Caracterização química e toxicológica da água produzida descartada em plataformas de óleo e gás na costa brasileira e seu comportamento dispersivo no mar

The production of oil and gas is usually accompanied by the production of water, also known as produced water. Studies were conducted in platforms that discharge produced water in the Atlantic Ocean due to oil and gas production by Petrobras from 1996 to 2006 in the following basins: Santos (Brazilian south region), Campos (Brazilian southeast region) and Ceara (Brazilian northeast region). This study encompasses chemical composition, toxicological effects, discharge volumes, and produced water behavior after releasing in the ocean, including dispersion plumes modeling and monitoring data of the marine environment. The concentration medians for a sampling of 50 samples were: ammonia (70 mg L-1), boron (1.3 mg L1), iron (7.4 mg L-1), BTEX (4.6 mg L-1), PAH (0.53 mg L-1), TPH (28 mg L-1); phenols (1.3 mg L-1) and radioisotopes (0.15 Bq L-1 for 226Ra and 0.09 Bq L-1 for 228Ra). The concentrations of the organic and inorganic parameters observed for the Brazilian platforms were similar to the international reference data for the produced water in the North Sea and in other regions of the world. It was found significant differences in concentrations of the following parameters: BTEX (p<0.0001), phenols (p=0.0212), boron (p<0.0001), iron (p<0.0001) and toxicological response in sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus (p<0.0001) when considering two distinguished groups, platforms from southeast and northeast Region (PCR-1). Significant differences were not observed among the other parameters. In platforms with large gas production, the monoaromatic concentrations (BTEX from 15.8 to 21.6 mg L-1) and phenols (from 2 to 83 mg L-1) were higher than in oil plataforms (median concentrations of BTEX were 4.6 mg L-1 for n=53, and of phenols were 1.3 mg L-1 for n=46). It was also conducted a study about the influence of dispersion plumes of produced water in the vicinity of six platforms of oil and gas production (P-26, PPG-1, PCR-1, P-32, SS-06), and in a hypothetical critical scenario using the chemical characteristics of each effluent. Through this study, using CORMIX and CHEMMAP models for dispersion plumes simulation of the produced water discharges, it was possible to obtain the dilution dimension in the ocean after those discharges. The dispersion plumes of the produced water modelling in field vicinity showed dilutions of 700 to 900 times for the first 30-40 meters from the platform PCR-1 discharge point; 100 times for the platform P-32, with 30 meters of distance; 150 times for the platform P-26, with 40 meters of distance; 100 times for the platform PPG-1, with 130 meters of distance; 280 to 350 times for the platform SS-06, with 130 meters of distance, 100 times for the hypothetical critical scenario, with the 130 meters of distance. The dilutions continue in the far field, and with the results of the simulations, it was possible to verify that all the parameters presented concentrations bellow the maximum values established by Brazilian legislation for seawater (CONAMA 357/05 - Class 1), before the 500 meters distance of the discharge point. These results were in agreement with the field measurements. Although, in general results for the Brazilian produced water presented toxicological effects for marine organisms, it was verified that dilutions of 100 times were sufficient for not causing toxicological responses. Field monitoring data of the seawater around the Pargo, Pampo and PCR-1 platforms did not demonstrate toxicity in the seawater close to these platforms. The results of environmental monitoring in seawater and sediments proved that alterations were not detected for environmental quality in areas under direct influence of the oil production activities in the Campos and Ceara Basin, as according to results obtained in the dispersion plume modelling for the produced water discharge

Identificação e comparação entre controle preditivo com modelo não linear e PI sintonizados com PSO em sistema de separação gravitacional de águia-óleo

