Oil And Gas Industry Research Articles

The Impacts of Innovation Attribute, Business Environment, and Risk Management on the Artificial Intelligence Investment Decision in Oman’s Hydrocarbons Industry

The Impacts of Innovation Attribute, Business Environment, and Risk Management on the Artificial Intelligence Investment Decision in Oman’s Hydrocarbons Industry

Factors that Influence AI Investment Decisions in Oman's Hydrocarbons Industry: A Review of the Theoretical Literature and Proposed Theoretical Mode

Factors that Influence AI Investment Decisions in Oman's Hydrocarbons Industry: A Review of the Theoretical Literature and Proposed Theoretical Mode

Relationship between Wastewater Quality and Corporate Stock Price

Almost all industrial players handle wastewater treatment in one way or another by themselves, no matter the industry or company’s size. Some companies have wastewater treatment plants, and others are considering investments for construction or modernisation. Occasionally, industrial wastewater is discharged to a municipal wastewater treatment plant; however, it must sometimes be pre-treated. Corporate wastewater quality is imperative for environmental responsibility, corporate legitimacy and financial performance. This paper examines the relationship between the reduction of hydrocarbon content of offshore and onshore wastewater and the stock price presented in TotalEnergies. The data on hydrocarbon content reduction in offshore and onshore wastewater discharge was collected from the TotalEnergies 2022 Sustainability and Climate Progress Report. In addition, the data on TotalEnergy’s stock price was collected from the FusionMedia online stock price index. Data was analysed quantitatively through the application of a graphical approach. Findings from the graphical analysis of data depict two important dimensions of the stock value effect. Firstly, the results show a corresponding relationship between the reduction in the hydrocarbon content of wastewater and an increase in the stock price value of TotalEnergies. Secondly, the results show that the increase in stock price value continues even beyond the times of hydrocarbon reduction, which shows that investors compensate the company for its previously good performance in hydrocarbon reduction. This legitimacy-ingrained performance shows that hydrocarbon reduction protects the company’s value even during uncertainties and/or hindrances in wastewater quality. Based on this finding, the paper develops an inductive hypothesis, opening a new research agenda. The findings are of practical significance for industrial hydrocarbon content reduction and the attraction of short- and long-term financial value to the industry.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION - AN APPROACH IN PETROLEUM INDUSTRY IN A LOCAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL CONTEXT

In a new era where organizations in the oil and natural gas industry are increasingly focusing - in their business - on reducing expenses and increasing productivity, digital transformation is one of the key solutions in terms of streamlining technological processes in this sector very important for humanity. Digitization not only improves efficiency, but plays an essential role in the safety and security of exploration, exploitation and development in this field and beyond - it helps both to address other fundamental operational areas and to achieve the goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions. In our view, oil and gas organizations need to understand that digital transformation is an important part of where the industry is headed. Organizations also have to deal with this big change, first of all they have to effectively manage the organizational change that digital transformation inevitably brings.

Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) practices in the LNG industry: A review

This study thoroughly examines Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE) practices in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry, a sector pivotal to the global energy landscape. The paper delves into the complexities and evolving nature of HSE practices, underscoring the industry's critical role in energy transition and its impact on environmental sustainability. The aim is to synthesize current challenges, assess risk management strategies, evaluate regulatory compliance and explore the influence of technological advancements and human factors on HSE practices. Through a systematic review and meta-analysis approach, the study meticulously analyzes peer-reviewed literature, focusing on the LNG industry's HSE practices since the year 2000. This comprehensive methodological framework ensures an unbiased synthesis of existing research, providing insights into trends, gaps and future research directions. Key findings reveal significant HSE challenges, including operational risks, environmental impacts and safety concerns. The study highlights the efficacy of current risk management strategies, emphasizing the need for comprehensive methodological approaches. It also sheds light on the multifaceted nature of regulatory compliance within the industry, stressing the importance of a compliance-oriented organizational culture and technological adaptation. The study concludes with recommendations for continuous improvement in HSE practices, leveraging technological innovations, fostering a compliance-oriented culture and adopting a multifaceted approach to manage complex HSE challenges. It advocates for balancing economic growth with environmental responsibility and safety, ensuring the LNG industry's sustainable development. This paper contributes significantly to the body of knowledge on HSE practices in the LNG industry and serves as a foundation for future research and policy development in this critical energy sector.

