China National Petroleum Corporation Research Articles

Valuation analysis of China national petroleum corporation

Oil is considered the lifeblood of several countries due to the political need to offer energy security. Moreover, world economies depend on the state’s supervision and control of oil prices. Thus, the relevant policies of oil companies are carefully formulated in conjunction with government policymakers. Hence, the valuation of oil enterprises is of great significance to global security and economic development. As traditional valuation models tend to underestimate petroleum enterprises, this study adopts the economic value added (EVA) model and incorporates environmental, social, and governance (ESG) indicators to ascertain a new absolute valuation indicator for China National Petroleum Corporationbased on the weighted average adjusted enterprise value, providing a new evaluation indicator for the petrochemical industry.

Technology Focus: Heavy Oil (April 2024)

Heavy oil can be one of the more technically challenging resources to recover. It is often easy to find but hard to move. This creates an incentive for knowledge seekers and problem solvers: The puzzle pieces are on the table; we just need to put them together. The physical characteristics of heavy oil and the formations in which it is found—the puzzle pieces—are often unique to a region or even to a specific asset, so recovery techniques must be tuned, adapted, and sometimes invented for each region. Creative professionals around the world are taking up this challenge and sharing their work with us in a wealth of excellent recent publications. In particular in our featured papers, we see three different parts of the world working with three different recovery techniques. First, we have a fundamental study in paper SPE 212779 of a perennial question from Canada’s oil sands: Where does the emulsion form in the steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) recovery process, where the effect of a surfactant is studied? Moving south to paper SPE 213199, we review a study that progresses from laboratory work to field implementation using foam injection in Colombia in conjunction with cyclic steam stimulation. From Colombia, we look across to the other side of the world to paper SPE 215943, where we see a transition from steamflood recovery to an adapted configuration of SAGD, with a comprehensive discussion on optimizing production in Mukhaizna field in Oman. The theme of adaptation and invention continues in our recommended reading, with discussions of fundamental research, applied and practical insights on field implementation, and all the steps in between as these are applied to heavy oil production challenges around the world. I hope you enjoy the tour. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 212767 Part 1: Kinetics of Methane Exsolution From Bitumen in Thermal Recovery Processes—Experimental Study by Mohammad Khalifi, Imperial Oil Resources, et al. SPE 214113 Physical and Numerical Simulations of Offset Well Pair Combined Steam-Drive and Gravity-Drainage Process To Develop Superheavy Oil or Oil Sands Project by Guangyue Liang, China National Petroleum Corporation, et al. SPE 215342 Optimization of Chemical Acid Stimulation by Improving Selection Intervals in Lateral Section of Horizontal Well in X Field Heavy Oil Steamflood by Fatichin Fatichin, Pertamina, et al.

A multi-step attack path prediction method for oil & gas intelligence pipeline cyber physics system based on CPNE

Owing to the integration of the 5th Generation Mobile Communication Technology (5 G) and industrial internet construction, Oil & Gas intelligent pipeline network has witnessed accelerated construction and development. The Oil & Gas intelligent pipeline network proposed by China National Petroleum Corporation exhibits the advantages such as high integration, data unification, and intelligent decision-making, which helps to greatly reduce manual management costs, optimize risk decision-making by managers, and avoid risks such as human misuse. However, the highly integrated Cyber-physical system of the Internet and the Internet of Things faces various cyber security threats, and traditional intrusion detection systems exhibit drawbacks in the face of complex cyber-attack behaviors. In response to incomplete multi-step attack path prediction in traditional prediction methods, this paper proposes a multi-step attack path prediction method for Oil & Gas intelligence pipeline cyber physics system (CPS) based on Colored Petri nets and mixed strategy Nash equilibrium (CPNE). Taking into account the importance of assets and the dependency relationships between assets within the cyber-physical system of Oil & Gas intelligent pipeline network, CPNE constructs a node dependency model for the cyber-physical system of Oil & Gas intelligent pipeline network, simulates multi-step attack and defense games, calculates the probability of node failure triggering and transfer using mixed strategy Nash equilibrium, and extracts the risk of multi-step attack paths for different attack strategies. With the filtration and separation unit of a certain natural gas station as an example, this paper establishes a CPNE model to rank the risk of the first multi-step attack single attack source path and predict the risk of subsequent multi-step attack source paths, thus predicting multi-step attack paths. Taking three rounds of attacks as an example, compared to the paths predicted by traditional probability attack graph models, the proposed CPNE model is more advantageous in multi attack source path prediction, with a 2.33-fold increase in the relative coverage rate of path predictions.

