Oil Production Research Articles

Polymer-Injection Pilot in Colombian Field Indicates Reduced Carbon Footprint

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 218169, “Carbon Footprint and Energy Intensity Assessment for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Based on Polymer Injection: A Colombian Case Study,” by Henderson I. Quintero, SPE, Pedro L. Solorzano, SPE, and Carolina Barbosa, Ecopetrol, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ Chichimene is an oil field in eastern Colombia. Since 2014, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using a water-injection process has been performed successfully in part of this field. A polymer-injection pilot was executed over five injection patterns to optimize this process as a promising strategy for polymer-based EOR in challenging reservoir conditions with high temperatures and heavy oil. Field Background Included in Colombia’s energy-transition strategy are EOR technologies that, through the acceleration of oil production even with low energy consumption, increase the efficiency and carbon intensity of conventional oil-production processes. Several studies in the literature have reported improved energy and carbon indicators as a result of implementing EOR using thermal and chemical methods. Among these, polymer injection promises higher incremental oil production with lower energy consumption. The polymer-flooding (PF) pilot in the Chichimene field was performed to evaluate this technology’s ability to displace the heavy crude oil of the Fm1 formation (350–700 cp). The reservoir is more than 20 km long by 6 km wide and features 250–300 ft of thickness, with permeability between 100 md and 10 D and a depth of approximately 6,200 ft true vertical depth subsea. Polymer injection began at the end of 2015 in an extensive pattern (N1), followed by a smaller pattern (N2) in 2018 after a short water-injection stage. The polymer injection in medium patterns (N3 and N4) and a second small pattern (N5) began in 2019, being considered early chemical EOR because they were performed after the primary production stage. The well spacing of the patterns is 10 and 40 acres, respectively. The producer wells of each pattern are displayed in Table 1 of the complete paper. The PF project injected 21.65 thousand STB of polymer solution. At the end of 2022, incremental oil production was 4.9 billion bbl. At the time of writing, patterns show incremental recovery factors of between 4 and 9%. The reservoir showed strong signals of repressurization, gas/oil ratio reduction, water/oil ratio control, and oil incremental recovery. Energy consumption and carbon intensity were calculated for the oil production baseline case [waterflooding (WF) or primary production] and PF, considering the field’s energy matrix. The results were compared to quantify the effect of PF on these efficiency indicators. Evaluation of Product System Energy consumption was calculated for each phase involved in the processing system: lifting fluids, oil dehydration, water-clarification treatment, water reinjection, and PF. The evaluation did not include solvent or facilities to dilute the crude oil or the pumping energy used to deliver the oil to the pipeline system. Currently, the total volume of water produced is reinjected into the reservoir for pressure maintenance and oil-recovery purposes. Also, part of the produced gas is used in heaters and fire tubes for dehydration, but most is burned in a gas flare.