The separation methods are reduced applications as a result of the operational costs, the low output and the long time to separate the uids. But, these treatment methods are important because of the need for extraction of unwanted contaminants in the oil production. The water and the concentration of oil in water should be minimal (around 40 to 20 ppm) in order to take it to the sea. Because of the need of primary treatment, the objective of this project is to study and implement algorithms for identification of polynomial NARX (Nonlinear Auto-Regressive with Exogenous Input) models in closed loop, implement a structural identification, and compare strategies using PI control and updated on-line NARX predictive models on a combination of three-phase separator in series with three hydro cyclones batteries. The main goal of this project is to: obtain an optimized process of phase separation that will regulate the system, even in the presence of oil gushes; Show that it is possible to get optimized tunings for controllers analyzing the mesh as a whole, and evaluate and compare the strategies of PI and predictive control applied to the process. To accomplish these goals a simulator was used to represent the three phase separator and hydro cyclones. Algorithms were developed for system identification (NARX) using RLS(Recursive Least Square), along with methods for structure models detection. Predictive Control Algorithms were also implemented with NARX model updated on-line, and optimization algorithms using PSO (Particle Swarm Optimization). This project ends with a comparison of results obtained from the use of PI and predictive controllers (both with optimal state through the algorithm of cloud particles) in the simulated system. Thus, concluding that the performed optimizations make the system less sensitive to external perturbations and when optimized, the two controllers show similar results with the assessment of predictive control somewhat less sensitive to disturbances

Modelagem e desenvolvimento de um banco de dados geográficos : aplicação à elaboração de mapas de sensibilidade ambiental ao derramamento de óleo na área costeira entre galinhos e São Bento do Norte-RN

The area between Galinhos and São Bento do Norte beaches, located in the northern coast of the Rio Grande do Norte State is submitted to intense and constant processes of littoral and aeolian transport, causing erosion, alterations in the sediments balance and modifications in the shoreline. Beyond these natural factors, the human interference is huge in the surroundings due to the Guamaré Petroliferous Pole nearby, the greater terrestrial oil producing in Brazil. Before all these characteristics had been organized MAMBMARE and MARPETRO projects with the main objective to execute the geo-environmental monitoring of coastal areas on the northern portion of RN. There is a bulky amount of database from the study area such as geologic and geophysical multitemporal data, hydrodynamic measurements, remote sensing multitemporal images, thematic maps, among others; it is of extreme importance to elaborate a Geographic Database (GD), one of the main components of a Geographic Information System (GIS), to store this amount of information, allowing the access to researchers and users. The first part of this work consisted to elaborate a GD to store the data of the area between Galinhos and São Bento do Norte cities. The main goal was to use the potentiality of the GIS as a tool to support decisions in the environmental monitoring of this region, a valuable target for oil exploration, salt companies and shrimp farms. The collected data was stored as a virtual library to assist men decisions from the results presented as digital thematic maps, tables and reports, useful as source of data in the preventive planning and as guidelines to the future research themes both on regional and local context. The second stage of this work consisted on elaborate the Oil-Spill Environmental Sensitivity Maps. These maps based on the Environmental Sensitivity Index Maps to Oil Spill developed by the Ministry of Environment are cartographic products that supply full information to the decision making, contingency planning and assessment in case of an oil spilling incident in any area. They represent the sensitivity of the areas related to oil spilling, through basic data such as geology, geomorphology, oceanographic, social-economic and biology. Some parameters, as hydrodynamic data, sampling data, coastal type, declivity of the beach face, types of resources in risk (biologic, economic, human or cultural) and the land use of the area are some of the essential information used on the environmental sensitivity maps elaboration. Thus using the available data were possible to develop sensitivity maps of the study area on different dates (June/2000 and December/2000) and to perceive that there was a difference on the sensitivity index generated. The area on December presented more sensible to the oil than the June one because hydrodynamic data (wave and tide energy) allowed a faster natural cleaning on June. The use of the GIS on sensitivity maps showed to be a powerful tool, since it was possible to manipulate geographic data with correctness and to elaborate more accurate maps with a higher level of detail to the study area. This presented an medium index (3 to 4) to the long shore and a high index (10) to the mangrove areas highly vulnerable to oil spill

Dois testes de imageamento com GPR em problemas de controle ambiental em regiões tropicais: migração de dunas e localização de dutos de óleo enterrados

