Oil And Gas Industry Research Articles

Cross-Linked Poly(Styrene-Co-Divinylbenzene)-Coated Quartz and Kaolinite Proppants For Hydraulic Fracturing Applications

AbstractThe hydraulic fracturing operation, used as a production process in shale gas and coalbed methane reservoirs in the oil and natural gas industry, consists of fracturing fluid, proppant, and many other chemicals. This study successfully produced hydraulic fracturing proppants based on quartz and kaolinite minerals using divinyl benzene cross-linked styrene polymer with an in situ suspension polymerization method. Morphological analysis of the prepared proppants confirmed their spherical structure and the sphericity of quartz and kaolinite proppants were determined as 0.9. The polymer shells of the prepared proppants showed thermal resistance up to 375 °C and then decomposed between 375 °C and 575 °C. As a result of mechanical tests, quartz proppants showed a crush resistance of 14.08% under a load of 18,000 psi. Similarly, a crush resistance of 14.28% for kaolinite proppants was determined under a load of 15,000 psi. The apparent densities of quartz and kaolinite proppants were determined as 1.635 g/cm3 and 1.365 g/cm3, respectively. However, quartz proppants mostly display brittle breakage behavior, while kaolinite proppants are plastically deformed under the applied load.

Metal-Organic Framework with Polar Pore Surface Designed for Purification of Both Natural Gas and Ethylene.

The advancement of high-value CH4 purification technology within the natural gas industry is paramount for industrial processes. Herein, we constructed ZJNU-402, a new porous material characterized by permanent porosity, as an effective adsorbent for separating C3H8/CH4 and C2H6/CH4 mixtures. The findings reveal an outstanding C3H8 adsorption capacity of 68 cm3 g-1 and a moderate C2H6 adsorption rate of 42 cm3 g-1, with a notably lower CH4 adsorption rate of 11 cm3 g-1. Noteworthy is the exceptional selectivity of ZJNU-402 for C3H8/CH4 and C2H6/CH4, standing at 375 and 31, respectively, surpassing many previously documented high-performance adsorbents and breaking the traditional trade-off between adsorption capacity and separation selectivity. Adsorption heat calculations show that compared with CH4 molecules, C3H8 and C2H6 molecules form stronger bonds with the skeleton, resulting in excellent separation performance. In addition, the breakthrough experiment of ZJNU-402 can also completely separate the ternary component C3H8/C2H6/CH4 mixture to obtain 99.95 % high-purity methane. At the same time, ZJNU-402 also has excellent structural stability, excellent recyclability, and low isosteric adsorption heat. Consequently, ZJNU-402 exhibits substantial potential for augmenting the efficacy of natural gas enrichment processes.

Design and realization of compressor data abnormality safety monitoring and inducement traceability expert system.

Centrifugal compressors are widely used in the oil and natural gas industry for gas compression, reinjection, and transportation. Fault diagnosis and identification of centrifugal compressors are crucial. To promptly monitor abnormal changes in compressor data and trace the causes leading to these data anomalies, this paper proposes a security monitoring and root cause tracing method for compressor data anomalies. Additionally, it presents an intelligent system design method for fault tracing in compressors and localization of faults from different sources. This method starts from petrochemical big data and consists of three parts: fault dynamic knowledge graph construction, instrument data sliding fault-tolerant filtering, and the fusion and reasoning of fault dynamic knowledge graph and instrument data variation monitoring. The results show that this method effectively overcomes the problems of false alarms and missed alarms based on fixed threshold alarm methods, and achieves 100% classification of two types of faults: non starting of the drive machine and low oil pressure by constructing a PCA (Principal Component Analysis)-SPE (Square Prediction Error)-CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) classifier. Combined with dynamic knowledge graph and NLP (Natural Language Processing) inference, it achieves good diagnostic results.