Polymer Flooding Reduces Emissions and Energy Consumption in the North Sea

_ This article, written by JPT Technology Editor Chris Carpenter, contains highlights of paper SPE 218231, How Polymer Flooding Reduces CO2 Emissions and Energy Consumption at the Captain Field: An Exergy-Return-on-Exergy-Investment Case Study,” by Tormod Skauge, SPE, and Arne Skauge, SPE, Energy Research Norway, and Nancy Lugo, Ithaca Energy UK, et al. The paper has not been peer reviewed. _ Insights into the energy efficiency and environmental performance of the extraction of heavy oil from the Captain field in the UK sector of the North Sea are gained using life-cycle assessment (LCA), which incorporates the concept of exergy-return-on-exergy-investment (ERoEI). The LCA allows for separation of the process into material and work streams, assessing the effect of each separately. In the complete paper, the authors compare waterflooding (WF) to polymer flooding (PF) as primary extraction strategies. Introduction The Captain field is approximately 145 km northeast of Aberdeen, Scotland. The reservoirs lie at shallow depths of approximately 900 m true vertical depth with correspondingly low temperatures of 31°C and low pressures of 87 bar. A primary challenge is the relatively viscous oil of 40–140 cp. The field was initially developed with long horizontal wells and downhole pumps. Viscous oil implies mobility challenges, however, and water injection could lead to unstable displacement, early water breakthrough, and possible coning issues. After a successful pilot PF at Captain during 2010–2017, a staged enhanced oil recovery (EOR) development approach was adopted in 2016 aiming to extend the pilot polymer-solution-injection scheme to the full field through a phased development. Following the pilot study, the Captain EOR project was split into Stage 1 and Stage 2. The first stage involved drilling of five producers and two EOR injectors by 2022. The second stage included some brownfield modifications across the three Captain installations (two installations and a floating production, storage, and offloading vessel) and a significant expansion in the subsea area. The complete paper concentrates on the expansion in the subsea areas, Areas B and C. The methodology of the study, including the development of simulation cases, LCA, exergy analysis, system boundaries, material and work streams, and CO2 emissions, is detailed in the complete paper. Production Profiles The Stage 2 EOR development evaluates PF for Areas B and C. The baseline is WF with fully produced water reinjection. WF was scheduled to begin in January 2024 and to end in December 2099. The PF case also was slated to begin in January 2024 and to end in 2035 and 2034 for Area B and Area C, respectively. The field is operated on pressure maintenance, and the voidage replacement ratio is kept close to 1.0. This means that the PF injects more liquid than the WF case during the first 5 years of injection when the oil production is higher for PF. After polymer injection ends, the PF case injects less liquid than the WF case. In Area B, water cut is high from the start for the WF case. Because of the high mobility of the water, it fingers through the oil. In contrast, when polymer is injected, the water cut falls to approximately 80% and does not reach the starting value of 94.1% before 7 years, more than 2.5 years after having stopped the polymer injection in this area. The low water cut is the result of production of a large oil bank generated by the improved sweep and mobility reduction of the injected polymer.

Southeast Asia: A Colonial Oil Producer Fueling Its 21st Century Industrial Revolution With Gas

_ With natural gas destined to replace coal as its fuel of choice, Southeast Asia is unabashedly expanding its oil and gas industry to meet the skyrocketing energy demands of a booming population and unprecedented economic growth. Investments in regional hydrocarbon projects through 2029—particularly those in natural gas production—are forecast to exceed 4% compound annual growth rates with the spotlight on the region’s top two petroleum producers, Indonesia and Malaysia, according to the London-based Energy Council, a global network of senior energy finance executives. Norway’s Rystad Energy predicts that final investment decisions (FIDs) will be made between now and 2028 on $100 billion in new projects in the region, twice the $45 billion in FIDs taken from 2014 to 2023. These will include deepwater projects to develop new discoveries in Indonesia and Malaysia, and projects to create a global hub for carbon capture and storage (CCS) such as the one under study by Malaysian state-owned Petronas and Abu Dhabi’s ADNOC. The Malay Archipelago (also called the East Indies) is the world’s largest island group, and depending on the methodology of the geographer, it encompasses the 17,508 islands of Indonesia—literally the world’s largest country comprised of islands—and the approximately 7,000 islands of the Philippines. Indonesia and the Philippines in turn are among the 11 countries that constitute Southeast Asia after adding in Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam—all with widely diverse histories, cultures, and religions. But all with one thing in common: a colonial past forged by adventurers from across Europe who in the 19th century arrived on their shores to extract natural resources to feed the Industrial Revolution at home. In the case of the earliest industrial oil production in Dutch Indonesia and British Malaysia, those adventurers, over multiple generations, added Southeast Asia to the US and Azerbaijan as cornerstones of the modern oil industry while also breaking John D. Rockefeller’s monopoly of the Asian oil trade by building the first tanker to traverse the Suez Canal. Shortly after the turn of the 20th century two of these industrialists, one Dutch and one British, merged their companies to create what is today’s energy supermajor known as Shell. First Oil Launches Dutch East Indies Production Boom The history of oil production in Indonesia and Malaysia dates back over centuries with tales of a cottage industry of hand-dug wells to comb petroleum seeps for medicine, to waterproof boats, and to light torches and lamps. As the Industrial Revolution dawned, the Russian czar financed the world’s first mechanically drilled oil well in 1846 in Baku using cable-tool percussion drilling to carve out a 21-m-deep (69-ft) exploration well. In 1859, Edwin Drake added steam-engine power to a mechanical drill to produce the US’ first industrial class oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania.