China’s national oil companies going global and coming home: State–firm nexus, global financial networks, and geopolitical risks

Both the “going global” strategy and the Belt and Road Initiative have prompted Chinese companies to carry out overseas investment and global financing. China’s three major national oil companies (NOCs), China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec), and China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) have pursued “modernization through globalization” while balancing profitability and national energy security. This paper attempts to shed some light on NOCs’ going global process by integrating global production networks’ (GPNs) extra-firm (state–firm) relations and global financial networks’ (GFNs) emphasis on world cities and financial and advanced business services providers. Going global, however, has also increased NOCs’ geopolitical risks, resulting in a retreat from the financial centers of world cities and a return home. This paper contributes to the GPN/GFN literature by examining the interactions between lead firms from developing economies and extra-firm actors while also emphasizing the increasing significance of geopolitical risks.

Corporate Governance and Firm Performance in China: A Comparative Case Study of China National Petroleum Corporation and Other Four Asian Corporations

The study examines the impact of corporate governance on China Petroleum Nation Corporation and compares it with other selected four firms within China and Asia region. The variable identified for measuring corporate performance in this study includes return on Assets, Board size, duality, and interdependence of the board members as of 2022. The impacts of corporate governance on the firms were established through collecting information from the companys annual reports. The data obtained from the reports have been used for descriptive and correlational analysis. From this study, it has been established that firms within Asia tend to use various elements of structure to determine their performance. The variables used in the analysis, such as duality, the board size, and the interdependence of the board members, had a significant positive relationship with the firms performance. The study concluded that company directors should balance critical corporate structure variables to attain high organizational performance. Proper corporate governance has a significant impact on the performance of a company.

Impacts of Mining on the Environment in West African Sahel: A Review

Mining activities have led to the depletion of over 577.15 km² of forest area in the West African Sahel zone. These have destroyed the habitats of mammals, including elephants and giraffes, as well as economic trees and grass species, and polluted ground and surface water. In addition, mining activities are responsible for degrading more than 1,000 acres of farmland. Even though mining is destroying the environment, it has accounted for exports of €211,468,13, €247,034,485 and €275,720,817 in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali, respectively, between 2014 and 2015. It is also a lever of sustainable environmental management, as in Senegal, by providing mining social funds for mining communities and employing over 450,000 people in Niger. Furthermore, mining companies promote land restoration activities in the West African Sahel, such as China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) promoting tree plantations in Niger. Nevertheless, the mining in the region will continue to serve as the breeding ground for criminal gangs and terrorist groups unless a radical approach stabilises the insecurity. The degradation of farmlands and forest reserves or protected areas requires re-evaluation and full enforcement of the existing laws and regulations to achieve sustainable mining for the needed development in the West African Sahel region.

Technology Focus: Seismic (February 2023)

The energy transition and disruption in the energy supply/demand chains fueled by the combined effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia/Ukraine war have given rise to more-innovative geoscience approaches geared toward carbon-footprint reduction with efficient and sufficient energy supply despite the increasing difficulty in finding new or remaining hydrocarbon accumulations. This year’s titles have a good mix of new frontier exploration, expanding heartlands, and brownfield-development themes. Improved seismic survey techniques, seismic image uplift, enhanced seismic attribute analysis, reservoir characterization, fracture diagnostics, mitigation of induced seismicity, and carbon capture and storage topics also are featured. As in previous years, more achievements in machine learning and automation of seismic processing and attribute analysis on both new or existing data to redefine geological plays, improve understanding of risks and uncertainties, enhance well placement and hydrocarbon recovery, reduce cost, and increase production are worthy of note. The selected top three papers for synopsis and those recommended for reading provide a taste of the themes mentioned above. I hope you find them as informative and transformational as I did. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 208174 Accurate Pore Fluid Indicator Prediction Using Seismic Fluid Bulk Modulus Inversion by Makky Sandra Jaya, Petronas, et al. SPE 211627 Seismic Motion Inversion Based on Geological Conditioning and Its Application in Thin Reservoir Prediction, Middle East by Chen Xin, China National Petroleum Corporation, et al. IPTC 22631 First Time-Lapse Walkaway Virtual Seismic Profile Monitoring of CO2 Water-Alternating-Gas Enhanced Oil Recovery Pilot: Challenges and Learnings From Onshore Carbonate Field UAE by Moza Mohamed, ADNOC, et al. SPE 207253 4D Seismic Detectability in a Brazilian Presalt Carbonate Field by Cyril Agut, TotalEnergies, et al. SPE 207719 Benefits of Ultradense 3D Spatial Sampling for Seismic Processing and Interpretation by Mohamed Mahgoub, ADNOC, et al.

