Oil & Gas Chemistry

Global Warming – Recent Developments

2007-12-03T22:59:00.000+08:00

by Jonathan Mayheart

Traces history of issues of Greenhouse effect and Global warming

There is one subject that is certain to raise a passionate argument in a party these days and that is “Global Warming”. Everybody has an opinion about it. And why not? After all if the international action plans for reduction of carbon emissions have to succeed, every individual needs to be involved and committed to it!

It is generally believed that the earth was covered with ice about 15000 years ago. About 7000 years ago the earth began to warm up and the ice age came to an end. Then again from the 14th century to the 19th century large parts of the earth experienced harsh, cold conditions. This period was known as “the little ice age”. In 1824 Fourier proposed the theory that solar radiations are trapped by the atmosphere and reflected back to the earth causing the earth to warm up and that the earth was slowly getting warm. Arrhenius termed it the greenhouse effect in the late 19th century. In the 1950s, Callendar supported the theory of the greenhouse effect.

From late 20th century there was a much greater attention being paid to environmental issues and serious scientific activities started for devising ways to measure global temperatures and to devise better mathematical models to analyze earth’s climate. By the end of the 20th century there was a large body of scientific opinion that believed that increased carbon dioxide emissions, caused by ever increasing use of fossil fuels, were responsible for global warming. In 1994, the United Nations Panel on Climate Change asserted that global warming was still a threat and nations needed to take action to negate the effects of global warming. Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement to fight global warming, was born in 1997. This protocol called for countries to reduce their emission of greenhouse gases. After eight years of hard bargaining, and acrimonious debates Kyoto treaty was finally ratified by 141 countries. Noteworthy among the countries that did not ratify it were the USA and Australia – both the largest producers of greenhouse gases.

The treaty aims to limit and cut back emission of greenhouse gases to control global warming. It sets limits for emission from 35 developed countries; developing countries are exempted from emission limits to allow them time to catch up. Under the treaty, various countries have committed to reduce the emissions to below their 1990 levels by 2012.

Most of the countries are struggling to limit the greenhouse emissions to the levels they had committed to; many are finding it quite tough when it comes to pushing for action while balancing domestic political pressures and pressure from oil & gas industry. It is, however, heartening to note that there are already significant success stories coming up where individual companies have shown the leadership and achieved remarkable success in attaining, and in some cases over attaining, their targets of reduction of carbon emission. In USA public opinion is seen to be far more decisive and assertive than the Federal government and many states are going ahead enacting legislations to limit carbon emission while federal government twiddles thumbs.

The Kyoto Protocol provides targets for reduction of emissions up to 2012. The recent G8 meeting has already come up with a plan of action and new emission reduction limits for the year 2050. The developed nations have shown their impatience with the dithering attitude of the US government in no uncertain terms.

Global Warming and climate change are events that effect our lives today, learn more about Climate Change at http://globalwarmingpages.com

Article Source: ArticlesToReprint, free content for your website

Science Experiments and Chemistry Chuckles

2007-12-03T22:51:00.000+08:00

by Mort Barish

Science experiments in chemistry reveals the oddest fact -- molecules have down-right silly names. One doesn't usually think of chemistry topics as humorous but one look at these molecule names and you'll change your thinking on that. Try some of these names for Chemistry Science chuckles.

One molecule is called "arsole". It is the arsenic equivalent of pyrole, and is occasionally seen as a side group in the form of organic arsolyls.

Another molecule is called "Adamantane". This often brings laughter as Adam Ant was an English pop star in the early 1980's famous for his silly songs and strange make up. How did they ever think of this one.

"Bastardane" is a close relative of "Adamantane". It's proper name is "ethano-bridged noradamante". It was a variation of the standard structure and became know as the unwanted child. I have to imagine that the lineage is somewhat in doubt.

Another doozy is "Buckminster Fullerene". This soccer ball-shaped molecule won a Nobel prize for Chemistry in 1996. It is of course, named after the architect Buckminster Fuller, who designed the geodesic dome. It is sometimes referred to as "Bucky Ball", and is also known as "Footballene". Why was this so special as to win a Nobel prize, I do not know.

"Megaphone" gets its name from being both a constituent of "niba Megaphylla" and a ketone. This one shouts loudly in order to be heard.

"Munchnones" could be the favorite of the Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz, but they are ring structures in which the charges are delocalized. We represent the ring structure guild, the ring structure guild, the ring structure guild.

"Cummingtonite" got its name from where it was found, Cummington, Mass. For those who want to know, it is a magnesium iron silicate hydroxide. In case I cannot meet you in the afternoon, I am coming tonight.

"Putrescine" originates in putrefying and rotting flesh, and is the smell of death. It is usually associated with "cadaverine" named after the cadavers that give rise to the rotting flesh.

"Dickite" discovered by a geologist whose last name was "Dick" is a clay like mineral and is used in ceramics and as paint filler.

"Moronic" acid is of interest to people studying archaeological relics, shipwrecks and ancient Egyptian jars. Ask me why it is called "Moronic" acid and I cannot answer hopefully not making me a moron.

The Fuka region of Southern Japan has given birth to "Fukalite", which is a form of calcium silico-carbonate.

A plant hormone which causes injured cells to divide and help repair the trauma has been named "traumatic acid". Ah, chemistry and science, what a joy. It would certainly be traumatic if these cells could not repair themselves.

"Arabitel" has nothing to do with rabbits; it's an organic alcohol that is a constituent of wine.

An alcohol derived from sugar is named "fucitel", and comes from a North Atlantic seaweed. When sailing the ocean, perhaps one can troll a fishing line and pick up some "fucitel"

"Orotic Acid" is often misspelled and is called "Erotic Acid". Another name for this acid is vitamin B13. A chemistry science fair project would be a good venue for a continued search into these unusually named molecules.

This one could sound like a laxative, but it is really a type of mica found in Japan and Sweden. It is called "Kinoshitalite" and is green and vitreous and hard as fingernails. It comes from the Japanese meaning under the tree.

