Sustained Oil Research Articles

Economic impacts of oil and gas clusters: Analyzing the influence of oil and gas revenues in Brazil and Texas

This study analyzes the correlation between oil and gas firms and their contribution to regional development in the Brazilian southeast coastal region and in the State of Texas from 2013 to 2017. The study uses Pearson's correlation to examine the effects of oil revenues distributed in local economies and their tax contributions on seven local development indicators. Results show a strong correlation between oil and gas incomes and GDP growth in both regions, with Brazil being more dependent on these resources. However, the correlations do not necessarily translate into broader societal advancements, indicating a need for development policies that support sustained oil and gas clusters to improve socio-economic conditions. The findings underscore the importance of strategic planning in resource-rich regions to mitigate risks associated with resource dependency.

An affordable operational oil spill monitoring system in action: A diachronic multiplatform analysis of recent incidents in the southern Gulf of Mexico

The coexistence of marine sensitive areas with the oil industry requires robust preparedness and rapid response capabilities for monitoring and mitigating oil spill events. Scientifically proven satellite-based methods for the visual detection of oil spills are widely recognized as effective, low-cost, transferable, scalable, and operational solutions, particularly in developing economies. Following meticulous design and implementation, we adopted and executed a relatively low-cost operational monitoring and alert system for oil spill detection over the ocean surface and alert issuance. We analyzed over 1500 satellite images, issuing over 70 warning reports on oil slicks and spills in the southern Gulf of Mexico. To assess the system’s efficiency and performance, we leveraged data from three major oil spill incidents in the study region during June and July of 2023 in the study region, covering a maximum area of 669 km2 and tracked for 12 to 24 days. We documented the evolution of these oil spills by integrating satellite sensing data with on-site Lagrangian drifting buoys, a network of high-frequency radars, and citizen reports to validate the outcomes of this system. We generated timely technical information on the spill’s evolution, informing decision-makers and local community leaders to strengthen their mitigation response capabilities. Additionally, we developed a robust database with spectral and spatiotemporal features of satellite-detected oil, thereby contributing to advancing the scientific understanding of sea surface dynamics related to natural and anthropogenic oil sources. This study also highlights immediate-, medium-, and long-term research agendas and establishes a reference for a sustained, transferable, and operational oil spill monitoring system.

Climate strategies for oil and gas production under the lens of an Integrated Assessment Model: The case of Brazil

Future projections of oil and gas demand suggest that some production will remain necessary. Although attention often focuses on CO2 emissions from the combustion of their products, oil and gas production is also a relevant global emission source of both CO2 and CH4. Hence, understanding the carbon performance of upstream activities in producing nations is vital for distinguishing producers in a climate-pressured global market. This work explores climate strategies for the oil and gas upstream sector, using Brazil as a case study. The sector´s emissions profile is evaluated under distinct national climate scenarios. The analysis employs BLUES, a national Integrated Assessment Model (IAM), to access production volumes, mitigation measures applicable to the sector, and carbon dioxide removal potentials within the country to eventually offset the sector's remaining emissions. Results indicate sustained oil and gas production over the evaluated horizon (2020–2050) without compromising national climate goals, yet the sector's future emissions trajectory does not align with decarbonization targets pursued by more ambitious oil-producing nations and industry players. Despite sectoral mitigation measures indicated by the model, considerable emissions remain until 2050. Conversely, the country offers ample offsetting opportunities with potential synergies for the sector, especially through BECCS. Furthermore, the acceptability of offsets is discussed.

