Thesis (Professional Degree)--University of Missouri, School of Mines and Metallurgy, 1922. / The entire thesis text is included in file. Typescript. Title from title screen of thesis/dissertation PDF file (viewed March 17, 2010) Includes bibliographical references (p. 48).

Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2000. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains ix, 176 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 64-65).

Through the Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) initiative a substantial amount of effort and international attention has been focused on the reduction of gas flaring since 2002 (Elvidge et al., 2009). Nigeria is rated as the second country in the world for gas flaring, after Russia. In an attempt to reduce and eliminate gas flaring the federal government of Nigeria has implemented a number of gas flaring reduction projects, but poor governmental regulatory policies have been mostly unsuccessful in phasing it out. This study examines the effects of pollution from gas flaring using multiple satellite based sensors (Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+) with a focus on vegetation health in the Niger Delta. Over 131 flaring sites in all 9 states (Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo and Rivers) of the Niger Delta region have been identified, out of which 11 sites in Rivers State were examined using a case study approach. Land Surface Temperature data were derived using a novel procedure drawing in visible band information to mask out clouds and identify appropriate emissivity values for different land cover types. In 2503 out of 3001 Landsat subscenes analysed, Land Surface Temperature was elevated by at least 1 ℃ within 450 m of the flare. The results from fieldwork, carried out at the Eleme Refinery II Petroleum Company and Onne Flow Station, are compared to the Landsat 5 TM and Landsat 7 ETM+ data. Results indicate that Landsat data can detect gas flares and their associated pollution on vegetation health with acceptable accuracy for both Land Surface Temperature (range: 0.120 to 1.907 K) and Normalized Differential Vegetation Index (sd ± 0.004). Available environmental factors such as size of facility, height of stack, and time were considered. Finally, the assessment of the impact of pollution on a time series analysis (1984 to 2013) of vegetation health shows a decrease in NDVI annually within 120 m from the flare and that the spatio-temporal variability of NDVI for each site is influenced by local factors. This research demonstrated that only 5 % of the variability in δLST and only 12 % of the variability in δNDVI, with distance from the flare stack, could be accounted for by the available variables considered in this study. This suggests that other missing factors (the gas flaring volume and vegetation speciation) play a significant role in the variability in δLST and δNDVI respectively.

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Substation apparatus failure plays a major role in reliability of power delivery systems. Traditionally, most utilities perform regular maintenance in order to prevent equipment breakdown. Condition-based maintenance strategy monitors the condition of the equipment by measuring and analyzing key parameters and recommends optimum maintenance actions. Equipment such as transformers and standby batteries which are valuable and critical assets in substations has attracted increased attentions in recently years. An automated monitoring and diagnosis tool for power transformers based on dissolved gas analysis, ANNEPS v4.0, was developed. The new tool extended the existing expert system and artificial neural network diagnostic engine with automated data acquisition, display, archiving, and alarm notification functions. This thesis also studied substation batteries types and failure mode and surveyed the market of current on-line battery monitors. A practical battery monitoring system architecture was proposed. Analysis rules of measured parameters were developed. The above study and results can provide basics for further designing of a simple battery monitoring system in industry applications. / Master of Science

This thesis will focus on Azerbaijan's oil and gas industry; how the country uses its energy revenues within its economy; how it avoids economic pathologies such as the "Dutch Disease"; Azerbaijan's role within the Caspian Basin, and finally, the European Union's energy security and how Azerbaijan's energy resources can impact it. The Republic of Azerbaijan is a natural resource-rich country, and uses its energy resources as a means of socio-economic advancement and stability. Recent developments within the country's natural gas sector have allowed Azerbaijan to become a net gas exporter. The EU's growing demand for energy resources illustrates how important it is for states to have access to secure, stable, and diverse sources of energy. Energy resource exploration and the subsequent export of these products to international markets play a crucial role for the Republic of Azerbaijan's economy. Therefore, this thesis will first provide a brief evaluation of the history of Azerbaijan's energy sector; an overview of the current situation and recent developments; and explore how energy revenues are being distributed in the economy. It will define the interests of other important actors such as Russia, Turkey and the USA; and finally, it will assess the EU energy security, the role of Azerbaijan as the...