"Vomicine" is a poisonous molecule that gets its name from a nut which is the seed of a tree found in the East Indies. These seeds are sometimes called quaker buttons and are a source of strychnine.

"Bastadin-5" is just one of a number of bastadins which are molecules isolated from a marine sponge. They possess anti bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.

"Skatole" comes from skatalogical, meaning concerning fecal material. Its proper name is 3-methylindole, but it gets its trivial name from the fact that it is a component of feces. It is also found in coal tar and beet. Chemistry science fair projects could emanate from this one.

"Sexithiophene" is a 'sexi' molecule - which means it has 6 sub-units, in this case of thiophene rings. Because of its conjugated system of double bonds, this organic molecule conducts electricity quite well. As a result, it is one of a number of similar molecules being studied for possible uses in organic polymer electronics. Incidentally, the Latin for 5 sub-units is quinque (pronounced 'kinky'), so by adding one sub-unit a quinque molecule becomes sexi.

"Bis(pinacolato) diboron" isn't the active ingredient in a root beer float. Rather it is a versatile reagent for the preparation of boronic esters from halides, the diboration of olefins, and solid-phase Suzuki coupling. A proper root beer float consists of root beer and ice cream. If you're lucky it will be served in a big glass.

"Lucifer Yellow" is a food coloring used especially in hot sauces, like salsa pickle. It is also used in plant microscopy anatomy studies, because it fluoresces under ultraviolet light and stains certain regions between plant cells.

"Crapinon" is used therapeutically as an anticholinergic. These are drugs which dry secretions, increase heart rate, and decrease lung constriction. The are also constipating, ergo "crappy-non" is appropriate.

Mort Barish is co-founder of Terimore Institute, Inc. Terimore provides hundreds of science experiments with step-by-step guides for children in grades K-12 to help them learn more about science. Find fun, easy and award-winning science experiments at http://www.terimore.com/!

Article Source: ArticlesToReprint, free content for your website

What's up in Jordan?: Why Jordan needs nuclear energy (part I)

2007-08-14T15:01:00.000+08:00

What's up in Jordan?: Why Jordan needs nuclear energy (part I)

What's up in Jordan?: Oil shale exploitation

2007-08-14T15:00:00.000+08:00

What's up in Jordan?: Oil shale exploitation

Growing Growing Gone: How Exxon Mobile Destroyed An Entire Town

2007-08-14T14:37:00.000+08:00

Growing Growing Gone: How Exxon Mobile Destroyed An Entire Town

The Daily One-minute Inspection

2007-04-14T11:46:00.000+08:00

The other day while waiting at an airport, I noticed a couple of teenagers playing speed chess, also known as lightning chess. According to the rules, a game of 40 moves or less must be played in fewer than six minutes (three minutes per side). Their hands and pieces were in constant motion. It seemed to be more a foot race than a game of wit, intellect and strategy. Yet these kids couldn't seem to get enough of it, as they were playing one game after another.

How does this relate to lubrication and maintenance? In my view, the most important maintenance function doesn't require anything from the tool box. It doesn't require an instrument or an oil sample. It may not be on your PM schedule or lube route. What it requires instead are skillful inspections that are rapid, comprehensive and frequent. Taking a pointer from speed chess, we need to pick up both inspection tempo and quality by deploying sensory-based (versus instrument-based) condition monitoring techniques. Let's call them daily OMIs, or one-minute inspections.

Learning Machine "Sign Language"
Begin by learning how lubricants and machines reveal problems. Unlike people who have verbal skills, machines use "sign language" to communicate what hurts or what has invaded their system. Recognizing the "signs" or symptoms that the machine conveys is a required skill for those who work with machines and are responsible for their care and feeding. This involves training, practice and motivation.

Many PMs are inspections; however, they are often performed without the required skills, motivation and frequency. In contrast, daily OMIs are critical, high-resolution snapshots of machine and lubricant condition. Such inspections need to be conducted by trained operators, technicians, millwrights or others who have frequent access to machines. As is often said for safety, quality and total productive maintenance (TPM) - machine reliability is everyone's responsibility.

Checklists are helpful when completing tasks. These can be incorporated into scheduling software, maintenance PDAs and even posted on or near the machine itself. The range of inspections will vary considerably depending on the machine type and how it has been accessorized for inspection activities. Below is a basic list of common lubrication-related inspection tasks, many of which have been discussed previously in Noria publications:

Temperature. Use touch, gauges and/or heat guns to inspect for general or localized hot running conditions. Besides a host of mechanical explanations, temperature excursions can also be caused by wrong lubricant, degraded lubricant, contaminated lubricant, aeration, varnish, etc.
Oil Volume. Use level gauges, sight glasses, dip sticks or inspection ports/hatches. A slight drift in oil level (up or down) can be a critical alarm.
Pressure. Use gauges or pressure transducers at multiple points as needed. Temperature, viscosity, flow restrictions and aeration are among the many causes of pressure changes.
Filter. Examine delta-P gauges and bypass indicators to confirm filter is serviceable. When filters plug prematurely, there's usually an important reason why.
BS&W. Take bottom samples or examine bottom, sediment and water (BS&W) bowls for abnormal accumulations such as sludge, wear debris, free water, biomass and other contaminants.
Ventilation. Confirm serviceable condition of breathers and inspect for abnormal fumes, vapor and smoke.
Clear and Bright. Pull samples or inspect sight glasses, BS&W bowls and bottle oilers for oil color, clarity, insolubles, suspensions, aeration/ foam, emulsions, fouling, etc.
Leakage. Use a powerful flashlight to inspect shaft seals, gaskets, actuators seals, fittings, unions, ports, hoses, etc. Sudden leakage at multiple points is often caused by a change in lubricant quality.
Fluid Surface and Headspace. Through inspection hatches and ports look for foam, varnish, sludge, bathtub rings, corrosion and churning.
Points of Entry. Inspect for potential ingression sites such as unsealed or unprotected vents, breathers, hatches, inspection ports, clean-out covers, etc.
Dirty Exterior. Machines that are dirty on the outside are usually dirty on the inside as well. Keeping machines wiped down and clean is a precursor to contamination control.
Spits and Sputters. Machines emit an assortment of audible signals; some are normal but other are not. Report abnormal whines, rattles, rumbles, pops, etc. Use a rod, garden hose or stethoscope as needed to localize the generating source.
Grease Condition/Color. Inspect grease extruding from seals and along shafts for abnormal color, consistency and condition.

