Environmental considerations within the abandonment of oil/gas production fields

摘要

Well and field abandonment is now becoming animportant consideration for many operators on land and inoffshore locations. Typically, a well or field is abandonedbecause it has fallen below its economic limit. Economic forcesare not alone in dictating well or field abandonment; amongothers, state regulatories and environmental reasons have to be mentioned.The cost of the currently employed techniques for treating salinewaters and oily production muds and sludges and for pluggingand abandonment are prohibitively high. The reuse ofcontaminated equipment or fields requires decontamination at high costs.The technology decontaminating mercury scale and NORM willbe discussed in particular.