As part of a large scale auditing project, CEC was tasked with determining Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emissions from produced water and condensate tanks at over 250 well pad operations. These emissions are critical to state-specific permitting limits and in determining New Source Performance Standard (NSPS) Subpart OOOO and OOOOa applicability. The pad locations, equipment, and operating conditions, varied, and the team had an extremely tight timeline to complete the work. Working, breathing, flashing, and liquids loading emissions from the produced water and condensate tanks were calculated using Bryan Research & Engineering’s ProMax® 5.0 software with embedded Excel® spreadsheets.
In this presentation, we will discuss the team’s strategy to organize and efficiently work through model runs and calculations for the 250 well pads and some of the interesting issues that arose where the simulations did not reflect reality. We will discuss in detail the situations which cause certain simulation issues – “representative” gas analyses, calculation methods, conservative assumptions, etc. – and ways to modify the models to better reflect actual site conditions while still maintaining the consistent approach necessary to manage such a large project. Team communication across personnel in multiple offices and field crews, well-designed spreadsheets, and a thorough understanding of both the modelling software and actual field operating conditions were keys to the success of this project.