The central theme of the daily OMI is the need for inspection vigilance, quality and scope. With oil analysis, we often say "you can't catch a fish unless your hook's in the water". This refers to the need to frequently sample oil if you expect to catch nonconforming conditions or machine faults. We've also learned that having your hook in the water is not enough either. We need to have it baited correctly and know how and where to fish. The same wise advice applies to machine inspections.

By getting into the habit of doing daily OMIs with a sharp and skillful eye, you can probably catch more problems than oil analysis, vibration analysis and thermography combined.

Jim Fitch, "The Daily One-minute Inspection". Machinery Lubrication Magazine. January 2007

How To Find Oil & Gas Jobs Overseas

2007-03-20T14:45:00.000+08:00

The oil & gas industry offers various kinds of jobs. Some of the jobs are offered at your place and some you can find the oil & gas jobs overseas. As for starters you may want to find the job in your state or country. As you gain experience and mingle with the oil & gas people, you might want to find oil & gas jobs overseas. There are several reasons to work overseas as you can get better pay & remuneration. Besides you also have the chance to travel and visit other countries.

There are several countries that offer jobs in the oil & gas industries such as America, Canada, UK, Malaysia, UAE, Qatar, Norway, Africa, Thailand, Vietnam, Norway, Australia & others. So how you can get the oil & gas jobs overseas. There are two ways to get the job you desired. One is to work in a service company that serves for the oil & gas company internationally. So that you can have the chance to go to other countries as your boss send you to complete jobs at the client’s places. Second one is to work for the oil & gas producers which operating oversea. Maybe you can work as an expatriate in such companies.

Besides that, another important thing to consider when looking for an oil & gas jobs oversea is the types of jobs being offered. You have to pick a job that suitable with your qualification, experience, & skills. Getting the best job can ensure you are happy to do the workloads and you are competent when working in that company in the future. Some examples of jobs available are engineering, production, chemist, seismic, drilling, exploration, upstream, downstream and many others.

After considering which countries to work in & type of jobs you would like to acquire, you may want to consider which company you would like to be entitled. Different companies have different functions and offering different types of services. Some might not have the jobs you desired. Some of the major companies like Shell, Schlumberger, Halliburton, Baker Hughes and others are listed below along with their functions and services:-

Schlumberger Oilfield Services - supplier of services and technology to the international petroleum industry

Schlumberger - our real-time technology services and solutions enable customers to translate acquired data into useful information

Shell Oil Company - is one of the largest major oil and natural gas companies

Shell Technology Ventures, Inc. - developing new technologies that increase productivity, maximize efficiency, and promote sustainable development.

Halliburton - cementing, seismic and oil and gas products Houston

Baker Hughes Inc - consultancy and engineering in oilfield drilling services

Baker Hughes Incorporated - providing products and services to international oil companies, independent oil and gas companies and national oil companies

Baker Hughes INTEQ - directional drilling, measurement-while-drilling (MWD), logging-while-drilling (LWD), coring systems and well-site information management service

Baker Oil Tools - well drilling services, completion, downhole, workover and fishing tools

Baker Petrolite - providing chemical, engineering and technology solutions to the global hydrocarbon recovery and processing industries

Baker Petrolite - manufacturer chemicals, engineering and technology solutions

Baker SPD - leading manufacturer of a wide range of drilling products, including the Mud Hog centrifugal pump.

Weatherford International Ltd. - range of services used throughout the lifecycle of pipelines and process facilities, onshore and offshore

Wellbore Specialties - experience in wellbore cleanout and a total commitment to providing the highest quality products and services

This is just to name a few. You can find more by googling on “oil & gas companies”.

How Much Natural Gas is Left?

2007-03-07T22:26:00.000+08:00

Although oil gets the media attention, natural gas also plays a major role in the energy needs of the world. So, how much natural gas is left in the world? The answer may surprise you.

How Much Natural Gas is Left?

Natural gas is a fossil fuel that is non-renewable. Although called “natural gas”, it could also be called methane for all intents and purposes since methane comprises the vast majority of the gas. Natural gas is found in oil fields, coal minds and its own unique locations.

Natural gas is more of a direct use energy in our daily lives. By direct use, I am referring to actually seeing it. You see it in action when you turn on your gas stove. You also see it when you spend 20 minutes burning your fingers while trying to light the pilot light on a heater. Beside residential use, natural gas is also used by industries for a wide variety of manufacturing applications. A less known use is as an ingredient in the production of ammonia.

Interestingly, and perhaps unfortunately, the countries with major natural gas resources are mostly those that also have significant oil reserves. Iran and Russia have some of the largest fields, as do many other Mideast countries. Fortunately, natural gas is also found in oil-deficient countries such as Australia, Argentina and Mexico.

So, how much natural gas do we currently have to fill our energy needs? The most current estimates put the reserves at roughly six thousand trillion cubic feet. My, that certain sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Given our current rate of use, however, it equate to between 60 and 65 years worth of supply.

As with oil, there are two issues that can throw the estimate of the number of years completely off. The issues are economic growth and further reserves.

The first is the emerging economies of China and India to mention to of the bigger ones. The economies of these countries are expanding like crazy and natural gas is one of the energy sources they live off of. In the next 10 to 20 years, the amount of natural gas needed by these countries should multiply, putting strain on the supply.

