Page 101 - Oil and Gas Production Handbook An Introduction to Oil and Gas Production

source such as hydroelectric, solar, wind, wave, or tidal, where hydrogen
acts as an energy carrier replacing bulky batteries, to form a full clean,
renewable energy source supply chain.

In both cases the main problem is overall economy, distribution and storage.
Hydrogen cannot easily be compressed to small volumes, but requires quite
bulky gas tanks for storage.

7.2 Emissions and environmental effects
The production, distribution and consumption of hydrocarbons as fuel or
feedstock are globally the largest source of emissions into the environment.
The total annual world energy supply of 11,000 Mill TOE is based 81% on
fossil fuels, and releases some 26,000 million tons of carbon dioxide plus
other gases, e.g. methane into the atmosphere.

The most serious effect of these emissions is global climate change. The
Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (often called the UN
Climate Panel) predicts that these emissions will cause the global
st
temperature to rise from between 1.4 to 6.4ºC by the end of the 21 century
depending on models and global scenarios.

7.2.1 Indigenous emissions
Emissions from the industry can be divided into several types.

Discharge: Mud, shale, silt, produced water with traces of
hydrocarbons. Ballast water, polluted wastewater with
detergent, sewage etc.
Accidental spills: Blowout, shipwreck cargo and bunker oil, pipeline
leakage, other chemicals, traces of low level
radioactive isotopes.
Emissions: CO 2, methane, nitrous oxides (NO x) and sulfur from
power plants and flaring
Exposure: Toxic and/or carcinogenic chemicals

Locally, these emissions are tightly controlled in most countries by national
and international regulations, and during normal operations, emission targets
can be reached with the systems and equipment described earlier in this
document. However, there is continuing concern and research into the
environmental impact of trace levels of hydrocarbons and other chemicals on

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