Investigation of synergistic effects incorporating esterified lignin and guar gum composite aerogel for sustained oil spill cleanup

The recently developed aerogel demonstrates a high capacity for pollutant absorption, making it an environmentally friendly option for oily water treatment. In an effort to reduce the adverse effects of the black liquor accumulation in the pulp industry, this study focused on utilizing the mentioned abundant bio-resource lignin, which can be applied to various high-value applications such as 3D porous materials for oil spill cleanup. Lignin, precipitated from the black liquor, was esterified using maleic anhydride as the esterifying reagent to enhance the hydrophobicity. Then, the composite aerogel fabricated from esterified lignin and guar gum (GG) was successfully prepared through the facile freeze-drying, using glutaraldehyde (GA) as the cross-linker. The resulting aerogel exhibited high porosity values exceeding 95%, low density (27.4 mg/cm3), and an impressive absorption capacity of 32.5 g/g for sunflower oil. These results demonstrate the potential of black liquor utilization as a bio-waste source of lignin and highlight the cost-effective guar gum-esterified lignin composite aerogel, which exhibits remarkable oil absorption capabilities and environmental sustainability promotion.

Encapsulation of Tocotrienol-Enriched Flaxseed Oil in Calcium Alginate–Carboxymethyl Cellulose Hydrogel Beads for Improved Oxidative Stability and Release Profile

The objective of this study was to encapsulate tocotrienol-enriched flaxseed oil in calcium alginate–carboxymethyl cellulose (CA-CMC) hydrogel beads by an extrusion-dripping technique. Two polymeric blends of sodium alginate and sodium carboxymethyl cellulose were selected to emulsify with flaxseed oil (10–50% v/v) depending on the sphericity and swelling behavior of the unloaded beads. One selected emulsion with a high stability, narrow particle size distribution, and small droplet mean diameter was used to prepare tocotrienol-enriched flaxseed oil beads. The beads were approximately 1.7 mm in diameter with a high encapsulation efficiency of approximately 87%. The beads swelled more in the intestinal fluid than the gastric fluid, allowing sustained and higher oil release in the intestinal fluid. CA-CMC beads protected the oxidation of tocotrienol-enriched flaxseed oil during storage at 4 and 65 °C, improving the oxidative stability of the enriched oil. CA-CMC beads have a good potential to preserve and deliver tocotrienol-enriched flaxseed oil.

Effects of Reservoir Angle on Vertical Well Performance

Petroleum engineers are desperately needed to maintain sustained clean oil production for a long time without running into flow restrictions caused by external boundaries. These boundaries could take the shape of sealing faults, which are the most frequent in real-world situations, constant-pressure boundaries, or other reservoir heterogeneities, such as fractures, layers, and lateral discontinuities, to name a few. This study aims to examine the impact of reservoir angle on the efficiency of vertical oil wells. In this study, empirical mathematical models were used to describe vertical oil wells constrained by two sealing faults in a reservoir supported by a strong aquifer. The mathematical models developed by (1) are applied by computer software. It was determined after evaluation that lower reservoir angles provide greater values of pressure derivatives, which is indicative of good productivity and performance. To evaluate the impact of the reservoir angle on dimensionless pressure and pressure derivatives, a sensitivity analysis was also conducted utilizing a fixed value of dimensionless time to study various reservoir angle values. However, it was shown that the dimensionless pressure, PD, is unaffected by the reservoir angle. The dimensionless pressure derivative (P'D) was shown to have an inverse relationship with the reservoir angles. To verify the accuracy of the results, a comparison analysis between the findings from the constructed computer model, OBLIQ, and those found in the literature was carried out. The analysis' findings demonstrated that the study's finding is consistent with those in the literature.

Formation, digestion properties, and physicochemical stability of the rice bran oil body carrier system

Rice bran is a major by-product of rice processing with abundant nutrient content. Oil bodies (OBs), which are fat particles with unique physicochemical stability, are specialized organelles for the storage of oils and fats in plant tissues. In this study, we extracted OBs from rice bran, to evaluate the function of hydrophobic nutrients efficiently delivered by OBs. The carrier system was prepared by sonicating curcumin with medium chain triglycerides (MCT) into rice bran oil bodies (RBOBs). Emulsions comprising different RBOB mass fractions were characterized. The results showed that the highest encapsulation efficiency (EE, 87.67%), optimal particle size (190 nm), and best storage stability were achieved with the 1.5 wt% RBOBs. Based on activity evaluation data, the carrier system can achieve sustained oil release in the intestine and shows high bioaccessibility (61.04%; IC50 in Caco-2 cells was 77.21 μg/mL), which is important for promoting grain by-product utilization.

