Oil Production Research Articles

Optimization of Maintenance Strategies in an Oil and Gas Production Facility to Minimize Maintenance Cost

Abstract: In this study, maintenance strategies in an oil and gas production facility were optimized to minimize maintenance costs. The centrifugal pump system in Port Harcourt Refinery was selected for this study because it significantly impacts on the productivity of the refining plant. The pump system’s failure mode effects and criticality analysis (FMECA) were examined, and an optimized maintenance task was developed for the system. The exponential reliability method was employed to analyse the pump’s failure data to determine the pump systems' failure rate and reliability while reliability centred maintenance (RCM) and linear programming (LP) model were employed to optimize the pump’s maintenance strategies and the pump’s maintenance labour force respectively. Broad-based results of the optimized maintenance strategies consisted of on-condition-directed (CD) maintenance, preventive maintenance (PreM), and Proactive maintenance (ProM) strategies to be carried out monthly. The optimized maintenance labour force result revealed that approximately three engineers and two technicians should be employed for the pump’s maintenance task with a minimum of N2, 585, 700 as cost of salaries for the labour force monthly as against the current maintenance labour force requiring fourteen engineers and thirteen technicians monthly. The results showed that the labour cost decreased from N180,000,000 per year to N31,028,400 per year (approximately 82.76% reduction) using the proposed optimized maintenance task compared to the current maintenance plan. Conclusion and recommendation were made that the maintenance optimization technique presented in this work should be adopted by the oil and gas processing and production companies in order to minimize maintenance cost.

Investigation of carbon-black emissions of a tractor biofuel diesel

BACKGROUND: On the one hand, a petroleum-based liquid fuel diesel engine is a reliable basis for tractors and self-propelled agricultural machines, and on the other hand, the current trends make us to think about the environmental component of these diesel engines and besides to remember about reasonable use of non-renewable petroleum motor fuel. In order to reduce the anthropogenic impact on natural ecosystems and to assess the smokiness of exhaust gases from a tractor diesel running on ethanol and rapeseed oil, the paper considers the relevant model of the carbon-black formation inside it. AIM: Development of the relevant model of carbon-black emission in a tractor diesel running on ethanol and rapeseed oil to assess the smokiness of exhaust gases and to reduce anthropogenic impact on natural ecosystems. METHODS: To simulate the processes of formation and burnout of carbon-black particles in a tractor diesel engine, the volume of the combustion chamber was conditionally divided into several areas (soot content indicators in different areas were added up), and the cycle of calculating the exhaust gas smokiness level included several stages (determination of pressure, integral and differential characteristics of heat dissipation, average temperature of the working fluid, fuel supply indicators and fuel evaporation rate, local coefficients of excess air, composition of gases, concentration of decomposition and oxidation products of rapeseed oil and ethanol, the number of carbon-black particles, the mass of dispersed carbon, the rate of transition of particles to the burnout zone). RESULTS: The developed mathematical model is capable of calculating the carbon-black concentration and the main components of the gas mixture in the reaction zone of the combustion chamber, the content of carbon-black in the exhaust gases at various speed and load modes of operation of a tractor diesel engine. It is capable of obtaining valuable information about the dynamics of the main stages of carbon-black formation and burnout in the cylinder of a tractor diesel engine running on ethanol and rapeseed oil. The results of numerical simulation of carbon-black formation and burnout in a tractor diesel cylinder when running on diesel fuel, ethanol and rapeseed oil are obtained and presented. CONCLUSION: Based on the developed relevant model of carbon-black emission in a tractor diesel engine running on ethanol and rapeseed oil, an assessment of its exhaust gas smokiness was carried out, clearly showing a decrease by 3.4–3.8 times in comparison with diesel fuel operation. The presented method for calculating the carbon-black emission of tractor diesel can be used in the multi-area modeling and researches of such in-cylinder processes as heat generation, heat transfer, etc. The accuracy of calculations based on the proposed model is characterized by the perfection of mathematical algorithms describing the rate of fuel evaporation, the development of a fuel flare, the determination of local temperatures, the rate of flame propagation, the local composition of gases in the cylinder, etc.