The future of carbon-neutrality science and technology from an industrial transformation perspective: an interview with Hou-Liang Dai.

Since China announced that it will strive to achieve its carbon peak by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060, it has determined to take steps, which will establish low carbon development and a transition to carbon neutrality, as part of its long-term strategy for sustainable development and prosperity. This will be both a huge challenge and an opportunity. To achieve the dual-carbon goals, the whole society must undergo a broad and profound systemic transformation, involving changes in energy, technology, economy, industry and lifestyle, etc. Carbon-neutrality science and technology should be the foundation of the transformation. Now, dual-carbon goals have become the focus, not just of scientific and technological circles [1], but of all society. Some Chinese scientists have put forward the concept of green carbon science (GCS) to promote rational and systematic scientific thinking on carbon science and sustainable development [2,3]. Additionally, hundreds of scientists and senior experts have participated in formulating the action plan and guiding the outline of basic research on the dual-carbon strategy and pathways, helping the country to formulate a timetable, roadmap and implementation plan for achieving carbon-peaking and carbon-neutralization goals in industries [4,5]. Among them, Hou-Liang Dai, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), took part in a major consulting project of the CAE. He is famous for the development and application of highly efficient and environmentally friendly aromatic hydrocarbon technology and also a leader in high-quality development of the petrochemical industry [6]. He has been working in the petroleum and chemical industry for almost 40 years. Currently, he is the chairman of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). NSR spoke to Hou-Liang Dai on the future of carbon-neutrality science and technology.

China National Petroleum Corporation profile: Refining and chemicals

Acquisition of reduced susceptibility to biocides may contribute to the dissemination of high-risk (HR) clones of carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (CP-Kp). The aim of this study was (a) to determinate the activity of biocides against CP-Kp, and (b) to analyse the relationship between biocide activity and the presence of efflux pumps.The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of 6 biocides (sodium hypochlorite, chlorhexidine digluconate, benzalkonium chloride, povidone-iodine, ethanol and triclosan) were determined in triplicate at 25 °C and 37 °C in Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB) and M9 minimum medium, against 17 CP-Kp isolates representing different clones (HR and no-HR), sequence-types (STs) and carbapenemases. Efflux pumps genes were detected by whole genome sequencing (MiSeq).Median MICs were slightly higher at 37 °C than at 25 °C (p ≤ 0.05), except for benzalkonium chloride, triclosan and ethanol. MIC medians were much higher in MHB than in M9, except for triclosan. No significant differences were observed in the median MICs, regarding the type of clone, ST or carbapenemase; cepA, acrAB, kpnEF and oqxAB genes were detected in all isolates, whereas qacE and qacA were not detected; smvAR, and qacΔE genes were detected in 94% and 47% of isolates, respectively.Triclosan, chlorhexidine digluconate, benzalkonium chloride and ethanol were the most active biocides. The activity of some biocides is affected by temperature and growth media, suggesting that standardised procedures for biocide susceptibility testing based on MIC determination are required. This activity, in terms of MICs, are not related to the type of clone, ST, carbapenemase or the presence of the efflux pump genes.La adquisición de sensibilidad reducida a los biocidas puede contribuir a la diseminación de clones de alto riesgo (HR) de Klebsiella pneumoniae productor de carbapenemasa (Kp-PC). El objetivo de este trabajo fue: (a) determinar la actividad de varios biocidas frente a Kp-PC, y (b) analizar la relación de dicha actividad con la presencia de genes codificantes de bombas de expulsión.Las concentraciones mínimas inhibitorias (CMI) de 6 biocidas (hipoclorito de sodio, digluconato de clorhexidina, cloruro de benzalconio, povidona yodada, etanol y triclosán) se determinaron por triplicado a 25 y 37 °C, tanto en caldo Mueller-Hinton (MHB) como en medio mínimo M9, frente a 17 aislados de Kp-PC representativos de diferentes clones (HR y no HR), secuenciotipos (ST) y carbapenemasas. Los genes de bombas de expulsión se detectaron mediante secuenciación masiva del genoma completo (MiSeq).Las medianas de las CMI fueron ligeramente superiores a 37 °C que a 25 °C, excepto para cloruro de benzalconio, etanol y triclosán. Las medianas de las CMI fueron considerablemente superiores en MHB que en M9, excepto para triclosán; cepA, acrAB, kpnEF y oqxAB se detectaron en todos los aislados, mientras que qacE y qacA no se detectaron; smvAR y qacΔE se detectaron en el 94% y en el 47% de los aislados, respectivamente.La actividad de algunos biocidas se afecta por la temperatura y el medio de crecimiento. Esta actividad, en términos de CMI, no se relaciona con el tipo de clon, ST, carbapenemasa, ni con la presencia de genes que codifican bombas de expulsión.

