Upstream Sector Research Articles

A bibliometric analysis of the application of machine learning methods in the petroleum industry

With the emerge of Artificial Intelligence and Machin learning systems, the petroleum industry has witnessed a significant progress in its different disciplines to optimize decision making, time and costs. Despite the widespread application of using machine learning methods in the petroleum industry, a little attention has been devoted to build a framework to bring the main currents and researches on the topic. The current research is aimed at covering this gap through further analysis of complementary sources of bibliographic information, assessing 3163 bibliometric studies published in Web of Science (WOS) database. The descriptive statistics show that this field has an exponential growth in the last five years, such that more than 62 % of identified articles were published between 2018 and 2022. CHINA, IRAN and US are the pioneer countries with the highest number of publications on the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the upstream sector of the petroleum industry. The most influential journal in this field is ‘JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING’ (with 416 articles) (the current journal title is Geoenergy Science and Engineering) and the most productive author is SALAHELDIN ELKATATNY (with 54 articles) in WOS database. Also, the co-occurrence word analysis show that most of the artificial intelligence and machine learning applications in the upstream sector of the petroleum industry was the prediction and optimization in the field of ‘porosity’, ‘well logs’ and ‘permeability’. This paper contributes to the body of knowledge by providing a comprehensive overview of the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning in the upstream petroleum industry.

How does the digital economy affect value-added in China? Dual perspectives from digital demand and supply

ABSTRACT The Digital Economy (DE) has dramatically changed our lives and economies. However, few have systematically quantified the economic impact of DE. To this end, we propose a systematic input-output framework to analyse the economic impact of DE. We detangle the intertwined relations between digital sectors and upstream and downstream sectors by evaluating the embodied and enabled value-added. Then we use the structural path analysis to find the core transmission paths between the digital and upstream and downstream sectors. Further, we use the structural decomposition analysis to determine the main drivers of DE affecting the embodied and enabled value-added. Our findings are as follows. First, the digital sectors have significantly driven the value-added of upstream and downstream sectors. Second, there is heterogeneity in the roles of the digital device and service sectors. Third, on the value-added path, The Other services sector is the non-digital sector, which is closely related to the digital sectors. Finally, the expanding digital demand and primary input are the major driving forces for China’s rapid digital-embodied and digital-enabled value-added growth.

Job Hopping Behavior in the Upstream Sector of Oil and Gas Industry in Malaysia

Purpose: The research aims to identify what contributes to the job-hopping behavior to the mentioned industry within Malaysia’s workforce. Theoretical reference: The study employs Social Exchange Theory (SET) to investigate job-hopping behavior in Malaysia's upstream oil and gas sector. It explores the impact of remuneration packages, career advancement opportunities, and learning development on employees' intentions to change jobs. SET helps understand how self-interest and cost-benefit analyses influence this behavior. Method: The study took a quantitative and cross-sectional approach, whereby the research tools were derived from numerous previous studies. Primary knowledge on job-hopping behavior was obtained based on input collected from research surveys. The data allows us to establish the relationship between job hopping behavior and the independent variables identified. Results and Conclusion: The investigation of this study discovered that the three hypotheses offered have a significant relationship of the job-hopping behaviors with remuneration package, career advancement and leaning development. Implications of research: This study provides insight for employers and academic researchers in understanding correlation of each determinant that leads to employees’ job-hopping behavior, which could also benefit in future research in both business and academic areas. Originality/Value: This study's originality stems from its targeted investigation into job-hopping behavior within a specific Malaysian industry. It builds upon established theories and prior research to provide a solid theoretical foundation. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional approach and drawing from previous studies, it brings methodological rigor to the examination of job-hopping behavior. The study's key original contribution lies in its findings, which establish significant relationships between job-hopping and factors like remuneration packages, career advancement, and learning development. These findings offer practical insights for employers in the industry and provide a basis for future research in both business and academic contexts.

Towards a low-carbon future for China’s power supply chain: Critical sectors identification and scenario analysis

The power sector is a significant contributor to global carbon emissions and has received widespread attention from scholars; however, the path to achieving supply chain-wide carbon reductions in China from a provincial perspective remains unclear. This study combined multi-regional input–output and betweenness-based methods to identify the critical upstream sectors that indirectly drive large amounts of carbon emissions through power supply chains. The point source data of coal-fired units were collected to ensure the accuracy of the disaggregated input–output table. In addition, a scenario analysis was conducted to examine the effects of different electricity policy combinations on supply chain-wide emissions during the 14th Five-Year Plan (FYP). Our findings indicate that the embodied carbon intensity of the coal-fired power sector in Northwest China is among the highest in the country, ranging from 36.39 to 82.10 tons/10000 CNY. Therefore, the shift of the power sector to Western China during the 14th FYP will partially offset the positive emission reduction effect of the structural transformation of the power system. To achieve a low-carbon power supply chain, it is necessary to improve the production efficiency of critical transmission sectors and the low-carbon technology levels of major emitting sectors. Our results provide valuable insights for provincial governments to plan low-carbon transformation paths for the power sector.

