Gas Industry Research Articles

Innovative waste management approaches in LNG operations: A detailed review

As the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry continues to expand globally, the imperative to address environmental concerns and enhance sustainability within LNG operations becomes paramount. This paper conducts a comprehensive and detailed review of innovative waste management approaches within the LNG sector. Traditional waste management practices in LNG operations, including disposal and recycling, are examined, highlighting the associated challenges. The focus then shifts to innovative approaches, encompassing recycling and circular economy initiatives, advanced waste-to-energy technologies, and the adoption of sustainable packaging solutions. Case studies and examples illustrate successful implementations of innovative waste management strategies in various LNG facilities, providing insights into the environmental and operational benefits achieved. The paper explores the implications of these approaches, emphasizing reduced carbon footprints, enhanced resource efficiency, and cost-effectiveness. Additionally, the review delves into the barriers and challenges hindering widespread adoption, including technological, economic, and regulatory considerations. This detailed examination aims to contribute valuable insights for industry stakeholders, policymakers, and researchers, fostering the integration of sustainable and innovative waste management practices in the ever-evolving landscape of LNG operations. Keywords: Innovative, Waste, Management, LNG operations, Review.

Environmental stewardship in the oil and gas sector: Current practices and future directions

This paper provides an overview of the current practices and future directions in environmental stewardship within the oil and gas industry, focusing on key areas of concern and strategies for improvement. The oil and gas industry has made significant strides in environmental stewardship in recent years, driven by a combination of regulatory requirements, corporate initiatives, and stakeholder pressure. One of the primary areas of focus has been the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions associated with extraction, refining, and transportation processes. Companies have implemented technologies such as carbon capture and storage to minimize their carbon footprint, alongside investments in renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures to transition towards cleaner energy alternatives. Furthermore, the industry has placed increasing emphasis on the responsible management of water resources, recognizing the potential environmental impacts of water extraction and usage in oil and gas operations. Strategies for water recycling, reuse, and wastewater treatment have been adopted to mitigate pollution and minimize strain on local ecosystems. Biodiversity conservation has also emerged as a critical aspect of environmental stewardship in the oil and gas sector, with companies undertaking environmental impact assessments and collaborating with conservation organizations to minimize habitat disruption and restore ecosystems affected by their operations. Community engagement and social responsibility are integral components of environmental stewardship, with companies seeking to address the social impacts of their operations through employment opportunities, infrastructure development, and social programs benefiting local communities. However, the industry continues to face challenges and limitations in its efforts to minimize environmental impact. Accidental spills, leaks, and other incidents pose significant ecological risks, highlighting the importance of stringent safety regulations and emergency response protocols. Moreover, the transition to renewable energy presents challenges for traditional oil and gas companies, requiring substantial capital investment and strategic planning. To address these challenges and advance environmental stewardship, several future directions are proposed. These include accelerating the transition to renewable energy, enhancing transparency and accountability in reporting environmental performance, strengthening environmental regulations and enforcement, investing in research and development of innovative technologies, and fostering collaboration among industry stakeholders, governments, NGOs, and local communities. Keywords: Stewardship, Oil, Gas, Sustainability, Climate, Mitigation

Polyvinyl Alcohol/Zr-based Metal Organic Framework Mixed-matrix Membranes Synthesis and Application for Hydrogen Separation

AbstractMembrane gas separation is an environmentally friendly and economical method used to separate valuable gases, industrial process gas wastes, and carbon dioxide from mixed gases. The most important part of this method is the membranes. Gas separation membranes are expected to have high separation and permeability performance, high mechanical strength, easy and fast production capability, and low prices. Polymer-based membranes are mostly preferred depending on the ease of modification capability. In this study, a zirconium-based metal organic framework (Zr-MOF, MIL-140 A) was synthesized and used as a filler within polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix for the selective separation of hydrogen (H2) from carbon dioxide (CO2). The effect of MIL-140 A addition on the mechanical, structural, and morphological properties of PVA was evaluated. The MIL-140 A significantly improved the mechanical strength of the membrane. According to the gas separation results, the increasing concentration of MIL-140 A increased the selective separation performance of the nanocomposite membrane. The highest mechanical strength (43.1 MPa) and best film-forming ability were obtained with 3 wt% MIL-140 A loaded membrane. The ideal H2/CO2 selectivity and hydrogen permeability were obtained as 5.6 and 944 Barrer, respectively at 2 bar feed pressure and room temperature. The highest ideal H2/CO2 selectivity was obtained as 6.3 with the H2 permeability of 959 Barrer when the MIL-140 A ratio was 4 wt%.

