Oil and gas production handbook An introduction to oil ... - ABB Group

9.2.1 Indigenous emissions
Emissions from the industry can be divided into several types.
Discharge:
Accidental spills:
Emissions:
Mud, shale, silt, produced water with traces of
hydrocarbons. Ballast water, polluted wastewater with
detergent, sewage, etc.
Blowout, shipwreck cargo and bunker oil, pipeline
leakage, other chemicals, traces of low level
radioactive isotopes.
CO 2 , methane, nitrous oxides (NO x ) and sulfur from
power plants and flaring
Exposure:
Toxic and/or carcinogenic chemicals
Locally, these emissions are tightly controlled in most countries by national
and international regulations, and during normal operations, emission targets
can be reached with the systems and equipment described earlier in this
document. However, there is continuing concern and research into the
environmental impact of trace levels of hydrocarbons and other chemicals on
the reproductive cycle and health of wildlife in the vicinity of oil and gas
installations.
The major short-term environmental impact is from spills associated with
accidents. These spills can have dramatic short-term effects on the local
environment, with damage to marine and wildlife. However, the effects
seldom last for more than a few years outside Arctic regions.
9.2.2 Greenhouse emissions
The most effective greenhouse gas is water vapor. Water naturally
evaporates from the sea and spreads out, and can amplify or suppress the
other effects because of its reflective and absorbing capability.
The two most potent emitted greenhouse gases emitted are CO 2 and
methane. Because of its heat-trapping properties and lifespan in the
atmosphere, methane's effect on global warming is 22-25 times higher than
CO 2 per kilo released to atmosphere. By order of importance to greenhouse
effects, CO 2 emissions contribute 72-77%, methane 14-18%, nitrous oxides
8-9% and other gases less than 1%. (sources: Wikipedia, UNEP)
The main source of carbon dioxide emissions is burning of hydrocarbons.
Out of 29 billion tons (many publications use teragram (Tg) = million tons) of
CO 2 emitted in 2008, 18 billion tons or about 60% of the total comes from oil
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