Assessing the potential for upscaling the continuous production of lignin oils through reductive catalytic depolymerization

Lignin represents up to one third of lignocellulosic biomass and is a sustainable carbon source available at a sufficient scale to replace an impactful amount of fossil resources when converted into materials and chemicals. The molecular structure of lignin renders it ideal to obtain renewable aromatic building blocks for the polymer industry. Nevertheless, in polymeric form, lignin poses serious challenges for material applications and chemical conversion, namely poor solubility, and low reactivity. This problem can be circumvented by depolymerization of isolated lignins. To meet the demand for renewable aromatic building blocks, it is crucial to utilize technical lignin streams generated on large scale. This will eventually allow the development of continuous, high-throughput processes which are required for viable industrial-scale operations. Our work demonstrates for the first time that “technical grade” hydrolysis lignin from an operating biorefinery can be successfully subjected to continuous reductive catalytic depolymerization (RCD) in a packed bed reactor using a commercially available Pd/Al2O3 catalyst. The impact of catalyst amount, feed concentration (in methanol), and temperature with regards to process stability and product quality was investigated. The product was characterized by NMR, GPC, and GC-FID. Feed concentrations up to 7 wt% could be continuously processed for 77 h at 200 °C whereas at 225 °C, the operation time was restricted to 21 h. In all cases, a stable output was obtained over time in terms of molar mass, OH-group distributions, and monomer content. At 200 °C, carbon yields above 90 % of the soluble lignin fraction were feasible.

Analysis of Supply Chain Risk Control in Aceh Nut Work Using the House Of Risk Method Approach (Case Study: Nutmeg Oil Industry in South Aceh Regency)

South Aceh nutmeg oil plays an important role in the trade of essential oils from Indonesia. 70-80% of Indonesia's nutmeg oil trade comes from South Aceh. However, on the other hand, there is a disruption in price stability in the production of South Aceh nutmeg oil which is influenced by the quality standards of nutmeg oil. The purpose of this study is to identify potential risks that arise in the supply chain, find risk agents as the cause of the risk and control the risk by designing risk mitigation and its formulation in the structure of the nutmeg oil supply chain in South Aceh. The technique used in this study is the House Of Risk (HOR) method. The study has obtained 23 risk events and 17 priority risk agents covering Source, Make, Distribution and Costumer (Return) activities. Then from the risk agents obtained, 11 priority mitigation actions were also obtained as a control of the performance of the nutmeg oil supply chain that can be applied in an effort to reduce the occurrence of supply chain risks so that the industry is able to produce optimally and is able to improve the quality of nutmeg oil which of course has a positive impact on the selling value.

Partial upgrading of heavy oils by catalytic aquathermal visbreaking with dispersed iron oxide catalysts

The impact of water and red mud-like Fe oxide catalysts on aquavisbreaking (AVB) of heavy-oils was studied under various circumstances. Vacuum residue (VR) was employed as a good substitute for low-viscous bitumen grades. The reaction products were separated into SARA fractions using open-column liquid chromatography (OCLC), and boiling point groups were classified using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). In addition, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to study the structural features of VR and its derivatives. It was observed that the thermal visbreaking of VR led to a severe coke formation with asphaltene (ASP) to coke selectivity over 130 %, while the addition of water and Fe catalyst could increase the conversion of ASP to liquid oil products while inhibiting coke formation, resulting in improved conversion of ASP. Furthermore, the structural properties of spent catalysts recovered after reactions were analyzed using X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) to identify the active phase, confirming that the Fe precursor is converted to a 20–30 nm Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 during VR AVB. Moreover, the addition of carbon additives to AVB further improved the dispersion of ASP and catalyst particles, contributing to the decrease of the selectivity for ASP conversion to coke by 50 %.

Different Plant Parts Induce Variances in the Production of Fennel Essential Oil

Different Plant Parts Induce Variances in the Production of Fennel Essential Oil

Addressing Low-Cost Methane Sensor Calibration Shortcomings with Machine Learning