Collaborative Governance in the Development of Silk Commodities in South Sulawesi

This study departs from the fact that the silk sector in South Sulawesi is currently experiencing a decline, even though it is closely attached to the culture of the people of South Sulawesi and has broad and varied potential benefits. Silk has also become a priority sector in the provincial government’s development planning. In recent years, collaborative governance has become a concept that has been in great demand by academics. Collaborative governance has emerged to respond to implementation failures, high costs, and the politicization of public sector regulations. The focus is on each stage of public policy. It is a new paradigm to understand the existence of multiple stakeholders in public affairs. This study aimed to explain collaborative governance in the development of silk commodities in South Sulawesi, and case studies were used to analyze such models. I used a post-positivist research paradigm with qualitative methods. The government’s efforts to develop the silk commodity in South Sulawesi by implementing a collaborative governance process have shown results that have not been maximized in the upstream, manufacturing, and downstream sectors, which are still dominated by entrepreneurs. Therefore, the government’s role is needed to formulate policies that are more effective and capable of developing good collaboration with the public sector and society.
 Keywords: collaborative governance, silk commodity

A qualitative analysis of health information-sharing networks in the Indonesian poultry sector.

Animal production systems are developing into increasingly complex value chains involving a large diversity of actors with multiple and dynamic linkages, concurrently creating many opportunities for disease spread. Access to timely and good-quality animal health information is vital for designing effective disease management strategies. However, several factors may hamper information flows along those chains. Understanding the structure and dynamics of information networks is essential to develop effective and acceptable health information systems. We applied a qualitative network approach to understand how information about poultry health is generated, disseminated and used for decision-making along the poultry value chain in Indonesia. Maps of the value chain and information networks were generated based on data from key informant interviews to illustrate the linkages and information-sharing patterns between stakeholders. Four types of farm business models were identified: company-owned, contract, partnership and independent. Although companies and most independent farmers collected health and production data routinely, their systems were strongly siloed and still relied on a mix of digital and paper-based methods, which impaired their analytical capacity. Technical service providers from the upstream sector and industry associations were identified as key intermediaries in the information-sharing network with the ability to create informal bridges between separate business networks and public actors. These actors can play a strategic role in the development of integrated information systems to improve stakeholders' capacity to monitor, anticipate and manage disease threats at all levels of the value chain. This study contributes to fill an important knowledge gap regarding the layer sector and may help decision-makers to design effective policies and interventions tailored to the type of business model.

Kebijakan Pemerintah Dalam Pemanfaatan Gas Suar Yang Terproduksi Dari Sumur Minyak (Associated Gas) Dalam Mendukung Program Net Zero Emission

In line with the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement which aims to reduce environmental pollution that has the potential to cause global warming, the Government of Indonesia has launched a net zero emission (NZE) target in year 2060 as a response to facing challenges and climate change in the future. There are many efforts to reduce carbon emissions one of them is the use of gas flares, therefore the Government of Indonesia has issued Regulation of the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Number 31 of 2012 concerning Implementation of Flaring Gas (Flaring) in Oil and Gas Business Activities, and its amendment. This paper is written and limited to activities in the upstream oil and gas sector and to see the comptability between regulations related to the implementation of the usage of gas flares with oil and gas production sharing contracts between the State and Cooperation Contract contractors (KKS Contractors). This research was made based on literature review and its application in oil and gas and industry, found the comptability effort to encourage the oil and gas player to use flare gas optimally considering the economics of contractor.

Differences in carbon emissions between the digital economy sectors in China and the USA.

In an era of rapid development of digital technologies and dramatic global climate change, digital economy is crucial to achieving the 'carbon peak' and 'carbon neutral' goals. However, less research has been done in the area of indirect carbon emissions in the digital economy sector. Therefore, this study uses an input-output model to calculate the embodied carbon emissions of the ICT (information and communication technology) industry in China and the USA in 2005, 2010 and 2016 from the production and consumption sides. Moreover, a comparative analysis is conducted in terms of the driving factors of carbon emissions and the relationship between emissions and economic benefits in the two countries. The results reveal that emissions are larger on the production side in the USA and on the consumption side in China. For both countries, electricity is the largest upstream sector in terms of emissions. ICT in the USA causes sectoral emissions mainly in manufacturing and services. While China mainly causes sectoral emissions in manufacturing. The US ICT sector is more economically efficient for the same emissions. Regarding drivers, the primary driver of the fall in emissions is a reduction in emission intensity. The increase in emissions driven by final demand is greater in China than in the USA. Finally, the results of the two countries are extended to other developed countries and emerging economies, providing recommendations for reducing carbon emissions in the ICT sector.