The rapid and continuous deterioration of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria in the last four decades has been a major source of concern for the government and practitioners. Hence, the region has been the subject of continuous conflicts and violence between the host communities and the oil producing companies. Despite the effort of the government and practitioners, none have looked at the relationship elements and/or the quality of relationship between these two key stakeholders within the context of the Nigeria oil and gas industry. This research study makes a new contribution to the field of relationship marketing in the area of relationship quality by providing a detailed understanding of relationship elements, and determinants and dimensions of relationship quality. The research study focuses on the oil producing company to host community relationship in the Niger delta region of Nigeria, which was investigated in detail. A qualitative approach was adopted as it is considered appropriate for the research focus, which was to investigate and assess the understanding of different community actors in respect to the quality of relationship between the oil producing companies and host communities in the Niger delta region of Nigeria. In addition, explore how these actors described both the relationship elements and relationship quality constructs, and related this to their understanding of the relationship between the oil producing company and host community. Semi-structured interviews, as the primary method of data collection were conducted with different community actors. The literature review, as the secondary method of data collection were primarily used as a tool to double check and validate the interview findings. Sixteen community actors provided their views and opinions of the relationship between the oil producing companies with the host communities in the region. This research study extended the application of relationship quality frameworks that were conducted in a developed economic environment such as the United Kingdom and United States of America to a developing economic environment such as Nigeria through the replication of these frameworks and re-testing their constructs and propositions in order to develop a detailed and comprehensive framework of relationship quality in the context of a business-to-community (B2Com) relationship in a unique commercial context. In addition, this research study uncovered the importance of mutual goal and culture of the community people in addition to pre-identified constructs (i.e. mutual benefit, communication, control mutuality) as the key determinants of relationship quality for the oil producing company when engaging the host community in the relationship building process. This research study also explored the research on dimensions of relationship quality subjecting its main constructs (i.e. trust, satisfaction and commitment) to a rigorous qualitative test. Doing this, the finding further emphasised some consensus between these dimensions of relationship quality. In addition, the developed framework highlighted the importance of including the relationship elements (i.e. actor bonds, resource ties and activity links) when assessing the quality of the relationship between business and its community. In conclusion, this research document recommendations (such as, the local community forming a complete and harmonious whole when relating with external bodies, the need for international oil and gas companies in Nigeria to gain adequate and appropriate insight and understanding into the role(s) played by each of the actors within the Niger Delta community, and the importance of oil and gas practitioners developing and maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship in the region) for various stakeholders within the NOGI.

Traditional risk-based decision-making processes have limitations that often compromise the management of technological hazards. The research is organized into three major components. Firstly, it investigates concepts and thinking outside the literature on risk regulation that offer opportunities to improve risk-based processes, such as governance and risk governance, environmental and social justice, vulnerability, resilience, complex systems, ethics, and the precautionary principle. Secondly, identified opportunities to improve risk-based approaches are assessed in the context of the Brazilian environmental licensing process for gas and oil transmission pipelines. The Brazilian case study is explored through interviews and surveys with thirty-two key stakeholders, aimed at describing and understanding the situation. Finally, it is discussed how the implications of the proposed conceptual framework and findings from the case study contribute to the theoretical perspectives on technological risk regulation. The research advocates that (1) regulatory processes for technological hazards need to effectively incorporate ‘human systems’ into their routines as a way to become more holistic; (2) decision-making processes need to strengthen the transition from assessment of risks to management of exposure; (3) regulators need to shift focus to the management of exposure as opposed to the current facility-centered management of risks; (4) this transition is facilitated if the regulatory process has an independent routine for management; and (5) a resilience plan, encompassing components from risk management and land-use planning, articulates the interaction between people and hazardous facilities, that share a common space, towards better practices to effectively manage exposure to risks. Considering these five points, the research suggests an adaptation of the Risk Governance Model for the regulation of hazardous linear installations.

