A collaborative project case study evaluation for a confidential client with assets in Australasia: mercury chemical decontamination (total mass removal in preparation for decommissioning vs near total mercury mass removal from high value equipment. ISCT manufactured and provided the chemistry, experience and technical know-how to jam out these state of the art chemical decontamination projects using the latest performance based measurement technologies. ISCT also provided environmentally safe spent fluids processing chemistries and technology.
PA DEP Proposal to Study Radiation Levels Associated with Shale DrillingMarcellus Drilling News
A proposal submitted to and accepted by the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection from Perma-Fix Environmental Services to conduct a 12-14 month in-depth study of naturally occurring radioactivity levels in drilling wastewater, drill cuttings, and the equipment used to transport, store and dispose of drilling wastes.
—Nuclear energy plays a key role in long-term development plans and can guarantee the supply of electricity to some regions. On the other hand, the implementation of these projects tends to require long maturation periods, require high investment costs and may be a source of pollutants, such as Lead (Pb). For this reason, the periodic environmental monitoring of the concentration of pollutants becomes necessary, according to the current legislation. Thus, the present work presents as a proposal a method of optimization of Pb quantification in environmental analyzes. The study was developed through the monitoring of wastewater samples from INB – Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil. From the Fractional Factorial Design(FFD) the most representative variables of the Pb isolation process were determined, and through the Central Composite Design (CCD) the response surface was found, generating a regression model that represents the system. The results indicated that the optimization of the chemical yield of Pb is associated to the higher dosages of Nitrilotriacetic Acid (NTA) and Sulfuric Acid (H 2 SO 4) in the samples. The optimum yield condition was obtained in the region of 200 ml of H 2 SO 4 and 4.0 g of NTA, considering the range tested. The proposal proved to be effective for the validation tests of the model, obtaining an increase of up to 32% in the Pb yields of the analyzes.
PA DEP Proposal to Study Radiation Levels Associated with Shale DrillingMarcellus Drilling News
A proposal submitted to and accepted by the PA Dept. of Environmental Protection from Perma-Fix Environmental Services to conduct a 12-14 month in-depth study of naturally occurring radioactivity levels in drilling wastewater, drill cuttings, and the equipment used to transport, store and dispose of drilling wastes.
—Nuclear energy plays a key role in long-term development plans and can guarantee the supply of electricity to some regions. On the other hand, the implementation of these projects tends to require long maturation periods, require high investment costs and may be a source of pollutants, such as Lead (Pb). For this reason, the periodic environmental monitoring of the concentration of pollutants becomes necessary, according to the current legislation. Thus, the present work presents as a proposal a method of optimization of Pb quantification in environmental analyzes. The study was developed through the monitoring of wastewater samples from INB – Indústrias Nucleares do Brasil. From the Fractional Factorial Design(FFD) the most representative variables of the Pb isolation process were determined, and through the Central Composite Design (CCD) the response surface was found, generating a regression model that represents the system. The results indicated that the optimization of the chemical yield of Pb is associated to the higher dosages of Nitrilotriacetic Acid (NTA) and Sulfuric Acid (H 2 SO 4) in the samples. The optimum yield condition was obtained in the region of 200 ml of H 2 SO 4 and 4.0 g of NTA, considering the range tested. The proposal proved to be effective for the validation tests of the model, obtaining an increase of up to 32% in the Pb yields of the analyzes.
Mercury Chemical Decontamination in Preparation for DecommissiongISCT GROUP US LLC
Case Study: Refinery mercury chemical decontamination in preparation for decommissioning. This was a milestone in the world of chemical cleaning and the project team had to develop measurements and chemical technologies over a five year period to achieve the clients goals and objectives. This project built on early formulations of ISCTs 400 series and were used with perfect success. This was also one of the first clients to quantify mercury mass to flare during steaming equipment post de-inventory. This practice has now become more prevalent as companies seek to minimize their environmental risks and meet sustainability goals.
Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Road Runoff Water from...Dr. Amarjeet Singh
Road runoff water samples were collected for the
analysis of eight PAHs during first flush and aftermath in
monsoon season of the year 2014-15 from 12 sites
associated with high traffic activities round the clock . All
the sites were selected for investigation to represent the
high traffic activity areas of Guwahati city, Assam, India.
Eight common environmental PAHs [Phenanthrene-(PHE),
Benzo(K)FLUORANTHENE(-BKF), Benz(a) Pyrene-
(BAP), Benzo(ghi)Pyrene-(BGHIP), Benzo(a)
Anthracene/Chrysene-(BAA/CHR), Fluoranthene-(FLT),
Pyrene-(PYR), Anthracene-(ANT)] were found to be
distributed and the concentrartion of PAHs was
determined by using HPLC technique. Polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) are potentially mutagenic and
carcinogenic substances occurring at various
concentrations in atmosphere, soils, waters and sediments.
PAHs, inherited both from natural and anthropogenic
processes, are persistent organic pollutants (POP) due to
their chemical stability and biodegradation resistance.
The present data indicates that the total average
of PAHs over the investigated sites was ranged from 0.005
ng/l to 0.057 ng/l. On individual scale, the highest
concentration were 0.057 ng/l and 0.053 ng/l for BKF and
ANT. The investigation showed the carcinogenic content of
PAHs (BKF) was found in all the investigated runoff water
samples. The increase of road transportation, and of
industrial and activities has led to a notable build up of
PAH amounts in the environmental media.
