Process Safety in Upstream Oil and Gas

The Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) is the global leader in developing and disseminating information on process safety management and technology. An industry technology alliance of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the CCPS has published over 100 books and over 30 training modules. The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) is a transnational technical and professional society serving members engaged in the exploration, development, production and mid-stream segments of the oil, gas, and related industries. It has a mission to collect, disseminate, and exchange technical knowledge concerning the exploration, development and production of oil and gas resources and related technologies for the public benefit.

List of Tables vii

List of Figures ix

Acronyms and Abbreviations xi

Glossary xv

Acknowledgments xxv

Online Materials Accompanying this Book xxvii

1 An Introduction to Process Safety for Upstream 1

1.1 Background 1

1.2 Applicability of Process Safety to Upstream 2

1.3 Intended Audience 3

1.4 Why the Reader Should be Interested 4

1.5 Scope of This Book 7

1.6 Upstream Safety Performance 7

1.7 Summary 10

2 The Upstream Industry 13

2.1 Upstream Industry 13

2.2 Exploration Phase 21

2.3 Engineering Design, Construction and Installation 23

2.4 Production Phase 25

2.5 Well Workovers and Interventions 28

2.6 Decommissioning Phase 28

2.7 Defining “Barriers” 29

2.8 Overview of International Regulations 33

3 Overview of Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) 37

3.1 Background 37

3.2 RBPS Summary 37

3.3 Conclusion 52

4 Application of Process Safety to Wells 53

4.1 Background 53

4.2 Well Constuction: Risks and Key Process Safety Measures 63

4.3 Applying Process Safety Methods in Well Construction 72

5 Application of Process Safety to Onshore Production 87

5.1 Background 87

5.2 Onshore Production Facilities: Risks and Key Process Safety Measures 91

5.3 Applying Process Safety Methods in Onshore Production 99

6 Application of Process Safety to Offshore Production 107

6.1 Background 107

6.2 Offshore Production Facilities: Risks and Key Process Safety Measures 111

6.3 Applying Process Safety Methods in Offshore Production 117

7 Application of Process Safety to Engineering Design, Construction and Installation 129

7.1 Background 129

7.2 Front End Loading 132

7.3 Detailed Design 137

7.4 Procurement and Construction 138

7.5 Commissioning and Startup of Facilities 140

8 Process Safety: Looking Forward 141

8.1 Looking Forward 141

8.2 Research Needs 142

8.3 Technical Advances 144

8.4 Vision for Upstream Process Safety 146

References 147

Index 155