Endomelanconiopsis endophytica Lipase Immobilized in Calcium Alginate for Production of Biodiesel from Waste Cooking Oil

The increasing global demand for biodiesel is due to the urgent need to replace fossil diesel with a fuel based on renewable energy sources. Although chemical catalysis is widely used to produce biodiesel, it uses harsh operating conditions, has high energy consumption, and generates unwanted byproducts. In this scenario, biocatalysis stands out as an efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical catalysis. In biocatalysis, the use of immobilized enzymes plays an important role in the reduction in costs. In this sense, we investigated the use of the lipase produced by an Amazonian endophytic fungus in an immobilized form in the transesterification of waste cooking oil for biodiesel production. The fungus Endomelanconiopsis endophytica QAT_7AC demonstrated a high production of lipase. The lipolytic extract was precipitated in ethanol, which increased the specific enzyme activity. The lipolytic extract and the precipitated lipolytic extract were immobilized in calcium alginate beads. Immobilization efficiency was over 89%. The immobilized biocatalysts showed thermal stability and were used in the production of biodiesel using waste cooking oil and ethanol. It was possible to reuse them for up to four reaction cycles, with yields greater than 70%. These results prove the efficiency of immobilized biocatalysts in the production of biodiesel from waste oils.

Indicadores de rendimiento energético y ambiental en instalaciones petroleras de producción en Ecuador

The study evaluates the energy and environmental performance of Ecuador's upstream oil facilities between 2015 and 2020, focusing on major extraction blocks. By analyzing data on oil, gas, and water production, fossil fuel consumption, and electricity usage, key performance indicators were developed to assess efficiency and environmental impact. The findings revealed disparities in energy efficiency, with Block 43-ITT being the most efficient at 7.82 kWh per barrel, while Block 57-LB was the least efficient at 31.41 kWh per barrel. The study emphasizes that maturing oil fields require more energy and emit more greenhouse gases, underlining the necessity for sustainable energy practices. EP Petroecuador’s initiatives, such as substituting fuel and integrating renewable electricity, led to a reduction of approximately 540 kTons of CO2 emissions by replacing 163.32 million gallons of diesel with low-carbon fuels and renewable electricity. These findings serve as a baseline for optimizing energy use and reducing emissions, offering valuable insights for policymakers and industry leaders to adopt data-driven strategies that enhance energy efficiency and minimize environmental impact in Ecuador's oil sector.

Valorizing Waste Streams to Enhance Sustainability and Economics in Microbial Oil Production.

Driven by demand for more sustainable products, research and capital investment has been committed to developing microbially produced oils. While researchers have shown oleaginous yeasts and other microbes can produce low-carbon footprint oils by leveraging waste streams as energy sources, previous analyses have not fully explored the quantity of available waste streams and in turn economy-of-scale enabled on capital and operating expenses. This paper makes parallels to 2G ethanol facilities, enabling a data-driven understanding of large-scale production economics. Production costs are broken down for a variety of scenarios. The analysis finds that reaching price parity with large-scale commodity oils (e.g., palm oil, high-oleic cooking oils, biofuels feedstock oils, lauric acid) is not possible today and unlikely even under aggressive future assumptions about strain productivity. Instead, commercial production must be targeted at end markets where sustainability-conscious consumers are willing to pay the price premiums identified in this paper.

Effect of Extracted Walnut Pomace Cake Edible Coating and Packaging Type on Quality Parameters of Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Kernels During Long Storage Periods

Walnuts are highly valued for their rich nutritional content, but their quality degrades during storage due to oxidation and other quality reducing processes. This study investigated the use of bioactive compounds extracted from walnut pomace, a by-product of walnut oil production, to develop an edible coating that extends the shelf life of ‘Milotai 10’ walnut kernels. Walnut kernels were stored for eight months in four different packaging materials (PE, PP, MPP, PLA) and three treatments were used (air or without treatment, nitrogen gas, and walnut pomace extract coating). The effects of these combinations on walnut quality parameters, including polyphenol content, vitamin E, fatty acids, peroxide value, and color, were analyzed. The results show that the combination of metallized polypropylene packaging under nitrogen treatment or with atmospheric air and walnut pomace extract (MPP-A-E+) best preserves walnut quality, making it a promising option for extending shelf-life.