Assessing the potential of geothermal energy in Cambrian complexes for renewable energy transition in Lithuania

Several depleted Cambrian oil fields in Lithuania, with water-cuts reaching 99 %, present promising opportunities for geothermal energy utilization. This study focused on Lithuania’s Cambrian reservoir complex, which has the highest water production rates. The study aimed to explore the advantages of horizontal wells, a technology not previously employed for geothermal production in Lithuania, over traditional vertical wells. To optimize field development, various scenarios were evaluated using mechanistic models, with insights subsequently applied to real field conditions. The results from the mechanistic model demonstrated that horizontal wells outperform vertical wells in both water production and power generation. Furthermore, increasing fracture intensity was shown to enhance water output and power generation by operating the wells at pressures above fracture propagation, facilitating re-injection. However, the study also emphasized the importance of thorough reservoir characterization and modeling to account for geological complexities and improve production outcomes. In conclusion, the research underscores that horizontal wells offer several advantages over vertical wells for geothermal energy production. These include increased water production, higher power generation, reduced drilling costs, and enhanced operational efficiency. These benefits align with technological advancements observed in the hydrocarbon industry, making horizontal wells a viable solution for maximizing geothermal energy potential in Lithuania’s depleted oil and gas fields.

Strategic asset management in LNG Plants: A holistic approach to long-term planning, rejuvenation, and sustainability

The liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry plays a vital role in the global energy landscape, balancing growing energy demands with the imperative of reducing environmental impacts. However, the sector faces significant challenges, including aging infrastructure, the need for operational efficiency, and adherence to sustainability goals. This paper explores the role of strategic asset management (SAM) as a holistic solution for optimizing LNG plant operations. It introduces a comprehensive framework that integrates organizational, financial, and technical strategies, emphasizing long-term planning, rejuvenation, and sustainability. Key strategies, such as predictive maintenance, digital twins, and risk-based inspection methods, are discussed for their effectiveness in extending asset lifecycles and minimizing downtime. Furthermore, the paper underscores the importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors, renewable energy integration, and resilience planning in addressing climate risks and market volatility. Concluding with actionable recommendations, this paper provides a roadmap for stakeholders to adopt SAM practices, ensuring sustainable, resilient, and competitive LNG operations. Keywords: Liquefied Natural Gas, Strategic Asset Management, Sustainability, Predictive Maintenance, Digital Twin Technology, Resilience Planning.

Additive Manufacturing in the Oil Gas Industry: Strategies for Managing Powder Waste in Multi Jet Fusion Printing (MJF)

Additive Manufacturing in the Oil Gas Industry: Strategies for Managing Powder Waste in Multi Jet Fusion Printing (MJF)

Numerical computational investigation for energy separation effects of acid natural gas

Vortex tubes are widely applied to the natural gas industries, e.g., for dehydration, decarbonization, pressure regulation, heating, and antifreeze of natural gas, but the natural gas extracted from the gas field may have problems such as pressure fluctuation and CO2 impurities. This investigation focuses on the flow patterns and energy separation processes in vortex tubes driven by acid natural gas through numerical computations. The effects of pressure and acidity on streamline distribution and energy separation are discussed. Furthermore, the energy quality loss of acid gas energy separation process is also evaluated by the thermodynamic method of exergy analysis. There exist stagnation points, secondary flows, and recirculation phenomena in the flow field of acid natural gas, in which the secondary flows near the nozzle directly affect the energy separation. Increasing the inlet pressure and decreasing the CO2 content can increase the input exergy by up to 488.7 W and 109 W, respectively. In addition, the combined graphical method of swirl number and radial temperature difference can curtail the deteriorating effect of carbon dioxide on energy separation. The innovative assessment of flow structure and thermodynamic performance can be useful for optimizing the application of vortex tubes in the natural gas industry.

Labour Market Impacts of Renewable Portfolio Standards

This paper examines how the U.S. Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) policy affects the jobs of renewable energy (RE) (solar, hydropower and wind) and conventional energy (CE) (coal and natural gas) industries through panel data. Exploiting the state-level variations in the RPS target rates, this paper also investigates if any spillover effects of the RPS exist from neighbouring states using a fixed-effects vector decomposition model. Findings indicate that an escalation in the RPS target rate increases employment opportunities within the RE sector, while simultaneously causing a decline in employment within the CE sector. Establishing a positive RPS target rate is crucial because the spillover effect from each state has a significantly positive impact. The decision of a state to set its own RPS target plays a crucial role in shaping the level of spillover effects on job creation.