Commerce Resources Corp. (TSXv: CCE) provides an update on work completed at its Blue River Tantalum-Niobium Project since the release of the National Instrument 43-101 compliant Mineral Resource Update for the Upper Fir Deposit. The news updates the geological, engineering, metallurgical and environmental programs carried out.
Many areas around the globe now have oil and gas assets past their economic life >25+ years and controls are required to decommission assets responsibly and safely such that hazardous materials that remain in process don't become bio-available. ISCT specializes in the measurements of mercury and other COCs in process and the decontamination of those assets prior to COP and decommissioning so metals recycling facilities can safely recover recyclable asset value.
Adsorption Materials and Processes for Carbon Capture from Gas-Fired Power Plants – AMPGas - presentation by Enzo Mangano in the Natural Gas CCS session at the UKCCSRC Cardiff Biannual Meeting, 10-11 September 2014
Effective Adsorbents for Establishing Solids Looping as a Next Generation NG PCC Technology, Hao Liu, University of Nottingham - UKCCSRC Strathclyde Biannual 8-9 September 2015
Mercury and other trace metals in the gas from an oxy-combustion demonstratio...Global CCS Institute
To highlight the research and achievements of Australian researchers, the Global CCS Institute together with ANLEC R&D will hold a series of webinars throughout 2017. Each webinar will highlight a specific ANLEC R&D research project and the relevant report found on the Institute’s website. This is the seventh webinar of the series and presented the results of a test program on the retrofitted Callide A power plant in Central Queensland.
The behaviour of trace metals and the related characteristics of the formation of fine particles may have important implications for process options, gas cleaning, environmental risk and resultant cost in oxy-fuel combustion. Environmental and operational risk will be determined by a range of inter-related factors including:
The concentrations of trace metals in the gas produced from the overall process;
Capture efficiencies of the trace species in the various air pollution control devices used in the process; including gas and particulate control devices, and specialised systems for the removal of specific species such as mercury;
Gas quality required to avoid operational issues such as corrosion, and to enable sequestration in a variety of storage media without creating unacceptable environmental risks; the required quality for CO2 transport will be defined by (future and awaited) regulation but may be at the standards currently required of food or beverage grade CO2; and
Speciation of some trace elements
Macquarie University was engaged by the Australian National Low Emissions Coal Research and Development Ltd (ANLEC R&D) to investigate the behaviour of trace elements during oxy-firing and CO2 capture and processing in a test program on the retrofitted Callide A power plant, with capability for both oxy and air-firing. Gaseous and particulate sampling was undertaken in the process exhaust gas stream after fabric filtration at the stack and at various stages of the CO2 compression and purification process. These measurements have provided detailed information on trace components of oxy-fired combustion gases and comparative measurements under air fired conditions. The field trials were supported by laboratory work where combustion took place in a drop tube furnace and modelling of mercury partitioning using the iPOG model.
The results obtained suggest that oxy-firing does not pose significantly higher environmental or operational risks than conventional air-firing. The levels of trace metals in the “purified” CO2 gas stream should not pose operational issues within the CO2 Processing Unit (CPU).
This webinar was presented by Peter Nelson, Professor of Environmental Studies, and Anthony Morrison, Senior Research Fellow, from the Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University.
Hollow-Polyaniline-Sphere-Coated Sensor For Measuring Gas-Phase OH Radicals A...IJERA Editor
In advanced oxidation processes, OH radicals play a crucial role in enhancing the removal efficiency of volatile
organic compounds. In this paper, hollow polyaniline (PANI) spheres were coated onto a conducting ceramic
honeycomb substrate to form a PANI sensor for detecting the concentration of OH radicals in the amorphous
phase. The hollow PANI spheres were effectively synthesized through a double-surfactant-layer-assisted
polymerization process by using Fe3O4 nanoparticle as the core template. The PANI shell thickness, morphology
characterizations and specific surface area were controlled by altering the weight of aniline monomers. The
electrical conductivity served as a function of the operating temperature and specific surface area, which is a
characteristic behavior of conductive polymer materials in the atmosphere. At an optimized temperature of
125°C and specific surface area of 1435 m2
/g, the PANI sensor reacted with a high amount of OH radicals
generated from the decomposition of ozone over α–FeOOH nanoparticles. The conductometric response after the
OH radical attack increased exponentially with the concentration of the OH radicals.
Presentation given by Mischa Werner of ETH Zurich on "Research on the direct mineralization of flue gas CO2 at ETH Zurich" at the Alternative CCS Pathways Workshop, Oxford Martin School, 27 June 2014
Carbon Dioxide Properties and the Role of Impurities in the Subsurface - presentation by Martin Trusler in the Effects of Impurities on CO2 Properties session at the UKCCSRC Cardiff Biannual Meeting, 10-11 September 2014
A Cradle-To-Gate Analysis of Coal Fly Ash Geopolymers Containing Poly(Urethan...Jerome Ignatius Garces
Research presented online for The 4th Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory (SPIL) Scientific Conference - November 18 - 20, 2020. This research deals with an ex-ante life cycle assessment for microcapsule-based self-healing in geopolymer concrete.