Quantifying methane emissions is essential for meeting near-term climate goals and is typically carried out using methane concentrations measured downwind of the source. One major source of methane that is important to observe and promptly remediate is fugitive emissions from oil and gas production sites but installing methane sensors at the thousands of sites within a production basin is expensive. In recent years, relatively inexpensive metal oxide sensors have been used to measure methane concentrations at production sites. Current methods used to calibrate metal oxide sensors have been shown to have significant shortcomings, resulting in limited confidence in methane concentrations generated by these sensors. To address this, we investigate using machine learning (ML) to generate a model that converts metal oxide sensor output to methane mixing ratios. To generate test data, two metal oxide sensors, TGS2600 and TGS2611, were collocated with a trace methane analyzer downwind of controlled methane releases. Over the duration of the measurements, the trace gas analyzer’s average methane mixing ratio was 2.40 ppm with a maximum of 147.6 ppm. The average calculated methane mixing ratios for the TGS2600 and TGS2611 using the ML algorithm were 2.42 ppm and 2.40 ppm, with maximum values of 117.5 ppm and 106.3 ppm, respectively. A comparison of histograms generated using the analyzer and metal oxide sensors mixing ratios shows overlap coefficients of 0.95 and 0.94 for the TGS2600 and TGS2611, respectively. Overall, our results showed there was a good agreement between the ML-derived metal oxide sensors’ mixing ratios and those generated using the more accurate trace gas analyzer. This suggests that the response of lower-cost sensors calibrated using ML could be used to generate mixing ratios with precision and accuracy comparable to higher priced trace methane analyzers. This would improve confidence in low-cost sensors’ response, reduce the cost of sensor deployment, and allow for timely and accurate tracking of methane emissions.

Numerical Modeling of Two-Phase Fluid Filtration for Carbonate Reservoir in Two-Dimensional Formulation

This work considers the isothermal process of incompressible viscous fluid filtration in an oil-saturated, fractured-porous reservoir. A study of the pressure and water saturation distribution process is carried out for a case in which a production well is put into operation. For this problem, i.e., a mathematical model in a two-dimensional formulation, a numerical method and a parallel algorithm are proposed. The mathematical model of two-phase filtration is written in accordance with the classical laws of continuum mechanics and Darcy’s law and also includes a function of fluid exchange between low-permeability pores and high-permeability natural fractures within the framework of the Warren–Root model. The numerical solution is based on the finite-difference method and a splitting scheme of physical processes and spatial coordinates. For a split system with respect to piezoconductivity, an implicit finite-difference scheme with fixed saturations is constructed, and with respect to saturation transfer, explicit and implicit difference schemes are constructed. For parallel implementation of the developed numerical approach, a method based on geometric parallelism is selected. Testing of the developed method is performed using the example of calculating liquid mass transfer for a wide range of parameters. To verify the model, the obtained calculated pressure curves are compared with field data recorded by a deep-well measuring device. The results allow for estimation of the distribution of reservoir pressure and water saturation depending on the permeability of the fracture set and the pore part. The obtained results allow for monitoring of well operations, reducing unexpected accident risks and optimizing the development system in order to increase oil production in fractured-porous reservoirs. Computational experiments confirm the efficiency of the developed numerical algorithm and its parallel implementation.

Assessing population structure and morpho-molecular characterization of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) for elite germplasm identification

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), known for its adaptability and high yield potential, is vital in global edible oil production. Estimating genetic diversity is a key pre-breeding activity in crop breeding. The current study comprised of 48 genotypes which were assessed for their biometrical traits at department of Oilseeds, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, during the rainy season of 2022. The lines were subsequently characterised using 103 simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for molecular diversity analysis. The results indicated that the net nucleotide distances indicated varying genetic divergence, with subpopulations II and V showing the highest (0.056) and I and IV the lowest (0.014). Subpopulation IV exhibited the highest heterozygosity (0.352), while subpopulation III had the lowest heterozygosity and a low Fst (0.173). Principal components analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis were employed for assessing the morphological diversity, facilitating genotype grouping and parent selection for breeding programs. The first four components cumulatively accounted for 86.72% of the total variation. Cluster Analysis grouped 48 sunflower genotypes into three clusters based on genetic diversity. COSF 13B stands out for its high head diameter, oil content, seed yield, and oil yield based on mean performance of morphological data. Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) mirrored the groupings from the Neighbor Joining method, with the first three components explaining 27.24% of the total variation. Molecular data analysis identified five distinct clusters among the germplasm. By integrating morphological and molecular marker data with genetic distance analysis, substantial diversity was revealed with the genotypes RHA 273 and GMU 325 consistently demonstrated high oil yield per plant. The genotypes GMU 477, GMU 450, COSF 13B, RHA 102, CMS 1103B, and RHA GPR 58 have been identified as suitable parents for enhancing oil content in sunflower breeding programs. These findings also aid in selecting SSR markers for genotype characterization and in choosing diverse parents for breeding programs.