Experimental and Numerical Simulation Studies on the Synergistic Design of Gas Injection and Extraction Reservoirs of Condensate Gas Reservoir-Based Underground Gas Storage

The natural gas industry has developed rapidly in recent years, with gas storage playing an important role in regulating winter and summer gas consumption and ensuring energy security. The Ke7010 sand body is a typical edge water condensate gas reservoir with an oil ring, and the construction of gas storage has been started. In order to clarify the feasibility of synergistic storage building for gas injection and production, the fluid characteristics during the synergistic reservoir building process were investigated through several rounds of drive-by experiments. The results show that the oil-phase flow capacity is improved by increasing the number of oil–water interdrives, and the injection and recovery capacity is improved by increasing the number of oil–gas interdrives; the reservoir capacities of the high-permeability and low-permeability rock samples increase by about 4.84% and 7.26%, respectively, after multiple rounds of driving. Meanwhile, a numerical model of the study area was established to simulate the synergistic storage construction scheme of gas injection and extraction, and the reservoir capacity was increased by 7.02% at the end of the simulation period, which was in line with the experimental results. This study may provide a reference for gas storage construction in the study area.

A Combined Mixed Potential Sensor, Machine Learning, and Iot Platform for Methane Emissions Detection and Flare Monitoring

Methane’s global warming potential is 28x higher than that of CO2 on a 100 year basis.[1] The US has over 300,000 miles of pipeline transporting natural gas, and recent estimates put the cost of emissions in terms of lost product and societal impacts on the order of billions of dollars.[2] In the natural gas industry, excess gas which cannot be economically used for production is destroyed by burning in flares. A recent aerial study found that the methane destruction efficiency was only 91%, a result of inefficient flaring instruments or unlit flares.[3] Continuous monitoring solutions using networked Internet of Things (IoT) sensor platforms are a promising solution to give natural gas infrastructure operators real time insight into leaks, methane destruction efficiency, and warn of events like flameouts.Solid-state mixed potential electrochemical sensors (MPES) are an attractive option as a sensor technology due to their low cost, robustness in harsh exhaust gas conditions, and ability to modify selectivity by the electrode composition and temperature.[4] They use the difference in catalytic activity between two dissimilar electrodes in the presence of an oxidation and reduction reaction to generate a voltage signal. We have developed a sensor platform which pairs this sensor with artificial neural networks for mixture identification and quantification and an IoT platform for data acquisition, edge processing, and transmission. We have achieved 5-5000 ppm sensitivity to CH4 in natural gas mixtures, carried out field testing of this platform for surface and underground leaks,[5] and demonstrated the ability to detect precursors to flameout in simulated methane combustion flares.This work was sponsored by DOE SBIR Office of Science Award DESC0023770 and Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management Award FE0031864.[1] M. Saunois, et al., The Global Methane Budget 2000–2017, Earth Syst. Sci. Data 12 (2020) 1561–1623. https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-1561-2020.[2] E.D. Sherwin, J.S. Rutherford, Z. Zhang, Y. Chen, E.B. Wetherley, P.V. Yakovlev, E.S.F. Berman, B.B. Jones, D.H. Cusworth, A.K. Thorpe, A.K. Ayasse, R.M. Duren, A.R. Brandt, US oil and gas system emissions from nearly one million aerial site measurements, Nature 627 (2024) 328–334. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07117-5.[3] G. Plant, E.A. Kort, A.R. Brandt, Y. Chen, G. Fordice, A.M. Gorchov Negron, S. Schwietzke, M. Smith, D. Zavala-Araiza, Inefficient and unlit natural gas flares both emit large quantities of methane, Science 377 (2022) 1566–1571. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abq0385.[4] S. Halley, K.P. Ramaiyan, L. Tsui, F. Garzon, A review of zirconia oxygen, NOx, and mixed potential gas sensors – History and current trends, Sens. Actuators B Chem. 370 (2022) 132363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2022.132363.[5] S. Halley, K. Ramaiyan, J. Smith, R. Ian, K. Agi, F. Garzon, L. Tsui, Field Testing of a Mixed Potential IoT Sensor Platform for Methane Quantification, ECS Sens. Plus 3 (2024) 011402. https://doi.org/10.1149/2754-2726/ad23df.

Does Natural Resources Lead to a Curse on Educational Spending in Northeast China?