Case study: Refinery mercury chemical decontamination in preparation for deco...ISCT GROUP US LLC
One of the few refinery mercury management case studies available that I jammed out for HP (have to give some credit to some of the former founders of MMS - now PMG). This case study is truly one of the building blocks of my career and led to the improvement and development of several technologies that started when I was at PSC working with one of the giants and pioneers in mercury fate and transport in hydrocarbon process systems (Dr. Mark Wilhelm - RIP my friend).
key lessons learned from mercury mapping of process streams to developing an understanding of the sorption dynamics of mercury in process, accumulation rates, species and mass loading per surface area
Mercury Chemical Decontamination in Preparation for DecommissiongISCT GROUP US LLC
Case Study: Refinery mercury chemical decontamination in preparation for decommissioning. This was a milestone in the world of chemical cleaning and the project team had to develop measurements and chemical technologies over a five year period to achieve the clients goals and objectives. This project built on early formulations of ISCTs 400 series and were used with perfect success. This was also one of the first clients to quantify mercury mass to flare during steaming equipment post de-inventory. This practice has now become more prevalent as companies seek to minimize their environmental risks and meet sustainability goals.
Analysis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Road Runoff Water from...Dr. Amarjeet Singh
Road runoff water samples were collected for the
analysis of eight PAHs during first flush and aftermath in
monsoon season of the year 2014-15 from 12 sites
associated with high traffic activities round the clock . All
the sites were selected for investigation to represent the
high traffic activity areas of Guwahati city, Assam, India.
Eight common environmental PAHs [Phenanthrene-(PHE),
Benzo(K)FLUORANTHENE(-BKF), Benz(a) Pyrene-
(BAP), Benzo(ghi)Pyrene-(BGHIP), Benzo(a)
Anthracene/Chrysene-(BAA/CHR), Fluoranthene-(FLT),
Pyrene-(PYR), Anthracene-(ANT)] were found to be
distributed and the concentrartion of PAHs was
determined by using HPLC technique. Polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAHs) are potentially mutagenic and
carcinogenic substances occurring at various
concentrations in atmosphere, soils, waters and sediments.
PAHs, inherited both from natural and anthropogenic
processes, are persistent organic pollutants (POP) due to
their chemical stability and biodegradation resistance.
The present data indicates that the total average
of PAHs over the investigated sites was ranged from 0.005
ng/l to 0.057 ng/l. On individual scale, the highest
concentration were 0.057 ng/l and 0.053 ng/l for BKF and
ANT. The investigation showed the carcinogenic content of
PAHs (BKF) was found in all the investigated runoff water
samples. The increase of road transportation, and of
industrial and activities has led to a notable build up of
PAH amounts in the environmental media.
Commerce Resources Corp. (TSXv: CCE) provides an update on work completed at its Blue River Tantalum-Niobium Project since the release of the National Instrument 43-101 compliant Mineral Resource Update for the Upper Fir Deposit. The news updates the geological, engineering, metallurgical and environmental programs carried out.
Many areas around the globe now have oil and gas assets past their economic life >25+ years and controls are required to decommission assets responsibly and safely such that hazardous materials that remain in process don't become bio-available. ISCT specializes in the measurements of mercury and other COCs in process and the decontamination of those assets prior to COP and decommissioning so metals recycling facilities can safely recover recyclable asset value.
Adsorption Materials and Processes for Carbon Capture from Gas-Fired Power Plants – AMPGas - presentation by Enzo Mangano in the Natural Gas CCS session at the UKCCSRC Cardiff Biannual Meeting, 10-11 September 2014
Effective Adsorbents for Establishing Solids Looping as a Next Generation NG PCC Technology, Hao Liu, University of Nottingham - UKCCSRC Strathclyde Biannual 8-9 September 2015
Mercury and other trace metals in the gas from an oxy-combustion demonstratio...Global CCS Institute
To highlight the research and achievements of Australian researchers, the Global CCS Institute together with ANLEC R&D will hold a series of webinars throughout 2017. Each webinar will highlight a specific ANLEC R&D research project and the relevant report found on the Institute’s website. This is the seventh webinar of the series and presented the results of a test program on the retrofitted Callide A power plant in Central Queensland.
The behaviour of trace metals and the related characteristics of the formation of fine particles may have important implications for process options, gas cleaning, environmental risk and resultant cost in oxy-fuel combustion. Environmental and operational risk will be determined by a range of inter-related factors including:
The concentrations of trace metals in the gas produced from the overall process;
Capture efficiencies of the trace species in the various air pollution control devices used in the process; including gas and particulate control devices, and specialised systems for the removal of specific species such as mercury;
Gas quality required to avoid operational issues such as corrosion, and to enable sequestration in a variety of storage media without creating unacceptable environmental risks; the required quality for CO2 transport will be defined by (future and awaited) regulation but may be at the standards currently required of food or beverage grade CO2; and
Speciation of some trace elements
Macquarie University was engaged by the Australian National Low Emissions Coal Research and Development Ltd (ANLEC R&D) to investigate the behaviour of trace elements during oxy-firing and CO2 capture and processing in a test program on the retrofitted Callide A power plant, with capability for both oxy and air-firing. Gaseous and particulate sampling was undertaken in the process exhaust gas stream after fabric filtration at the stack and at various stages of the CO2 compression and purification process. These measurements have provided detailed information on trace components of oxy-fired combustion gases and comparative measurements under air fired conditions. The field trials were supported by laboratory work where combustion took place in a drop tube furnace and modelling of mercury partitioning using the iPOG model.
The results obtained suggest that oxy-firing does not pose significantly higher environmental or operational risks than conventional air-firing. The levels of trace metals in the “purified” CO2 gas stream should not pose operational issues within the CO2 Processing Unit (CPU).
