine surface and intermediate casing and what is taking place in the cement around the casing adjacent to the rock formation.
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From page 35... ...
. Monitoring behind the casing for pressure and fluid chemistry, which multiple vendors use to measure pressure in the production zone, could also be used to measure flow along the surface casing.
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From page 36... ...
He emphasized there is no benefit to plugging a well that is leaking up to the surface behind the well casing; and • Risk management plans, as part of plugging and abandoning a well, could help avoid future negative legacy impacts. Strategies for Managing Risks and Minimizing Negative Legacy Issues Mark Boling, Southwestern Energy Boling opened his remarks by taking the approach of general risk management to minimize negative legacy impacts.
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From page 37... ...
LEGACY ISSUES 37 New Technologies for Assessing Well Integrity and Reservoir ProtecƟon: • Behind Casing Monitoring of Pressure and Fluid Chemistry • Fiber-OpƟc DTS, DAS, DSS for assessing behind casing leakage • Seismic and sonic techniques for detecƟng gas behind casing A RMP should guide P&A acƟviƟes. Wells should be assessed for integrity prior to P&A.
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From page 38... ...
Boling then suggested that operators may be incentivized to go above and beyond regulations to mitigate risk assuming they are not penalized for trying a new technology or practice that may prove beneficial to minimizing negative environmental legacy. In terms of mitigating risk by influencing behavior, Boling then discussed the importance of stakeholder opinions from investors, consumers, and the public.
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From page 39... ...
Freifeld said that California instituted surface leak detection requirements as part of its emergency regulations and other more intensive well integrity monitoring. He suggested that there was little oversight of the gas industry before the Aliso Canyon gas leak event.
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From page 40... ...
Further, there was little understanding of what the public understood about the hydraulic fracturing process. He also mentioned methane emissions and said that the investment community is looking at natural gas relative to coal in the context of global warming.
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From page 41... ...
If this percentage can be increased due to better access to production zones, negative impacts to the environmental legacy may be decreased. Although not a game changer in terms of reducing future negative environmental legacy, Boling said that an important game changer in their operations was getting smarter about logistics.
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