The second issue is more positive. Simply put, we should find more natural gas fields in future years. The prospects for finding more are, in fact, much better than those for oil. The reason has to do with transportation. Simply put, oil is easy to transport while natural gas is not. Recent innovations have solved many of the transportation issues, so exploration efforts are picking up.

Natural gas plays a fundamental role in the overall energy supplies of most economies, particularly first world ones. While natural gas supplies seem strong for the foreseeable future, it is important to understand it is not a renewable resource, to wit, it will run out one day.

Rick Chapo is with SolarCompanies.com - a directory of solar companies.

Hydrogen Sulphide - The Silent Killer Gas

2007-02-16T20:30:00.000+08:00

Hydrogen sulphide (H2S) is known as one of the human treats for those working around the oilfield facilities. Hydrogen sulphide occurs in a variety of natural and industrial settings, in most volcanic gases, in decaying of plat and animal protein and in intestines as a result of bacterial action. Besides the oil & gas facilities, H2S also is a serious hazard to health of workers employed in other industries such as :-

Energy production from hydrocarbon & geothermal sources
Production of fibers & sheets from viscose syrup
Production of deuterium oxide (heavy water)
Tanneries
Sewers, sewage treatment and animal waste disposal
Fishing boat
Chemical production

H2S is a highly toxic gas. The gas can cause almost immediate death when inhaled in high concentration. It is made up of two hydrogen and one sulphur atom. Let’s see into various different names of H2S :-

Sulphurated hydrogen
Stink damp
Rotten egg gas
Sour gas
Sewer gas
Sulphane

Some characteristics of hydrogen sulphide :-

Deadly – Extremely toxic gas
Colorless
Heavier than air at high concentration tends to settle in low lying areas
Readily dispersed by wind movement or air currents
Odour of rotten eggs only in low concentrations rapidly deadens the sense of smell. Thus paralyze olfactory nerve
Highly corrosive to certain metals
More deadly than Carbon Monoxide (CO) and almost as toxic as Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) gas

Oil Formation

2006-11-22T21:13:00.000+08:00

Oil Formation

Crude oil is found deep in the earth’s crust. Crude oil is formed by the remains of living things trapped in the earth’s crust. This happens millions years ago. When living things died, the remains will transform into fossil. Thus petroleum or crude oil is also called as fossil fuel. The remains or fossil contains high organic compounds. These organic compounds will transform into petroleum or crude oil as a result of the soil and earth activities.

Oil reservoir composed of hydrocarbons trapped in porous rock formation. The formation of oil reservoir starts when the remains of living animals such as microscopic plants such as plankton and algae and animals are buried under miles of sand and mud. The remains thus turn into oil as the reaction of heat and pressure change.

There are four requirements necessary to the oil formation: -

1. there must be a source rock – must contain abundant of organic matter

2. there must be a heating event – will liquefies the organic matter to convert it into hydrocarbons

3. there must a reservoir rock – the oil formed will lies on the reservoir rock. A good reservoir rock will make sure the oil is not lost

4. there must be a trapping mechanism – Caused by the formation of oil and to avoid escape of oil

Oil Formation

Oil & Gas SHE - Safety, Health and Environment

2006-10-07T12:16:00.000+08:00

Oil & Gas SHE - Safety, Health and Environment

When working in the Oil & Gas Industry, the most imporatant thing to look after is the Safety, Health and Environment issues. The workers have to take care of their own safety and health as well as their colleagues. The environment also must be kept at optimum level. Any mistakes occur might cause damages and can be harmful to human life. Such damages also can cost money to the business.

In Oil & Gas Industry there are many activities done to make sure that the Safety, Health and Environment is done at all time. For example, during arrival at the platform or production site, the workers are required to go through the safety briefing. This is to make sure that they know the operation at the site. The workers will be briefed about the operation, the safety requirement and the life escape exit. In addition to that, the workers also have to regularly listening to the safety briefing which is done 1-2 times a month. Here the workers will be taught how to use safety gadget, briefed about the current environment situation at the site, and other SHE related issues. The fire drill training also is done regularly to make sure the fire escape is effective.

Besides that there is also safety meeting which is done everyday of the operation days. Certain companies are doing this in the morning and some of them are doing this in the evening upon completing the works on that day. In the meeting, all supervisors have to present their team's work plans. This is to make sure that the jobs to be done are not clashed with each other. To do works at the production site, the team supervisors have to fill up the work permit form. For example there are work permit for hot work, cold work, flammable release work and others. The purpose of these work permits are to identify any harmful acts that might occur during work.

In addition to that, the workers are required to wear safety gadgets all the time during work. There are many types of safety gadgets provided such as ear protection, hard hat, safety glasses, safety boots, coverall, gloves, mask and others. The safety gadgets are desidned to be suited with the work to be done. The practitioners of the Oil & Gas Industry really stress on the Safety, Health and Environment issues for the smoothness of the operations.

Oil & Gas SHE - Safety, Health and Environment

Save Fuel On Your Vehicles

2006-09-27T22:57:00.000+08:00

Save Fuel On Your Vehicles

Rising on the fuel price have made many people more concern on the fuel consumption of their vehicles. People are looking for ways to save fuel. How can you save fuel? How can you save your money instead of spending them on fuel. One of the ways you can use is to purchase gas which added with the so-called energy saver additives. The gas seller already help you. But are they really want to help or it is a marketing strategy to make sure you buy more? Here are some guidelines you can try freely to save fuel instead of buying those marketing purposed products.

1) Buy your gas when it is cold. Instead of puchasing your gas on the day time, buy them in early in the morning or at night. During cold, gas is denser. So you can buy more gas with the same volume you pay.

2) Make sure that your tyre is not inflated. Inflated tyre may reduce your fuel efficiency by 2% for every unit of the inflation.

3) Using the air-conditioner also can increase the fuel consumption by 10-20%. So only use it when you really need it. Use the ventilation system instead.

4) While moving on highway, do not open your windows too wide. Opening windows while moving fast can reduce fuel efficiency by 10%.

