Quantitative decision tools for system selection in environmentally friendly drilling

Abstract

One of the petroleum industry's goals is to reduce the environmental impact during oil and gas drilling operations. To achieve this, a number of environmentally friendly drilling (EFD) technologies have been developed to varying degrees but few have been integrated into a field demonstrable drilling system compatible with ecologically sensitive areas. This paper proposes a technology evaluation method based on systems analysis that can be used for integrating current and new EFD technologies into an optimal EFD system. An optimisation scheme is suggested based on a combination of multi-attribute utility theory and exhaustively enumerating all possible technology combinations to provide a quantitative rationale and suggest the best set of systems for a given site. An application of the proposed approach is described by conducting a case study in Green Lake at McFaddin, TX. The main purpose of this case study is to test the proposed technology evaluation protocol in a real site and then to refine the protocol. This paper describes the results of the case study, which provided a more logical and comprehensive approach that maximised the economic and environmental goals of both the landowner and the oil company.

Environmental project evaluation: IRR-based decision support with a Monte Carlo simulation algorithm

“…For the evaluation of environmental problems, multi-criteria decision analysis (Yu et al 2011), life-cycle assessment (Mitropoulou et al 2011) and risk assessment (Karmperis et al 2012a) are the most commonly used methods. The strengths and weaknesses of these methods are discussed by Linkov and Seager (2011) who integrate them into a specific framework.…”

Sensitivity analysis for multi‐attribute system selection problems in onshore Environmentally Friendly Drilling (EFD)

“…This section describes the results of the case study which provided a logical and comprehensive approach that balanced the tradeoffs between the economic and environmental goals of both the landowner and the oil company leaseholder. The step by step procedures to arrive at the optimal drilling system for the site are fully described by Yu et al [2009Yu et al [ , 2011.…”

“…The system selection approach proposed by Yu et al [2009Yu et al [ , 2011 includes four main "subsystems" (Site Access, Drill Site, Rig, and Operation) and 13 subsets that have been previously identified through EFD operations (see Fig. 1).…”

“…This paper focuses on extending the types of sensitivity analysis that can be conducted for Multi-Attribute Decision Making (MADM) problems. Yu et al [2009Yu et al [ , 2011 developed a system evaluation protocol to incorporate a number of current and emerging onshore EFD technologies into an optimal drilling system by minimizing cost and environmental impact, and by maximizing public perception. They also conducted a case study at Green Lake at McFaddin in Texas to illustrate the applicability of their approach.…”

“…This paper introduces the case study conducted by Yu et al [3,4] and demonstrates methods for conducting a sensitivity analysis for multi-attribute system selection problems in onshore EFD. Yu et al [2009Yu et al [ , 2011 introduced the use of multi-attribute utility theory to develop a quantitative decision tool for helping decision-makers select an optimal drilling system for a specific onshore oil and gas drilling site, properly balancing the inherent tradeoff among cost, environmental impacts, perceptions, and safety based on a formal quantification of preferences. The proposed decision model has been devel-oped over the last 5 years as part of a comprehensive academic-industry program funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA) to integrate the key drilling phases [Haut et al, 2010].…”