Examining the effect of leadership styles on organizational effectiveness in the oil and gas sector: does knowledge acquisition capacity matter?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between leadership styles and organizational effectiveness in the oil and gas industry, with a particular focus on the moderating role of knowledge acquisition capacity (KAC).Design/methodology/approachUsing a survey research design, data was collected from 322 respondents comprising faculty employees in the upstream, midstream and downstream of the oil and gas sector in Ghana. The data were analyzed by using the ordinary least squares approach to structural equation modelling with the use of SPSS and Amos software.FindingsThe findings contribute to the existing body of knowledge by confirming the positive associations between transformational and transactional leadership styles and organizational effectiveness. Moreover, the study highlights the significant moderating role of KAC, shedding light on the interaction between leadership styles and the ability to acquire and integrate external knowledge.Originality/valueBy investigating the influence of KAC, which represents a company’s ability to acquire and integrate external knowledge, this study provides a deeper understanding of how leadership styles interact with knowledge acquisition to shape organizational effectiveness. The study makes a contribution to the upper-echelon theory and a practice-knowledge contribution for managers in the oil and gas industry in Ghana.

A new stage in the development of the Russian gas industry

The article presents the results of a study of the current situation in the Russian gas industry. The main problems are identified. Directions for the transformation of regulation to ensure its sustainable operation and development are proposed. The present moment can be characterized as the transition to a new stage for the gas industry. Gas exports to Europe are no longer a source of financing the unprofitable domestic supplies and an investment resource for the development of new production centers and the gas transmission system. Eastern projects still require large investments, and it will be possible to talk about their profitability in decades. Therefore, complex transformations are needed in the industry, including the development of competition and gradual deregulation of prices, bringing regulated prices to reasonable costs, the inclusion of a seasonal factor in prices, resolving the issue of the gas transportation tariff, a revision of tax policy for a predictable sharing of risks and profitability between the state and business under high volatility on external markets. It is also necessary to create conditions and coordinate the activities of ministries to stimulate the development of companies’ businesses in the direction of working with highly processed products, which will not only guarantee sales, but also ensure the creation of new jobs and additional GDP growth.

Formation integrity evaluation for geosequestration of CO2 in depleted petroleum reservoirs under cyclic stress conditions

The geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2), also referred to as CO2 geosequestration, represents one of the most promising options for reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. However, most of the time, CO2 is captured with small amounts of other industrial gases such as sulphur dioxide (SO2) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S), which might be compressed together and stored in depleted petroleum reservoirs or aquifers. Moreover, during CO2 geosequestration in reservoirs, pressure variations during injection could force some amount of CO2 (with or without other acid gas impurities) into the caprock; thereby, altering the petrophysical, geochemical, and geomechanical properties of the caprock. Thus, the brittleness index of the reservoir and caprock might be impacted during CO2 geosequestration due to the chemical reactions between the rock minerals and the formation fluid. Furthermore, to meet the world net-zero carbon target, the promotion of CO2 utilization is paramount. This could be possible by developing an effective technology for cyclic CO2 geosequestration (with or without gas impurities). Therefore, studies on the co-injection of CO2 with other acid gases from industrial emissions, their withdrawal from the porous medium, and their impact on reservoir and caprock integrity are paramount. In this study, a dual-tubing string well completion technology was designed for cyclic injection and withdrawal of CO2 (with or without another acid gas), and numerical simulations were performed using TOUGHREACT codes, to model the cyclic process and investigate the co-injection of SO2 and H2S (separately) with CO2 in sandstone formations overlain by shale caprock. A novel technique of converting the volume fraction of minerals to their weight fraction was developed in this study, to evaluate the brittleness index of the sandstone reservoir and shale caprock during CO2 geosequestration. The findings of the study indicate that the porosity and permeability increase for the CO2 only and CO2–H2S injection cases, in the shale caprock; while for the CO2–SO2 injection case, porosity and permeability only decreased in the layers of the shale caprock contacted by SO2 and due to anhydrite precipitation. In all the injection cases, the porosity and permeability of the sandstone reservoir decreased in a few layers directly below the perforation interval of the production zone. However, in other regions in the sandstone reservoir, the porosity and permeability increased for the CO2 only and CO2–H2S injection cases. In contrast, for the CO2–SO2 co-injection case, porosity and permeability decreased in the layers of the sandstone rock contacted by SO2. In all the CO2 geosequestration cases, the brittleness of the shale and sandstone rocks investigated decreased slightly, except in the CO2–SO2 co-injection case where the brittleness of the sandstone rock decreased significantly. Based on the mineralogical composition of the formations in this study, co-injection of SO2 gas with CO2 gas, only decreased the brittleness index of the shale caprock slightly, but significantly decreased the brittleness of the sandstone reservoir.

An Exploratory Study for Performance Improvement through Supplier Client Services Framework

This research is aimed to study on supplier relationship management particularly on service procurement of the oil and gas industry in Malaysia. Volatile oil price and COVID-19 pandemic required oil and gas companies to re-evaluate their supply chain strategies to minimise the impact. One of the strategies was to build better relationships with suppliers. Based on literature, services procurement is much more complex than goods procurement. The literature reviewed the topic of the oil and gas industry, outsourcing and subcontracting and supplier relationship management. In details, different elements of supplier relationship management are discussed such as its model, benefits, influencing factors and types of suppliers and relationships were discussed. From the literature review, a conceptual framework was developed. “Case study” is adopted as the research method as it provides sophisticated insight on the research topic. Four companies were interviewed to understand the supplier relationship management process. The research findings show that there are different supplier relationship management processes adopted by the four companies selected for case study. All companies agreed that they gained benefits with better supplier relationships. However, all the companies are facing difficulties in implementation of supplier relationship management. In addition, the interviewees expect their suppliers to be more competent in terms of cost, time and quality to contribute to a better buyer-supplier relationship. The conceptual framework is revised based on the research findings and presented as one of the findings.

Investigation of iron dissolution mechanism in acidic solutions with and without dissolved CO2 – Part I: EIS measurements

ABSTRACT Aqueous CO2 corrosion of mild steel is one of the major problems in the oil and gas industry. While current understanding primarily focuses on cathodic reaction mechanisms, less attention has been given to the impact of aqueous CO2 on the anodic iron dissolution reaction. In contrast, the mechanism of iron dissolution in strong acidic environments has been thoroughly investigated. Among the reaction mechanisms found in the open literature, a multi-path mechanism was identified that could explain the iron dissolution in strong acidic sulfate solution; both in terms of steady state polarization sweeps and impedance data at various pH values and current densities. However, the role of aqueous CO2 in solutions containing chlorides on the mechanism of iron dissolution had remained an open question. The present study used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) as the main technique, to study the mechanism of iron dissolution in strong acid chloride solution with and without the presence of CO2. Results showed that the presence of chloride ions (0.5 M) decreases the rate of iron dissolution by competing with hydroxide ions to adsorb on the metal surface, forming chloride-containing intermediate species that participate in the iron dissolution reaction. The resulting decrease in the availability of hydroxide intermediates, which are more effective at enhancing the reaction rate compared to chloride-containing intermediates, leads to an overall decrease in the rate of iron dissolution. While the presence of CO2 increases anodic current density, EIS investigation revealed that neither aqueous CO2 nor other carbonic species directly react on the bare metal surface to form adsorbed intermediates involved in the anodic reaction. EIS investigation suggested that aqueous CO2 may induce changes in the chemical composition of adsorbed species, rate constants, and surface coverage, thereby altering the kinetics of the underlying reactions.