This webinar was presented by Peter Nelson, Professor of Environmental Studies, and Anthony Morrison, Senior Research Fellow, from the Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie University.
Hollow-Polyaniline-Sphere-Coated Sensor For Measuring Gas-Phase OH Radicals A...IJERA Editor
In advanced oxidation processes, OH radicals play a crucial role in enhancing the removal efficiency of volatile
organic compounds. In this paper, hollow polyaniline (PANI) spheres were coated onto a conducting ceramic
honeycomb substrate to form a PANI sensor for detecting the concentration of OH radicals in the amorphous
phase. The hollow PANI spheres were effectively synthesized through a double-surfactant-layer-assisted
polymerization process by using Fe3O4 nanoparticle as the core template. The PANI shell thickness, morphology
characterizations and specific surface area were controlled by altering the weight of aniline monomers. The
electrical conductivity served as a function of the operating temperature and specific surface area, which is a
characteristic behavior of conductive polymer materials in the atmosphere. At an optimized temperature of
125°C and specific surface area of 1435 m2
/g, the PANI sensor reacted with a high amount of OH radicals
generated from the decomposition of ozone over α–FeOOH nanoparticles. The conductometric response after the
OH radical attack increased exponentially with the concentration of the OH radicals.
Presentation given by Mischa Werner of ETH Zurich on "Research on the direct mineralization of flue gas CO2 at ETH Zurich" at the Alternative CCS Pathways Workshop, Oxford Martin School, 27 June 2014
Carbon Dioxide Properties and the Role of Impurities in the Subsurface - presentation by Martin Trusler in the Effects of Impurities on CO2 Properties session at the UKCCSRC Cardiff Biannual Meeting, 10-11 September 2014
A Cradle-To-Gate Analysis of Coal Fly Ash Geopolymers Containing Poly(Urethan...Jerome Ignatius Garces
Research presented online for The 4th Sustainable Process Integration Laboratory (SPIL) Scientific Conference - November 18 - 20, 2020. This research deals with an ex-ante life cycle assessment for microcapsule-based self-healing in geopolymer concrete.
Case study: Refinery mercury chemical decontamination in preparation for deco...ISCT GROUP US LLC
One of the few refinery mercury management case studies available that I jammed out for HP (have to give some credit to some of the former founders of MMS - now PMG). This case study is truly one of the building blocks of my career and led to the improvement and development of several technologies that started when I was at PSC working with one of the giants and pioneers in mercury fate and transport in hydrocarbon process systems (Dr. Mark Wilhelm - RIP my friend).
key lessons learned from mercury mapping of process streams to developing an understanding of the sorption dynamics of mercury in process, accumulation rates, species and mass loading per surface area
Isct group us llc tech article e&p aug 2017.v fISCT GROUP US LLC
A fun article to write and first shared with our friends at Decomworld in KL - Decommissioning & Late-Life Asset Management Conference | November 30-December 1 |KL, Malaysia
Many in the oil and gas industry are now were of the effects of toxic volatile metals in process and the need to mitigate risks to personnel, process and the environment.
Environmental Impact Assessment of Kota Super Thermal Power Station IJSRP Journal
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an important management tool for ensuring optimal use of natural resources for sustainable development. A beginning in this direction was made in our country with the impact assessment of river valley projects in 1978-79 and the scope has subsequently been enhanced to cover other developmental sectors such as industries, thermal power projects, mining schemes etc. To facilitate collection of environmental data and preparation of management plans, guidelines have been evolved and circulated to the concerned Central and State Government Departments. EIA has now been made mandatory under the Environmental (Protection Act, 1986 for 29 categories of developmental activities involving investments of Rs. 50 crores and above. In present study we have studied environmental aspects of kota super thermal power on Kota city.The KSTPS in Rajasthan was commissioned in 1983 and presently operating at 1045MW capacity,The Kota Super Thermal Power Station came in five stages and a total of 7 units have been commissioned.KSTPS is situated at the left bank of “Chambal River” in Rajasthan principal industrial city Kota.The present total area covered under KSTPS is 688 ha.The power generation system comprises mainly boiler, turbine, generator and transformers with accessories all arranged to operate as complementary parts of a common monolithic set.The allowable limits for discharge of water as specified in Schedule 4 of Environmental Protection Act And Amendment 1983 isAmmonical Nitrogen 50,Arsenic-0.2,Biochemical oxygen demand-30,Cadmium -2, Chemical oxygen demand -250, Chromium hexavalent-0.1, Chromium total-2, Copper-3,Cyanide-0.1,Fluoride-2,PH-5.5-9.0Phenols-1,Dissolve Phosphate -5,Residual Chloride 1,Sulphide 2,Total Suspended Solid 100,Zinc 5.0 . Various effluent samples are analysed to assess the effluent quality from KSTPS.Any major industrial activity have tendency to degrade the environment viz. air environment, water, noise, land and biological also. It is duty of every industry it should have its own environmental unit that allow to minimum quantity of pollutants emit into environmental and keep this pollutant range with in permissible limit described according to central and state pollution control board and MOEF. So we should think in the terms of sustainable development means development without destruction.
