Environmental Impact Mitigation related to Oil Wells

• The document is titled "Design of a Methodology for Mitigating Environmental Impacts During the Transfer of Products Generated in Oil Wells."
• Diana Slendy Gelves Silva and Melissa Munoz Jaimes authored the document.
• Ing John Alexander Ardila is the advisor
• Document created for the Master's in Project Management, Seminar 1, at Politecnico Grancolombiano
• Document was created in 2025

Introduction

• Oil well drilling activities, specifically product transfer processes, create environmental impacts and related cost overruns
• Unsafe transfers can contaminate soil, water, air, and ecosystems, leading to fines, risks to worker health, economic losses, and reputational damage
• The research aims to design a method to mitigate environmental impacts during oil well product transfers
• The plan involves process analysis, evaluating pumping technologies, and applying sustainable practices to optimize safety, reduce environmental risks, and improve operating costs
• A combination of qualitative and quantitative tools will be used to comprehensively study the issues and validate potential solutions
• The methodology will improve waste management and ensure compliance with regulations like Decree 1036 of 2015 and the NTC technical standard for hazardous waste transport

Project Title

• The Project's title is "Design of a methodology for mitigating the environmental impacts during the activity of transferring products generated in oil wells"

Problem Description

• Oil well drilling uses open tanks to receive cuttings and fluids composed of drilling muds, cuttings, and other fluids, which are moved to external plants for treatment and final disposal
• Current transport methods use trucks and excavators, posing challenges like high costs, material handling, and dependence on external resources.
• The method is unsafe and environmentally unfriendly, exposing the process to potential spills, vapor emissions, and dust, harming operational staff.
• The mitigation process focus is on the loading and transfer phase during drilling to minimize environmental impacts at the waste generation point
• Mitigations enables reduced spillages, facilitates the loading and transfer of cuttings without excavators, optimizes process area usages, and avoids machinery movement
• The solution aims to provide economic and technological advantages, mitigating risks, enabling safer transfers between tanks, and improving operational versatility and efficiency.
• Finding technologies for managing drilling cuttings and solutions for transferring materials safely from storage sites to treatment plants and final disposal is needed
• Benefits includes economic efficiency, environmental and operational safety, fluid reuse, minimizing economic impacts, and enhancing corporate image

Problem Elements

• Transferring products with excavators in open barrels can cause spills, air, water, and soil contamination, harming the ecosystem and leading to fines
• Transporting products in dump trucks involves potential spills, air, water, and soil contamination, harming the ecosystem and leading to fines and process failures
• The materialization of risk can result in impacts to people, economic losses, and reputational damages
• The elements in the table are important for the research development and will support the presented works

Justification

• The current loading, transfer, and transport of drilling cuttings have significant environmental impact. Reduction via existing transfer methodologies and technologies is needed
• It's crucial to implement technology for the transfer of drilling cuttings in order to prevent harm to individuals, to the process, and to prevent financial losses and reputational risks for businesses

Further Info

• Inadequate management of drilling cuttings can generate up to 30% of cost overruns due to inefficient collection and transport
• Industry studies indicate that each ton of poorly managed waste can result in environmental fines exceeding $50,000 USD and regulatory sanctions that can affect business operations
• A drilling well generates between 500 and 1,500 tons of cuttings, which are challenges in environmental management and operating costs
• The methodology for the transfer process has the goal of analyzing its input and output variables to determine the aspects to consider in the design
• A system for transfer optimization can reduce operating costs by 20% and maintenance costs by 40%
• Proper planning of the transfer can reduce the use of specialized transport by 25%, reduce carbon emissions by about 200 tons per year per operation
• The acceptance and adoption of solutions is assured with key players and allows to reduce operation and maintenance costs, and improves the company's reputation
• Environmental policies can improve brand perception by 35% and increase market value by 10% due to reduced risks associated with penalties and environmental investigations
• Applying a methodology to standardize the process, generating added value for the company by preventing environmental risks and improving process efficiency is useful.
• Transparency, certifications, and technological innovation in prevention and mitigation are crucial for hiring purposes

Hypothesis

• The question is whether implementing a standardized methodology for drilling waste transfer can improve process efficiency
• Implementation of a standardized waste transfer methodology reduces environmental impact, optimizes processes, and improves corporate image

General Objective

• The goal is to design a methodology for mitigating environmental impacts during the activity of transferring products from oil wells