Construction of Development Momentum Index of Financial Technology by Principal Component Analysis in the Era of Digital Economy

The purpose is to study applying mathematical analysis in financial technology (FinTech) development in the era of digital economy. An Evaluation Index System (EIS) for the current situation of Chinese FinTech enterprises is established by considering the impact of the era of the digital economy on the development of FinTech. Specifically, the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is introduced to construct the principal component prediction model based on functional data. Then, six Chinese State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) are selected. Their stock prices are predicted using the proposed model through an empirical study. The results show that selecting three principal components to evaluate the financial situations of six SOEs is reasonable. The accumulated variance values of the first three principal components of the stock's closing price and opening price are all greater than 85%. Thus, the selected three principal components can obtain the potential information of the original data. The gap between the actual value and the proposed model-predicted value of the stocks of the six SOEs is relatively small. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is 0.105, more than 10%. The predicted values of Huadian Energy and China Shenhua are 9.4% and 8.5%, respectively, second only to CNPC. Therefore, the proposed principal component prediction model based on functional data can predict the closing price of stocks well. The accuracy is relatively high and matches well with financial data analysis. This research has important implications for the development of FinTech.

Concurrent 6. Presentation for: Application of heel intersect horizontal well concept in coal bed methane play: a case study

Presented on Tuesday 17 May: Session 6 Arrow Energy is a 50/50 joint venture between Shell and China National Petroleum Corporation. It holds vast coal bed methane gas resources in the Surat and Northern Bowen basins of Queensland, Australia. Recently the well design in the north Bowen asset has evolved to a heel intersect multilateral concept to further reduce the surface footprint, extend reservoir access and improve cost-effectiveness. The new well design components consist of a vertical producing well intersected by a horizontal multilateral well. It was tested on several targeted reservoirs and areas. There were a number of key learnings developed during the horizontal well construction, such as underbalanced drilling, intersect well technology, and directional drilling learning curve. Post completion, special considerations have been given on initial dewatering rates and solids-related production trends as a holistic well production strategy to assess the well concept selection effectiveness. This paper describes the key challenges and learnings from the well construction and production phases of the heel intersect multilateral well trials. This program has significantly helped Arrow Energy to mature the well design concept for future campaigns. To access the presentation click the link on the right. To read the full paper click here

Global Trends in Heavy Oil and Bitumen Recovery and In-Situ Upgrading: A Bibliometric Analysis During 1900–2020 and Future Outlook