5) Some people have the behaviour to let their car to idle 5-10 minutes upon starting engine. This is not a good practice because you might waste gas. Modern cars are made to be driven almost immediately. only let your car to idle the most 30 seconds.

Save Fuel On Your Vehicles

Alternative Fuel

2006-09-24T23:02:00.000+08:00

Alternative Fuel

Recently the price of petroleum is increasing. This phenomenon has became worse as US attacks on the Gulf Countries and the petroleum reserve has became less. People all over the world are looking for alternative fuel to replace the conventional fuel. Alternative fuel is any material or substance other than petroleum which is concumed to provide energy to power an engine. Some of the alternative fuels have been found are like biodiesel, ethanol, butanol, fuel cell, hydrogen, solar cell, natural gas and others.

Let's take a look at biodiesel. Biodiesel is produced from domestic, renewable resources. It contains no petroleum, but can be blended with petroleum. Manufacturers always use biodiesel blended petroleum as B20 meaning that 20% of the mixture is biodiesel and 80% is petroleum. The production of biodiesel is made through the transesterification process, whereby the glycerol of vegetable oil is reacted with methanol in the presence of catalyst such as sodium hydroxide, NaOH. The reaction yields methyl ester (biodiesel) and glycerin as the by-product. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, non-toxic, free of sulphur and aromatics.

Besides that, we also can use fuel cell as another choice over conventional petroleum. Fuel cell is made using hydrogen-rich fuel. Upon working, hydrogen will react with oxygen to create electricity by the mean of electrochemical process. Heat and water will be produced as by-products. A single fuel cell consists of an electrolyte and two catalyst-coated electrodes. Hydrogen as anode and oxygen as cathode (a hydrogen cell). Fuel cell can provide a big load of electricity compare to the normal alkaline cell.

Natural gas also have been used widely to replace petroleum. Natural gas is a combustible gas obtained from fossil fuel. It composed mainly of methane. Other compositions also exist in small amounts such as ethane, propane, butane and pentane. In Malaysia, it is used widely for the taxi. It is because the cost for consumption is low. However the supply is still less. The government need to take some action to promote this type of fueling. Before natural gas can be used on the normal vehicle, the engine must be altered to be suited with the usage of the natural gas.

Some of the alternative fuels have advantage of environmental friendly. That means it will not harm the environment as much as conventional fuel. But it is the consideration of the government to use this type of energy supply and to create awareness among the citizens.

Engine

2006-09-20T20:58:00.000+08:00

Engine

As we know petroleum is always used as an energy conversion material. Petroleum needs a device to do the conversion. One of the devices is an engine which produces energy when provided with the raw material. There are two types. One is for diesel and the other is the 4-stroke which uses petrol.

The 4-stroke engine have 4 cycles to move it :-

1) intake (induction) stroke - piston moves down, inlet valve open, exhaust valve close, fuel/air mixture goes in
2) compression stroke - piston moves up, inlet valve close, exhaust valve close, piston compresses air/fuel mixture
3) power combustion stroke - piston moves down, inlet valve close, exhaust valve close, air/fuel mixture is ignited by spark plug
4) exhaust stroke - piston moves up, inlet valve close, exhaust valve open, burnt gases driven out

The cycle of the 4 strokes must be completed and it keeps running until the engine stops.

Let's move to diesel engine. It also undergoes the 4 cycles, but the difference is at the compression stroke and the power combustion stroke. At the compression stroke, only air goes in. At power combustion stroke, fuel is injected and ignited by the temperature rises caused by compression of the piston.

4-Stroke

Diesel

Mercury

2006-09-19T23:15:00.000+08:00

Mercury

My works in the oil & gas industry involve with the testing of petroleum and its derivatives. The testing will be done on-site at the clients' places. Among the testing that I've done, testing for mercury is the most I involve in. It is considered as one of the major threats at the platforms and oil & gas processing plants. It is an element which can be found in abundace amount in the earth's crust. Thus it might get mix with the oil. When drilling we might come accross it. Sometimes we might not. In this case, it will come out later on when the time goes by. Besides oil, mercury also can be found in fish and shellfish since they live in sea.

Physical appearances and characteristics :-

Name : Mercury, Quiksilver, Hg
Atomic no : 80
Atomic mass : 200.59 g/mol
Appearance : silver white
Phase at room temperature : liquid
Melting point : 234.32 K, -38.83 oC
Boiling point : 629.88 K, 356.73 oC

Some of the threats by mercury :-

Easily absorbed through skin.
Affects mouth, gums and teeth.
High exposure over long time periods may cause brain damage and ultimately death.
Have severe effects on baby and infant.

Mercury

Petroleum Classification

2006-09-18T15:28:00.000+08:00

Petroleum Classification

There are several ways to the petroleum classification. Petroleum classification is important to identify the petroleum. It is like an ID to the petroleum. Petroleum classification also can be very helpful in the oil & gas industry during the production process. Different class of petroleum have different ways of handling. They are all depend on the contents and the appearances of the petroleum.

1) Petroleum is classified according to its origin.

West Texas Intermediate for North American Oil
Brent Crude is used for the 15 oils from field in the Brent and Ninian systems in the East Shetland Basinand of the North Sea
Dubai for the Middle East oil flowing to the Asia-Pacific region
Tapis for light Far East oil
Minas for heavy Far East oil

2) Petroleum is classified according to the viscosity and specific gravity (API Gravity). The heavier the crude oil the more difficult to transport/pump it.

Light - low viscosity and wax content (low API)
Intermediate - medium viscosity and wax content (medium API)
Heavy - high viscosity and wax content (high API)

3) Petroleum is classified according to the sulphur content.

Sweet - contains low amounts of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide i.e <>
Sour - contains high amounts of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide i.e > 1% sulphur. Low quality and apparently low value.

