Modeling and assessment of the produced water discharges from offshore petroleum platforms

There has been a growing interest in assessing the risks to the marine environment from produced water discharges. This study describes the development of a numerical approach, POM-RW, based on an integration of the Princeton Ocean Model (POM) and a Random Walk (RW) simulation of pollutant transport. Specifically, the POM is employed to simulate local ocean currents. It provides three-dimensional hydrodynamic input to a Random Walk model focused on the dispersion of toxic components within the produced water stream on a regional spatial scale. Model development and field validation of the predicted current field and pollutant concentrations were conducted in conjunction with a water quality and ecological monitoring program for an offshore facility located on the Grand Banks of Canada. Results indicate that the POM-RW approach is useful to address environmental risks associated with the produced water discharges.