Because the penetration depth of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) signals is very limited in high conductive soils, the usefullness of this method in tropical regions is not yet completly known. The main objective of this researh is to test the usefullness of the method in Brazil. Two typical problems where GPR has been used in Europe and North American were choosed for this test: the first one is to characterize the internal structures of a sand body and the second problem is the localization of old buried pipes lines. The first test was done near the city of São Bento do Norte, in the northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte state, NE Brazil. In this region, there is a sand dune that is migrating very fast in the direction of adjacent settling areas. To characterize the internal structure of the dune and its relationship to the prevailing wind direction, as a preliminary step to understand the dune migration, GPR profiles using the 400 MHz frequency were performed in E-W, N-S, NE-SW, and SE-NW directions over the sand dune intersecting at the top of the dune. The practical resolution of the GPR data is around 30 cm; this was sufficient to distinguish individual foresets inside the dune. After applying the elevation correction to the data, we identified that dips of bedding structures are smallest for the N-S profile, which is perpendicular to the dominant wind direction, largest for the E-W profile, and intermediate for the SW-NE and SE-NW profiles. Foresets in the E-W profile dip with angles varying from 2 to 6 degrees. In the E-W profile, the water table and a horizontal truncation interface separating two generations of dunes were identified, as well as an abrupt directional change in the foreset patterns associated to a lateral contact between two dune generations, the older one extending to the west. The used high frequency of 400 Mhz does not allow a penetration deep enough to map completely these internal contacts. The second test was done near Estreito, a small town near Carnaúbais city, also in Rio Grande do Norte state. In this locality, there are several old pipe lines buried in area covered by plantations where digging should be minimized. Several GPR profiles using the 400 and 200 MHz frequency were performed trying to intercept perpendicularly the possible pipe lines. Because of the high conductivity of the soil, the raw original data can hardly be use to identify the pipe lines. However, after an adequate processing over the 200 MHz profiles, six pipe lines were identified. As a global result of the tests, GPR can be very usefull if the conductivity of the ground is low or, in the case of medium conductivities of the soils, if adequate processing is performed

Aplicação do Sensoriamento Remoto e do Sistema de Informações Geográficas na Detecção de Manchas de Óleo na Região do Pólo de Exploração de Guamaré, R.N.

Objective to establish a methodology for the oil spill monitoring on the sea surface, located at the Submerged Exploration Area of the Polo Region of Guamaré, in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, using orbital images of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR integrated with meteoceanographycs products. This methodology was applied in the following stages: (1) the creation of a base map of the Exploration Area; (2) the processing of NOAA/AVHRR and ERS-2 images for generation of meteoceanographycs products; (3) the processing of RADARSAT-1 images for monitoring of oil spills; (4) the integration of RADARSAT-1 images with NOAA/AVHRR and ERS-2 image products; and (5) the structuring of a data base. The Integration of RADARSAT-1 image of the Potiguar Basin of day 21.05.99 with the base map of the Exploration Area of the Polo Region of Guamaré for the identification of the probable sources of the oil spots, was used successfully in the detention of the probable spot of oil detected next to the exit to the submarine emissary in the Exploration Area of the Polo Region of Guamaré. To support the integration of RADARSAT-1 images with NOAA/AVHRR and ERS-2 image products, a methodology was developed for the classification of oil spills identified by RADARSAT-1 images. For this, the following algorithms of classification not supervised were tested: K-means, Fuzzy k-means and Isodata. These algorithms are part of the PCI Geomatics software, which was used for the filtering of RADARSAT-1 images. For validation of the results, the oil spills submitted to the unsupervised classification were compared to the results of the Semivariogram Textural Classifier (STC). The mentioned classifier was developed especially for oil spill classification purposes and requires PCI software for the whole processing of RADARSAT-1 images. After all, the results of the classifications were analyzed through Visual Analysis; Calculation of Proportionality of Largeness and Analysis Statistics. Amongst the three algorithms of classifications tested, it was noted that there were no significant alterations in relation to the spills classified with the STC, in all of the analyses taken into consideration. Therefore, considering all the procedures, it has been shown that the described methodology can be successfully applied using the unsupervised classifiers tested, resulting in a decrease of time in the identification and classification processing of oil spills, if compared with the utilization of the STC classifier

Estudo da dinâmica costeira da região da foz do rio Piranhas-Açu para geração de mapas de sensibilidade do litoral ao derramamento de óleo