Power Generation in Future by Using Landfill GasesIJARIIT
this paper describes an approach to power generation in future by using landfill gases. The present day methods of power generation are not much efficient & it may not be sufficient or suitable to keep pace with ever increasing demand. The recent severe energy crisis has forced the world to rethink & develop the landfill gas type power generation which remained unthinkable for several years after its discovery. Generation of electricity by using landfill gases is unique and highly efficient with nearly zero pollution. Landfill gas utilization is a process of gathering, processing, and treating the methane gas emitted from decomposing garbage to produce electricity. In advanced countries this technique is already in use but in developing countries it’s still under construction. The efficiency is also better than other non-conventional energy sources. These projects are popular because they control energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These projects collect the methane gas and treat it, so it can be used for electricity or upgraded to pipeline-grade gas. These projects power homes, buildings, and vehicles. Keywords-landfill gas process, LFG collection system, flaring, LFG gas treatment, gas turbine, and micro turbine.
Managing Mercury in Hydrocarbon Processing Plants During TurnaroundsISCT GROUP US LLC
One of the first works Dr. Roberto Lopez Garcia (aka one of the biggest brains in this business and good friend) and I collaborate on to bring this issue to light in the US and globally. Since this early publication the complicated issues associated with mercury in processing has increased throughout the US as the shale gas plays have developed and refineries have increased their feeds from these plays. In addition the approval of Keystone which takes crude form the oil sands in Alberta (full of metals including Hg) will only compound the mercury issues at US refineries taking this production. Dilution with Bakken production is not really going to eliminate this problem.
Robust Co3O4|α-Al2O3|cordierite structured catalyst for N2O abatement – Valid...CarmenMoncada10
Co3O4|α-Al2O3|cordierite structured catalysts were developed, optimizing washcoating procedure, active phase loading, and its deposition method via impregnation and solution combustion synthesis (SCS). The catalysts were thoroughly characterized by XRD, μRS, SEM/EDS, and BET, revealing that the catalyst layer deposited over cordierite carrier, consists of a washcoated micrometric α-Al2O3 (0.1–0.3 µm grains), where spinel nanocrystals (30–50 nm) were uniformly dispersed. It was found out that the SCS method to synthesize and finely disperse spinel nanoparticles results in significant better catalytic performance in low-temperature N2O decomposition than the classic impregnation method. The effectiveness factor evaluated, based on catalyst morphological features and deN2O catalytic results, was found to be ≈1. The determined mass transfer coefficients and type of the catalyst working regime (purely kinetic in the whole temperature range) provide the useful platform for rational design of a real deN2O catalyst.
blast from the past - was searching for some mercury soil remediation and sampling information on the cloud and ran across this - good times and we successfully completed a lot of mercury soil remediation and remedial construction for Williams/Northwest Pipeline - am still working with ninja master Paul Anderson also mentioned in this spotlight. Special thanks to all involved in that project - especially David Laiche. The things you find searching for information from your database.
FAQs associated with produced mercury in oil and gas addressing issues and concerns for E&P, midstream, downstream and petrochemical sectors. This is series 1 of a multi-part series planned for publication. We are happy to address questions from contacts, followers and our readers.
ISCT and KKC have formed a business alliance to provide enhanced consulting services to the energy sector including international certification conglomerates (i.e., Bureau Veritas, DNV-GL and energy consulting firms and insurance providers for assets risk analysis).
Mercury chemical decontamination chemistries for hydrocarbon and mercury removalISCT GROUP US LLC
Members of ISCT have pioneered mercury chemical decontamination of hydrocarbon process equipment (i.e,, tubing, riser platforms, well flow test equipment, production platforms and FPSOs, sub-sea pipelines, onshore gas deny plants, midstream and downstream processing systems/plants) and have developed proprietary chemistries for decontamination of personnel and equipment at hydrocarbon process plants that have metals (i.e., mercury, arsenic and selenium in inlet streams through process and partitioning to products.
Some of our recent solubility work: the behavior of mercury in water alcohols, monoethylene glycol and triethylene glycol - thanks to Dr Gallup and Dr O'Rear for their contributions and effort.
summary of how ISCT works together with our clients to achieve success in research and development while creating technologies needed for the future (i.e., decontamination of oil and gas assets requiring decommissioning)
Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey 2024 by 91mobiles.pdf91mobiles
91mobiles recently conducted a Smart TV Buyer Insights Survey in which we asked over 3,000 respondents about the TV they own, aspects they look at on a new TV, and their TV buying preferences.
UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series, part 3DianaGray10
Welcome to UiPath Test Automation using UiPath Test Suite series part 3. In this session, we will cover desktop automation along with UI automation.
Topics covered:
UI automation Introduction,
UI automation Sample
Desktop automation flow
Pradeep Chinnala, Senior Consultant Automation Developer @WonderBotz and UiPath MVP
Deepak Rai, Automation Practice Lead, Boundaryless Group and UiPath MVP
Accelerate your Kubernetes clusters with Varnish CachingThijs Feryn
A presentation about the usage and availability of Varnish on Kubernetes. This talk explores the capabilities of Varnish caching and shows how to use the Varnish Helm chart to deploy it to Kubernetes.
This presentation was delivered at K8SUG Singapore. See https://feryn.eu/presentations/accelerate-your-kubernetes-clusters-with-varnish-caching-k8sug-singapore-28-2024 for more details.
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
"Impact of front-end architecture on development cost", Viktor TurskyiFwdays
I have heard many times that architecture is not important for the front-end. Also, many times I have seen how developers implement features on the front-end just following the standard rules for a framework and think that this is enough to successfully launch the project, and then the project fails. How to prevent this and what approach to choose? I have launched dozens of complex projects and during the talk we will analyze which approaches have worked for me and which have not.