Innovative integrated workflow for data-driven production forecasting and well completion optimization: A Montney Formation case study

With the use of advanced data analytics and machine learning (ML) techniques, the oil and gas industry has transformed significantly in recent years. These innovations have opened new opportunities in reservoir engineering, allowing engineers to leverage data for better decision-making and well completion optimization. A key challenge in hydrocarbon exploration and production is forecasting gas production rates from unconventional sources. This is a crucial factor that affects how resources are allocated and decisions are made, requiring the application of novel techniques to enhance hydrocarbon production. Here, a novel and comprehensive automated workflow is introduced covering data collection, data preparation, feature selection, ML model development, and operational parameter optimization. The workflow uses various ML and optimization methods, including a modified Differential Evolution (MDE) algorithm, to improve gas production forecasting and optimize well completion parameters. We applied the proposed workflow to 3144 horizontal gas wells in the Montney Formation, British Columbia (BC), Canada, to assess its performance. The results showed the advantages of incorporating the initial 24 months of cumulative gas production data alongside well and completion data. Also, following the fine-tuning of hyperparameters for the ML algorithms, we identified the most effective model for forecasting cumulative gas production within the Montney Formation as a two-layer Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model. Moreover, using the MDE algorithm, the optimization results revealed the possibility of increasing gas production by more than 10% for about 47% of the wells. This research makes a significant contribution to the field of unconventional gas exploration by introducing an automated workflow that simplifies data processing, model development, and decision-making processes. It also offers valuable insights for optimizing unconventional gas production in the Montney Formation and similar reservoirs, as the energy industry moves towards more sustainable and efficient practices.

Специфика реализации модульной программы переподготовки по формированию компетенций безопасного труда персонала нефтегазовой отрасли

The research is aimed at the identification of specifics in implementation of modular retraining program developing competencies in occupational safety for staff members in oil and gas industry. The article focuses on the need for developing competencies in occupational safety for staff members in oil and gas industry, presents a conceptual and modular scheme for developing competencies in occupational safety for staff members in oil and gas industry, discusses the assessment of changing level of competencies in occupational safety as a result of implementing the conceptual and modular scheme. The research is scientifically novel since it presents a new conceptual and modular scheme and a new retraining program evolved for developing competencies in occupational safety for staff members in oil and gas industry; a procedure of evaluating the completion of the retraining program using testing by modules has been developed; the experience of testing the implementation and a qualitative assessment of the efficiency of the developed program has been realized. The research identifies that the use of a conceptual and modular scheme and the retraining program developed on its basis for additional vocational education has a positive effect on occupational safety competencies, which, in its turn, reduces the occurrence of emergencies and industrial accidents in the researched industry.

The ANALYSIS of the MECHANICAL PROPERTIES of REGIONAL PIPELINES

Piston pumps and compressors are widely used for exploration and transportation of oil and gas. Piston machines are heavy-duty systems that are still failure prone due to high stresses and wear proses. Increasing the efficiency and durability of the piston compressors, pumps, internal combustion engines, etc. directly depends on the correct calculations and designing of these elements. Using ANSYS software, simulation and stress analysis are performed on the basis of the 405GP15/70 and ARIEL heavy-duty balanced opposed piston compressors used in the Caspian Sea-Black Sea Region. During working of the machines and equipment a number of the processes interconnected and causing each other are proceeds (dynamic processes, wear of the interfaced details, change of mechanical properties of materials, etc.). Improvement of modelling of technical condition of cars and mechanisms on a multicriteria basis is one of the actual directions of modern engineering science. The improvement of methods of modelling of change of technical conditions of the piston mechanisms taking into account interrelation of dynamic characteristics, the wear interfaced details and the diagnosed mechanical parameters considered in this article. By observing the analysis results, we can decide whether our designed pipelines are safe or not under applied load conditions. The durable and reliable work of compressor-pump stations used in the oil and gas industry has great importance for practice. Investigation of complex problems with respect to friction and wear (clearances), stresses, and thermodynamics phenomena in the piston machines, and oil and gas pipelines gives the opportunity to solve the problems of increasing the durability of these machines and pipelines. Confirmation that the new methodologies can be produced by the current supply chain improving manufacturing efficiency and reducing the environmental and social impact of the supply chain.