Specific Objectives

• Diagnose the current status of activities for transferring cuttings, mud, and waste produced in oil wells up to their final disposal
• Determine the needs of those involved in improving the transfer of cuttings, mud, and waste from drilling
• Develop an improved transfer process that integrates advanced pumping technologies and environmental practices for efficient final management and disposal of cuts from drilling oil wells

Proposal

• This project needs proper planning to analyze data to identify technological solutions that minimize environmental impacts associated with transferring products in oil wells using safe practices and technologies

Methodology

• Integrate qualitative and quantitative methodologies to provide a complete overall viewpoint of the case in question
• The research process will obtain research from documentaries to involved actors, with interviews and surveys to analyze difficulties and risks of waste managements
• Data collection techniques from collected interviews and sector experts with semi structured forms

Quantitative Approach

• A survey of representative operators and key actors is applied to gain data on spill frequency, equipment efficiency, operational costs, and assess proposed pumping technologies
• Measurements of pollution levels, cutting volumes, and energy consumption is taken for an analysis of environmental/operational impacts related to current processes and proposed technology
• Apply an investigation-action approach, to solve the problems and to promote an effetive change to waste management
• A follow-up is applied to the equipment functionality by measuring sound, water and air quality as well as survey the process responsible
• Analysis of the results and the data will grant a optimization of the system

EDT (Work Breakdown Structure)

• The present EDT is an integration of the project key phases, aligned to the specific objectives, for a correct implementation to minimize environmental impacts associated with the transfer of products in oil wells with responsible practices and securing technologies

Current State Diagnosis

• Conduct a review of documentation and analysis of the process in its current operation
• Identify environmental impacts
• Verify the characteristics of the cuttings and muds
• Evaluate environmental and operational risks

Requirements Identification

• Conduct interviews and surveys with involved parties regarding the management of cuttings and muds
• Analyze current needs and challenges
• Identify mitigation measures

Improved Transfer Process Design

• Perform a technical analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each type of pump offered
• Integrate responsible environmental practices
• Consult with pump manufacturers
• Assess advanced pumping technologies
• Define performance indicators
• Design the transfer process to be pumping efficient

Project Structure

• The project breaks down into major phases: current state diagnostics, identifying requirements, and design of the process
• Diagnostics include: reviewing documents, identifying impacts, checking characteristics, and evaluating risks
• Requirements identification cover interviews to determine the current state and to identify mitigation measures.
• Steps for designs includes technical analysis, practical integrals, technological consultation and definition of indicators

Milestone Tables

• Project milestones are detailed to outline key activities, deliverables, and deadlines for execution
• The table enables tracking deliverables and ensures compliance

Milestone Activities

• Diagnostic report delivering analysis of transfer processes, impacts and risk evaluation on March 8, 2025
• Requirements of the needs document based on actors, needs and preliminary recommendations is delivered on April 17, 2025
• Technical sheet is delivered on May 11, 2025
• Optimized process with specifications and procedures on June 8, 2025
• The methodology document comes with final proposal on June 17, 2025
• Final delivery with sustainability is presented with conclusions on June 20, 2025

Project Schedule

• A detailed plan for project execution is presented, clarifying each stage and defining monitoring parameters to track progress
• This allows for preventive actions

Theoretical Framework

• Conceptual, legal, and state-of-the-art context for the research needs to be explained
• The work includes petroleum well drilling theoretical foundations and technologies
• Technical investigation done includes slurry and debris management, environmental and operational problems, and implementation of high efficiency pump system applicable to the viscosity and consistency of materials

Conceptual Framework

• The research has the goal to establish standards in all operational applications and processes, as well as security and environmental factors to provide solutions in case of any eventuality in the handling of risks in oil and gas companies

Key Terms

• Methodology refers to guidelines or principles adapted as a set of actions or a structured approach and is used during the life cycle
• Well refers to a hole or underground excavation created for the purpose of extracting fluids to the surface, in petroleum engineering
• Producer Well refers to a hole made for hydrocarbon extraction to the facility and refinement
• Program refers to a broad plan that may contain activities
• Projects are independant or a part of program which grant an eficient management
• Activities and Tasks defines the actions for a goal -Well Drilling Process creates a deep pit with stabolizing liquids to reduce frictions and more
• Mud treatment processes mixtures to allow reuse and remove solids
• Mud trasiegos is a way to transport by excavators or more that is expensive