Petroleum Classification

Petrochemistry

2006-09-17T17:37:00.000+08:00

Petrochemistry

Petrochemistry is another branch of the oil & gas industry. It is the chemistry of derivatives from the fossil fuels. Petrochemistry studies the transformation of fossil fuels especially petroleum and natural gas into other form of usable products such as plastics, chemicals, fertilizers an others. The transformed products are called petrochemical taken from the word petrochemistry itself.

The demand for synthetic materials to replace costly and sometimes less efficient products caused the petrochemical industry to develop into a major player in today's economy and society. The transformation of petroleum and gas into synthetic chemical involves numbers of processes.

The production of oil and gas starts when they drill the reservoir to take out the oil. Next the oil will undergo several processes in the refining processes to separate oil, gas and other contaminants. After separation the oil will pass through a distillation unit. The distillation unit is where the oil will be separated into its major derivatives according to their temperature and pressure extent. The products can be collected here are like kerosene, gasoline, heating oil, fuel oil, and others. The crude oil is transformed into napdhtha mainly and gas is transformed into natural gas liquids.

After oil production, this is where the petrochemistry takes place. The products will undergo another processes where they are cracked into lighter carbon compounds. This proces is called cracking. Cracking is a process where the naphtha and natural gas are cracked into smaller carbon content compounds. The products produced here are xylene, ethylene, propylene, benzene and toluene. These products are some more cracked into familiar products such as soap, detergent, rubbers, paints, plastics and much more.

Petrochemistry

Offshore Platform

2006-09-16T22:54:00.000+08:00

When offshore works are going to start, offshore platform is built. Since there is no flat land to be worked on the sea, offshore platform is important so that the works can be done and the personnels on board have place to live. It is normally made of steel to make sure that it is strong. Some maintenance should be done on it from time to time. There are many types of offshore platform can be found on the sea which it is used for different kinds of works.

The main platform used is the fixed platform which as reffered to its name it is immobilize. This type of platform is anchored to the seabed. It places living quarters, the production is running, and drilling is done. The legs and the body of the platform are made of steel and concrete. Fixed platform is built for a long term used. It is normally used at the 520m sea water depth.

Next is the semi-submersible platform. It is a floating platform built to have sufficient buoyancy and enough weight to balance it in the water.It can be moved from place to place. It is used for drilling operations at water depth 180 to 1800m.

Besides that there is also jack-up platforms. The jack-up platform is jacked-up above the sea. The legs like jacks so that it can be lowered and adjustable to be suited with the water level. It is movable from place to place and anchored to the seabed using it jack-like leg while not moving.

In addition to that, compliant towers also are being used while working offshore. It is built using a narrow, flexible towers and piled foundation. Then a steel deck is placed on the foundation where all the production works are done.

Besides the platforms we also have ships offshore as working place. There is floating storage system and drillship. There are many types of floating storage system such as Floating Production, Storage and Offloading system (FPSO), Floating Storage and Offloading system (FSO) and Floating Storage Unit (FSU). These kind of ship is used to store the oil and gas before deliver to customers. It is anchored to the seausing the anchor chain for a long time. On the other hand, the drillship is used to place the drilling equipment. It is used during the exploration and drilling activities.

Offshore Platform

Organic Chemistry

2006-09-14T23:13:00.000+08:00

Organic Chemistry

Oil & Gas Industry always related to Organic Chemistry. Whoever involves in the Oil & Gas Industry must have the basic of Organic Chemistry to understand the behaviour of fuel. Organic Chemistry is a study of carbon containing compounds in which it combines with many other elements such as H, N, S, O, P and halogens to form over 5 000 000 compounds. There are many things in the world contain carbon as part of their body. For example, living things, fuel, rubber and many others. As for fuel the compounds contain 90% of carbon and hydrogen and the other 10% are sulphur, plumbum, additives, and other trace elements.The organic compounds are known by its structure.

The organic structure is built by the carbon atoms to form a skeleton. The carbon skeleton or chain is shown as follows:-

CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2CH2OH

Attached to the skeleton can be one or more reactive chemical groups known as functional groups. In this case the functional group is OH. Hydrogen is attached to the carbon with covalent bonding.

The nomenclature of organic compounds depends on the type of functional groups attached to the carbon skeleton. The naming system referred to as IUPAC system. Functional groups are specific groups of atoms or molecules that give specific chemical reactions and characteristics of the organic compounds.There are many types of functional groups exist. In fuels the common functional groups are alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, thiol (mercaptans), sulfide and haloalkane. In some compounds there can be one or more functional groups.

In crude oil, condensate and gas, the organic compounds can be as long as hundreds of carbon chain. In the production of final yield, the chain is added or broke down into shorter length to meet the customers' needs. The choices whether to break or add the chain depends on the supply of raw materials. There are many steps involve during the processing and involve cost. So the engineers need to think the best way to use with lower cost.

Organic Chemistry

Offshore Jobs for Offshore Guy

2006-09-13T22:45:00.000+08:00

Offshore Jobs for Offshore Guy

Oil & Gas industry always been involved with offshore jobs. Offshore jobs can be at the platforms, oil rigs or floating and oil storage (FSO) tanker. There are plenty offshore jobs can be done at those places such as drilling and exploration, maintenance, production and others. There are also supporting jobs like catering and housekeeping nad supply boat. Those jobs are not directly involved in the production and processing of oil & gas. But they are also considered important for the personnels who are doing jobs offshore.

At the early stage of oil exploration, the geologists always involved and must be on board to search for the oil reservoir. On the ship also, there will always a captain and his guys to take the wheel. When exploration finishes, drilling jobs will take over to drill out the oils. The jobs are done by engineers to work on the drillers. There is also engineer who is responsible in the bombing of the reservoir. Bombs are used to make a hole through the reservoir to flow out the oil. When drilling there are also other engineers doing jobs on setting up drilling hole and well for production. When production is about to take place, the fabrication works take place to build up platform on the well. firstly the surveyor will have a look at the place and designing the platform. The platform is normally built at the fabrication yard. Then ships and other method of transportations are used to transfer it from the fabrication yard to the well. Many engineers and architect involved during fabrication and setting up.

