Petroleum drilling and production operations in the Gulf of Mexico

Journal Article · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · Estuaries; (United States)

OSTI ID:5142655

Fang, C S ^[1]

---

1. Univ. of Southwestern Louisiana, Lafayette (United States)

Decades of offshore and inland petroleum drilling and production in the Gulf of Mexico and on the Gulf Coast have provided the much needed energy and chemical feedstocks to the nation, and also have made an impact on the environment in the area. Our study showed deposits of contaminated sediment on the ocean floor around offshore platforms, old reserve pits, and dump sites next to many surface facilities and compressor stations. The substances found on the ocean floor and in dump sites are simple or emulsified mixtures of silt, hydrocarbons, and water. The cleaning of the ocean floor and pits is an economic and technical challenge. Hydrocarbons are from crude oil and chemical additions fro various operational necessities, including additions of biocides, corrosion inhibitors, antifreezes, and coagulants. When the new government regulations lower the allowable maximum total organic carbon level to the 50 ppm range, these hydrocarbons can no longer be ignored by drilling and production operators.

• OSTI ID: 5142655
• Journal Information: Estuaries; (United States), Journal Name: Estuaries; (United States) Vol. 41:5; ISSN ESTUD; ISSN 0160-8347
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020900 -- Petroleum-- Environmental Aspects
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540320* -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CARIBBEAN SEA
CONTAMINATION
DRILLING
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
EXPLORATION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GULF OF MEXICO
HYDROCARBONS
INDUSTRY
MITIGATION
NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
OFFSHORE DRILLING
OFFSHORE PLATFORMS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM INDUSTRY
POLLUTION
POLLUTION REGULATIONS
REGULATIONS
SEAS
SEDIMENTS
SURFACE WATERS
WATER POLLUTION