Important

• Retroexcavator has been costly for the equipment as operator
• Vacumm bombs allows transport of sensitive products like liquids and dangerous gases
• Dynamic bombs are transfering fluid´s energy for transfer however centrifugal bombs are more known

Referecial Framework

• The country´s norms are being held by the CONSTITUCIÓN POLÍTICA DE COLOMBIA, the laws of exploration and hydrocarbon exploitation must stick to them

State of The Art

• The research consists of a method of drilling sustainable and eficient as well as environmental awareness
• The project management is using all fundamentals in the operations´s processes, as a result of mitigation in negative factors will result

Colombia´s Production

• Production must stick to the environment as its negative by nature, however licence from The National Agency is needed to follow protocol as security measures for potential events

Methodologies

• Will be based on Leopold´s and Medellin public companies analysis
• Based on costs and benefits, Colombia produces many environmetal events however it needs to generate solutions as it is a must

Technologies and Waste

• In terms of waste management must contain all NTC regulations to manage it during transportation
• The handling with pumps with management with correct transport processes during the final disposition

Method

• The process is going to start with an aprouch to all the personal including the operation with 8 workers

The categories are.

• Power BI:

• • Directive: 1 Person
• • Security coordinator: 1 Person
• • Field Suoervisors: 1 Person

• Responsibles:

• • Resident engineer: 2 Persons
• • HSE coordinator: 2 Persons

• Supervisors of the methodology Divulges 1 Perosn:

• Especialist HSE:1, Internal communication: 1

• Support:

• • Process implementation leader: 1 Person
• -HR coordinator: 1 Perosn

Parts of Interest

• The table gives understanding in internal, and external influences of the organization and benefits

Activity

• The team´s identificaction will generate virtual rooms with microsoft teams to collect all data in the operation to show the operation´s view
• Following a structutred interview will be executed so as a precise investigation to find patterms and behaviors

Data Information

• Next steps in the method includes description how to go on for the treatment of the information, in garantizing the integrity of the investigation and the ethic principles

Important

• The participants will be acknowledged with its rights and purposes
• Security measures with limited access to the data to avoid identifications,
• The activities includes work shifts of 2 weeks divided in 10 people.
• Authors is needed that all cooperation it´s in the final publication
• Clear comunication would need transparency among members
• Measure´s would focus on the environment control during the process
• Personal Data protection its stated con Law 1581 of 2012

Normativity

• The investigation will be under laws, also under data controls among softwar´s and passwords
• Personal security it´s more sensible so it must be carefully taken
• Personal obligations must be aproved if they occur however all information must be written

Investigation Design

• The investigation for the mitigation for the environment is through an research with evaluation
• Describing the activities as improvement for an optional security as well as risks

Phase´s of The POILJ

• Diagnostics, analysing the process legally and safety measures
• Analyzing to prevent incidents in the tools
• Cleaning of the conecctions, install safety methods
• The work´s done after the drainage with cleaning so as with order
• The diagnostic incluyes the documents however and the norms with the water and air data
• Risks are valuated to the operations and the properties of the cuttings and the mud

Requeriments

• Interviews are maded and surveys to understand the needs
• Garantizing a plan, to be made a qualitive tecnique to the personell with difficulties and open questions

Fases

• Phase 1-Indvidual interview in a colaboration of perception
• Phase 2-MesaTrabajo consoliting information for ideas.
• Phase 3- Evaluation of ideas to implementation

Process Chart

• The group work together to make new ideas with ability and be innovative in a chart of KPI

Evalutation

• KPI´s are the tool to measure the efficiency of a design of working so as is shown in a image
• Number and time are measured

Conclusion

• After the process is simulated the performance will be measured to be comapred of past processes
• The organization´s fame is built by its environmental methods and the relation it has with it´s workers.

Conclusions

• Implementing the proposed methodology for transferring mud during oil well drilling can optimize operating efficiency by up to 50%
• This can be achieved through analyzing advanced pumping technologies and waste management practices aligned with current environmental regulations
• Integrating tools like Power BI enables data-driven management, strategic decision-making, and continuous process improvement
• The proper application of methodologies is important to identify system requirements, design and measurement.
• Transfer processes in question contributes to environmental sustainability and also a reduction to 50%
• Reduced spillages the use of tech are important to the environment reducing costs and risks
• This will strengthen its reputation, enhance relationships with stakeholders, comply with environmental regulations, and build a competitive advantage in the Oil & Gas sector