Direct mineral content prediction from drill core images via transfer learning

Deep subsurface exploration is important for mining, oil and gas industries, as well as in the assessment of geological units for the disposal of chemical or nuclear waste, or the viability of geothermal energy systems. Typically, detailed examinations of subsurface formations or units are performed on cuttings or core materials extracted during drilling campaigns, as well as on geophysical borehole data, which provide detailed information about the petrophysical properties of the rocks. Depending on the volume of rock samples and the analytical program, the laboratory analysis and diagnostics can be very time-consuming. This study investigates the potential of utilizing machine learning, specifically convolutional neural networks (CNN), to assess the lithology and mineral content solely from analysis of drill core images, aiming to support and expedite the subsurface geological exploration. The paper outlines a comprehensive methodology, encompassing data preprocessing, machine learning methods, and transfer learning techniques. The outcome reveals a remarkable 96.7% accuracy in the classification of drill core segments into distinct formation classes. Furthermore, a CNN model was trained for the evaluation of mineral content using a learning data set from multidimensional log analysis data (silicate, total clay, carbonate). When benchmarked against laboratory XRD measurements on samples from the cores, both the advanced multidimensional log analysis model and the neural network approach developed here provide equally good performance. This work demonstrates that deep learning and particularly transfer learning can support extracting petrophysical properties, including mineral content and formation classification, from drill core images, thus offering a road map for enhancing model performance and data set quality in image-based analysis of drill cores.

The Clean Energy Transition and the Regulatory Paradigm

Being in regular contact with electric and natural gas industry professionals including regulators and policy makers, several critical concerns have been surfaced more prominently. The significance of these concerns center around the pace, scale, and cost of the clean energy transition. Collectively, we are at a point of reckoning—and conversations are now increasingly focused on these concerns.

Fine-tuning porosity of In-MOFs with ncb topology based on reticular chemistry for one-step purification C2H4 from ternary C2H6/C2H4/C2H2 mixtures

One-step purification of C2H4 from ternary C2H6/C2H4/C2H2 mixtures by single adsorbent is of great industrial significance, but few adsorbents can achieve this purpose. Herein, four isoreticular In-MOFs, In-BDC-AINA, In-ATC-INA, In-Fum-INA, and In-Fum-AINA (H2BDC, H2ATC, H2Fum, HINA, and HAINA are 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid, 2-amino-terephthalic acid, fumaric acid, isonicotinic acid and 3-amino-isonicotinic acid, respectively), were designed and synthesized by the guidance of reticular chemistry, using the known In-BDC-INA as the platform, through amino modification and ligand shortening approaches. In-ATC-INA and In-BDC-AINA were aminations of H2BDC and HINA, respectively. In-Fum-INA is replacing H2BDC to shorter H2Fum. In-Fum-AINA is obtained by further amination of In-Fum-INA. Due to the molar ratio of isoniacic and dicarboxylic ligands in this series structure is 2/1, they exhibit different site numbers, site distributions, pore sizes and pore volumes after regulation. These frameworks without open metal sites provided the ability of C2H6/C2H4 inversion adsorption. The amino modification and ligand shortening approaches successfully improved the selectivity of C2H2/C2H4, and the equimolar C2H2/C2H4 selectivities of In-ATC-INA (1.82) and In-Fum-INA (2.81) were higher than that of In-BDC-INA (1.73) calculated by IAST method. The breakthrough results show that In-BDC-INA, In-ATC-INA and In-Fum-INA can achieve one-step separation of the ternary C2 mixtures and the C2H4 yields are 0.08, 0.13 and 0.09 mmol/g, respectively, demonstrating that the two approaches have successfully improved the gas separation performance. In addition, these materials possess exceptional thermal and chemical stability, the low-cost ligand used in In-Fum-INA synthesis further enhances its potential application for industrial gas separation.