Biovalorization of whey waste as economic nutriment for mycogenic production of single cell oils with promising antibiofilm and anticancer potentiality

The production of value-added bio-compounds from rejuvenated sources and their recruitment for healthcare services are paramount objectives in the agenda of white biotechnology. Hereupon, the current study focused on economic production of single cell oils (SCOs) from oleaginous fungi Alternaria sp. (A-OS) and Drechslera sp. (D-OS) using cheese whey waste stream, followed by their evaluation as antibiofilm and anticancer agents, for the first time. As a sole substrate for growth, the whey aided in lipid accumulation by 3.22 and 4.33 g/L, which representing 45.3 and 48.2% lipid content in Drechslera sp. (D-OS) and Alternaria sp. (A-OS), respectively. Meanwhile, a higher unsaturation degree was detected in A-OS by 62.18% comparing to 53.15% of D-OS, with advantageous presence of omega-6 poly unsaturated fatty acid by 22.67% and 15.04% for A-OS and D-OD, respectively, as revealed by GC-MS and FTIR characterization analysis. Interestingly, an eminent and significant (P ≤ 0.05) antibiofilm potency was observed in a dose-dependent modality upon employing both SCOs as antibiofilm agents. Whereas, 100 µg/mL of A-OS recorded superior inhibition of P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and C. albicans biofilms development by 84.10 ± 0.445, 90.37 ± 0.065 and 94.96 ± 0.21%, respectively. Whereas, D-OS (100 µg/mL) thwarted the biofilms of P. aeruginosa, S. aureus and C. albicans by 47.41 ± 2.83, 62.63 ± 5.82 and 78.67 ± 0.23%, correspondingly. Besides, the metabolic performance of cells within biofilm matrix, protein, carbohydrate contents and hydrophobicity of examined biofilms were also curtailed in a significant correlation with biofilm biomass (r ≥ 0.9). Further, as anticancer agents, D-OS recorded higher potency against A549 and CaCo-2 cell lines with IC50 values of 2.55 and 3.425% and SI values of 10.1 and 7.5, respectively. However, A-OS recorded 8.275% and 2.88 for IC50 and SI of Caco-2 cells, respectively. Additionally, A-OS activated caspase 3 by 64.23 ± 1.18% and 53.77 ± 0.995% more than D-OS (52.09 ± 0.222% and 49.72 ± 0.952%) in A549 and Caco-2 cells, respectively. Furthermore, the enzymes, which associated with cancer invasion, metastasis, and angiogenesis (i.e., MMP2 and MMP9) were strongly inhibited by A-OS with 18.58% and 8.295%, respectively as IC50 values; while D-OS results recorded 23.61% and 13.16%, respectively, which could be ascribed to the higher ω-6/ω-3 contents of A-OS. The promising results of the current study opens up the vision to employ SCOs as anti-infective nutraceuticals and in complementary/alternative therapy and prophylactic programs as well.

Fossil Fuel Industry Divestment and the Energy Transition: Lessons and Red Flags from Shell and the Niger Delta

Abstract While divestments and decisions to exit commercial fossil fuel ventures are not new, the imperatives of the energy transition are catalysing such moves at a global industry-wide level, as oil companies position themselves for the future. The international normative framework for business and human rights provides clear guidance on how responsible divestment from fossil fuels should occur; however, in the absence of intergovernmental coordination and regulation, individual business divestment decisions create severe human rights risks. The case of Shell’s divestment from onshore Niger Delta oil production illustrates business and human rights issues relevant to the energy transition.