ANALYTICAL STUDIES OF THE INTERACTION OF DRILLING STRING ASSEMBLY WITH THE WALLS OF WELL WITH HORIZONTAL TAILING-IN

In modern conditions of well construction, it is necessary to develop and apply the most effective and economically profitable solutions for oil and natural gas industry. Drilling companies need to reduce the cost of drilling wells, especially those with directional and horizontal ones. One of the ways to reduce the cost of drilling directional wells and wells with horizontal termination is to improve calculation models that optimize the selection of parameters of the elements of the drilling string assembly for directional drilling. The issue of developing a methodology for calculating the deflecting force of the drilling string assembly remains relevant when using rotary controlled systems and non-magnetic drilling collars of a telemetry module with a downhole motor for drilling directional wells and wells with a horizontal termination. In connection with the sanctions and the changing geopolitical situation, it seems relevant to
 improve the software in order to import substitution of the following products: Advantage, Wellplan, Compass, Schlumberger Drilling Office, Wellarchitect, Bhasyspro. The stiffness characteristics of the downhole tool, which can be calculated on the basis of the above software, do not allow the selection of individual elements of the drilling string assembly with the possibility of predicting the deflecting force on the bit, and thus there is no possibility of analyzing the intensity of the set of curvature of the trajectory of directional wells and wells with a horizontal termination.
 In this regard, improving the methodology for selecting the parameters of the elements of the drilling string assembly for directional drilling and increasing the efficiency of its operation is an urgent task and can contribute to the further intensive development of well drilling technology.

Formation of the innovative pole of Atyrau region development

Concepts such as growth poles and growth centres used to be interpreted as aggregate concentrations of population, natural resources, industries and services, and geographically as cities and development centres, but are now also referred to as free economic zones and technopoles. Despite the fact that the largest companies in the oilgas industry are located in Atyrau region, the manufacturing industry is not developed. There is a need to identify the growth poles and the formation of organisational and economic forms of their development in increasing the share of innovative production and activities in the oilgas chemical industry in the Atyrau region economy, occupying such unique resources as hydrocarbon raw materials. The formation of clusters in the regions will contribute to attracting investments in priority areas, activation of innovation activity, increasing export potential, making structural changes in the region. A relevant issue is the effectiveness of creating cluster structures in Atyrau region. Kazakhstan can become a real subject on innovative cluster development, offering products both on domestic and foreign markets in the raw materials direction. The prerequisites for the creation of innovation clusters on the study of economic and innovation potential in Atyrau region are considered. This article is devoted to the identification of theoretical and methodological aspects of the formation of growth poles in the development of the region's economy. The main purpose of this study is to substantiate the formation of innovation growth poles in Atyrau region. The authors conducted quantitative and qualitative analysis, assessment of economic, as well as Atyrau region innovation potential, determined the innovation activity of Atyrau region economic entities.

Four-Dimensional History Matching Using ES-MDA and Flow-Based Distance-to-Front Measurement

The use of 4D seismic data in history matching has been a topic of great interest in the hydrocarbon industry as it can provide important information regarding changes in subsurfaces caused by fluid substitution and other factors where well data is not available. However, the high dimensionality and uncertainty associated with seismic data make its integration into the history-matching process a challenging task. Methods for adequate data reduction have been proposed in the past, but most address 4D information mismatch from a purely mathematical or image distance-based standpoint. In this study, we propose a quantitative and flow-based approach for integrating 4D seismic data into the history-matching process. By introducing a novel distance parametrization technique for measuring front mismatch information using streamlines, we address the problem from a flow-based standpoint; at the same time, we maintain the amount of necessary front data at a reduced and manageable amount. The proposed method is tested, and its results are compared on a synthetic case against another traditional method based on the Hausdorff distance. The effectiveness of the method is also demonstrated on a semi-synthetic model based on a real-case scenario, where the standard Hausdorff methodology could not be applied due to high data dimensionality.

Methane emission reduction in China's natural gas industry: Construction of technology inventory and selection of optimal technology programs

Methane (CH4) is a potent yet short-lived greenhouse gas (GHG), and CH4 emissions from China's natural gas industry hinder its low-carbon and high-quality development. This paper addressed this challenge by compiling emission reduction technology inventory targeting CH4 emissions from process and vented within the natural gas industry. Using a multi-objective optimization model and the NSGA-II algorithm, various technology programs were generated to minimize both emissions and costs simultaneously. These programs underwent classification using quadrants and the osculating value method to identify optimal programs for emission reduction and cost-effectiveness. This paper examined 30 potential programs as samples for upstream and midstream. The study demonstrated that for decision-makers with preferences, this paper employed quadrant classification, categorizing all potential programs into three categories: “emission reduction,” “cost,” and “comprehensive.” This categorization met the demand preferences of different decision-makers. For decision-makers lacking specific preferences, the paper identified the best emission reduction technology programs under the current target using the osculating value method. Specifically, in the upstream, the most effective program achieved a 37.85 % reduction in emissions, highlighting “Reduced Emissions Completions for Hydraulically Fractured Gas Wells” as the critical technology. In the midstream, the best program achieved a reduction efficiency of 25.80 %, with “Replacing Wet Seals with Dry Seals in Centrifugal Compressors” contributing the most to emissions reduction. This study offers guidance and illuminating reference cases for the selection of CH4 emission reduction technologies within China's natural gas industry.