Abstract: With increasing interest in exploring natural resources to boost economic development, governing body investment and expenditure play a valued role in regional economic growth. This article addresses a significant blind spot in our perception of the Natural resource Curse by evaluating the way the natural resource extractive industry impacts government priorities and investment budgets. Using a set of panel data from 3 provinces in North-east China covering the period from 2004 to 2023, this paper finds a prominent negative influence of the natural gas and oil extraction industry on a public educational investment relative to GDP, which is robust in controlling for the other supplementary variations. These findings and outcomes are important, especially for the exploitation and extraction of natural resources fortune in less developing countries, since they could invest revenue generated by natural resources in public departments such as education to achieve especially high payback. Nevertheless, this article also emphasizes the significance of the role of administration duty, pointing out that policy is vital to regional development. In addition, this paper also suggests how to adjust policy to boost the economies better and shrink the inequality development between regions.

Polymer-based solid electrolyte with ultra thermostability exceeding 300 °C for high-temperature lithium-ion batteries in oil drilling industries

High-temperature lithium-ion batteries (HLBs) are a crucial component in logging while drilling (LWD) equipment, facilitating the date acquisition, analysis, and transmission in myriametric deep formation. Conventional batteries are unable to guarantee a reliable power supply for LWD operations in extreme high-temperature conditions encountered at depths exceeding 10,000 m. Moreover, the development of dedicated batteries for these applications is progressing at a relatively slow pace. In light of these considerations, we put forth a novel proposal: a composite solid-state electrolyte (CSE) for HLB. Poly (ether ether ketone) (PEEK) nanofiber membranes, which are thermally stable at temperatures exceeding 350 °C, were prepared and subsequently composited with Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) by the vacuum filtration method. At room temperature, the PEEK-LLZO composite exhibits ionic conductivity of 1.11 mS·cm ⁻1 and demonstrates stability in lithium-lithium symmetric cells for up to 3500 h. The initial discharge specific capacity was recorded at 132.9 mAh·g ⁻1 at 0.5 C rate, declining to 86.6 % after 500 cycles. Density Functional Theory (DFT) simulations were employed to elucidate the lithium-ion transport mechanisms within the CSE system. It is noteworthy that the CSE displays remarkable thermal stability, with a performance threshold exceeding 300 °C. The ionic conductivity of the CSE system reaches 2.40 mS·cm ⁻1 at 250 °C, representing a twofold increase compared to the LLZO system and an elevenfold increase compared to the LiTFSI molten salt system. Moreover, the initial discharge specific capacity of the CSE was determined to be 123.3 mAh·g ⁻1 at 250 °C and a 1 C rate, retaining 92.8 % of its capacity after 50 cycles. These findings suggest that the CSE exhibits high safety, excellent cycling stability, and considerable potential for application in high-temperature lithium-ion batteries.

A Review of Salt Tectonics in Romania's Transylvanian Basin and Implications for Energy Transition

Salt, pivotal in societal evolution and vital in scientific and economic domains, notably in chemical and hydrocarbon industries, gains relevance amid the climate crisis. As the shift from fossil fuels to sustainable energy sources becomes imperative, salt deposits can advance the energy transition, notably by large-scale hydrogen storage in solution-mined caverns. Other promising applications include carbon capture utilisation and storage and geothermal energy. Due to its potential role in energy transition and the required novel geotechnical solutions, research focusing on salt's contribution remains an emerging field. The Transylvanian Basin (Romania), provides opportunities for comprehensive multiscale observations, including surface and subsurface data, offering insights into salt deformation. While studies on salt tectonics in the basin exist, it is generally understudied and the focus on energy transition applications is sparse. This paper aims to review the current state of salt tectonics in the Transylvanian Basin, emphasising internal deformation complexities, impurity distributions, and potential implications for energy transition industries. By shedding light on this significant yet underexplored aspect, this work seeks to stimulate further research interest and prompt, comprehensive investigations into salt-related energy transition applications.