Quantitative Characterization of Surfactant Displacement Efficiency by NMR—Take the Tight Oil of Chang 8 Member of Yanchang Formation in Fuxian Area, Ordos Basin, as an Example

Surfactant flooding is a pivotal technique for enhancing oil recovery efficiency. The Chang 8 member of the Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin exemplifies a quintessential tight oil reservoir. Specifically, 47.9% of wells yield less than 0.1 t/d, 27.0% produce between 0.1 and 0.2 t/d, and 18.8% generate outputs ranging from 0.2 to 0.3 t/d, while only a mere 6.3% exceed production rates of over 0.3 t/d, indicating minimal efficacy of water flooding development in this context. In this study, we conducted an extensive investigation into the geological characteristics of the Yanchang 8 reservoir within the Ordos Basin, leading to the identification and evaluation of three surfactants based on their interfacial tension properties. The optimal injection concentration was determined through on-line displacement nuclear magnetic resonance imaging analysis that refined surface activity conducive to developing the Chang 8 member, ultimately resulting in increased spread volume and enhanced crude oil production from individual wells. The results indicate the following: (1) The interfacial tension of NP-10, FSD-952, and GPHQ-1 at concentrations of 0.05%, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.5% exhibited a pattern of initial decrease followed by an increase. The mass concentration corresponding to the minimum interfacial tension for NP-10 is identified as 0.1%, which is also the case for GPHQ-1; however, for FSD-952, this occurs at a concentration of 0.4%. Among the surface-active agents NP-10, GPHQ-1, and FSD-952, GPHQ-1 demonstrated the lowest interfacial tension value at an impressive measurement of 0.0762 mN/m. (2) When the displacement of the 0.1% GPHQ-1 surfactant reaches 10 PV, the displacement efficiency improves from 69.69% to 76.36%, representing an increase of 6.67%. The minimum pore size observed during GPHQ-1 surfactant displacement is 0.01 μm. In contrast, when the displacement of the NP-10 surfactant at a concentration of 0.1% reaches 10 PV, the efficiency rises from 68.32% to 72.02%, indicating an enhancement of 3.7%. The corresponding minimum pore size for NP-10 surfactant displacement is recorded at 0.02 μm. Furthermore, when the displacement of the FSD-952 surfactant at a concentration of 0.4% achieves 10 PV, its efficiency increases from 69.93% to 74.77%, reflecting an improvement of 4.81%. The minimum pore size associated with the activated portion of FSD-952 is noted as being approximately 0.03 μm.

Material balance analysis of water influx into an undersaturated oil reservoir using pot aquifer model: a case study

ABSTRACT Early water breakthrough due to pressure depletion is often attributed to a strong water drive and must be established to avoid wrong reserves estimation and planning. In this study, we evaluated the Safsaf C reservoir, an undersaturated oil reservoir in North Africa that experienced early water breakthrough at 62 days after the commencement of oil production. To establish or disprove the presumption of it producing under a strong water drive, we critically analyzed the reservoir using the Material Balance Equation (MBE) coupled with the pot aquifer water influx model. The Campbell plot showed a weak aquifer, and the Solution plot confirmed aquifer presence. The pot aquifer plot gave the original aquifer in place an estimate of about 28.42 mmRB, which is about half the size of the estimated hydrocarbon pore volume of 51.15 mmRB. Water influx plots produced improved Oil initially in place (OIIP) estimates in the range of 11.50 to 12.20 mmSTB. The aquifer influx profiles show that water encroaches into the reservoir at a rate of 742 rbl/d. This approach is suitable when little is known about the aquifer and provides reliable estimates of OIIP and the degree of aquifer support for reservoirs bounded by small aquifers.

Oral Histories of Social, Cultural, and Environmental Changes in Saudi Arabia Before and After Saudi Aramco

Saudi Aramco’s influence upon the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia cannot be overstated. After the discovery of oil in 1938, a nationwide metamorphosis began to infiltrate desert communities, sleepy fishing villages, and traditional urban centres ultimately influencing the people and their environments in unimaginable ways. Becoming one of the world’s largest oil producers has meant the loss and/or transformation of traditional ways of life. Shepherds, pearl divers, fishermen, and farmers are today’s business owners, executives, and international leaders. How could the development of a single company influence a country and its populace so dramatically? Besides the financial gains, how were individuals, families, and ecosystems affected? What were some of the personal challenges experienced by Saudi citizens? In this paper, the authors address these questions and others using local Saudi knowledge. In total, 20 female university students who participated in an oral history project interviewed their family members to learn how Saudi Aramco affected them personally, their traditions, landscapes, and society more generally. Excerpts from the interviews are highlighted to expose the nuances experienced by the various research participants.