Traditional risk-based decision-making processes have limitations that often compromise the management of technological hazards. The research is organized into three major components. Firstly, it investigates concepts and thinking outside the literature on risk regulation that offer opportunities to improve risk-based processes, such as governance and risk governance, environmental and social justice, vulnerability, resilience, complex systems, ethics, and the precautionary principle. Secondly, identified opportunities to improve risk-based approaches are assessed in the context of the Brazilian environmental licensing process for gas and oil transmission pipelines. The Brazilian case study is explored through interviews and surveys with thirty-two key stakeholders, aimed at describing and understanding the situation. Finally, it is discussed how the implications of the proposed conceptual framework and findings from the case study contribute to the theoretical perspectives on technological risk regulation. The research advocates that (1) regulatory processes for technological hazards need to effectively incorporate ‘human systems’ into their routines as a way to become more holistic; (2) decision-making processes need to strengthen the transition from assessment of risks to management of exposure; (3) regulators need to shift focus to the management of exposure as opposed to the current facility-centered management of risks; (4) this transition is facilitated if the regulatory process has an independent routine for management; and (5) a resilience plan, encompassing components from risk management and land-use planning, articulates the interaction between people and hazardous facilities, that share a common space, towards better practices to effectively manage exposure to risks. Considering these five points, the research suggests an adaptation of the Risk Governance Model for the regulation of hazardous linear installations.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / O monitoramento e o diagnÃstico de falhas incipientes em transformadores de potÃncia imersos em Ãleo estÃo diretamente relacionados à avaliaÃÃo das condiÃÃes do sistema de isolamento. Neste estudo, estabelece-se o conceito de monitoramento e diagnÃstico, e em seguida tÃcnicas de monitoramento on-line sÃo discutidas. Um sistema de prÃ-diagnÃstico à elaborado baseado na utilizaÃÃo de um dispositivo on-line de monitoramento, Hydran da GE, para classificar a gravidade da situaÃÃo de falha detectada. Uma vez detectada uma situaÃÃo de falha, mÃdulos inteligentes de diagnÃstico de falhas incipientes, via redes neurais, podem ser utilizados para identificaÃÃo da falha interna do equipamento. Para completar a verificaÃÃo da qualidade dielÃtrica do lÃquido isolante, tambÃm à descrito um algoritmo inteligente, baseado em redes neurais, para diagnÃstico do estado do Ãleo atravÃs das grandezas fÃsico-quÃmicas. A relaÃÃo entre os atributos fÃsico-quÃmicos e as grandezas cromatogrÃficas referente ao Ãleo mineral tambÃm foram averiguadas. Foi desenvolvida, entÃo, a estimaÃÃo dos gases dissolvidos atravÃs das caracterÃsticas fÃsico-quÃmicas. Os mÃdulos de monitoramento on-line, diagnÃsticos do estado do Ãleo e de falhas incipientes, alÃm da estimaÃÃo dos gases dissolvidos, perfazem um sistema computacional de auxÃlio à operaÃÃo e manutenÃÃo. O sistema implementado apresenta resultados satisfatÃrios na implantaÃÃo em uma planta de usina termelÃtrica. / The monitoring and diagnosis of incipient fault in power transformers immerses in oil are directly related to the assessment of the isolation system conditions. In this research, it is established the concept of monitoring and diagnosis, after that, on-line monitoring techniques are discussed. A pre-diagnosis system is elaborated based on use of a monitoring on-line device, Hydran GE, to classify the situation gravity of the detected fault. Once detected a fault situation, intelligent modules of incipient fault diagnosis, by neural networks, can be used to identification of internal fault of the equipment. To complete the checking of the dielectric quality of the isolate liquid, it is also described an intelligent algorithm, based on neural networks, to diagnosis of the oil estate through physical-chemical attribute. The relation between physical-chemical attributes and chromatographic ones regarding to mineral oil were also verified. It was developed, then, the dissolved gases esteem through physicalchemical characteristics. The on-line monitoring modules, diagnosis of oil estate and incipient fault, besides dissolved gases esteem, constitute a computation aid system to operation and maintenance. The implemented system presents satisfied results in a thermoelectric power plant.