Geoscience spillover: Gunnar Böðvarsson and the adoption of petroleum technologies in Iceland’s geothermal industry, 1940s–1970s

ABSTRACT During the twentieth century, Iceland became a leader in geothermal energy use, with hot water and steam providing for the heating of 9 out of 10 houses and almost one-third of the electricity supply. A crucial factor in the expansion of geothermal energy between the 1940s and 1970s were indirect ‘spillovers’ from the oil industry via the applied geosciences. While fundamentally different in end use, geothermal and hydrocarbon industries employ similar geoscientific methods for exploring and extracting fluids and gases. This article traces the spillovers from oil to geothermal by examining Iceland’s Geothermal Division and its founding director, Gunnar Böðvarsson. He saw the oil industry as a model and embraced its geoscientific exploration methods, oilwell rotary drilling and petroleum reservoir engineering. Adapted to the requirements of geothermal energy, petroleum technologies greatly improved the knowledge of geothermal reservoirs and the efficiency of well drilling and hot water and steam extraction. The geoscience spillover between oil and geothermal reveals an understudied dimension of geothermal history and the crucial role of the geosciences at the intersection of academia and energy industries, which also resulted in reverse spillovers from geothermal to oil and complicates the common dichotomization of fossil fuels vs. renewable alternatives.

The natural gas industry, the Republican Party, and state preemption of local building decarbonization

Societal decarbonization likely requires changes to building standards encouraging electrification, partly through restricting connections to legacy utilities such as natural gas. Yet while some municipalities have taken action, an important parallel shift undermines it: more than half of U.S. states (covering 47% of the population) have, since 2020, passed state-level laws preempting municipalities from restricting utilities. We investigate the timing, content, and partisan support of these bills, examining similarity in text use across them using a plagiarism-detection tool. States passing preemption were not only more Republican but more ideologically conservative, typically featuring less professionalized state legislatures. We also examine qualitative evidence of the natural gas industry’s lobbying, showing that industry groups claimed influence over key bills (supported largely by Republican legislators). We consider the broader implications of these findings for supply-side decarbonization in a context of climate federalism under significant influence by fossil fuel industries and allied policymakers.

Sand Detection Using Acoustic Sand Monitors for Liquid-Dominated Multiphase Flow Production

Summary Solid particle erosion in the oil and natural gas industry can be damaging to pipe fittings and equipment, which can lead to maintenance or, in the worst case, a production shutdown. In both cases, this represents a huge economic loss for industry. Acoustic sand monitoring is one of the most widely used practices to provide an alarm and/or estimate the amount of sand entrained in the flow. In addition to being commercially available, they can be easily clamped to the outside of a pipe wall, measuring the acoustic energy generated by sand grain impacts on the inner side of a pipe wall. In this work, a broad range of multiphase operating conditions has been experimentally investigated with acoustic sand monitors in large-scale flow loop facilities to determine the effectiveness of sand monitoring in liquid-dominated multiphase flow. The main objective is to use acoustic sand monitors to determine the threshold sand rate (TSR). This is the minimum sand rate necessary to achieve monitor output higher than the background noise (BN) level. Acoustic monitors were placed upstream and downstream of standard (r/D = 1.5) elbows while varying superficial gas and liquid velocities, sand sizes (25 μm, 75 μm, 150 μm, 300 μm, and 600 μm), and pipe diameters (2 in. and 3 in.) in the vertical orientation. The experimental conditions were selected to cover slug-churn, dispersed-bubble flow, and liquid-sand flow conditions. These results are compared with the previously obtained test results on 50.8-mm (2-in.) internal diameter (ID) test loops. In the 50.8-mm (2-in.) loop, threshold limits were observed for dispersed-bubble flow regimes and liquid-sand as compared with gas-dominated flow conditions. While TSR is the highest in dispersed-bubble flow regimes, the present data were compared with previous results obtained for annular, slug, and stratified flow patterns (FPs) in vertical flow. It was observed that the annular flow regime has the lowest TSR values, showing an increase in TSR when the liquid rate increased. The results from this work can help operators understand how acoustic monitors can detect and distinguish sand impact noise from the background flow noise in liquid-dominated multiphase flow in production facilities. In this way, greater assurance is provided to operators for optimizing oil and gas production rates, especially in wells that tend to produce solids.