GDG Cloud Southlake #33: Boule & Rebala: Effective AppSec in SDLC using Deplo...James Anderson
Effective Application Security in Software Delivery lifecycle using Deployment Firewall and DBOM
The modern software delivery process (or the CI/CD process) includes many tools, distributed teams, open-source code, and cloud platforms. Constant focus on speed to release software to market, along with the traditional slow and manual security checks has caused gaps in continuous security as an important piece in the software supply chain. Today organizations feel more susceptible to external and internal cyber threats due to the vast attack surface in their applications supply chain and the lack of end-to-end governance and risk management.
The software team must secure its software delivery process to avoid vulnerability and security breaches. This needs to be achieved with existing tool chains and without extensive rework of the delivery processes. This talk will present strategies and techniques for providing visibility into the true risk of the existing vulnerabilities, preventing the introduction of security issues in the software, resolving vulnerabilities in production environments quickly, and capturing the deployment bill of materials (DBOM).
Speakers:
Bob Boule
Robert Boule is a technology enthusiast with PASSION for technology and making things work along with a knack for helping others understand how things work. He comes with around 20 years of solution engineering experience in application security, software continuous delivery, and SaaS platforms. He is known for his dynamic presentations in CI/CD and application security integrated in software delivery lifecycle.
Gopinath Rebala
Gopinath Rebala is the CTO of OpsMx, where he has overall responsibility for the machine learning and data processing architectures for Secure Software Delivery. Gopi also has a strong connection with our customers, leading design and architecture for strategic implementations. Gopi is a frequent speaker and well-known leader in continuous delivery and integrating security into software delivery.
Empowering NextGen Mobility via Large Action Model Infrastructure (LAMI): pav...
A Deep Clean
1. Reprinted from August 2016
HYDROCARBON
ENGINEERING
M
any in the oil and gas industry are now aware of the effects of
produced mercury on hydrocarbon processing systems, and
that produced mercury contaminates processing equipment
and transportation systems from the riser platform to onshore
dehydration plants, and throughout the front end of natural gas liquids
(NGL) and LNG plants. Downstream processing (refining and petrochemical)
plants are also affected, and have process, environment, health and safety
(EHS), and occupational exposure risks. Certain production regions around
the globe are facing the same challenges at the same time, where assets are
operating past their economic design, and are also contaminated with
mercury (topside process equipment on production platforms, gathering
platforms, floating production storage and offloading units [FPSOs], subsea
pipelines and hydrocarbon processing plants). The continued operation,
dismantling, removal and disposal of these systems present unique
challenges and risks to personnel, the environment and marine/terrestrial
ecosystems.
Global conventions provide guidance for decommissioning of oil and
gas facilities in international waters, but specific regulations with regard to
residual mercury concentrations in production systems (either as scale or
complexed in the grain-boundary of metals) are not currently available.
Decommissioning regulatory guidance updates are anticipated in Asia, but
may not provide a specific mercury mass per surface area or concentration
that can remain in process systems. Mercury is a trace metal in all
A
DEEP
CLEAN
Ron Radford and Tim Jenkins P.E., PEI Mercury & Chemical Services Group, USA,
discuss the mercury chemical decontamination of hydrocarbon processing systems.
2. Reprinted from August 2016
HYDROCARBON
ENGINEERING
hydrocarbons, but is concentrated in specific oil and gas
basins and during production, therefore international and
regional decommissioning guidelines should be drafted
and/or amended to address residual mercury mass and
distribution within assets scheduled for decommissioning.
Notably, decommissioning assets on the northwest shelf and
onshore Western Australia (Figure 1) follow an
objective-based approach under a legislative framework
regulated by the Department of Mines and Petroleum (DMP)
that ensures decommissioning is managed responsibly and
sustainably for the benefit of all stakeholders (e.g., DMP is
required to consider mass and distribution of THg
contaminating each system during pre-decommissioning
planning).
Mercury is a naturally occurring trace constituent of coal,
crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas condensate. Virtually all
geologic hydrocarbons contain measureable quantities of
mercury. Coal bed methane (CBM) production can contain
higher mercury concentrations than traditional or shale gas
production. Trace metals, including mercury, are scavenged by
carbon/stainless steel (adsorbed/chemisorbed) into interfacial
surfaces and can complex into the scale/metal grain
boundary, requiring special chemistry and chemical
application methods for successful decontamination. The
accurate measurement and quantification of mercury in
operating and non-operating process systems is challenging,
and, even though this science and technology has advanced to
its most accurate level in the last decade, many operators have
not quantified mercury mass loading per surface area or flux
throughout production systems scheduled for
decommissioning. Understanding mercury mass per surface
area, speciation, depth profile, and distribution within a
system, is a critical first step to developing accurate
decommissioning, chemical decontamination and spent
chemistry processing plans. The development of these plans is
imperative, and required to develop accurate cost estimates
for each phase. The more assumptions that are made in this
process, the less accurate the cost estimate to manage each
phase will be. Costs are a critical factor in decommissioning
programmes and, in this new energy market supply and
demand paradigm, it is more important than ever for
operators to understand what those costs will be.
