Computer Sciences Corporation is conducting a reliability study of drilling, production and gathering/distribution crude oil systems for the Environmental Protection Agency under Contract 68-01-0121. The study covers off-shore and land based operations including those in the Gulf Coast, California and Alaska. The purpose of the study is to develop, through application of reliability engineering principles, recommendations for reducing oil spillage in the environment. Data were obtained from Federal and State agencies, oil and pipeline operators, equipment manufacturing and servicing companies, and the academic and institutional communities.
The study tasks include:
Evaluation of present systems hardware, control functions and procedures, including failure mode and effects analysis.
Recommendations for alternate or modified systems.
Recommendations for a program of inspection, reporting and corrective action.
Recommendations for design and operation regulation applying fail-safe concepts.
Analysis of economic impact of failsafe regulation on existing and new systems.
Three basic conclusions are developed:
In general, offshore oil companies and associated contractors are advancing many areas of technology to improve operations and prevent oil spills.
Additional improvement in equipment, procedures and systems configurations are necessary. Some are recommended in this paper.
The currently implemented programs of inspection, reporting and related corrective action fall short of objectives to prevent oil spillage in many instances. Recommendations to improve these programs are presented in the paper.
The paper is organized in two parts. The first part presents the current EPA position on the development of an oil spill prevention program and discusses the role of this and subsequent studies in support of that program. The second part is a progress report on the study itself.
The Water Quality Act of 1970 thrust forward new legislation that included major innovations in the law concerning oil pollution from vessels and onshore and offshore facilities.
This law contains essential provisions for notification, contingency planning, and removal of discharged oil It also directs the establishment of "methods, procedures and requirements for equipment to prevent the discharge of oil."
If we are to develop an effective means of preventing spills of oil, we must first understand the nature and causes of such spills. How do they occur? Why do they occur? Where do they occur? How frequent? How big? What kind? A part of this historical spill data is already available at several federal agencies, state offices, and industries. Spill data have improved considerably since September 1970 when notification of a harmful discharge of oil became a mandatory requirement.
A review of state and federal oil spill reports reveals four major causes of spills:
human error related to inadequate operational procedures or handling;
poorly designed, inadequate, nonexistent, or faulty equipment;
acts of God; and
acts of third parties.
To prevent spills from occurring we must examine not only the reported causes, but also the corrective actions taken and preventive measures applied which might eliminate these potential failures at other facilities.
