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Abstract In the United States, most of the exploration and production (E&P) wastes generated at onshore oil and gas wells are disposed of or otherwise managed at the well site. Certain types of wastes are not suitable for onsite management, and some well locations in sensitive environments cannot be used for onsite management. In these situations, operators must transport the wastes offsite for disposal.
In 1997, Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne) prepared a report that identified offsite commercial disposal facilities in the United States. This information has since become outdated. Over the past year, Argonne has updated the study through contacts with state oil and gas agencies and commercial disposal companies. The new report, including an extensive database for more than 200 disposal facilities, provides an excellent reference for information about commercial disposal operations.
This paper describes Argonne's report. The national study provides summaries of the types of offsite commercial disposal facilities found in each state. Data are presented by waste type and by disposal method. The categories of E&P wastes in the database include: contaminated soils, naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM), oil-based muds and cuttings, produced water, tank bottoms, and water-based muds and cuttings. The different waste management or disposal methods in the database involve: bioremediation, burial, salt cavern, discharge, evaporation, injection, land application, recycling, thermal treatment, and treatment. The database includes disposal costs for each facility.
Introduction In the United States, most of the 18 billion barrels (bbl) of produced water, 149 million bbl of drilling wastes, and 21 million bbl of associated wastes generated at onshore oil and gas wells are disposed of or otherwise managed at the well site. However, under certain conditions, operators will seek offsite management options for these E&P wastes.
Commercial disposal facilities are offsite businesses that accept and manage E&P wastes for a fee. Their services include waste management and disposal, transportation, cleaning of vehicles and tanks, disposal of wash water, and, in some cases, laboratory analysis. Commercial disposal facilities offer a suite of waste management methods and technologies.
Why Use Offsite Disposal? Some types of E&P wastes---saltwater muds and very oily cuttings---are not suitable for onsite management. In other cases, the environmental sensitivity of a particular location (for example, marshy environments and tundra) precludes onsite waste management operations. In the offshore arena, those E&P wastes that cannot be discharged from the platform are generally hauled back to shore for disposal, especially when underground injection at the platform is not a regionally common practice. Another reason for selecting commercial waste management facilities involves cost-effectiveness. If an operator generates a relatively small volume of E&P waste, it may make sense to send it offsite rather than constructing, operating, and closing an onsite facility. Finally, some operators simply prefer sending their E&P waste to a third party. However, in the light of the potential future liability under the U.S. Superfund law, it is crucial to review the business practices and compliance histories of offsite commercial disposal companies.
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