Research and development
PEI and its research partner International Specialty Chemicals
and Technology (ISCT), based in Sydney, completed two
important mercury mass loading, chemical reduction and
materials processing research programmes in 2014/2015 that
advanced PEI's chemical and processing technologies to state
of the art. Three major objectives were achieved in these
research programmes:
n Enhanced chemical formulations with modified surface
reactive agents effective in cold water environments
(i.e. subsea pipeline applications) tested 100% effective in
temperatures as low as 10˚C.
n Increased chemical contact time on simulated vertical
surfaces (i.e. FPSO cargo holds using existing infrastructure
for chemical application) tested 97% and 99.7% effective
in sequential applications.
n Processed simulated spent chemistries (chemistries spiked
to 9000 ppm mercury and 1000 ppm hydrocarbons)
treated to <1 ppb residual dissolved mercury in solution.
These achievements were combined to develop a
P80 cost estimate for full scale implementation.
What this means for the hydrocarbon processing industry
is that the technology required for 'near total' and 'total'
mercury mass removal from process systems has finally caught
up to the need for such technology. Furthermore, the disposal
and treatment challenges posed by spent chemistries can now
be effectively managed though 'discharge ready' processing,
eliminating an expensive waste stream that previously had few
options for disposal.
Full scale application
A summary of two mercury chemical decontamination
projects performed for confidential producers with operations
in Australasia is provided below: mercury chemical
decontamination of process equipment scheduled for
decommissioning, and mercury chemical decontamination of
high value equipment for re-use. In each case, near total and
total mercury mass removal was an objective, and spent
chemistry processing goals were to be treated to discharge
criteria.
In the first case, a section of 14 in. inlet piping was
removed from a liquified petroleum gas (LPG) mercury
removal unit (MRU) offshore, as part of ongoing maintenance
Figure 1. Australasian production.
Figure 2. Post-decontamination XRF data.
3. Reprinted from August 2016
HYDROCARBON
ENGINEERING
and inspection. The section of piping was scheduled for
chemical decontamination in preparation for
decommissioning (metals recycling). A critical step in any
chemical cleaning programme is to determine the
decontamination objectives and establish the performance
criteria of the programme. The piping section was designated
for metals recycling; therefore, to meet decommissioning
criteria for safe recycling, approximately 99% mercury mass
removal was required and accomplished using a sequential
chemical cleaning approach. Initial mercury mass loading per
surface area ranged from 10 - 60 g/m2. Chemical
performance and maximum mercury uptake for the
chemistries selected have been well established in ongoing
research and development since 2014 (ISCT 400-66 and
ISCT 400-69). However, during chemical circulation, a range
of performance analyses were performed continuously to
measure the performance of the chemistry (THg, PHg, DHg,
Fe, pH, % oxidiser[s], NTU and TSS), as well as mercury mass
removed over time. THg and compound uptake graphs were
then generated for each chemical phase, depicting mercury
uptake and trending over time. These graphs provided
valuable information in real time to indicate when to stop a
particular chemical phase, increase an oxidant or reduction
agent, or increase the solubility of mercury in the chemical
solution.
By calculating the difference between initial and final
mercury mass loading measurements, the resulting residual
mercury readings represented more than 99% mercury mass
removal. This was a relatively small section of 14 in. piping,
and was provided to Contract Resources (CR)/PEI to
demonstrate the technology and chemical efficacies for
subsequent use during total asset decommissioning. Total
soluble mercury removed during the three phase sequential
chemical circulation was 23.5 g (21 g of which was removed
in four hours during the first application of 400-66). The
remaining 2.5 g of mercury was removed using two
sequential applications of 400-69 and 400-66 over an
additional eight hours of contact time. Final verification
X-ray fluorescence (XRF) surface measurements are
depicted in Figure 2.
In the second case study (decontamination of high
value equipment for re-use), well flow test equipment and
process systems on a semi-submersible drill ship were
contaminated with mercury due to intermittent exposure
to high mercury concentration hydrocarbon streams during
a 2014 well flow test programme. The semi-submersible and
associated well flow test equipment were scheduled for
re-mobilisation to another production field with lower
mercury concentrations in gas and condensate. Mercury
chemical decontamination was required primarily to
prevent mercury from desorbing from interior steel process
system surfaces during well flow test operations and
affecting mercury sampling and analysis data from the new
production field. The project required performing a study
to determine mercury mass loading, distribution and
speciation of various systems prior to chemical
decontamination offshore on the semi-submersible drill
ship and onshore on well flow test process equipment.
Based on this study, chemical decontamination plans,
performance monitoring criteria and spent
chemistry/materials processing plans were developed. A
key objective was near total mercury mass removal with an
emphasis on avoiding damage to primary 4130 and 4140
steel alloy components.
Most that have performed similar studies know that
mass loading per surface area is generally not homogenous
within systems, and varies with exposure, pressure, the
temperature of the process, the chemical composition of
the hydrocarbon streams, and many other factors. What
was needed was versatility in the chemical’s maximum
loading potential for mercury and hydrocarbons.
ISCT 400-66 was selected, and the formula modified based
on the estimated mercury mass per surface area of the
various systems required for decontamination. Chemical
performance and maximum mercury uptake for
ISCT 400-66 is well established, and solubility of mercury
can be increased to >100 000 ppm. Offshore, on the
semi-submersible, this meant the chemistry had a certain
mass loading potential, and was circulated in four piping
runs of four hours each. The total calculated mass per
surface area for offshore piping on the semi-submersible
was approximately 4 g/m2
, with a total mercury mass
removal of 418 g.
