The danger of crude oil in the making in South Sudan

Sept 20, 2008 - Pennsylvania, USA - In the words of famous English dramatist, fortunes made in no time are like shirts made in no time; it’s ten to one if they hang long together. Obviously, success is good if it is pursued the right way. As far as we know, many societies have been ruined by prosperity due to gluttony, and others have escaped ruin by longing for little fortune. Obtaining great mean starting with little, and the little becomes great. Fortunately in southern Sudan, our little is the environment, and hydrocarbons may be the great.

Disappointingly the hydrocarbon discovery in south Sudan is viewed as the only economic awakening to the development of the south. On the contrary, it is quite the opposite; it is conversely an environmental disaster on the horizon. If you are knowledgeable about crude oil, you will definitely agree with this statement. In many ways this may sound ridiculous and perverse but at any appointed time, southern Sudan has never gained from hydrocarbon. The richness of the south is not hydrocarbon but the bubbly environment that has been a source of life for generations. Nonetheless, the unpolluted environment which provides the south with good Agriculture has been the only source of survival for generations of southern Sudanese. Mismanagement of these resources will lead into a long term inveterate despondency for generations. The simplest way to tackle this situation is by setting tough environmental regulations that will prevent any destruction to the environment.

Here is a short preview of how hydrocarbon (crude oil) is geologically formed and extracted.

There are states of a fairs that must be in place for crude oil reservoirs to form: a source rock rich in hydrocarbon material buried deep enough for subterranean thermal conditions to heat it into crude oil; a porous and permeable reservoir rock for it to accumulate in; and a cap rock mechanism that prevents it from escaping to the surface. Within these reservoirs, fluids will typically organize themselves like a three-layer cake with a layer of water below the crude oil layer and a layer of gas above it, although the different layers vary in size between reservoirs.

Because most hydrocarbons are lighter than rock or water, they often migrate upward through adjacent rock layers until either reaching the surface or becoming trapped within porous rocks normally called the reservoirs. However, the process is influenced by underground water flows, causing crude oil to migrate hundreds of miles horizontally or even short distances downward before becoming trapped in a reservoir. When hydrocarbons are concentrated in a trap, an oil field forms, from which the liquid can be extracted by drilling.

In the engineering world, the reactions that produce crude oil and natural gas are often modeled as first order breakdown reactions, where hydrocarbons are broken down to oil and natural gas by a set of parallel reactions, and oil eventually breaks down to natural gas by another set of reactions. The latter set is regularly used in petrochemical plants and oil refineries. Through refining, crude oil will eventually become the gasoline we all know about.

To our knowledge southern Sudan has proven giant reservoirs waiting to be extracted by foreign oil companies. This is viewed as great treasures by many, as a matter of fact it is if foreign oil companies show consideration for the environment of which they drill and transport. Regrettably, this is going to need an effort from the government of southern Sudan and its hydrocarbons (crude oil) producing states. Because extracting and transporting hydrocarbons has never been cleaner. In fact, the biggest threat to crude oil producing nations is the spills during transportation. There are many different types of crude oil and this means that each crude oil spill is different depending on the type of crude oil spill. Each oil spill will have a different impact on wildlife and the surrounding environment depending on the type of oil spill, the location of the spill, the species of wildlife in the area, and the timing of breeding cycles and seasonal migrations. For instance, given these conditions, if a crude oil spill had to happen in southern Sudan, take for example: Jonglei, a state which is known for its wildlife, farming, and huge crude estimated reserves; this could be shards Jonglei will never recover from. Poisoning of wildlife and humans could occur, if they consume other organisms that have taken oil into their tissues; damage to estuaries, coral reefs, seagrass and mangrove habitats which are the breeding areas of many fish in the Nile river sudd; interference with breeding by making the animal too ill to breed, interfering with breeding behavior such as farm animal mostly cattle, the life line of most people in Jonglei state. Access to surface and ground water will be difficult, since crude oil will seep into the underground water reservoir and protracted contamination for centuries. This is a disaster that can never be annulled, however,it can be prevented if the government of south Sudan at states level implements constructive environmental regulations that are favorable to the local environment.

The government of southern Sudan should hold foreign oil companies accountable for mismanagement of wastes or spills in the future. It should threaten to impose stiff penalties to foreign oil companies that fail to abide by environmental regulations. GOSS should also encourage governments of crude oil producing states to form environmental agencies that will work closely with foreign companies. These agencies should receive funding from states of which they operate. They should be the ones monitoring environmental emergencies. Once the emergency is declared, there should be taut sanctions toward foreign companies if they fail to meet their obligations, and all this will be clearly spelled out as pre-condition prior to contract signing or for continued operations in south Sudan.

Hydrocarbons are good commodities but at the same time recipes for disasters if companies do not put effort on containing their outcomes. Dependable environmental agencies with well legislated laws are solutions to looming environmental catastrophes in the making when this nation of ours becomes a major petroleum producer.

*The author is a graduate of Penn State University with B.S. Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, and minors in Chemical Engineering and Mathematic.