Production Law of Shielding Oil in Fractured Carbonate Reservoirs: A Case Study of Northwest Oilfield, China

Multi-scale fractures in Northwest Oilfield are extremely developed. Fractures in both oil flow channels and water channels lead to the phenomenon of water channeling in the later stages of reservoir development, which may be affected by the bottom water cone. Gel plugging agents are widely used in the treatment of this phenomenon because of their low cost and high-water plugging efficiency. However, because there is often residual oil in small-scale fractures, the pressure law of different grades of differential fractures on gel is not clear, thus leading to low gel application efficiency and low oil recovery. There is still a lack of effective means through which to understand the regularity of shielding the remaining oil with gel strength and fractures of different grades. In this study, we conducted a novel analysis of the law of shielding oil production in fractured reservoirs. The gelling and rheological properties of anti-temperature gels (ATGs) with different strengths were studied. The plugging rate of oil phase was 96.39%, and that of water phase was 25.37%. ATG showed good oil–water selectivity. The influences of different grades of differential fractures on the production law of shielding the remaining oil were also studied, as well as the corresponding influence law chart. When the gel strength was in the range of 2.0–28.1 Pa and the fracture grade difference was 5–10, the recovery ratio was increased by 10.6–24%. The enhanced oil recovery can be quantitatively predicted by the scale of reservoir fractures and the strength of gel used. It has a certain guiding role for the field application of gel to efficiently shield residual oil in differential fractures.

Culture-Dependent Characterization of Hydrocarbon Utilizing Bacteria and Fungi from an Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Site

Crude oil refining is a global insert responsible for the production of a wide array of petroleum based products crucial for various sectors including energy, transportation, and manufacturing. However, the artisanal form of crude oil refining, often characterized by its small scale and limited technological infrastructure, has emerged as a major environmental concern in several regions around the world. Illegal refining of crude oil has led to oil spillages which in turn lead to a disruption of the microbial population of the soil. Hence, the aim of this study was to isolate and characterize the heterotrophic and hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria and fungi from an artisanal crude oil refining site. A total of thirty six (36) soil samples were collected from three (3) artisanal crude oil refining sites at iwofe, ogbogoro and ibaa community all in Rivers State, Nigeria. The samples were collected using soil auger and subjected to standard microbiological procedures such as culturing, isolation and identification. The results revealed significantly elevated levels of heterotrophic and hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria and fungi in the soil samples, with notable variations (p≤0.05) across the different artisanal crude oil refining sites. Total Heterotrophic Bacteria (THB) counts ranged from 3.75x105CFU/g in Iwofe to 2.70x105CFU/g in Ibaa, Total heterotrophic Fungal (THF) counts ranged from 2.80x104CFU/g recorded in Ogbogoro to 1.45x104CFU/g recorded in Iwofe, Hydrocarbon Utilizing Bacteria (HUB) counts ranged from 2.25x103CFU/g in Ibaa to 1.30x103CFU/g in Iwofe and Hydrocarbon Utilizing Fungi (HUF) counts ranged from 2.50x102CFU/g recorded in Ogbogoro to 1.40x102CFU/g recorded in Ibaa community with significant differences (p≤0.05). Bacteria isolated and characterized from the soil include Enterobacter, Pseudomonas putida, Serratia and Bacillus amyloliquefaciens while fungi include Fusarium, Aspergillus, Penicillium and Mucor. The microorganisms identified in this study have been reported to play key roles in the utilization of crude oil. Pseudomonas and Bacillus were the most dominant bacterial isolates and their dominance could imply that the soil could support the growth of crops. Thus, while they utilize the hydrocarbons, they also serve as plant-growth promoting microorganisms. Although some of the microorganisms in the present study have been reported to promote the growth of plant, the dumping of crude oil products legal or illegal should be minimized to avoid the extinction of plant-promoting microorganisms.