Melded ceramic membranes: A novel fabrication method for ultrathin alumina membranes of high performance

AbstractConventional ceramic membranes are usually fabricated on porous ceramic substrates, using a repetitive coating‐sintering process to form a multilayered structure. This results in lengthy fabrication periods and high fabrication costs. In this work, we developed a novel fabrication process, melding, by combining vacuum infiltration and pore tuning techniques to directly construct the ceramic membrane layer within the porous ceramic substrate. By careful selection of powder sizes, the detrimental penetration effect can be modified into a benefit, forming an ultrathin membrane layer with thickness less than 1.45 µm after sintering at 1200°C. Compared favorably with dip‐coated ceramic membranes, the melded ceramic membrane had much smaller nominal pore sizes (0.19 vs 0.31 µm), but much higher water permeance (>60%). The melded ceramic membrane also had the highest rejection (98.5%) toward 125 nm polystyrene latex suspensions (2 ppm), highest sustained oil removal efficiency (>90%) under oil‐in‐water emulsion (200 ppm) filtration, and the least irreversible fouling (<8.6%). The melding process also significantly reduced the raw powders required, leading to an 86% reduction in material costs, as compared to the multilayered ceramic membranes.

Ozonated Olive Oil: Enhanced Cutaneous Delivery via Niosomal Nanovesicles for Melanoma Treatment.

Ozonated olive oil (OL) combines the therapeutic effects of both ozone and olive oil. However, it suffers from limited water solubility and poor transdermal permeation, which hinder its application in melanoma treatment. Nanocarrier host molecules, such as niosomes, were used to improve the water solubility, transdermal permeation, and anticancer effect of hydrophobic compounds. This study aims to design and optimize a niosomal vesicular nanoplatform loaded with OL (OL/NSs) to improve OL’s skin permeation and anti-melanoma effect. In this regard, OL was prepared and characterized by evaluating its chemical properties (acid, peroxide, and iodine values) and fatty acid composition using gas chromatography. Then, OL/NSs were developed using the thin film hydration method employing cholesterol, Span 60, and Tween 60 at five different molar ratios. The optimized niosomes had an average diameter of 125.34 ± 13.29 nm, a surface charge of −11.34 ± 4.71 mV, and a spherical shape. They could entrap 87.30 ± 4.95% of the OL. OL/NSs showed a 75% sustained oil release over 24 h. The skin permeation percentage of OL/NSs was 36.78 ± 3.31 and 53.44 ± 6.41% at 12 and 24 h, respectively, three times higher than that of the free OL (11.50 ± 1.3 and 17.24 ± 2.06%, at 12 and 24 h, respectively). Additionally, the anticancer activity of the developed niosmal formulation, when tested on human melanoma cells (A375), was double that of the free OL; the IC50 of the OL/NSs was 8.63 ± 2.8 μg/mL, and that of the free OL was 17.4 ± 3.7 μg/mL. In conclusion, the encapsulation of ozonated olive oil in niosomes enhanced its water solubility, skin permeation, and anticancer activity and thus may represent potent natural chemotherapy in treating melanoma.

Loading natural emulsions with nutraceuticals by ultrasonication: Formation and digestion properties of curcumin-loaded soybean oil bodies

Curcumin is often used as a natural food additive because of its many drug functions and biological properties; however, its poor water solubility, chemical instability, ease of degradation, relatively high rate of metabolic degradation, and low bioavailability has limited its use in functional foods and medicines. In this study, we prepared curcumin oil body (COB) emulsions by loading curcumin into soybean slurry and explored the structural characteristics of emulsions prepared using different ultrasound sequences with the aim of enhancing the functionality and digestion properties of the oil bodies. The measured encapsulation efficiencies, particle sizes, ζ-potentials, Turbiscan stability indices, and other indicators reveal that the best COB encapsulation efficiency and stability are obtained using two ultrasound treatment methods and the addition of 10% oil. Structural analysis using infrared spectroscopy and sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed that the curcumin-loaded oil was mainly bound to the hydrophobic area of the protein on the surface of the oil body through hydrophobic interactions. COB stability was found to positively correlate with the amount of extrinsic protein adsorbed on the surfaces of the oil droplets. Digestion data showed that, compared with the method in which the oil body is prepared and then loaded with curcumin (COB–U), the COB prepared by direct ultrasonication in the soybean slurry (U–COB) realizes sustained oil release in the intestine. U–COB also exhibits higher bioavailability (67.42%), which is important for creating a more effective curcumin delivery system.

