Issue link: https://geospatial.trimble.com/en/resources/i/1415432
Spring 2019 53 5 A culmination of the highest ever proven crude oil reserves and oil production in the US, along with changes in legislation on the country's crude oil exports, has been transforming the US into a significant exporter of crude oil. In fact, as of April 2018, Citigroup Inc. projected the US to surpass Saudi Arabia in crude oil exports in 2019 to become the world's largest exporter of crude oil. 1 This presents compelling challenges to export terminals. The limited port depth along the Gulf Coast is a major hindrance that has a couple of viable solutions as will be discussed later in this article. Another issue, which will be the major focus of this article, is how these terminals can meet these new throughput levels while also managing the associated environmental impacts. The direction of the market demands a technology that allows for increased throughput at lower emission rates, while also helping keep production and midstream partners within their environmental permit thresholds. Crude oil production reaching new heights US proven reserves of crude oil set a record in 2017 of 39.2 billion bbls, overtaking the previous record of 39 billion bbls from 1970. 2 This comes due, in large part, to horizontal well drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fraccing) which has provided access to large reserves of crude oil in low-permeability shale formations. The advent of horizontal well drilling and fraccing drastically changed the economics of crude oil production. Since horizontal wells, by their nature, provide more formation contact than vertical wells, Victor Hoffman, Terry McElroy and Matthew Vuong, John Zink Co. LLC, USA, explore how US terminals can meet new throughput levels while also managing the associated environmental impacts.