The study area is located in the northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte State comprising the mouth of Açu-Piranhas river including the cities of Porto do Mangue e Areia Branca. The local geological setting comprises Cretaceous, Tertiary and Quaternary geological units of the Potiguar Basin. One is about a region of high morphologic instability due to action of the rigorous dynamic coastal processes, beyond the intense human activities mainly for the performance of the petroliferous industry, salt farms and tanks of shrimp industry.For the accomplishment of this work Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM + from four distinct dates were used as cartographic base, in which one applied techniques of digital processing to elaborate thematic maps of the existing natural resources to support the geologic and geomorphologic characterization and the soil and landuse maps. The strategy applied was the interpretation of multitemporal images from aerial and orbital remote sensors alIied to the terrain truth recognition, integrated through a Geographic Information System. These activities had alIowed the production of Sensitivity Maps of the Coast to Oil Spilling for the area, on the basis of the Coastal Sensibility Index. Taking into account the seasons were created maps to distinct datas: July 2003 represents the winter months that presented a sensibility lower when compared with the month of December 2003. For the summer months greater sensitivity is due to the hydrodynamic data that suggest a lesser capacity of natural cleanness of the oil and its derivatives in spilling case.These outcomes are an important and useful database to support an assessment to a risk situation and to taking decision in the face of an environmental disaster with oil spilling in coastal area, alIowing a complete visualization of the area and identifying all portions in the area with thei environmental units and respective Coastal Sensibility Index.

Desenvolvimento de um sistema computacional para geração automática de mapas de vulnerabilidade como ferramenta de auxílio às ações de prevenção ao derramamento de óleo em áreas costeiras

The northern portion of the Rio Grande do Norte State is characterized by intense coastal dynamics affecting areas with ecosystems of moderate to high environmental sensitivity. In this region are installed the main socioeconomic activities of RN State: salt industry, shrimp farm, fruit industry and oil industry. The oil industry suffers the effects of coastal dynamic action promoting problems such as erosion and exposure of wells and pipelines along the shore. Thus came the improvement of such modifications, in search of understanding of the changes which causes environmental impacts with the purpose of detecting and assessing areas with greater vulnerability to variations. Coastal areas under influence oil industry are highly vulnerable and sensitive in case of accidents involving oil spill in the vicinity. Therefore, it was established the geoenvironmental monitoring of the region with the aim of evaluating the entire coastal area evolution and check the sensitivity of the site on the presence of oil. The goal of this work was the implementation of a computer system that combines the needs of insertion and visualization of thematic maps for the generation of Environmental Vulnerability maps, using techniques of Business Intelligence (BI), from vector information previously stored in the database. The fundamental design interest was to implement a more scalable system that meets the diverse fields of study and make the appropriate system for generating online vulnerability maps, automating the methodology so as to facilitate data manipulation and fast results in cases of real time operational decision-making. In database development a geographic area was established the conceptual model of the selected data and Web system was done using the template database PostgreSQL, PostGis spatial extension, Glassfish Web server and the viewer maps Web environment, the GeoServer. To develop a geographic database it was necessary to generate the conceptual model of the selected data and the Web system development was done using the PostgreSQL database system, its spatial extension PostGIS, the web server Glassfish and GeoServer to display maps in Web

Sistema integrado para tomada de decisão espacial em situações de derramamento de óleo no litoral norte do Estado do RN

The northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte State (RN) shows areas of Potiguar basin with high activity in petroleum industry. With the goal of avoiding and reducing the accident risks with oil it is necessary to understand the natural vulnerability, mapping natural resources and monitoring the oil spill. The use of computational tools for environmental monitoring makes possible better analyses and decisions in political management of environmental preservation. This work shows a methodology for monitoring of environment impacts, with purpose of avoiding and preserving the sensible areas in oil contact. That methodology consists in developing and embedding an integrated computational system. Such system is composed by a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS). The SDSS shows a computational infrastructure composed by Web System of Geo-Environmental and Geographic Information - SWIGG , the System of Environmental Sensibility Maps for Oil Spill AutoMSA , and the Basic System of Environmental Hydrodynamic ( SisBAHIA a System of Modeling and Numerical Simulating SMNS). In a scenario of oil spill occurred coastwise of Rio Grande do Norte State s northern coast, the integration of such systems will give support to decision agents for managing of environmental impacts. Such support is supplied through a system of supporting to spatial decisions