Download or read book Improved Regulatory Oversight Using Real time Data Monitoring Technologies in the Wake of Macondo written by Kyle Michael Carter and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As shown by the Macondo blowout, a deepwater well control event can result in loss of life, harm to the environment, and significant damage to company and industry reputation. Consistent adherence to safety regulations is a recurring issue in deepwater well construction. The two federal entities responsible for offshore U.S. safety regulation are the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), with regulatory authorities that span well planning, drilling, completions, emergency evacuation, environmental response, etc. With such a wide range of rules these agencies are responsible for, safety compliance cannot be comprehensively verified with the current infrequency of on-site inspections. Offshore regulation and operational safety could be greatly improved through continuous remote real-time data monitoring. Many government agencies have adopted monitoring regimes dependent on real-time data for improved oversight (e.g. NASA Mission Control, USGS Earthquake Early Warning System, USCG Vessel Traffic Services, etc.). Appropriately, real-time data monitoring was either re-developed or introduced in the wake of catastrophic events within those sectors (e.g. Challenger, tsunamis, Exxon Valdez, etc.). Over recent decades, oil and gas operators have developed Real-Time Operations Centers (RTOCs) for continuous, pro-active operations oversight and remote interaction with on-site personnel. Commonly seen as collaborative hubs, RTOCs provide a central conduit for shared knowledge, experience, and improved decision-making, thus optimizing performance, reducing operational risk, and improving safety. In particular, RTOCs have been useful in identifying and mitigating potential well construction incidents that could have resulted in significant non-productive time and trouble cost. In this thesis, a comprehensive set of recommendations is made to BSEE and USCG to expand and improve their regulatory oversight activities through remote real-time data monitoring and application of emerging real-time technologies that aid in data acquisition and performance optimization for improved safety. Data sets and tools necessary for regulators to effectively monitor and regulate deepwater operations (Gulf of Mexico, Arctic, etc.) on a continuous basis are identified. Data from actual GOM field cases are used to support the recommendations. In addition, the case is made for the regulator to build a collaborative foundation with deepwater operators, academia and other stakeholders, through the employment of state-of-the-art knowledge management tools and techniques. This will allow the regulator to do "more with less", in order to address the fast pace of activity expansion and technology adoption in deepwater well construction, while maximizing corporate knowledge and retention. Knowledge management provides a connection that can foster a truly collaborative relationship between regulators, industry, and non-governmental organizations with a common goal of safety assurance and without confusing lines of authority or responsibility. This solves several key issues for regulators with respect to having access to experience and technical know-how, by leveraging industry experts who would not normally have been inaccessible. On implementation of the proposed real-time and knowledge management technologies and workflows, a phased approach is advocated to be carried out under the auspices of the Center for Offshore Safety (COS) and/or the Offshore Energy Safety Institute (OESI). Academia can play an important role, particularly in early phases of the program, as a neutral playing ground where tools, techniques and workflows can be tried and tested before wider adoption takes place.
Download or read book Smart Cement written by Cumaraswamy Vipulanandan and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2021-07-29 with total page 441 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over three billion metric tons of cement are produced annually worldwide, making concrete the most extensively used construction material. Self-sensing, or smart, cement allows real-time monitoring of performance through the entire service life of a concrete structure, for the detection of changing stresses, contamination, excessive temperature, gas leaks and pre-seismic activity. This is achieved by adding a very small proportion of conductive or semi-conductive fibers, such as carbon fibers to the bulk cement, making it piezoresistive, and enabling changes in the concrete’s electrical resistivity in response to shear stress and strain to be monitored. This state-of-the-art reference work presents experimental results with a realistic theoretical framework, for cement manufactures, concrete technologists and contractors as well as researchers.
