Facility operability is the ability of an organization to operate a facility in a safe and efficient manner. The ultimate goal of facility operability is to design and construct a facility that will remain safe, efficient and cost effective throughout its lifetime use. The majority of oil and gas facilities are built and operated successfully, but issues can arise during the design phase and those issues can eventually lead to costly or even detrimental incidents.[1] Proper planning and preparation can enable an organization to adhere to guidelines of licensing organizations and insurance companies. Hazard operations (HAZOP) studies assess the effectiveness of facility operability plans, to identify potential or existing hazards and to evaluate the potential effectiveness of planned changes to a facility.[2]Elements

Interactions between fractures in adjacent horizontal wells and development of methods for mitigating their costly negative effects has become the focus of much discussion and debate within the fracturing community. The impetus for this attention has been the impact of these interactions on productivity and mechanical integrity of these wells. Faced with these challenges, a group of 15 subject-matter experts representing different parts of the fracturing community held a 2-day meeting in December 2018 for a very open and confidential discussion of the technical foundation of the various aspects of the subject: what are the root causes of these interactions, their types, consequences, industry experience with various mitigating actions, and what has worked and what has not. At the conclusion of the meeting, the group decided to prepare a report of its deliberations and make it available as a service to the industry. Soon after the start of the discussions, the group recognized the multiplicity of terms used for each of the various aspects of the subject.

Interactions between fractures in adjacent horizontal wells and development of methods for mitigating their costly negative effects has become the focus of much discussion and debate within the fracturing community. The impetus for this attention has been the impact of these interactions on productivity and mechanical integrity of these wells. Faced with these challenges, a group of 15 subject-matter experts representing different parts of the fracturing community held a 2-day meeting in December 2018 for a very open and confidential discussion of the technical foundation of the various aspects of the subject: what are the root causes of these interactions, their types, consequences, industry experience with various mitigating actions, and what has worked and what has not. At the conclusion of the meeting, the group decided to prepare a report of its deliberations and make it available as a service to the industry. Soon after the start of the discussions, the group recognized the multiplicity of terms used for each of the various aspects of the subject.

In response to incidents such as the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon in April 2010, the oil and gas industry has worked to generate methods that help ensure safe and environmentally responsible offshore operations. Despite these efforts, a research fellow at the Ocean Energy Safety Institute (OESI) argued that incident prevention methods will not be effective unless industry generates facility, equipment, and system designs that consider potential human-factors issues. At a joint forum titled "Human Factors To Support Safer and Effective Offshore Energy Operations," held by OESI and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, S. Camille Peres spoke about the progress being made in researching the effects of human factors in offshore projects. Peres is an assistant professor of educational and occupational health at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. In her presentation, Peres discussed the role human factors can play in major incidents, focusing primarily on the issues surrounding the Deepwater Horizon explosion.

A major challenge of Arabian heavy‑oil development is the problem of generating competitive advantages through deploying technological innovations while making cost-effective solutions a crucial part of a firm's strategy for rigless interventions. The purpose of this paper is to examine coiled-tubing (CT) -stimulation and -logging technologies used in the timely project execution of one of Saudi Arabia's largest field developments to enhance matrix-stimulation success in a cost-effective manner. The Manifa field is located in Saudi Arabia and measures approximately 45 km in length and 18 km in width, encompassing both onshore and offshore areas with water depths between 4 and 6 m. It was discovered in 1957, with first sustained production in 1964. However, because of low demand, the field was shut down in 1984.

