Bill/ Sour Gas
First let me define what sour gas is to other viewers of this reply.
Sour gas is "natural gas containing hydrogen sulphide in measurable concentrations."
This had been a subject covered here in the past. I don't recommend screening through thousands of replies to find the area.
I hate to do this to the guy, but the individual who spearheaded the topic was Richard Saunders. The center of the conversation was Canadian 88 Energy and I think -- their Waterton wells.
Permit me to offer this.
Modern technology has provided for unique methods to process Canada's endowment of sour gas safely and efficiently with minimum environmental impact. Canadian operators are known to be experts in this area and often are referred to by producers in other countries.
Every segment of the industry is addressing the local, regional and global air quality issues that arise from the production and use of both natural gas and crude oil.
Of the nearly 300 gas plants in Alberta, ore than 60 are large facilities that produce elemental sulphur as a byproduct. The others handle small volumes of (H2S) in sour gas, which is flared or re-injected back into a reservoir.
There are about 6,000 kilometres of pipelnes in Alberta carrying sour gas from about 2,000 gas wells. Worth noting, in B.C., there are about 4,600 kilometres of sour gas pipelines.
Backgrounder
I think the Turner Valley was the first area of concern (way back in 1924) for sour gas. Ever heard of Hell's Half Acre?
Sour gas (also known as H2S) was usually flared and the practice existed up to about 1952, when the first sulphur recovery plant was built. The need for change came from discoveries. Shell Canada had a major sour gas reservoir at Jumping Pond in the foothills west of Calgary. This was followed up by a discovery by a company who is now known as Gulf Canada Resources. It was located at Pincher Creek in the southwest portion of Alberta. More discoveries followed in a band east of the rockies, extending into the Fort St John area of British Columbia. Isn't it amazing, these are also the current key areas for sour gas activities.
Sulphur recovery served two purposes: to sweeten sour gas for residential and industrial use and, to produce elemental sulphur as a valuable byproduct for use in the fertilizer, pulp and paper industries.
It was in 1961 when Alberta established air quality standards which included limits imposed on sulphur dioxide (SO2) and (H2S) emissions. The industry had five years to comply.
Average sulphur recovery in the 1950's was about 88 percent and improved to 95 percent in 1971. By the late 70's, large gas plants were being built with recovery rates better than 99 percent. This is the average recovery rate in Alberta as we speak. Using new technologies, many developed in Canada, the industry has kept pace with increasingly string regulations. Total volumes of gas production have grown, but toal emissions have declined.
On the drilling end, some wells are designated as critical sour gas wells because they have the potential for releases of hydrogen sulphide that might affect nearby residents. most such wells are located in the western half of Alberta and in northeastern B.C.
Companies and governments require emergency response planning, public consultation, safety equipment and worker training for critical sour gas operations.
When the drill bit enters the critical zone in a well where sour gas will likely be encountered, additional precautions may include providing breathing apparatuses for rig persionnel and notifying the public living nearby. Also, I might note that there are also special drilling rigs available for sour gas operations.
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You probably had specifics in mind when you presented your question.
I can also guess you have some background already on the subject for you presented the questions very professionally.
The AEB and NEB probably have specific documents and results of prior studies available.
I also believe that the organizations of CAPP and SEPAC could present information on the subject. Both have websites.
capp.ca
db.nucleus.com
If you had specific operations in mind, perhaps the company themselves would touch upon the subject for you. I have found them most responsive in the past with similar questions.
Hope I provided something that may be of value to any reading this message.
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