Download or read book Multifunctional Cement Based Sensors for Intelligent Infrastructure written by Wengui Li and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2024-09-11 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Multifunctional Cement-Based Sensors for Intelligent Infrastructure: Design, Fabrication and Application covers the development and use of cement-based sensors for monitoring structural health, durability, and environmental conditions in concrete infrastructure. Monitoring the performance and condition of bridges, buildings, and roads improves safety and longevity while preventing failures and reducing maintenance costs. Cement-based sensors offer low cost, ease of installation, and compatibility with existing building materials, and can also provide real-time monitoring data to detect and diagnose potential issues before they become major problems. This book sets out the principles of the sensing mechanisms, fabrication techniques, and performance evaluation along with several case studies. It also provides a glimpse into a future where concrete structures will not only stand as pillars of strength but also become an indispensable part of smart cities as the core of automation. The book suits researchers, engineers, and practitioners involved in design, construction, and maintenance of concrete buildings and infrastructure. Wengui Li is a Scientia Associate Professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the group leader of Intelligent Concrete and Infrastructure Materials in the Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety (CIES) at The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney), Australia. He is the recipient of Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow and ARC DECRA Fellow. Wenkui Dong earned his PhD from the University of Technology Sydney, Australia. Currently, he works as Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute of Construction Materials at Technische Universität Dresden, Germany. Surendra P. Shah is a Presidential Distinguished Professor at the University of Texas at Arlington, Walter P. Murphy Professor (emeritus) at Northwestern University, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering, USA.
Download or read book Macondo Well Deepwater Horizon Blowout written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2012-03-02 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The blowout of the Macondo well on April 20, 2010, led to enormous consequences for the individuals involved in the drilling operations, and for their families. Eleven workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig lost their lives and 16 others were seriously injured. There were also enormous consequences for the companies involved in the drilling operations, to the Gulf of Mexico environment, and to the economy of the region and beyond. The flow continued for nearly 3 months before the well could be completely killed, during which time, nearly 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the gulf. Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout examines the causes of the blowout and provides a series of recommendations, for both the oil and gas industry and government regulators, intended to reduce the likelihood and impact of any future losses of well control during offshore drilling. According to this report, companies involved in offshore drilling should take a "system safety" approach to anticipating and managing possible dangers at every level of operation-from ensuring the integrity of wells to designing blowout preventers that function under all foreseeable conditions-in order to reduce the risk of another accident as catastrophic as the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. In addition, an enhanced regulatory approach should combine strong industry safety goals with mandatory oversight at critical points during drilling operations. Macondo Well-Deepwater Horizon Blowout discusses ultimate responsibility and accountability for well integrity and safety of offshore equipment, formal system safety education and training of personnel engaged in offshore drilling, and guidelines that should be established so that well designs incorporate protection against the various credible risks associated with the drilling and abandonment process. This book will be of interest to professionals in the oil and gas industry, government decision makers, environmental advocacy groups, and others who seek an understanding of the processes involved in order to ensure safety in undertakings of this nature.
Download or read book New Technologies for Human Rights Law and Practice written by Molly K. Land and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-04-19 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a roadmap for understanding the relationship between technology and human rights law and practice. This title is also available as Open Access.
Download or read book Responding to Oil Spills in the U S Arctic Marine Environment written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: U.S. Arctic waters north of the Bering Strait and west of the Canadian border encompass a vast area that is usually ice covered for much of the year, but is increasingly experiencing longer periods and larger areas of open water due to climate change. Sparsely inhabited with a wide variety of ecosystems found nowhere else, this region is vulnerable to damage from human activities. As oil and gas, shipping, and tourism activities increase, the possibilities of an oil spill also increase. How can we best prepare to respond to such an event in this challenging environment? Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment reviews the current state of the science regarding oil spill response and environmental assessment in the Arctic region north of the Bering Strait, with emphasis on the potential impacts in U.S. waters. This report describes the unique ecosystems and environment of the Arctic and makes recommendations to provide an effective response effort in these challenging conditions. According to Responding to Oil Spills in the U.S. Arctic Marine Environment, a full range of proven oil spill response technologies is needed in order to minimize the impacts on people and sensitive ecosystems. This report identifies key oil spill research priorities, critical data and monitoring needs, mitigation strategies, and important operational and logistical issues. The Arctic acts as an integrating, regulating, and mediating component of the physical, atmospheric and cryospheric systems that govern life on Earth. Not only does the Arctic serve as regulator of many of the Earth's large-scale systems and processes, but it is also an area where choices made have substantial impact on life and choices everywhere on planet Earth. This report's recommendations will assist environmentalists, industry, state and local policymakers, and anyone interested in the future of this special region to preserve and protect it from damaging oil spills.