Global oil price and food prices in food importing and oil exporting developing countries: A panel ARDL analysis

In this study, we attempt to look into the cointegration and causal link of oil and food prices in the sample countries that are both food importing and oil exporting economies. Yearly data sets of 21 countries were used and the paper covers a time period of 2001–2015. The stationarity property of I(0) and I(I) of the variables informed the use of panel ARDL model. The short period analysis shows negative effects between food prices and oil price while positive effects exist in the long period. The causality result of the sample country shows that causality runs from food prices to oil price. The result implies that appropriate agricultural policies that promote favourable food prices and alternative energy options should be pursued in the countries to ensure sustained food and oil supply.

Influence of Hydrocarbon Base Oil Molecular Structure on Lubricating Properties in Nano-scale Thin Film

In nano-scale thin film, the lubricant molecular structure may have more significant impact to lubricating performance than in bulk states. In order to investigate the influence of hydrocarbon base oil molecular structure to lubricating properties, three base oil samples with different molecular structure were synthesized in this study, the molecular structure was detected. Film thickness and friction coefficient were measured by EHD2 ultra thin film measurement system, and wear scar was evaluated by four-ball tester. The base oil with linear molecular structure show lower film thickness and friction coefficient, even the base oil has higher viscosity and viscosity index than other samples, while the branched structure makes the molecule more rigid than linear one, which increase the film thickness and friction coefficient. The linear molecules with high viscosity index sustained oil film at high temperature, which reduced the wear scar.

Preparation, Physicochemical Characterization and Oxidative Stability of Omega-3 Fish Oil/α-Tocopherol-co-Loaded Nanostructured Lipidic Carriers.

Purpose: This study aimed to improve the pharmacokinetic behavior of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) oxidation to enhance oxidative stability for inhibiting formation of toxic hydroperoxides, develops off-flavors and shortens shelf-life. Methods: Nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) co-encapsulating omega-3 fish oil and α-tocopherol was successfully prepared by melt blending and hot sonication method to enhance the oxidative stability of the fish oil. Encapsulation efficiency (EE) and in vitro release, the oxidative stability of prepared nanoparticles (NPs) were measured using detection of peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) during 40 days. Results: Electron microscopy and particle size analysis showed dispersed and homogenous NPs with an average diameter of 119 nm. Sustained oil release at a physiologic pH, and longterm stability in terms of the size, zeta, and dispersity of NPs was achieved after 75 days of storage. The omega-3 fish oil co-encapsulated with α-tocopherol in the NLC possessed better oxidative stability compared with the all other formulations. Also, it was found that the NLC as an encapsulation method was more successful to inhibit the formation of the primary oxidation products than the secondary oxidation products. Conclusion: Generally, these findings indicated that co-encapsulation of fish oil and α-tocopherol within the NLC can be a suitable delivery system in order to enrich foodstuffs, in particular clear beverages.