Analytical Determination of Squalene in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Olive Processing By-Products, and Its Valorization as an Ingredient in Functional Food—A Critical Review

Squalene is a bioactive compound with significant health benefits, predominantly found in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and its processing by-products. This critical review explores the analytical determination of squalene in EVOO and various by-products from olive oil production, highlighting its potential as a valuable ingredient in functional foods. An overview of existing analytical methods is provided, focusing on different approaches to sample preparation before analytical determination, evaluating their effectiveness in quantifying squalene concentrations. Studies not primarily centered on analytical methodologies or squalene quantification were excluded. A critical gap identified is the absence of an official method for squalene determination, which hinders comparability and standardization across studies, underscoring the importance of developing a reliable, standardized method to ensure accurate quantification. The valorization of squalene involves advocating for its extraction from olive oil processing by-products to enhance sustainability in the olive oil industry. By recovering squalene, the industry can not only reduce waste but also enhance functional food products with this health-promoting compound. Additionally, there is a need for economically sustainable and environmentally friendly extraction techniques that can be scaled up for industrial application, thus contributing to a circular economy within the olive oil sector.

Accessibility Measures to Evaluate Public Transport Competitiveness: The Case of Rome and Turin

The transport sector worldwide relies heavily on oil products, and private cars account for the largest share of passenger mobility in several countries. Public transport could represent an interesting alternative under many perspectives, including a decrease in traffic, pollutants, and climate emissions. However, for public transport to succeed, it should be attractive for final users, representing a viable alternative to private mobility. In this work, we analyse the spatial distribution of public transport service provision within two metropolitan cities, considering the three key dimensions of mobility, competitiveness, and accessibility of public transport. The results show that private car performs better than public transport in all scopes considered, and that performance indicators are highly variable among city areas, indicating inequalities in social and environmental sustainability in urban systems. The outcomes of the analysis provide interesting insights for policy makers and researchers that deal with similar topics, and can also be extended to other cities and countries.

Defense Mechanisms of Xylopia aromatica (Lam.) Mart. in the Dry Season in the Brazilian Savanna

Water availability and light during the dry and rainy seasons in the Cerrado may influence plants’ stomatal movement and the entry of CO2 for organic synthesis, which is the main electron drain. A lower stomatal conductance may contribute to the energy accumulated in the chloroplasts being directed towards the synthesis of compounds, which contributes to the activity of antioxidant enzymes to neutralize reactive oxygen species. Xylopia aromatica is a characteristic Cerrado species, and it is often recommended for recovering degraded areas. This study aimed to investigate the influence of the dry and rainy seasons on the metabolic adjustments of Xylopia aromatica in a portion of the Brazilian savanna in the state of São Paulo. In the rainy season, better photosynthetic performance led to greater investment in essential oil production. In the dry season, the plants may direct part of their reducing sugars to the syntheses of carotenoids and anthocyanins, which may help the antioxidant enzymes to neutralize reactive oxygen species. Carotenoids assist in the dissipation of photosystem energy, which has the potential to cause oxidative stress. During this season, lower stomatal conductance prevented excessive water loss. These results suggest the acclimatization of this species to the conditions of the Brazilian savanna.

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 %.

Diagnosis of GHG Emissions in an Offshore Oil and Gas Production Facility

This work presents a diagnosis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) platforms for oil and gas production offshore, using calculation methodologies from the American Petroleum Institute (API) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). To carry out this analysis, design data of an FPSO platform is used for the GHG emissions estimation, considering operations under steady conditions and oil and gas processing system simulations in the Aspen HYSYS® software. The main direct emission sources of GHG are identified, including the main combustion processes (gas turbines for electric generation and gas turbine-driven CO2 compressors), flaring and venting, as well as fugitive emissions. The study assesses a high CO2 content in molar composition of the associated gas, an important factor that is considered in estimating fugitive emissions during the processes of primary separation and main gas compression. The resulting information indicates that, on average, 95% of total emissions are produced by combustion sources. In the latest production stages of the oil and gas field, it consumes 2 times more energy and emits 2.3 times CO2 in terms of produced hydrocarbons. This diagnosis provides a baseline and starting point for the implementation of energy efficiency measures and/or carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies on the FPSO in order to reduce CO2 and CH4 emissions, as well as identify the major sources of emissions in the production process.