Baselining and Reducing Air Emissions from an Offshore Drilling Contractor's Perspective

Baselining and Reducing Air Emissions from an Offshore Drilling Contractor's Perspective Michael Fancis Cadigan; Michael Fancis Cadigan Noble Drilling Services Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Kerric Peyton Kerric Peyton Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Paper presented at the SPE/EPA/DOE Exploration and Production Environmental Conference, Galveston, Texas, March 2005. Paper Number: SPE-94432-MS https: //doi. org/10. 2118/94432-MS Published: March 07 2005 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Get Permissions Search Site Citation Cadigan, Michael Fancis, and Kerric Peyton. "Baselining and Reducing Air Emissions from an Offshore Drilling Contractor's Perspective. " Paper presented at the SPE/EPA/DOE Exploration and Production Environmental Conference, Galveston, Texas, March 2005. doi: https: //doi. org/10. 2118/94432-MS Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex Search nav search search input Search input auto suggest search filter All ContentAll ProceedingsSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) SPE Health, Safety, Security, Environment, Search Advanced Search AbstractIn recent years, global climate change and local air quality have become some of the most pressing environmental concerns. These concerns have led to collaborative international efforts to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases and criteria pollutants. Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) that occur naturally and as the result of human activity. Criteria pollutants include emissions of nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and total unburned hydrocarbons. Drilling contractors can play an important role in environmental stewardship by reporting carbon emissions from drilling operations, eliminating redundant emission measurements, and leading the industry in efforts to reduce these emissions. Noble Corporation is proactively pursuing methods to manage and reduce greenhouse gases and criteria pollutant emissions, improve diesel engine efficiency, and reduce diesel consumption as a means of lowering emissions. This paper presents Noble's current environmental initiatives and successes to date, including: The completion of a three-year base line inventory of greenhouse gas emissions from its drilling units worldwide—a first in the drilling industryVoluntary participation in the EPA Climate Leaders program, a greenhouse gas emissions monitoring and reduction programNoble's strategy for setting targets for reducing the amount of greenhouse gases produced by its offshore drilling operations and improving diesel engine efficiency through new diesel-injection technologyImplementation of a new rig-engine efficiency program, which has led to the reduction of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 30% and fuel consumption of 2%, a cost reduction that will amount to an average of 5, 000/year for each engine. To establish a base line of greenhouse gas emissions, Noble used ChevronTexaco's SANGEA™ Emissions Monitoring Software and equipment specifications to calculate greenhouse gas emissions retroactively and establish methods to measure greenhouse gas emissions going forward. In addition, Noble is measuring the output of criteria pollutants using Continuous Emissions Monitoring System (CEMS) technology and is evaluating the performance and durability of the technology in harsh offshore conditions, with the ultimate goal of installing gas analyzers on all of its offshore assets. Reducing its fuel consumption not only reduces emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants, it promotes a cleaner workplace and allows Noble to pass along fuel cost savings to its customers. IntroductionGreenhouse gases released naturally and from human activity have the ability to absorb heat in the earth's atmosphere, subsequently warming the earth's surface and atmosphere. One potential result of anthropogenic greenhouse gases is theorized to be a global climate change, the ramifications of which could be significant. Controlling and monitoring the release of these gases is paramount in lessening the potential affect that they may have on the environment. Noble is taking several important steps in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its drilling activities. These steps include establishing a baseline of its greenhouse gas emissions, monitoring and reporting emissions, and improving rig engine efficiency. All of these efforts are controlled and monitored as part of Noble's ISO 14001 certified management system. To date, all of Noble's operating rigs worldwide are certified to ISO 14001 by Det Norske Veritas (DNV). Keywords: baseline, greenhouse gas emission, spe 94432, engine efficiency, specification, energy conservation, reduction, climate change, air emission, efficiency Subjects: Environment, Air emissions, Climate change This content is only available via PDF. 2005. Society of Petroleum Engineers You can access this article if you purchase or spend a download.