Effect of thymol on the broiler chicken antioxidative defence system after sustained dietary thyme oil application

ABSTRACT1. The purpose of this study was to examine if the concentration of thymol as the main compound of Thymus vulgaris essential oil (TEO) influenced the antioxidant defence system in broilers.2. Twenty-four broiler chickens were randomly divided at the day of hatching into three dietary treatment groups (0%, 0.05% and 0.1%, w/w TEO) with eight birds in each and were fed until four weeks of age.3. Thymol content in plasma, duodenal wall and breast muscle significantly increased when 0.1% of thyme oil was added to the diet (P < 0.05). Thymol concentration in plasma significantly correlated with levels measured in the duodenal wall and feed (rs = 0.7857, P < 0.05; rs = 0.7647, P < 0.05). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased, and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration decreased significantly (P < 0.05) in blood from chickens fed 0.1% TEO supplementation. Although the thymol concentration did not significantly decrease MDA amounts in breast muscle, a declining trend was observed.4. The trial data confirmed the efficient absorption of thymol from the digestive tract into the systemic circulation, but only traces were found in breast muscle. Thymol content was sufficient for expressing its antioxidant properties in blood, but its low content in breast muscle was insufficient to significantly affect lipid oxidation and fatty acid composition.

A hybrid scenario-based decommissioning forecast for the shallow water U.S. Gulf of Mexico, 2018–2038

The U.S. Gulf of Mexico is one of the oldest and most prolific offshore hydrocarbon basins in the world, producing over 52 billion barrels oil equivalent, 20.7 billion barrels of oil and 187 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, from 1947 to 2017. In recent years, the shallow water region has witnessed record levels of decommissioning activity due to aging fields, sustained low oil and gas prices, and greater regulatory oversight and scrutiny. It is no longer possible for operators to ‘kick the decommissioning can’ down the road and the result is that production and the number of structures on the shelf has declined significantly and are expected to continue to decrease in the future. The purpose of this paper is to present a model framework to estimate decommissioning activity in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico in water depth less than 400 ft (122 m). The problem is challenging because offshore structures are diverse, numerous, and are used in several different ways. Decline curves and cash-flow models represent best practices for producing structures, but for structures without production new approaches are needed. Three decommissioning models are developed using a hybrid scenario and probabilities characterize transitions between classes. From 2017 to 2022, between 474 and 828 structures are expected to be decommissioned in the shallow water Gulf of Mexico, and by 2027, between 704 and 1199 structures are expected to be decommissioned.

Experimental Study and Numerical Modeling of Fracture Propagation in Shale Rocks During Brazilian Disk Test

Reliable prediction of fracture process in shale-gas rocks remains one of the most significant challenges for establishing sustained economic oil and gas production. This paper presents a modeling framework for simulation of crack propagation in heterogeneous shale rocks. The framework is on the basis of a variational approach, consistent with Griffith’s theory. The modeling framework is used to reproduce the fracture propagation process in shale rock samples under standard Brazilian disk test conditions. Data collected from the experiments are employed to determine the testing specimens’ tensile strength and fracture toughness. To incorporate the effects of shale formation heterogeneity in the simulation of crack paths, fracture properties of the specimens are defined as spatially random fields. A computational strategy on the basis of stochastic finite element theory is developed that allows to incorporate the effects of heterogeneity of shale rocks on the fracture evolution. A parametric study has been carried out to better understand how anisotropy and heterogeneity of the mechanical properties affect both direction of cracks and rock strength.

A study of fluid flow in sediments and the effect of tidal pumping

Offshore drilling and production operations can result in spills or leaks of hydrocarbons into seabed sediments, which can potentially contaminate these sediments with oil. If this oil later migrates to the water surface it has the potential for negative environmental impacts. For proper contingency planning and to avoid larger consequences in the environment, it is essential to understand mechanisms and rates for hydrocarbon migration from oil containing sediments to the water surface as well as how much will remain trapped in the sediments. It is believed that the amount of oil transported out of the sediment can be affected by tidal pumping, a common form of subterranean groundwater discharge (SGD). However, we could find no study experimentally investigating the phenomenon of fluid flow in subsea sediments containing oil and the effects of tidal pumping. This study presents an experimental investigation of tidal pumping to determine if it is a possible mechanism that may contribute to the appearance of an oil sheen on the ocean surface above a sediment bed containing oil. An experimental apparatus was constructed of clear PVC pipe allowing for oil migration to be monitored as it flowed out of a sand pack containing oil, while tidal pressure oscillations were applied in three different manners. The effect of tidal pumping was simulated via compression of air above the water (which simulated the increasing static head from tidal exchange). Experimental results show that sustained oil release occurred from all tests, and tests with oscillating pressure produced for longer periods of time. Furthermore, the experimental results showed that the oil migration rate was affected by grain size, oil saturation, and oscillation wave type. In all oscillating experiments the rate and ultimate recovery was less than the comparable static experiments. For the conditions studied, the experimental results indicate that with an oscillating pressure on top of a sand pack, movement of a non-replenishing source of oil is suppressed by pressure oscillation.