Download or read book Cybernetic Revolutionaries written by Eden Medina and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 343 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A historical study of Chile's twin experiments with cybernetics and socialism, and what they tell us about the relationship of technology and politics. In Cybernetic Revolutionaries, Eden Medina tells the history of two intersecting utopian visions, one political and one technological. The first was Chile's experiment with peaceful socialist change under Salvador Allende; the second was the simultaneous attempt to build a computer system that would manage Chile's economy. Neither vision was fully realized—Allende's government ended with a violent military coup; the system, known as Project Cybersyn, was never completely implemented—but they hold lessons for today about the relationship between technology and politics. Drawing on extensive archival material and interviews, Medina examines the cybernetic system envisioned by the Chilean government—which was to feature holistic system design, decentralized management, human-computer interaction, a national telex network, near real-time control of the growing industrial sector, and modeling the behavior of dynamic systems. She also describes, and documents with photographs, the network's Star Trek-like operations room, which featured swivel chairs with armrest control panels, a wall of screens displaying data, and flashing red lights to indicate economic emergencies. Studying project Cybersyn today helps us understand not only the technological ambitions of a government in the midst of political change but also the limitations of the Chilean revolution. This history further shows how human attempts to combine the political and the technological with the goal of creating a more just society can open new technological, intellectual, and political possibilities. Technologies, Medina writes, are historical texts; when we read them we are reading history.
Download or read book Strengthening the Safety Culture of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry written by National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (U.S.). Committee on U.S. Offshore Oil and Gas Industry Safety Culture and published by . This book was released on 2016 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "TRB Special Report 321: Strengthening the Safety Culture of the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry offers recommendations to industry and regulators to strengthen and sustain the safety culture of the offshore oil and gas industry. The committee that prepared the report addresses conceptual challenges in defining safety culture and discusses the empirical support for the definition of safety culture offered by the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the nine characteristics or elements of a robust safety culture, methods for assessing company safety culture, and barriers to improving safety culture in the offshore industry. The committee's report also identifies topics on which further research is needed with respect to assessing, improving, and sustaining safety culture"--Provided by publisher.
Download or read book Risk Governance of Offshore Oil and Gas Operations written by Preben Hempel Lindøe and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book evaluates and compares risk regulation and safety management for offshore oil and gas operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, and Australia. It provides an interdisciplinary approach with legal, technological, and sociological perspectives on their efforts to assess and prevent major accidents and improve safety performance offshore. Presented in three parts, the volume begins with a review of the technical, legal, behavioral, and sociological factors involved in designing, implementing, and enforcing a regulatory regime for industrial safety. It then evaluates the four regulatory regimes that encompass the cultural, legal, and other contextual factors that influence their design and implementation, along with their reliance on industrial expertise and standards and the use of performance indicators. The final section presents an assessment of the resilience of the Norwegian regime and its capacity to keep pace with new technologies and emerging risks, respond to near miss incidents, encourage safety culture, incorporate vested rights of labor, and perform inspection and self-audit functions. This book is highly relevant for those in government, business, academia, and elsewhere in civil society who are involved in offshore safety issues, including regulatory authorities and industrial safety professionals.
Download or read book Business Ethics written by Stephen M. Byars and published by . This book was released on 2018-09-24 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill written by Curry L. Hagerty and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010-10 with total page 51 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM). This resulted in 11 worker fatalities, a massive oil release, and a national response effort in the GoM region by the federal and state governments as well as BP. Contents of this report: (1) Intro.; (2) Setting in the GoM: Oil and Gas Recovery; Weather and Ocean Currents; Biological Resources; (3) Offshore Oil and Gas Drilling Technology; (4) Fed. Statutory Framework; (5) Fed. Regulatory Framework; (6) Environmental and Economic Impacts; (7) Labor Issues; (8) Reorganization of Minerals Mgmt. Service; (9) FEMA Issues; Exxon Valdez; Recent Regional Disaster History; (10) Conclusion. Charts and tables.
Download or read book Policy Shock written by Edward J. Balleisen and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-11-02 with total page 593 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book, compelling case studies show how past crises have reshaped regulation, and how policy-makers can learn from crises in the future.
Download or read book Deepwater Horizon Accident Investigation Report written by Mark Bly and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2011 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. On April 20, 2010, a well control event allowed hydrocarbons to escape from the Macondo well onto Transocean¿s ¿Deepwater Horizon,¿ resulting in explosions and fire on the rig. This is the report of an internal BP incident invest. team. It presents an analysis of the events leading up to the accident, 8 key findings related to the causal chain of events, and recommend. to enable the prevention of a similar accident. The invest. team worked separately from any invest. conducted by other co. involved in the accident, and it did not review its analyses, conclusions or recommend. with any other co. or invest. team. Other invest., such as the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Justice Dept., and Bur. of Ocean Energy Mgmt., and the Pres. Nat. Comm. are ongoing.