When production started, there will be many personnels on the platform. Platform is lead by Offshore Installation Manager (OIM). He is responsible of the platform and make decision regarding the works at the platforms. Under the OIM, there are Production Supervisor and Maintenance Supervisor. Production Supervisor takes charge of the production. He will lead his team to make sure the production is done and report any upset to the OIM. In the production also, there is a Quality Control team which responsible to monitor any changes on the production quality. These personnels normally work in a laboratory. The Maintenace Supervisor have to make sure that the production and the platform are at good condition. The Maintenance team is very important because any leakage or damages happen on the platform or the production line may be dangerous to the personnel and might costing in the future. The Maintenance team normally consists of electricians, painters, processing line maintenance. Electricians make sure the wirings are in good condition. Painters are important for the painting jobs as a corrosion prevention action. In addition to that, there also scaffolders to set up scaffolding network at the working areas to be used as climbing method.

For summarization, the oil & gas offers many jobs to the public. These jobs need skillful workers to take up the jobs. But the important thing during doing works offshore is to take care of our safety and health. Any mistakes happen may damage the place and can be dangerous.

Offshore Jobs for Offshore Guy

Black Gold - Hydrocarbons in Crude Oil

2006-09-12T23:13:00.000+08:00

Black Gold - Hydrocarbons in Crude Oil

As what I'd been discussed yesterday, there are many kinds of hydrocarbons in Black Gold. The Black Gold is mixture of hydrocarbons that are attached together through bondings. Types of hydrocarbons in Black Gold are diifferentiated according to the structural formula of the hydrocarbons. Structural formula is a graphical representation of the molecular structure showing how the atoms are arranged. The chemical bonding between atoms is also shown in the structural formula. Different molecular structure of the hydrocarbons will give different characteristic and identity to them.

The first composition that we have is kerosene. Kerosene is also called paraffin oil. The appearance of kerosene is colorless and in the liquid form. It has range of carbon between C12-C15 which is obtained in the fractional distillation of at 150° and 275°C. It is commonly used to light up kerosene lamp. Besides that there is gasoline which is also called petrol that we used for commercial cars. It contains hydocarbons between C5 to C12. Normally petrol is mixed with other substituents to enhance its combustion capabilities. Such subtituents are benzenes, toluene, naphthalene, trimethylbenzene and MTBE.

On the other hand, we also have diesel or diesel fuel. This kind of fuel is used in the diesel engine which is invented by Rudolf Diesel. It is obtained through fractional distillation at 250 °C and 350 °C. Diesel fuel always contains high amount of sulphur. Nowadays, diesel is used by adding some biodiesel, kind of fuel obtained from vegetable’s source. Besides that. There is lubricant. This type of oil is not used as heating substance. It is applied between two surface to reduce friction and wear of the meeting surfaces. Additives are applied to lubricant to improve its effectiveness. For examples, anti-wear, anti-oxidants, corrosion inhibitors, rust inhibitors, friction modifiers and others.

There are many other types of fuel which are not discussed in this post. There are naphtha, jet fuel, heating oil and others. Although it is not discussed here, they are also considered important in our daily lives and used commercially. I will tell you the other fuels in the future.

Black Gold - Composition of Crude Oil

2006-09-11T21:12:00.000+08:00

Black Gold - Composition of Crude Oil

When come to petroleum, people always think about Black Gold. The rise of the oil price make people give a new term to this valuable material. The price for Black Gold has risen up to $70 per barrel. Thus Black Gold is considered as the second most valuable material after gold. Petroleum is an important material in our daily lives as it can supply bounty of energy. The supplied energy can be used to generate machines from a small one like motorcycle up to giant machine like manufacturing plant. It also has been used to generate another source of energy; elctricity. What does it contains that make it so powerful? Let's take a look at the composition of the crude oil.

Crude oil contains so many compositions until scientists can divide it into several types according to the compositions of the crude oil. But it contains mainly comprised of carbon and hydrogen, collectively referred to as hydrocarbons (HC). HCs are the elements that can be converted into form of energy. HCs are normally named according to the carbon number. As for crude oil, the carbon number can be from C1 to hundreds of C. The lower the carbon number the lighter is the hydrocarbons. From C1 to C10, the molecules of HC are in the form of gas at room temperature. The somewhat larger hydrocarbon molecules are liquids, whereas the largest are solids. All the HCs are mixed together in the form of crude oil. The composition can be separated through the distillation process.

In addition to that, the crude oil also comprised of sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen in small amounts. These element are eliminated during the processing of the crude oil into desired product. Even though it cannot be totally eliminated, these elements are kept to the lowest level to meet the customer's needs. Besides that, mercury, radon, sodium and chloride exist in trace amounts. These elements are separated from the crude oil before entering the processing pipelines. They might make harm to the processing pipelines and some of them like mercury and radon are hazardous materials and can be harmful to our health.

The look and smell of the crude oil depends on the composition and bonding between the mocules of the elements. Thus the oil prices also are different according to the composition of the crude oil. The biggest determinant of the difference is the value of sulphur in the crude oil. The lower the sulphur value, the higher the price of the crude oil because more processing steps can be skipped and less cost are involved.

Black Gold - Composition of Crude Oil

Water Testing

2006-09-10T19:13:00.000+08:00

Water Testing

As I mention before, testing for oil and gas is very crucial to maintain and monitor the quality of the final product. Water Testing is another testing that is useful in the oil and gas industry. Even though it has no direct effect to the final product, Water Testing plays a major role in the prevention of water pollution. Water Testing is considered as a tool to monitor the environment surrounded the processing line, platforms and oil rigs.