A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle cost analysis (LCCA), mechanical and long-term leaching evaluation of road pavement structures containing multiple secondary materials

Oil-Based Drill Cuttings (OBDC) are one of the hazardous wastes of the oil and gas industry. In this study, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), OBDC and Fly Ash (FA) geopolymer were used in Cold Central Plant Recycling (CCPR) mixtures. The dynamic modulus test was used to appraise the viscoelastic properties of CCPR mixtures. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) test was also utilized to investigate the long-term contaminants leaching. In addition, a cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) were conducted to evaluate the potential environmental burdens and economic costs of pavement structures containing CCPR mixtures. Moreover, Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) analysis using four different methods was performed to determine the optimal sample. The results revealed that the recycling of OBDC and RAP in stabilized CCPR mixtures with FA geopolymer can improve the viscoelastic properties and prevent the leaching of contaminants from these waste materials. Furthermore, recycling of the mentioned waste materials in CCPR mixtures has caused a significant reduction in global warming, acidification, eutrophication, smog, respiratory effects, Human toxicity, ecotoxicity, and cumulative energy demand up to 41%, 36.6%, 73%, 43%, 47%, 34%, 73%, and 13%, respectively. Additionally, using CCPR mixtures containing the OBCD, RAP, and FA geopolymer in the pavement structure has led to economic benefits of up to 31% compared to the conventional pavement system.

Capture of carbonyl sulfide trace from natural gas by adsorption on zeolitic Nanostructure: Monte Carlo molecular simulation

The economic and environmental challenge for the oil and gas industries is to eliminate carbonyl sulfide (COS) from natural gas selectively. This compound can lead to corrosion and environmental damage, even when it is present in small amounts. The zeolites have been known as the appropriate adsorbent for COS. Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulation has been used to explore the suitability of zeolite frameworks with different topologies on the adsorption and separation properties of mixtures containing industrial concentrations of COS in order to overcome the experimental tests that are difficult to handle. The adsorption isotherms for pure COS and COS/methane mixture on purely siliceous zeolites such as BEA, FAU, LTL, MFI, and MOR have been recorded at 298 K within a pressure range of 0–100 kPa. MFI zeolite, with its high adsorption capacity and isosteric heat, has been identified as the most suitable candidate for COS adsorption due to its ideal pore size and shape. Examining the density distribution snapshots reveals the preferred locations of zeolites for the COS adsorption. The findings could be systematically used in various case studies, thereby providing insights into selecting the best zeolitic nanostructure for the industrial removal processes of COS.

Microcosmic insights into Hg0-SO2 interaction on CuFe2O4 catalyst

CuFe2O4 is considered as a very promising kind of catalysts for Hg0 oxidation in the industrial flue gas. The flue gas produced by solid-fuel combustion usually contains acid gas component SO2, which can exhibit the versatile effects on Hg0 oxidation. However, the effects of SO2 on Hg0 oxidation catalyzed by CuFe2O4 catalyst and its reaction mechanism remain elusive. Herein, the reaction mechanism governing the effects of SO2 on Hg0 oxidation was investigated via the Hg0 oxidation experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The experimental results show that the temperature change and SO2 presence can affect the Hg0 removal efficiency of CuFe2O4 catalyst. SO2 has a certain degree of inhibition effect on the Hg0 oxidation of CuFe2O4 catalyst. The inhibition effect of SO2 is relatively weak in the low temperature range of 50–150 °C, which is closely associated with the competitive adsorption between SO2 and Hg0. SO2 exhibits a relatively strong inhibition effect on Hg0 oxidation in the high temperature range of 200–350 °C, which is related to the high-temperature sulfation of CuFe2O4 catalyst surface. Mercury species on the CuFe2O4 catalyst surface mainly exists in the forms of HgSO4 and HgO in the presence of SO2. The DFT-calculation results indicate that the conversion process of SO2 to SO3 includes two steps: SO2 adsorption and SO2 oxidation. The activation energy barrier of SO2 oxidation reaction is 216.42 kJ/mol. The oxidation of Hg0 on the surface of CuFe2O4 catalyst includes four steps: Hg0 adsorption, Hg* oxidation into HgO*, HgO*-to-HgSO4* conversion and HgSO4 desorption. HgSO4 is formed by the bimolecular reaction of HgO* and SO3* on CuFe2O4 catalyst. Hg* oxidation into HgO* is found to be the rate-determining step of HgSO4 formation.