The Impact of Crude Oil Price Shock: Evidence from Bangladesh

This study aims to estimate the impact of crude oil price on the DSEX broad index of the Dhaka stock exchange using the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) for the study period 2013:01-2022:12. It has decomposed the oil price shock into supply side and demand side oil shock. The empirical result shows that the stock price decreases significantly with crude oil prices driven by the shock in oil production. In contrast, the improvement in global economic activity results in a shock in the oil price which has a significant positive impact on the stock price. Furthermore, the accumulated shock in oil prices has a significant positive impact on stock prices. The variance decomposition under the VEC model shows that the demand shock of oil price contributes more to the variation in stock price for the oil-importing country Bangladesh. Since different oil price shocks have different impacts, the policy maker and investors implement decisions based on the understating of the sources of the shocks.

Kemiri Sunan Buds Induction (Reutealis trisperma (Blanco) Airy Shaw) For In Vitro in Ms Media with Different Concentrations of the Substance Growing Manager

Need oil fuel in Indonesia has increased. Oil production reached only 410,000 barrels per day while the needs of up to 1 million barrels per day. One plant is capable of producing biofuels is Pecan sunan. Vegetative reproduction has been hampered by the limited number of obtained so that necessary research in vitro. This research aims to know the concentration of the substance growing balance sitokinin (BA, TDZ and kinetin) and Auxin (NAA) in Pecan sunan buds induces on the MS medium. Experimental design used was Complete Random Design simple. The treatment is the composition of the basic MS medium with medium that is combined with the astringent balance grow NAA (0.5 mg/l), BA (1-3 mg/l), TDZ (0.2 mg/l) and kinetin (2 mg/l). The result of the observation form buds, but callus changes color and size kalus. Before and after color callus subculture of potentially forming buds is the A9 (MS + 0.5 mg/l NAA + 3 mg/l BA + 2 mg/l kinetin). While kalus response tends to be good on the A5 is 0 MS media (MS + 0.5 mg/l NAA + 2 mg/l BA + 0.2 mg/l TDZ) and G media is A2 (MS + 0.5 mg/l NAA + 2 mg/l BA).

Minor Cannabinoid Profile of Unregulated Cannabidiol Products.

Background: Although the majority of cannabinoid research has focused on delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), there is increasing interest in the therapeutic effects of other phytocannabinoid compounds (i.e., minor cannabinoids), as there is little known about their effects or interaction with CBD. The current study objective was to determine the concentrations of 15 minor cannabinoids in unregulated, over-the-counter CBD products. Methods: A cross-section sample of 80 local and national brands of hemp-derived oil products was purchased both online and in local retail outlets in central Kentucky. Epidiolex® was included as a regulated control. Samples from each product were extracted by solvent extraction and quantified by liquid-chromatography tandem mass-spectrometry. The targeted cannabinoids were: cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabidivarin (CBDV), cannabidivarinic acid, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarin, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabivarinic acid, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid-A, Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ8-THC), cannabigerol (CBG), cannabigerolic acid, cannabinol (CBN), cannabinolic acid, cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabicyclolic acid, cannabichromene (CBC) and cannabichromenic acid. Results: Among the unregulated products included in this analysis, the most frequently detected minor cannabinoids were CBDV (100% of samples tested), CBG (77%), CBC (72%), CBN (67%), CBL (67%), and CBDA (51%). Δ8-THC was not detected in any of the products tested. Concentrations of these cannabinoids varied widely from trace concentrations to several mg/mL (e.g., CBDA: 0.006-12.258 mg/mL). Conclusions: These data indicate CBD products often contain minor cannabinoids, although the array and concentrations of these cannabinoids vary widely across products. The concentrations of these minor cannabinoids are largely absent from product labels, leaving consumers uninformed about product contents.