Abstract Bitumen and heavy oil are energy resources with high viscosities, high densities, and high metals and heteroatoms content. This paper reports a bibliometric survey to investigate the historic trends and the future pattern of heavy oil and bitumen recovery and upgrading worldwide. It evaluates research outputs and their impact on the topic from 1900 to 2020. Data were extracted from Web of Science (WoS), vetted using Microsoft Excel, and visualized using VOSViewer. Globally, the study identified 8248 publications. Canada had the highest research output and was also widely cited, and the highest-productive countries are the United States from 1900 to 1970, Canada from 1971 to 2000, Canada from 2001 to 2010, and China from 2011 to 2020. The keywords frequency suggests that most research on heavy oil and bitumen focuses more on viscosity reduction, rheology, asphaltenes, enhanced oil recovery methods, and upgrading. These are the top five most productive institutions in the field: University of Calgary > China University of Petroleum > University of Alberta > Russian Academy of Sciences > China National Petroleum Corporation. The Universities of Calgary and Alberta are, however, the most frequently cited and most impactful, with respective citations and h-indexes of 10367 (50 h-index) and 8556 (47h-index). The future of heavy oil and bitumen depends on crude oil price, the economics of transportation alternatives, climate change policies and technologies, while the design of robust and low-cost catalysts would guide in-situ catalytic upgrading.

Application of heel intersect horizontal well concept in coal bed methane play: a case study

Arrow Energy is a 50/50 joint venture between Shell and China National Petroleum Corporation. It holds vast coal bed methane gas resources in the Surat and Northern Bowen basins of Queensland, Australia. Recently the well design in the north Bowen asset has evolved to a heel intersect multilateral concept to further reduce the surface footprint, extend reservoir access and improve cost-effectiveness. The new well design components consist of a vertical producing well intersected by a horizontal multilateral well. It was tested on several targeted reservoirs and areas. There were a number of key learnings developed during the horizontal well construction, such as underbalanced drilling, intersect well technology, and directional drilling learning curve. Post completion, special considerations have been given on initial dewatering rates and solids-related production trends as a holistic well production strategy to assess the well concept selection effectiveness. This paper describes the key challenges and learnings from the well construction and production phases of the heel intersect multilateral well trials. This program has significantly helped Arrow Energy to mature the well design concept for future campaigns.

Effect of Salinity on the Imbibition Recovery Process of Tight Sandstone Reservoirs

Fracture network fracturing combined with oil–water infiltration and replacement is an effective approach to develop tight sandstone reservoirs. How to further improve oil recovery based on imbibition is a problem encountered during production. In this study, the core of the CHANG-7 tight sandstone reservoir in the Changqing oilfield of the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) is studied. Combined with the newly designed core self-imbibition experiment, the mechanisms of salinity action are studied, and the influence of salinity on the process of imbibition oil recovery is quantitatively characterized. Research results show that the influence of salinity on the imbibition process of tight sandstone reservoirs takes place mainly through two ways; one is to reduce the oil–water interfacial tension, and the other is to construct an osmotic pressure displacement model. The salinity has significant influences on interfacial tension. The interfacial tension of low-salinity brine is only 1/5 of that of distilled water, but in the presence of high-efficiency surfactants, the influence of the salinity on the interfacial tension can be ignored; the greater the difference in salt concentration, the higher the core permeability and the greater the influence of salinity on the process of imbibition and oil recovery in tight sandstone reservoirs. At the initial stage of imbibition, the effect of salinity is less important than that of capillary force. On the contrary, the effect of salinity is much more important than that of capillary force in the middle of imbibition, and the imbibition curve shows a downward trend. At the later stage of imbibition, the fluid tends toward imbibition equilibrium, and the effects of capillary force and salinity are not obvious.

Evaluation method of thermal stability of bentonite for water-based drilling fluids

The quality of bentonite directly affects the safety and economic benefits of oil well drilling engineering. Due to the fact that most of the qualified drilling-grade bentonite used in water-based drilling fluid under current API standards are modified by physico-chemical methods, its performance maybe extremely unstable in high temperature conditions, which implies that the viscosity of drilling fluid will decrease or increase rapidly and may subsequently lead to downhole accidents. Therefore, China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has proposed a new evaluation standard of bentonite Q/SY 17009-2019, which will be used to test the quality of high temperature stability through monitoring the performance of bentonite after aging at high temperature. For scientific evaluation and better understanding of this new standard, this paper focuses on researching several natural bentonite and industrial modified drilling-grade bentonite samples. Exploring their differences in performance after different aging condition under ambient temperature and high temperatures (120 °C, 150 °C and 180 °C). In addition, it also investigates the rationality of drilling-grade bentonite under CNPCs' new standard. The results shown that the crystallization characteristics of natural bentonite causes it to form a network lattice structure under high temperature, leading to an increase in suspension viscosity with increasing temperature. On the contrast, the performance of industrial drilling-grade bentonite after aging at high temperature is quite different, the viscosity of some samples increases greatly, while others decrease rapidly. By analysis of experimental data, it can be concluded that the new standard Q/SY 17009-2019 is more scientific and reasonable than the old standards API SPEC-13A-2010 concerning “drilling fluids material specification”. Through supplementing different grades of the performances after aging at high temperature, and then grading the bentonite, it is more suitable for the actual needs of drilling engineering, which could be considered as a more reasonable scheme to evaluate drilling-grade bentonite.