Download or read book Global Brazil and U S Brazil Relations written by Samuel W. Bodman and published by Council on Foreign Relations. This book was released on 2011 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: July 12, 2011-Over the course of a generation, Brazil has emerged as both a driver of growth in South America and as an active force in world politics. A new Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)-sponsored Independent Task Force report asserts "that it is in the interest of the United States to understand Brazil as a complex international actor whose influence on the defining global issues of the day is only likely to increase."Brazil currently ranks as the world's fifth-largest landmass, fifth-largest population, and expects to soon be ranked the fifth largest economy. The report, Global Brazil and U.S.-Brazil Relations, recommends that "U.S. policymakers recognize Brazil's standing as a global actor, treat its emergence as an opportunity for the United States, and work with Brazil to develop complementary policies."The Task Force is chaired by former secretary of energy Samuel W. Bodman and former president of the World Bank James D. Wolfensohn, and directed by CFR Senior Fellow and Director for Latin America Studies, and Director of the Global Brazil Initiative Julia E. Sweig.Recognizing Brazil's global role, the report recommends that the Obama administration now fully endorse the country's bid for a seat as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). It argues that "a formal endorsement from the United States for Brazil would go far to overcome lingering suspicion within the Brazilian government that the U.S. commitment to a mature relationship between equals is largely rhetorical."Domestically, Brazil's "inclusive growth has translated into a significant reduction of inequality, an expansion of the middle class, and a vibrant economy, all framed within a democratic context." Consequently, Brazil has been able to use its economic bona fides to leverage a stronger position in the international, commercial, and diplomatic arena.The report stresses the importance of regular communication between the presidents of both countries. "Cooperation between the United States and Brazil holds too much promise for miscommunication or inevitable disagreements to stand in the way of potential gains." A mature, working relationship means that "the United States and Brazil can help each other advance mutual interests even without wholesale policy agreements between the two," notes the report.The Task Force further recommends that- the U.S. Congress "include an elimination of the ethanol tariff in any bill regarding reform to the ethanol and biofuel tax credit regime."- the United States "take the first step to waive visa requirements for Brazilians by immediately reviewing Brazil's criteria for participation in the Visa Waiver Program."- the U.S. State Department create an Office for Brazilian Affairs and the National Security Council (NSC) centralize its efforts under a NSC director for Brazil in order to better coordinate the current decentralized U.S. policy.The bipartisan Task Force includes thirty distinguished experts on Brazil who represent a range of perspectives and backgrounds. The report includes a number of additional views by Task Force members, including one that notes, "We believe that a more gradual approach [regarding Brazil's inclusion as a full UNSC member] would likely have more success in navigating the diplomatic complexities presented by U.S. support for Brazil." Another view asserts, "If the United States supports, as the Obama administration has said it does, leadership structures in international institutions that are more reflective of international realities, it must support without qualifications Brazil's candidacy [for the UNSC]."
Download or read book Shale Oil and Gas written by Vikram Rao and published by RTI Press. This book was released on 2015-08-09 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Promise and the Peril
Download or read book Capitalism and Desire written by Todd McGowan and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2016-09-20 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite creating vast inequalities and propping up reactionary world regimes, capitalism has many passionate defenders—but not because of what it withholds from some and gives to others. Capitalism dominates, Todd McGowan argues, because it mimics the structure of our desire while hiding the trauma that the system inflicts upon it. People from all backgrounds enjoy what capitalism provides, but at the same time are told more and better is yet to come. Capitalism traps us through an incomplete satisfaction that compels us after the new, the better, and the more. Capitalism's parasitic relationship to our desires gives it the illusion of corresponding to our natural impulses, which is how capitalism's defenders characterize it. By understanding this psychic strategy, McGowan hopes to divest us of our addiction to capitalist enrichment and help us rediscover enjoyment as we actually experienced it. By locating it in the present, McGowan frees us from our attachment to a better future and the belief that capitalism is an essential outgrowth of human nature. From this perspective, our economic, social, and political worlds open up to real political change. Eloquent and enlivened by examples from film, television, consumer culture, and everyday life, Capitalism and Desire brings a new, psychoanalytically grounded approach to political and social theory.
Download or read book This Changes Everything written by Naomi Klein and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-09-16 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With strong first-hand reporting and an original, provocative thesis, Naomi Klein returns with this book on how the climate crisis must spur transformational political change