ZnAs2O4′s gas sensing performance

Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about the significance of new materials, such as gas sensing mixed metal oxides (MMO), in monitoring air pollution, home security, public safety, hazardous industrial emissions, and automobile exhaust. The catalyst, ZnAs2O4, was synthesized via a mechanochemical method (MCh). FTIR, UV-DRS, XRD, and SEM were used to characterize this synthesized catalyst. The average particle size has been identified to be between 25 and 30 nm. ZnAs2O4′s gas sensing capabilities were investigated in relation to NH3, CO, H2S and Cl2. ZnAs2O4 material has been found to have considerable gas sensing properties toward highly harmful gases, including H2S gas emitted by sewage plants and the oil and natural gas industry. It also has superior selectivity, increased sensitivity, and a moderate temperature requirement.

Distributed or centralized? Long-term dynamic allocation and maintenance planning of modular equipment to produce multi-product natural gas based on life cycle thinking

With the increasing complexity of the natural gas trading market, enhancing the flexibility of multi-product natural gas production has practical significance for improving the whole life cycle benefits of gas fields. At present, the collaborative relationship between multi-product process optimization and modular equipment has not been studied enough; there is still a lack of integrated model coupling process optimization, modular equipment design, and scheduling optimization. Therefore, this paper utilizes the convenient scheduling technique across multiple blocks and establishes a distributed multi-product natural gas processing model based on life cycle thinking, facilitating the enduring, dynamic configuration and upkeep administration of modular equipment. The established optimization model is formulated to maximize the net present value of profits, allowing for the selection of optimal production strategy for various natural gas products, such as LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), NG (Natural Gas), mainly including volume distribution, capacity of gas, and installation, utilization, inter-block scheduling, and recovery of modular equipment, etc. Modular equipment within multiple blocks can be dynamically adjusted based on the production status of the gas field and the market demand for multi-product natural gas. By researching actual production cases, the effectiveness and reliability of this approach have been verified. The results indicate that the net present value of the equipment cost is 89 % of the traditional equipment, which significantly improves production system flexibility and economic benefits of the gas field. This study proposes new operational and management ideas for future distributed multi-product production models in gas fields by considering the efficiency of natural gas resource development and utilization, as well as the risk resistance of the multi-product natural gas industry chain.

The dynamic analysis of fixed deep-water platform

The industrial progress is closely related with active using of hydrocarbons more than half of reserves of which lie in rock formations beneath seabed or ocean floor. For oil production at the great depth of immersion oil production fixed platforms are used most often. But using of such technological structures is not limited only to interest of oil and natural gas industry whereas they are important for navigation and military purposes. Offshore fixed platforms are exposed to effects of a high seismicity, wind, waves, strong undercurrents and an impulse impact during the movement of ice fields especially when exploitation in northern seas. The impact of different factors on the value of the period of natural oscillations ofthe offshore fixed deep-water ice-resistant platform with the depth of immersion 120 m that rests on the pile foundation was researched. Two discrete idealized models of the platform were used for the analysis: the first model that was implemented without taking into account the flexibility of the foundation and the second model where the flexibility of the pile foundation and the action of ground foundation were taking into account by the addition of elastic links that simulate the elastic connection between joints. Also, impacts of the connected mass of water media that was modeled in the form of additional distributed joints mass and the impact of the ice field that was modeled by the addition of additional links were investigated. The analysis showsthat values of periods of natural oscillations form increase by 8-20% when the flexibility of the pile foundation was taken into account; increase by 9-100% when the impact of the connected mass of water media was taken into account; decrease by 9-100% when the impact of the ice field and water media were taken into accountthat is significant when analyzing of stress-strain state of members of the structure.