Regulatory lag, efficiency, and performance. Lessons from a case study

Our main contribution is to identify the risks implied by the existence of prolonged regulatory lags. We hypothesize that a likely first response is to reduce OPEX, increasing efficiency. If the lag persists for enough time, a vicious circle of inefficiency, disinvestment, and reduced performance can follow. We use a regulatory episode affecting natural gas distributors in Argentina as a natural experiment, controlling with other Latin American countries’ utilities not exposed to the same regulatory stimuli. We evaluate the relative efficiency of fourteen firms for five countries, in seven years, using Stochastic Frontiers Analysis (SFA). Thus, we perform a regulatory impact analysis (RIA) to assess the consequences on the performance of two idiosyncratic regulatory policy instruments applied in the distribution gas industry in Argentina in the 1998–2021 period (the 2002 Public Emergency Law and the 2016 Integral Tariff Review).

Turn-on fluorescent probe for ultrafast detection of phosgene in the environment and household bleach; its applications in live cell imaging

Phosgene is a vital industrial gas that might substantially imperil public safety in the case of an accident or terrorist attack due to its extreme toxicity and history of use as a chemical warfare agent. Herein we built a simple photoinduced electron transfer-intramolecular charge transfer based turn-on fluorescent probe for ultrafast detection of phosgene within ≤ 3 s. The probe provides low detection limit (0.01 ppm) with distinct colour and fluorescence changes only in the presence of phosgene. With the help of a readily available colour smartphone app, the probe-loaded paper strips allowed for the direct visualization and quantitative measurement of phosgene vapour. Using the probe-coated strips to detect phosgene that evolved from common household bleach. Finally, the probe was utilized to detect phosgene in living cells.

Transforming equipment management in oil and gas with AI-Driven predictive maintenance

The oil and gas industry faces significant challenges in managing equipment maintenance due to the complexity and criticality of its assets. Traditional maintenance approaches are often reactive and inefficient, leading to costly downtime and safety risks. However, the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive maintenance technologies offers a transformative solution to these challenges. This paper explores the role of AI-driven predictive maintenance in revolutionizing equipment management in the oil and gas sector. AI-driven predictive maintenance leverages machine learning algorithms to analyze equipment data and predict when maintenance is required before a breakdown occurs. By monitoring equipment performance in real-time, AI can identify potential issues early, allowing operators to take proactive maintenance actions. This approach helps minimize downtime, reduce maintenance costs, and improve overall equipment reliability and safety. The implementation of AI-driven predictive maintenance requires a comprehensive strategy that includes data collection, analysis, and integration with existing maintenance practices. Successful adoption of AI-driven predictive maintenance can lead to significant benefits for oil and gas companies, including increased equipment uptime, extended asset lifespan, and enhanced operational efficiency. This paper reviews the current landscape of equipment management in the oil and gas industry, highlighting the limitations of traditional maintenance practices and the need for a more proactive approach. It then examines the principles and benefits of AI-driven predictive maintenance, showcasing real-world examples of its successful implementation. Finally, the paper discusses the challenges and considerations for implementing AI-driven predictive maintenance and provides recommendations for oil and gas companies looking to transform their equipment management practices. Keywords: Transforming Equipment; Management; Oil and Gas; AI-Driven; Predictive Maintenance.