There are many kinds of testings can be done to monitor the water quality. One of the is the Gravimetric Analysis. Gravimetric Analysis is a method of analysis whereby the dry weight of contaminant per unit volume of fluid can be measured showing the degree of contamination in terms of milligrams of contaminant per litre of fluid. In this method, a mixture of hydrochloric acid and hexane is used to extract the oil from the water samples. The water is then put separately to measure the volume. The mixture of oil and n-hexane is put into another container. The hexane is removed from the container and left only the oil. Then measure the oil content in the container.

Besides that, there is also Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) Analysis. TPH is defined as the measurable amount of petroleum-based hydrocarbon in an environmental media (e.g., soil, water, sediments) and, thus, is dependent on analysis of the medium in which it is found. In this testing, the oil is also extracted from the water using n-hexane. But after extraction, put the oil into the Infra-Red (IR) Spectrometry. The value will be given by the IR Spectrometry.

In addition to that, the water also can be tested for chloride content. The chloride in water is determined using the Mohr Titration method. In this method silver nitrate solution (AgNo3) is used as a reactant. The addition of AgNo3 to water will cause reaction to form silver chloride (AgCl) which will form precipitate in the solution. Potassium chromate is used as an indicator solution. The color will change from lemon-yellow to slight red-brown to indicate the end-point of the reaction. If the addition of AgNo3 past the end-point, an orange coloration will form which is an error reading. This determination also can be done using the autotitrator which is easier and can get more accurate reading compared to a pair of eyes.

There are a lot more testings and analytical methods can be used for monitoring and research. It is a matter of cost and time the methods are being used by the oil & gas personnels.

Water Testing

Oil & Gas Testing

2006-09-09T16:03:00.000+08:00

Oil & Gas Testing

For today's post, I would like to tell my role in the Oil & Gas Testing. The Oil & Gas Testing plays a major role to make sure the final product is good enough before delivering to the customers. There are many types of test involve in the Oil & Gas Testing. There are chemical testing, radiographic testing, non-destructive testing and others. What I am going to write today is regarding the chemical testing which is part of my job currently.

The demand for chemical testing for the fuel industry is very high today. It is part of the government regulations or in the Quality Control activities. As for my job, I am responsible in the testing for mercury content in the crude oil, condensate or gas. Mercury is considered as a highly harzadous treat to human health. Mercury also can damages the pipelines and the processing flow during production. Thus the informations on the mercury content in the crude oil, condensate and gas is crucial to the oil and gas personnels to maintain its quality. The mercury content is analyzed using the mercury analyzer. There are many kinds of mercury analyzer in the market which can be obtained from different suppliers. Before testing, the samples are obtained using sampling bomb or tedlar bag for gas. For condensate or crude oil samples, they are collected using Schott bottles. Normally for gas, the samples are then transfered into the gold sands tube. The liquid samples are trapped using additives in the sampling boat.

Besides that, for crude oil I've done other analyses such as Basic Sediment and Water (BSW), Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) and Density. The three analyses are done to monitor the quality of the crude oil. BSW is done to monitor the water and sediment content in the crude oil at several process lines. Normally the samples are taken at the inlet, middle line and storage tank. It is done to see the effectiveness of the process line to eliminate and separate the sediment and water. The water content is targeted to be below than 0.5% of total volume before delivering to customers. RVP is done for the crude oil in the storage tank. It is targeted to be within 10-12 kPa. The assumption of this analysis is similar to the production of a cardonated drink. The value is very important to make sure that it is within range acceptable by the customers. RVP also important during the transportation. This is to make sure it is not overpressured caused by vibration during transportation.

In addition to that, lubricant oil can be tested for Particle Count Analysis. The number of particles present greater than a particular micron size per unit volume of fluid often stated as particles > 10 microns per milliliter. The Particle Count Analysis is very important since the existence of particles may cause erosion to the pipelines. Thus the pipelines must be replaced everytime it becomes eroded. This might involve costing to the oil practitioners. Particle Count Analysis is done using the Particle Count Analyzer. Before analysis, it is important to make sure that there are no bubbles in the lubricant since the analyzer might miscount the particles and give error results.

Oil & Gas Testing

Oil and Gas Operation

2006-09-08T22:42:00.000+08:00

Oil and Gas Operation

For the first post, I will tell you what happen in the Oil and Gas Operation. The oil processing flow starts with exploration. In exploration, the task is done by geologists to find oil reservoir or entrapment in the soil. They use many types of equipments and methods in order to help them such as satellite images, gravity meters, magnetometers sniffers and seismology. The most method they use is the seismology. In seismology, a survey ship is sent to an expected location to have oil. Then a seismic wave is transmitted through the water to the soil. The sign of oil existence in the soil is interpreted by the reflected waves back to the surface. The reflections of the shock waves are detected by sensitive microphones or vibration detectors -- hydrophones over water, seismometers over land.

When an oil reservoir has been found and marked, the second stage is the drilling activities. In drilling several holes are dug to make way for the rig. A cellar is built around the location of the drilling hole. The cellar is made up of a concrete casing which underline the hole prevents the hole from collapsing, and allows drilling mud to circulate. Then the drilling bit is brought into the hole to bring out the oil. When the oil has come out and drilling is finished, the hole is temporarily closed for future production.

For the mean of production, a platform is set. An oil platform places accommodations for the oil production personnels, production pipelines, and the oil wells. At the oil well, the geologists connect a multi-valved structure called a Christmas tree to the top of the tubing and cement it to the top of the casing. The Christmas tree allows them to control the flow of oil from the well. From the well, the oil flows into the production pipelines. In the pipelines, the oil will be treated to remove any unwanted contents such as mercury, water and sediment. The water and sediment contents in the oil must be lower than permitted level to make sure it is saleable to customers.

After treatment, the oil is stored at the floating storage and offloading system (FSO) or brought to the land to be stored there. When a customer comes, the oil will be offloaded into the oil tanker ship.

Working at the oil platform can be stressful. But the experience is wonderful and priceless. No matter you work offshore or on land, working in the Oil and Gas Operation could be an experience can't be felt by all.

Oil and Gas Operation