Utilization of Waste Hydrocarbon Gases

A variety of natural and anthropogenic sources of hydrocarbon gases make a significant contribution to the global emission of greenhouse gases. Reducing the anthropogenic emission of industrial hydrocarbon gases is impossible without new technologies that would allow their cost-effective utilization. The paper describes a number of new promising technologies based on autothermal gas-phase processes of partial oxidation and oxidative cracking of various hydrocarbons, such as associated petroleum gases, coalbed methane, refinery gases, and biogas, which open up prospects for a significant reduction in their flaring or emission into the atmosphere. Among the technologies under consideration are those involving their processing for subsequent use in the energy sector and low-tonnage production of various demanded chemicals.

Current trends and challenges in the analysis of marine environmental contaminants by isotope ratio mass spectrometry.

An increasing number of organic and inorganic pollutants are being detected in the marine environment, posing a severe threat to the ecosystem and human health, even in trace concentrations. Isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) is one of the critical methods for determining the origin and fate of environmental pollutants and characterising their transformation processes. It has been used for a relatively long time for ecological monitoring of some well-studied industrial hydrocarbons at contaminated sites. However, the method still faces many analytical challenges. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent technical advances concerning IRMS analysis of various contaminants and discusses typical pitfalls encountered in marine environment analysis. Particular attention is given to the study of sampling techniques and sample preparation for examination, often the keys to successful research given the complexity of marine matrices and the diverse and numerous nature of contaminants. Prospects for developing IRMS to monitor pollution sources and pollutant transformation in the marine environment are outlined.

Heterogeneity of the impact of energy production and consumption on national greenhouse gas emissions

This research investigates the relationship between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and energy production and consumption patterns in 122 countries over the period from 1990 to 2020. Particular attention is paid to the role of different types of energy, including renewable, hydro and nuclear energy, as well as oil, gas and coal, in shaping GHG emissions. Unlike previous studies, the paper analyzes the full range of energy resources and focuses on different quantiles of data using the quantile-quantile regression (QQR) method. The results of this approach are compared with traditional quantile regression (QR) to assess its validity. Among the findings of this study are: (1) different parts of the energy mix have a heterogeneous impact on GHG emissions in different quantiles; (2) energy consumption patterns play a more significant role in shaping GHG emissions than production patterns; (3) increasing production and consumption of fossil fuels does not necessarily increase GHG emissions; (4) similarly, the development of renewable energy sources is not always accompanied by a reduction in GHG emissions. Our general conclusion is that existing climate policy requires significant diversification to not be focused only on renewable energy, which impact on GHG emissions is not as homogeneous as it usually considered, and which cannot solve the problem of raising emissions solely. Instead of this, it could be more rational to focus on the searching the ways of hydrocarbon industries sustainable development and support them in this journey, especially in the field of Scope 2 and Scope 3 operations management.

Improved high-temperature sintering resistance and light alkanes oxidation activity by La modification on Co3O4 nanocatalyst

In order to improve low-temperature activity and high-temperature sintering resistance of cobalt-based catalyst in catalytic degradation of emitted light alkanes, a strategy of lanthanum modification on Co3O4 nanocrystalline is proposed in this work, aiming at efficiently degrading methane emitted from the oil and natural gas industry. The La-Co3O4 nanocatalysts were prepared by co-precipitation method, and the effects of La-doping on the structural features and catalytic activity of Co3O4 catalyst for methane oxidation were investigated. The results show that the addition of lanthanum forms a composite catalyst containing La2O3 phase and Co3O4 phase, and the interaction increases the active species, which can significantly improve the low-temperature activity of the catalyst. Among them, 5 % La-Co3O4-F catalyst shows the best catalytic activity with 48 °C decrease of the temperature of 90 % methane conversion (T90) compared with pure Co3O4. Furthermore, with thermal ageing treatment at 750 °C for 100 h, Lanthanum modification can significantly slow down the agglomeration growth and the decrease of specific surface area of cobalt oxide in long-term running, and the formation of perovskite structure (LaCoO3) on Co3O4 nanocrystal surface increases the mobility of lattice oxygen, further inhibiting the sintering deactivation of Co3O4 catalyst. The catalyst doped with 5 % La still showed better performance after thermal ageing, which is 127 °C lower than T90 of pure Co3O4. Moreover, this advantage of La doping can also be observed in the catalytic oxidation of other typical hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane. This work provides a promising strategy toward the design of advanced non-precious metal oxide catalysts for practical catalytic oxidation application with excellent high-temperature sintering resistance.

How can the compensation structure of Iran's natural gas distribution services be modified based on incentive-based regulations?