The influence of leading Asian transnational corporations on the economies of countries in the world

Transnational corporations (TNCs) are now the leading players in international business. They contributed to the world economy transformation into international production, ensured the development of scientific and technological progress in all its areas: technical level and product quality; production efficiency; improving forms of management, enterprise management. They operate through their subsidiaries and branches in many countries around the world according to a single research and production and financial strategy. Issues related to the investigation of multinational corporations in the world are discussed in this paper. The essence of TNCs as a manifestation and driving force of transnationalization of the world economy is highlighted. The paper notes the impact of the covid-2019 pandemic on the world's leading TNCs. Based on the Fortune Global 500 rating and UNCTAD data, the activities of leading Asian multinationals (China, Japan, South Korea) are analyzed. The factors that contributed to the emergence and growth of Chinese companies on the world stage are identified. The sectors in which China's leading companies are concentrated and their influence is studied. The activities of the largest TNCs in China are considered: State Grid Corporation of China, Three Gorges, China National Petroleum Corporation, Ping An, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, ICBC and others. The total cost of Chinese FDI operations in the EU is analyzed. It is found that FDI in Ukraine is relatively small, but Chinese contractors are actively involved in the technical modernization of the Ukrainian metallurgical sector. The contribution of Japan to the global economy is investigated and the leading Japanese car manufacturers in the world by market capitalization in 2021 is identified. The activity of one of the largest TNCs in Japan – Toyota is considered. The «Korean» type of multinational corporations (cheboli) and the largest South Korean corporations in 2021 are analyzed according to the main financial indicators. While examining the activities of Asia's leading TNCs, it can be argued that today they have become an integral parts of international economic relations, but there is another side to their activities. That is why the analysis of negative and positive impact of leading Asian TNCs on the world is conducted.

Relevance of Marketing Strategies for Gas Stations in China – An Analysis Using SPSS

This study aims to find out the relevance of marketing strategies for gas stations in China. According to IBISWorld, the companies holding the largest market shares in China’s gas station industry include China Petrochemical Corporation, China National Petroleum Corporation, Sinochem Corporation, China National Offshore Oil Corporation, and BP (China) Holdings Limited. Marketing has changed over the past several years. Similarly, gas station marketing is all about more customers, greater sales, and higher profits. Technology provides many different marketing tools to see more fresh faces at the door, increase repeat sales, and improve profits. Word-of-mouth advertising should be encouraged, especially when contests are being held. The prizes from these contests may include car essentials, free coffee, free car wash, or coupons to be used at convenience stores. Customers who have won these contests would surely go around advertising the particular gas station, ultimately bringing in more customers. Other than that, managers can boost the sales volume through radio promotions as well. This study also aims to give future businessmen and women some ideas on how to deal with different kinds of strategies when it comes to marketing, especially in China in hope to cater and prove to the people of China the possibility of promoting businesses, such as the oil industry.

Jidong Restless Legs Syndrome Cohort Study: Objectives, Design, and Baseline Screening.

Background: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common neurological disorder with unpleasant leg sensations and serious negative effects on mental and physical health. Many observational studies showed that people with RLS had a high risk of vascular diseases, including cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but the findings were conflicting. The Jidong RLS Cohort Study is a prospective cohort study designed to mainly examine whether or not RLS is associated with an increased risk of CVD.Methods and Design: The study recruited 8,867 healthy participants older than 18 years from October 2014 to December 2015. Participants received a physical examination in the Staff Hospital, Jidong Oilfield Branch, China National Petroleum Corporation. Baseline data and blood samples were collected. Restless legs syndrome was assessed using the international RLS diagnostic criteria. All of subjects would be followed up until December 2025. Major cardiovascular/cerebrovascular events including cardiac death, myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke will be the primary outcomes. Secondary outcomes include all-cause mortality, the decline in quality of life, cognitive impairment, and depression.Discussion: This study will contribute to the scientific evidence on the association between RLS and cardiovascular risks and also provide an unprecedented opportunity for early detection and prevention of CVD.

