Ground-thermal Conditions at Abandoned Drilling Mud Sumps, Mackenzie Delta Region, N.W.T.
Principal Investigator: Kokelj, Steven V (23)
Licence Number: 13486
Organization: Carleton University
Licensed Year(s): 2003
Issued: Jun 25, 2003
Project Team: Chris Burn

Objective(s): In the past, permafrost has been utilized as a containment medium for the permanent disposal of drilling wastes produced during oil and gas exploration in the western Arctic. In the Mackenzie Delta region, many of the drilling mud sumps constructed in the 1970s have partially or completely collapsed. The collapse of a sump can release contaminants previously immobilized in permafrost. Sump failure has been attributed to poor abandonment practices, but the long-term degradation of many sumps in this region may also be related to local permafrost conditions. This research will: a) investigate permafrost ground-thermal conditions in undisturbed terrain adjacent to successful and unsuccessful sumps in the Mackenzie Delta region; b) examine the effect of microclimate on the thermal evolution of sumps in the Mackenzie Delta; and c) examine contaminant movement in freezing and frozen sump soils. In addition to determining environmental conditions associated with successful sumps, these data may provide boundary conditions for thermal modeling of sump freeze-back. The study will provide a template for future sump monitoring by regulatory agencies and industry.