Applications of nickel-containing structured microfibrous catalysts for the process of propane hydrogenolysis

This work evaluates the possibility of using nickel-containing structured glass fiber catalysts (Ni/GFC) for the process of hydrogenolysis of gas condensate (GC) into transportable components of natural gas, which will increase the efficiency of GC processing and contribute to the development of more cost-effective technologies in the oil-gas industry. Ni/GFC samples with Ni content of 5, 10 and 15% wt. were synthesized by surface thermal synthesis (STS). An industrial granular catalyst with a mass Ni content of 16% was used to compare the catalytic activity of the obtained catalysts. The highest activity and selectivity of methane formation is observed on the 10% Ni/ GFC catalyst, by these parameters it is superior not only to other GFCs, but also the traditional granular catalyst.

A Review of the Sustainability of Helium: An Assessment of Its Past, Present and a Zero-Carbon Future

Helium, as a by-product of the natural gas industry, will be impacted by the decline in consumption of fossil fuels as the world moves towards net-zero carbon emissions. In September 2022, all assets relating to the US government’s previous helium industry were sold. In the US, helium is now only available from private suppliers. In June 2022, Russia banned the export of helium to “unfriendly” countries, highlighting the geopolitical issues surrounding the industry. In the past, helium was popularized, and the industry was supported by its military applications (filling dirigible aircraft, welding fighter jets and purging rocket engines). It also plays an important role in supporting present-day technologies (e.g., MRI machines and spectroscopy) and will also be important for a high-tech future (e.g., in quantum computing, fusion power, and space exploration). Shortages of helium will inevitably cause skyrocketing prices and consequently lead to significant challenges for research and development (as has happened in the past) and technological progress, as well as a slowdown in world economic growth and prosperity. Anticipated declines in natural gas production, associated with moves towards net-zero carbon emissions targets, make helium less accessible. While this is problematic for industry in the short term, it perhaps preserves some low entropy helium within the ground, making it more accessible to future generations. Given anticipated limitations to the future supply of helium, technological developments are currently focused on a few areas: the replacement of helium by other gases in industrial applications, changing technological approaches to not require helium, and reducing the cost of obtaining helium from the atmosphere. This paper explores the past, present and future of helium, focusing on the sustainability of the helium industry.

Footprint family of China's coal-based synthetic natural gas industry

China's increasing demand for natural gas and concerns related to energy security have expanded the coal-based synthetic natural gas (CBSNG) industry. The accompanying intensive environmental and economic impacts are evaluated based on static design or simulated data, but their industrialized performance at both the project-specific and national levels remains unclear. The objective of this study is to estimate an energy-water-pollutant-carbon-economic footprint family of China's CBSNG industry. To this end, a comprehensive accounting methodology for the multiple footprints of CBSNG was developed and the first-hand dynamic operation and economic data of four commercialized projects were surveyed. Accompanied by the technology learning curve, scenarios towards 2035 were designed to predict future trajectories of these footprints. The results show that the project-specific energy-water-pollutant-carbon footprints generally reduced by 10–30 % from 2020 to 2022, while the economic footprints increased slightly. The total energy-water-pollutant-carbon footprints, driven by scale expansion, increased by less than 10 % and the total economic footprint increased by over 30 %. They were predicted to approximately double by 2025 and increase fivefold by 2035, which suggests the deployment of green hydrogen and a circular economy, optimization of spatial layout, and fortification of separate statistics and economic policies for sustainability.

State monitoring and fault prediction of centrifugal compressors based on long short-term memory and principal component analysis (LSTM-PCA).

Centrifugal compressors are widely used in the petroleum and natural gas industry for gas compression, reinjection, and transportation. Early fault identification and fault evolution prediction for centrifugal compressors can improve equipment safety and reduce maintenance and operating costs. This article proposes a dynamic process monitoring method for centrifugal compressors based on long short-term memory (LSTM) and principal component analysis (PCA). This method constructs a sliding window for monitoring at each sampling point, which contains 100 data from the past and current time points, and uses LSTM to predict 30 future data points. At the same time, this method is also combined with the PCA threshold process monitoring method to construct a new LSTM-PCA monitoring algorithm. And the method was validated using centrifugal compressor process data. The results show that this method can effectively detect process anomalies, The improvements significantly reduced the false positive rate of detected anomalies, and can make multi-step advance predictions of system behavior after faults occur.