Pollution Research Paper

RISKS ASSOCIATED TO BLOWOUT IN OIL AND GASEXPLORATION FACILITIES

NIHAL SIDDIQUI AND DEVARAPALLI MANI KUMAR

Abstract

This work focuses on blowout’s risks in offshore gas explorations, as they are frequently relatedwith oil exploration. It is aimed to better understand the characterization of blowout’s risks and toidentify their principal’s causes, blowout’s types and possible consequences. It includes theidentification of a few measures to prevent these events, with emphasis on the South Atlanticregion, more specifically in Brazil, due to the growing perspectives for the development of offshorehydrocarbon exploration. The analysis considers the Macondo’s well blowout, in the Gulf ofMexico in 2010, as a reference case study, which had devastating consequences in the region. Theultimate goal is to guide the development of risk regulatory frameworks for South Atlantic and acomparative analysis between USA and Brazilian legislation is established. It shows that the NorthAmerican legislation is more specific and restrictive compared with that of Brazil, leading us tosuggest measures that can be adopted in Brazil to help minimizing the probability of blowout’soccurrence in oil and gas explorations.