IoT Leak Detection System for Onshore Oil Pipeline Based on Thermography

The vast expanses of remote onshore areas in oil-producing countries are home to a network of flow and collection pipelines that are susceptible to leaks. Most of these areas lack the infrastructure to enable the use of remote monitoring systems equipped with sensors and real-time data analysis to provide early detection of anomalies. This paper proposes a proof of concept for a monitoring system based on the Internet of Things (IoT) for real-time detection of pipeline leaks in onshore oil production fields. The proposed system, based on a thermal imaging leak detection method, informs the operator of the system’s operating status via a web page. The leak detection system communicates via a Zigbee network between the IoT devices and a 4G mobile network. The results of the tests carried out show that a visual and automatic IoT-based leak detection system is possible and plausible. The proposed leak detection system enables supervisors at remote stations and field workers to monitor the operating status of pipelines via computers, tablets, or smartphones, regardless of where they are.

Navigating diverging responsibilities for inclusion in a biobased value chain: the case of Solaris tobacco in South Africa

ABSTRACT Companies operating in international, cross-cultural settings encounter challenges in balancing their business roles with responsibilities towards inclusion. This delicate balance is particularly strained within the bioeconomy where uncertainties emerge. This study explores this novelty: how a company engaging in an emerging biobased value chain can fulfil its moral obligations (i.e. responsibility) towards inclusion, aligning with the principles of beneficence (doing good) and non-maleficence (doing no harm). A case study was conducted in the South African Royal Bafokeng Nation where a biobased project, involving tobacco plant cultivation for foremost oil production, was initiated. Our findings suggest that companies in emerging biobased value chains must incorporate local stakeholders' knowledge when establishing their value chains. However, when the implications of beneficence in a specific context are ambiguous, companies should exercise caution in asserting positive responsibilities. Companies should empower local agents to achieve their objectives while refraining from imposing external norms on local contexts.

Quality assessment of artisanal palm oil from smallholders in the department of Man, western region of Côte d'Ivoire

In the western region of Côte d'Ivoire, more particularly from the department of Man, artisanal crude palm oil enjoys a reputation for quality among consumers and is the subject of a developed trade. To guarantee consumers quality palm oil, it is crucial to register this product as a Geographical Indication artisanal palm oil. This study aims to evaluate the physicochemical properties of this artisanal palm oil to better understand his quality. A descriptive survey of palm oil processing was conducted among 200 smallholders in 10 localities in the department of Man, Western region of Côte d'Ivoire. Then, samples were collected from the producers and were taken to the laboratory for analysis. The physicochemical properties of CPO samples were determined using standard analytical method. The results showed that manual processing and screw hand press methods were used for palm oil extraction. About 58% of the processors have 11-20 years’ experience in oil palm processing and have no formal education (48.2%). Concerning the physicochemical quality of artisanal palm oil producing, the lipid oxidation, carotenoids contents, DOBI, slip melting point, iodine and saponification indexes were relatively conformed to the standard while FFA, moisture and impurities content were different. These results demonstrate a need for monitoring of artisanal palm oil production by smallholders in the sector who should adopt good agricultural practices.

IS THE OIL AND GAS BLOCK POLICY IN IDONESIA EFFECTIVE? EMPIRICAL APPROACH BASED ON COMPANY RATING DEVELOPMENTS

Objective: This study aims to identify the empirical influence of the assessment criteria for Indonesian oil and gas auctions on total oil and gas block production. The role of remaining concession time, contract policy and block size are considered. Theoretical Framework: In this topic, the concepts and agency theories underlying the research are presented, providing a strong basis for understanding the context of the influence of oil and gas block policies in Indonesia. Method: This research uses an exploratory quantitative approach. The research sample consisted of 157 petroleum and 140 natural gas blocks that had carried out production activities. Ordinary least square (OLS) regression used to empirically test the hypothesis. Results and Discussion: The results show that the ranking of oil and gas companies has a significant positive effect on the productivity of blocks. Meanwhile, remaining concession time has a significant positive relationship only for the natural gas. This research also found a significant negative effect of the gross split contract on block production. Finally, it was found that company ranking had a positive and significant effect on production both in large and small blocks. However, the relationship between ranking and productivity is stronger and more consequential for large-scale blocks compared to small-scale blocks. Research Implications: Contract policymakers need to review the gross split policy because it is not in line with the initial goal of increasing efficiency. The results clearly show that strict government policies can reduce agency costs while encouraging oil and gas production, however, this can hinder the competitiveness of the sector. The government does not need to give excessive priority to high-ranking companies in managing small-scale blocks in order to attract new investors. Originality/Value: To the best of our knowledge, this research is the first study to develop a ranking method for oil and gas companies in Indonesia.