Sustainability Strategy Commitments

UKOOA Sustainability Strategy 2002 - First Report 3. Protecting the Environment 3.3 Managing Environmental Impacts   Commitment No. 50 - VOCS We commit to sharing best practice, including learning from those companies with international experience of the costs and benefits of VOC emissions reduction in their offshore installations and shuttle tankers.  We have asked UKOOA's VOC Working Group to produce recommendations on VOC emissions in early 2001, addressing potential reductions in environmental impact, costs and emerging legal requirements.  Improved design is likely to be one way of delivering VOC reductions cost effectively. Progress to date : achievements and difficulties encountered Over this recent period, the Firth of Forth has seen major VOC recovery kit installed at Hound Point (BP), where the crude from the Forties Pipeline System is loaded, and at Braefoot Bay (Shell) where NGLs are loaded.  On the other hand, there has been increased use of shuttle tankers and this accounts for recent increases in the industry's VOC emissions.  (See Section 3 - Introduction) UKOOA's workgroup on Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) has produced a draft report (now being reviewed for publication) outlining the current abatement techniques, emission rates and costs to implement VOC recovery in the UKCS. The UKCS emitted 190 kt of VOCs in 2001 (some 10% of total UK VOC emissions) of which around 75% were due to loading of crude oil.  The UKOOA report found that abatement costs per tonne are highly dependent on future oil production, cost of recovery plant and VOC emission factors, but are estimated to be in the range £1,700/t to £3,900/t VOC at a total cost in the range £190 to £340 million for facilities in the UKCS.  These costs are very high and emission reduction measures are unlikely to be cost effective when compared with other industry sectors.  An EU Commission report in 2001 (see www.europa.eu.int) concluded that in the case of VOC emissions from offshore marine loading, the cost per tonne abated is generally higher than the most expensive measures that member states will adopt to comply with the National Emissions Ceilings Directive. Case Study: VOCs and the offshore industry Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) such as gasoline and crude oil, produce vapours at room temperature and normal atmospheric pressure.  VOCs are emitted in vehicle exhaust gases either as unburned fuels or as combustion products, and also by the evaporation of solvents and motor fuels.  They are also released during the loading and unloading of crude oil.   VOCs are important because of the role they play in the photochemical formation of ozone at low levels in the atmosphere in the presence of nitrogen oxides and sunlight.  The UK has a target for VOC emissions reduction of a 55% reduction on 1989 levels by 2010, as agreed in the Gothenburg Protocol.   By the end of 2001, a reduction of more than 30% had been achieved. VOCs are emitted during the loading of oil tankers at onshore terminals and offshore locations and during loading of FPSO tanks.  Studies show that emission rates vary between 0.3 and 2.8 kg/tonne of oil loaded and are dependent on many factors - principally the proportion of light ends in the crude, environmental conditions, loading rates, tank geometry and concentration of hydrocarbons in the vapour space prior to loading.  A study on VOCs emitted by offshore oil and gas production facilites suggested the emissions do not have significant onshore impacts due to their re-absorption into the marine environment. There are a number of abatement technologies that have been tested at both onshore and offshore locations: Operating procedures including reducing crude RVP, and reducing oil rundown temperature to the storage tanks. Recovery plants, which can be applied both onshore and offshore, include absorption into crude oil or diesel, condensation and use as fuel; many of these require considerable power. On FPSOs, the VOCs generated can be recovered directly to the process systems, if the blanketing system of the cargo tanks is changed from using scrubbed flue gas (inert gas) to hydrocarbon gas. Website References EU Commission : www.europa.eu.int Next commitment [51. Engagement in the use of our product] Previous commitment [49. Oil spill prevention: shipping operations] Commitment listing

Sustainability Strategy Commitments