Summary Issues such as high corrosion rate, hydrogen sulfide (or H2S) generation, and scale reprecipitation have required the use of alternative dissolvers such as tetrakis(hydroxymethyl)phosphonium sulfate (THPS)–ammonium chloride (or NH4Cl) blend and chelating agents to dissolve iron sulfide (or FeS) scales. However, there are many aspects of these dissolvers that need investigation. This paper provides a guideline to select the best dissolver under various oilfield conditions by an extensive laboratory study. Furthermore, the iron sulfide scale removal is enhanced by the use of new synergists to the chelating agents. The application of THPS and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) in well tubulars or pipelines requires laboratory testing to determine the optimal conditions such as dissolver concentration, treatment time, and dissolver/scale (D/S) ratio (cm/g) at 150°F. This evaluation considers oil-wet scales, mixed scales, presence of additives, and presence of salts during the treatment. Synergists such as potassium chloride (or KCl), potassium iodide (or KI), potassium formate (or HCOOK), sodium fluoride (or NaF), and potassium citrate (or K-Citrate) were added to ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), DTPA, and hydroxyethylethylenediaminetriacetic acid (HEDTA), and the scale solubility was evaluated at 150 and 300°F. Inductively coupled plasma–optical emission spectrometer analysis of the supernatant solution at various intervals of time up to 48 hours revealed the kinetics of the dissolution process. H2S generated from the scale dissolution process was measured using Draeger tubes. Corrosion tests helped in measuring the damage to the tubulars as a result of the dissolver’s contact with N-80coupons. Solubility tests indicated the dissolver’s scale removal capacity at different concentrations. The work also accounted for the consumption of the dissolver for the scale removal. The optimal blend was chosen considering both the dissolution capacity and the dissolver consumption. For THPS–ammonium chloride blend, 0.75 mol/L THPS (30 wt%) and 2 mol/L NH4Cl (10 wt%) proved to be the optimum dissolver concentration at 150°F. Similarly, for DTPA, 0.4 mol/L K2-DTPA was evaluated to be the most effective dissolver concentration. The THPS–ammonium chloride blend was found to dissolve the iron sulfide slowly compared with K2-DTPA and 15% hydrochloric acid (HCl). The presence of crude oil on the scale hindered its solubility with K2-DTPA by 8%. The presence of calcium carbonate influenced higher selectivity of chelating the calcium ions by K2-DTPA. However, the overall fraction of scale removal was not affected. Adding corrosion inhibitors (CIs) did not affect the scale solubility significantly and also helped in maintaining an acceptable corrosion rate of N-80 coupons below 0.05 lb/ft at 150°F. The reaction of HCl and the iron sulfide scale generated 1,800 ppm of H2S in comparison with 0- and 10-ppm by THPS–ammonium chloride blend and K2-DTPA, respectively. Adding potassium iodide and potassium citrate to EDTA helped in improving the scale solubility at 150°F. Sodium fluoride improved the scale dissolution by EDTA and DTPA at 300°F. This paper addresses oilfield-like conditions on scale solubility by evaluating the role of mixed scale, scale mass, presence of hydrocarbons on the scale, and presence of monovalent/divalent ions in dissolver solution. A detailed and direct comparison of HCl, THPS–ammonium chloride blend, and DTPA in dissolving iron sulfide at various conditions enables easier selection of the dissolver for a field treatment. New synergists for iron sulfide scale dissolution are introduced in this paper. This work can help oilfield companies understand the nuances of applying different alternative iron sulfide dissolvers.

An emphasis on human factors engineering (HFE) can have a significant effect on the safe operations of offshore facilities. Defined by the International Ergonomics Association as the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, HFE has seen interest gradually progress within the offshore industry for the past 2 decades. An expert, however, argued that more work needs to be done to convince owner and operator companies of the importance of HFE in facility design. At a workshop presentation held by the Ocean Energy Safety Institute and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Gerry Miller spoke about how a greater focus on HFE could make for safer offshore facilities. Miller is an HFE consultant who has provided support to the design and operation of man/machine systems in several sectors, including aerospace and the military.

The simplest way to measure return on investment for an offshore water treatment system is to determine whether using the system actually reduces the risk of paying a fine for violating water pollution laws. This has typically been done through laboratory tests--required by regulators--on periodically collected samples of treated water. But increasingly, water testing systems are being installed on production platforms offering constant updates of the effectiveness of the water treatment systems. The argument for them is that what flows out of oil fields changes constantly, with surges and slugs dense with hydrocarbons. An unnoticed surge or slug can cause a sharp increase in the oil level in the treated water that is disposed overboard. Without quick adjustments, these excursions can create a telltale sheen around a platform, which can lead to trouble. "There is the dreaded sheen," said Sandy Rintoul, executive vice president of Wilks Enterprise, which was recently acquired by Spectro.

How much value are you obtaining from your safety communication and training efforts? In the 1950s, a simple model was created to measure training effectiveness. Donald L. Kirkpatrick, when looking at opportunities to determine the effectiveness of training efforts, identified four levels to evaluate. The first level focuses on how the people receiving the training reacted to the information or experience (Reaction). The second level has to do with evaluating the change in knowledge, skill set, and attitude (Learning). The third level looks at a change or continuance of observable behavior within the work setting (Behavior).

The authors sought to determine whether interventions that target work organization or the psychosocial work environment are effective in preventing or reducing work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD) compared with usual work by systematically reviewing the 2000–2015 English- and French-language scientific literature, including studies evaluating the effectiveness of an organizational or psychosocial work intervention on incidence, prevalence or intensity of work-related musculoskeletal pain or disorders in the neck, shoulders, upper limbs, or back or of work absence because of such problems, among nonsick-listed workers. Rehabilitation and individual-level behavioral interventions and studies with 50% attrition were excluded. Medium- and high-quality studies were analyzed and the evidence was synthesized using the grading of recommendations assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE) approach. The study identified 884 articles; 28 met selection criteria, yielding two high-quality, 10 medium-quality, and 16 low-quality studies. There was moderate evidence that supplementary breaks, compared to conventional break schedules, are effective in reducing symptom intensity in various body regions.