Impacts of low oil price on China and the world natural gas industry chain

Since the second half of 2014, the crude oil price has been in rapid decline, which poses profound impacts on the global natural gas industry chain. The issue started to surface in the oil and gas sector on how to survive in such a situation. In this paper, an overview was first made on the world natural gas industry chain experiencing from the high-oil-price period to the low-oil-price period, then the influences of low oil price on natural gas production patterns, prices and development prospects, etc., and finally discussion focus was put on the challenges and opportunities brought about by the sustained low oil price to the natural gas industry chain in present China. The results are concluded as follows. First, under such low oil price situation, oil and gas companies at present have to cut capital expenditure to such a degree that the oil and gas output will be both of particular concern in the future. Second, low oil price will compel the falls of global natural gas prices to different degrees, so natural gas economy will drop greatly compared with crude oil prices. Third, such a low oil price will exert more severe impact on the high-cost unconventional natural gas sector; as a result, many unconventional oil and gas companies have suffered frequent bankruptcy at abroad, while such companies in China are holding different attitudes towards unconventional natural gas. Fourth, the oil and gas M&A market remains a laggard due to many other reasons. Fifth, this drop in oil prices is just occurring at the time when natural gas is developing so rapidly in China, which will bring both challenges and opportunities to the industrial structural reform of natural gas in China.

Hydroxytyrosol targets extracellular matrix remodeling by endothelial cells and inhibits both ex vivo and in vivo angiogenesis.

The health benefits of olive oil are attributed to their bioactive compounds, such as hydroxytyrosol. Previously, we demonstrated that hydroxytyrosol inhibits angiogenesis in vitro. The present study aimed to: i) get further insight into the effects of hydroxytyrosol on extracellular matrix remodeling; and ii) test whether hydroxytyrosol is able to inhibit angiogenesis ex vivo and in vivo. Hydroxytyrosol induced a shift toward inhibition of proteolysis in endothelial cells, with decreased expression of extracellular matrix remodeling-enzyme coding genes and increased levels of some of their inhibitors. Furthermore, this work demonstrated that hydroxytyrosol, at concentrations within the range of its content in virgin olive oil that can be absorbed from moderate and sustained virgin olive oil consumption, is a strong inhibitor of angiogenesis ex vivo and in vivo. These results suggest the need for translational studies to evaluate the potential use of hydroxytyrosol for angio-prevention and angiogenesis inhibition in clinical setting.

Quantifying uncertainties influencing the long-term impacts of oil prices on energy markets and carbon emissions

Oil prices have fluctuated remarkably in recent years. Previous studies have analysed the impacts of future oil prices on the energy system and greenhouse gas emissions, but none have quantitatively assessed how the broader, energy-system-wide impacts of diverging oil price futures depend on a suite of critical uncertainties. Here we use the MESSAGE integrated assessment model to study several factors potentially influencing this interaction, thereby shedding light on which future unknowns hold the most importance. We find that sustained low or high oil prices could have a major impact on the global energy system over the next several decades; and depending on how the fuel substitution dynamics play out, the carbon dioxide consequences could be significant (for example, between 5 and 20% of the budget for staying below the internationally agreed 2 ∘C target). Whether or not oil and gas prices decouple going forward is found to be the biggest uncertainty. The recent drop in oil prices is having a profound impact on global energy markets, raising questions about how these markets might evolve over the long term. This study uses scenarios to assess the energy and emissions impacts of diverging oil price futures and which uncertainties they depend upon.