International Journal of Environmental Science and Development

Abstract—Oil well drilling activities generate residues called drill cuttings that will be treated before being disposed onsite. When drill cuttings are released into the sea, drill cutting piles or mounds will form on the seabed. These pile formations may hinder future under-sea operation. They may have adverse impacts on corals if the thickness of the pile over the coral beds is persistently high. This simulation study is conducted at the drill cuttings release sites Z-1 and B-1 in the South China Sea off the coast of Sabah. This modelling study will assess the potential impacts of the pile formation on coral community and on the ecology in the dive site (shipwreck) nearby. For Z-1, the particles settle on the seabed far away from the corals and far away from the shipwreck sites. Hence they will have no adverse impact on the corals nor on the shipwreck site environment and ecology. For B-1, the coral site is located at a shorter distance from the discharge location. The pile height at the coral site varies between 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm. The average sedimentation rate varying between 3.1 to 31 mg/cm2/day occurs over a short duration of 3.875 days. This low sedimentation rate over a short duration will have insignificant impact on the corals.

Index Terms—Corals, drill cuttings, oil and gas, TUNA-PT.

S. Y. Teh is with the School of Mathematical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia (e-mail: syteh@usm.my).
H. L. Koh is with the Sunway University Business School, Jalan Universiti, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Selangor Malaysia (e-mail: hocklyek@sunway.edu.my).

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Cite: Su Yean Teh and Hock Lye Koh, "Modeling Drill Cuttings Sedimentation on Corals for Exploration Wells Z-1 and B-1, Offshore Sabah," International Journal of Environmental Science and Development vol. 7, no. 12, pp. 913-920, 2016.