Although the government owns most of Iran's natural gas industry, outsourcing has begun via build-owned-and-transfer (BOT) contracts in development, and fixed-price service contracts for operation and maintenance. For instance, in the distribution industry, the private sector now performs 50 % of the tasks. Variable unit costs show the necessity for performance- and incentive-based rules to address the variability of enterprises' pay systems. These costs are greater for public firms in certain places and lower in others. Using the financial data of 31 Iranian natural gas distribution companies from 2010 to 2019, this study develops parametric models to evaluate time-variant, and time-invariant operational and capital efficiency. Besides, this paper studies four contextual factors that contribute to the heterogeneity of firms: network maturity, consumer density, consumer type, and consumption pattern. The results show that mature networks have an average 40 % higher operating unit cost. Moreover, the firms with more industrial customers in southern Iran recorded doubled sales costs. Based on unit expenditure modeling, the research suggests that merging small firms does not necessarily result in higher efficiency. Instead, mergers that optimize customer density, and average consumption growth are expected to be more effective.

Investigation of the Water-Invasion Gas Efficiency in the Kela-2 Gas Field Using Multiple Experiments

Although improving the recovery of water-invaded gas reservoirs has been extensively studied in the natural gas industry, the nature of the efficiency of water-invaded gas recovery remains uncertain. Low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) can be used to clearly identify changes in water saturation in the core during high-pressure water-invasion gas. Here, we provide four types of water-invasion gas experiments (spontaneous imbibition, atmospheric pressure, high-pressure approximate equilibrium, and depletion development water-invasion gas) to reveal the impact of the water-invasion gas efficiency on the recovery of water-invasion gas reservoirs. NMR suggested that imbibition mainly occurs in medium to large pores and that residual gas remains mainly in large pores. The amount of gas driven out from the large pores by imbibition was much greater than that driven out from the small pores. Our findings indicate that the initial gas saturation, contact surface, and permeability are the main factors controlling the residual gas saturation, suggesting that a reasonable initial water saturation should be established before the water-invasion gas experiments. Additionally, the water-invasion gas efficiency at high pressures can be more reliably obtained than that at normal pressures. After the high-pressure approximate equilibrium water invasion for gas displacement, a large amount of residual gas remains in the relatively larger pores of the core, with a residual gas saturation of 42%. In contrast to conventional experiments, the residual gas saturation and water displacement efficiency of the high-pressure approximate equilibrium water invasion for gas displacement did not exhibit a favorable linear relationship with the permeability. The residual gas saturation ranged from 34 to 43% (avg. 38%), while the water displacement efficiency ranged from 32 to 45% (avg. 40%) in the high-pressure approximate equilibrium water invasion for gas displacement. The residual gas saturation in the depletion development water-invasion gas experiment was 26–40% (average: 33%), with an efficiency ranging from 45 to 50% (average: 48%), indicating that the depletion development experiment is closer to the actual development process of gas reservoirs. Our findings provide novel insights into water-invasion gas efficiency, providing robust estimates of the recovery of water-invasion gas reservoirs.

Influence of Rate Effects, Temperature, and Moisture Content on the Geomechanical Behavior of Marine Clays

Abstract The study of the geomechanical behavior of marine clays is a basic requirement for project optimization of the oil and natural gas industry. As part of a large-scale project, this study explored the effects of moisture content, temperature, and rate effects using laboratory vane shear tests. A series of results has helped in the identification of the effects of ground freezing on the undrained shear strength. For temperatures below freezing (−2.0 °C) the undrained shear strength increases with increasing water content and decreases with increasing shear rates for applied angular velocities in the range of 0.0025– 0.015 rpm. Apparently, with the freezing of pore fluids, the shear strength is partially governed by the strength of the ice-soil particle bonds. The increase in shear rate appears to facilitate the breakage of the ice bonds and afterwards the ice crystals reducing the viscous effects on the mobilized shear strength. Conversely, samples tested at temperatures above freezing show an increase in undrained shear strength with the increase in the imposed angular velocity and decreases with increasing soil moisture. Based on these studies, it is concluded that rate effects should be coupled to the influence of temperature and moisture content in the design of offshore structures.

Industrial hydrocarbon production and the new opportunities for green energy

Subject. This article discusses the issues of development of the petrochemical and oil refining industry of the Republic of Bashkortostan. Objectives. The article aims to assess the prospects for the use of renewable energy sources and the modernization of traditional manufacturing industries. Methods. For the study, we used the methods of graphic and statistical analyses. Results. The article finds that with the depletion of proven oil reserves in the Republic of Bashkortostan, the fuel balance can be restored through oil supplies from the Arctic areas and that the development of green energy in the region is primarily associated with the production of composite fuel. Relevance. The results of the study can be used when designing plans for the production of innovative products by enterprises of the fuel and energy complex.