Technology Focus: Artificial Lift (October 2021)

What, a second artificial lift focus feature this year? What’s going on? Well, maybe I can answer your questions with another round of questions: Do you know how many of your organization’s wells are artificially lifted? Or, more importantly, do you know what fraction of your production volumes are dependent on artificial lift? I would wager that the percentages are higher than you would expect, and I encourage you to seek out that information and share it. Share it with your asset team, share it with other asset teams, share it with other functions, share it with your management, shout it from the rooftops! Seriously, though, this information can be quite useful to you and your organization. Did you ever wonder if someone else could be struggling with the same artificial lift selection, installation, operation, or reliability challenges that you are? The answer you’re looking for may be in the SPE archives, or it may be just down the road with a colleague in a different part of the region, country, or world. Do you have a novel new technique, system, or invention that you want to try out? Why not leverage the knowledge that others in your company could also benefit from? Maybe they would even like to participate and strengthen your pilot with a broader range of test conditions. Do you need more personnel or technical or financial support for artificial lift in your asset? Show precisely what those electrical submersible pumps (ESPs), rod pumps, gas-lift valves, and plungers (among others) are lifting to the flowline. Sometimes a step back to a higher-level view can motivate and reinforce the people behind the day-to-day efforts to extend the time between failures and chase optimum performance. I’m certain that you are now a (possibly unwilling) expert at videoconferencing. That’s why I would like to encourage you to attend the 2021 SPE Electric Submersible Pumps Symposium, to be held 4–8 October in The Woodlands, Texas. Of course, the technical presentations will be well worth it, but you may gain even more value from the networking, collaboration, and idea generation that happens between the events listed in the program. Not an ESP person? Do gas and sand separators, power cables, advanced materials, and downhole sensors apply to other lift methods or well systems in general? How about applied artificial intelligence, reliability studies, and predictive analytics? Maybe they don’t for you right now, but they could. I hope to see you there. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 201153 - Intermittent Gas Lift for Liquid-Loaded Horizontal Wells in Tight Gas Shale Reservoirs by Daniel David Croce, Colorado School of Mines SPE 202668 - Insert Sucker Rod Surface-Controlled Subsurface Safety Valve: A Step Ahead To Improve the Well Integrity for Sucker Rod Artificial Lift Retrofitting by Salvatore Pilone, Eni, et al. SPE 201136 - New Stage of Rodless Artificial Lift Operation: The First Field Application of Submersible Motor Cable Plug With Electric Submersible Progressing Cavity Pump in CNPC by Shijia Zhu, China National Petroleum Corporation, et al.

Progress and development directions of shale oil reservoir stimulation technology of China National Petroleum Corporation

By reviewing the development history of shale oil reservoir stimulation technology of PetroChina Company Limited (PetroChina), we have systematically summarized the main progress of shale oil reservoir stimulation technology of CNPC in five aspects: reservoir stimulation mechanism, fracture-controlled fracturing, geological-engineering integrated reservoir stimulation design platform, low-cost materials, and large well-pad three-dimensional development mode. It is made clear that the major stimulation technology for shale oil reservoir is the high density multi-cluster and fracture-controlled staged fracturing aiming to increase fracture-controlled reserves, lower operation costs and increase economic benefits. Based on comprehensive analysis of the challenges shale oil reservoir stimulation technology faces in three-dimensional development, stimulation parameter optimization for fracture-controlled fracturing, refracturing and low-cost stimulation technology, we proposed five development directions of the stimulation technology: (1) Strengthen the research on integration of geology and engineering to make full use of reservoir stimulation. (2) Deepen the study on fracture-controlled fracturing to improve reserves development degree. (3) Promote horizontal well three-dimensional development of shale oil to realize the production of multiple layers vertically. (4) Research refracturing technology of shale oil reservoir through horizontal well to efficiently tap the remaining reserves between fractures. (5) Develop low-cost stimulation supporting technology to help reduce the cost and increase economic benefit of oilfield development.