Well flow test systems were re-connected onshore at a
Contract Resources facility for chemical decontamination,
performance monitoring and final verification. Systems
were connected based on estimated mercury mass loading
per surface area in four continuous circulation systems and
circulated for four hours each. A combined total of 1.016 kg
of mercury was removed based on performance and
Figure 3. Pre and post-XRF surface concentrations.
Figure 4. LNG carrier ship.
4. Reprinted from August 2016
HYDROCARBON
ENGINEERING
verification sampling/analysis of THg. A range of chemical
analyses were performed continuously to measure the
performance of the chemistry (THg, PHg, DHg, Fe, pH,
% oxidiser[s], NTU and TSS), as well as mercury mass
removed over time. THg and chemical compound uptake
graphs were generated for each chemical phase, depicting
mercury uptake and trending over time.
In both cases, XRF baseline and post verification surface
screening was performed using a five point calibrated XRF
in surface mode. PEI has been using XRF technology since
the beginning of the 2014 research programmes to evaluate
the effectiveness and limitations with the overall objective
of deploying the technology as a semi-quantitative method
to determine mercury mass loading per surface area. The
limitations and accuracy need to be understood before
attempting to use XRF technology in a chemical
decontamination verification programme. Also, to further
evaluate the effectiveness of the chemical efficacies and
total mercury mass removal, sacrificial steel (2 - 6 in. high
pressure flanges) from the most mercury contaminated
equipment (three phase separator approximately 80 g/m2)
was sent to a US lab for scanning electron microscopy
(SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and acid
digestions to show the overall correlation between XRF
pre and post-screening versus acid digestions of
representative test coupons. PEI has demonstrated, through
its recent research and full scale project applications, a
strong correlation between XRF readings and off-site acid
digestion results, especially for post-verification samples.
Total calculated mercury removal from the combined
systems using the highest mercury mass loading per surface
area equipment as a surrogate for the entire systems
equated to approximately 90 - 95% mass reduction. Figure 3
depicts pre and post-XRF surface mercury concentrations,
and the overlying grid that was used to cut representative
test coupons for SEM, EDS and acid digestions.
Processing spent chemistry and
materials minimisation
In both cases, spent chemistries were processed onsite
using a combination of methods based on bench testing
each batch (approximately 10 500 l per ISO to allow for
volume expansion, sulfide deactivation and modified
Fentons Reagent). There are few disposal options for high
concentration mercury contaminated fluids (>5000 ppm) in
many offshore/onshore environments. The best case is
having an injection well available where limited processing
is required (pH adjustment and %TSS). Processing can be as
costly as the chemical decontamination, depending on
what the discharge criteria are and what the final disposal
options are for the supernatant and sediments generated
from flocculants/coagulants. In general, the processing
steps for both cases consisted of pH adjustment in the
presence of H2
S inhibitors (if not performed properly, this
reaction can release hazardous concentrations of H2S). An
intercooler/heat exchanger is required to control reaction
temperatures, as well as direct chemical performance
monitoring equipment, including an explosion-proof
camera, to observe reactions in each batch. Processing
analysis is required for a variety of parameters, similar to
those used to measure the performance of the chemical
decontamination. After pH adjustment and sulfide/H2
S
deactivation, subsequent processing phases included
flocculation, coagulation and settlement/decantation.
Supernatant was transferred to a set of clean ISOs for final
treatment and offsite disposal. A variety of chemical
solutions were processed in batches, including chemistries
used to clean process tanks, pumps and equipment that
were exposed to the chemical decontamination and/or
minimisation process (variable pH range and
mercury/hydrocarbon concentrations). The final stage of
materials processing consisted of dewatering the
sediments, which, in both cases, was accomplished using a
centrifuge to minimise the sludge volume. This resulted in a
relatively small volume of highly concentrated mercury
containing filter cake, and could be disposed under either
the Basel Convention at a permitted facility, or sequestered
for long term storage.
Conclusion
Both of these cases can be considered ‘proof of concept’
successes, and can be used as a model for similar projects,
both offshore and onshore. An important lesson learned is
that accurate mercury assessment, distribution, depth
profile analysis and speciation are key to developing
accurate chemical decontamination/processing plans,
costs and schedules. As mentioned before, assumptions
can lead to less accurate cost estimates and greater adverse
effects to project schedules. The impacts of PEI's latest
mass loading and chemical reduction research and full
scale chemical decontamination/materials processing
applications are a promising and positive development to
the decommissioning industry. Applying these technologies
and methods will reduce the costs of decommissioning by
eliminating variables that, if not included in pre-planning,
would negatively affect the schedule, compliance and,
thus, costs.
PEI has developed a unique approach to understanding
mercury mass flux, loading and distribution in hydrocarbon
processing systems to develop mercury management
processes, including chemical solutions for
decontamination and materials processing. The focus is to
share that technology and approach with the company's
alliance partners (CR) and the hydrocarbon processing
industry in the Australasian region. The regional alliance
with CR builds on an existing alliance with CR Asia and
extends PEI’s research and development, process stream
sampling and analysis, and mercury chemical
decontamination services throughout Australia,
Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. Through the alliance
with CR and the company's research partner ISCT, PEI is
committed to improving and developing chemical
technologies to support mercury management and
chemical decontamination projects for operating assets,
and those scheduled for decommissioning.
Notes
This paper was first presented at the Decommissioning
and Mature Wells Management Conference on
2 - 4 December 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.