Comparative Eco-toxicological Effect of Corrosion Inhibitors on Aquatic Nitrogen Fixing Bacterium in Fresh and Brackish Water Ecosystem

Aquatic nitrogen-fixing bacteria play a crucial role in maintaining the nitrogen cycle and supporting primary productivity in freshwater and brackish water ecosystems. The activities of oil and gas industries operating within the coastal region of PortHarcourt releases effluents that contain various chemicals including corrosion inhibitors into the aquatic environment which can significantly affect the aquatic organisms including the nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Hence, this study was aimed to determine the comparative eco-toxicological effect of corrosion inhibitors on aquatic nitrogen fixing bacterium (Nitrosomonas sp.) in Fresh and Brackish water ecosystem. Fresh water and brackish water samples were collected from Chokocho stream in Etche Local Government Area and Eagle Island Port Harcourt, all in Rivers State, Nigeria. Standard toxicity procedure was applied on rectangular cut-out crude oil pipeline metal (ME) coated with corrosion inhibitors: Ambercil (AMB) and X-PRO 99 inhibitor (XPRO) immersed in freshwater (FW) prepared at concentrations of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% for Nitrosomons sp. These inhibitors were tested with Nitrosomonas sp. at 0, 4, 8, 12 and 24hrs separately for each toxicant. The median lethal concentration (LC50) was employed to compare the toxicities of the different toxicants on the test organisms. The result for percentage survival of Nitrosomonas sp decreased when exposed to various concentrations listed above for 24. The LC50 (%) result (noting, that the lower the LC50, the more toxic the toxicant): of Nitrosomonas sp decreased in the following order: FW + ME (85.5) > BW + ME (86.7) > Both FW + AMB & FW + XPRO (86.8) > BW + XPRO (87.9) > BW + ME + XPRO (89.1) > BW + AMB (89.7) > FW + ME + XPRO (94.9). The above results revealed that Nitrosomonas sp decreased in percentage survival with an increase in concentration. The result showed that the effluents of metals coated with corrosion inhibitors (ME + AMB & ME + XPRO) were more toxic to Nitrosomonas sp in brackish water than freshwater while the effluents of XPRO & AMB not coated on metals were more toxic in freshwater than in brackish water. In conclusion, corrosion inhibitors when coated on metals, AMB corrosion inhibitor was more toxic than XPRO corrosion inhibitors in brackish and freshwater. Based on the findings, the use of XPRO corrosion inhibitor should be a best option for coating crude oil pipeline due to its relative low toxicity in upstream sector of the Nigeria petroleum industry.

Methane venting from uncontrolled production storage tanks at conventional oil wells—Temporal variability, root causes, and implications for measurement

Uncontrolled oil production storage tanks are important but poorly understood sources of methane (CH4) emissions in the upstream oil and gas sector. This study reports and analyzes directly measured, temporally varying CH4 emission rates, total gas vent rates, and vent gas CH4 fractions from storage tanks at eight active upstream oil production sites in Alberta, Canada. Using a built-for-purpose optical mass flux meter (VentX) supplemented by an ultrasonic flow meter and quantitative optical gas imaging camera where possible, mean vent rates (whole gas) among tanks in the study ranged from 37 to 598 m3/d; however, at some individual tanks, instantaneous flow rates could vary significantly from 0 to over 4,000 m3/d for minutes at a time, while unsteady CH4 volume fractions varied by up to 41% absolute. Root cause analysis revealed the limits of estimating vented emissions from oil production volumes using an assumed gas–oil ratio, especially in cases where produced gas from wells fully or partially bypasses separators. The analysis of the acquired data also demonstrated how 1-h duration vent measurements recommended in some regulations are insufficient to reliably estimate emissions from unsteady tanks. These two factors are the likely reason for significantly underreported vent rates in the present sample and are thought to be a key cause of the mismeasurement/underestimation of tank venting that has driven persistent gaps between bottom-up inventories and top-down measurements. Finally, detailed statistical analyses were completed to suggest minimum sampling durations and instrumentation requirements for direct measurements of tanks and minimum sample sizes for discrete (“snapshot”) surveys of both individual tanks and multitank surveys under different scenarios. Results show that caution is warranted when interpreting snapshot measurements of individual tanks, but aggregate emissions of multiple tanks should be accurately measurable with readily achievable sample sizes. These results are expected to be especially valuable to ongoing efforts seeking to develop robust protocols for gas certification and measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) of CH4 emissions in the oil and gas sector.

Double-edged sword of technological progress to climate change depends on positioning in global value chains.

Technological progress (TP) is a double-edged sword to global climate change. This study for the first time reveals rebound and mitigation effects of efficiency-related TP in global value chains (GVCs) on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The integrated effects of TP depend on the positioning of sectors in GVCs. The cost-saving TP in upstream sectors would stimulate downstream demand. This produces stronger rebound effects than mitigation potentials and leads to global GHG emission increments (e.g. TP in the gas sector of China and petroleum and coal products sector of South Korea). In contrast, sectors located in the trailing end of GVCs have greater potentials for GHG emission mitigation through TP, mainly due to the reduction of upstream inputs. (e.g. the construction sector of China and dwelling sector of the United States). Global GHG emissions and production outputs can be either a trade-off or a win-win relationship on account of TP than rebound effects, because TP in different sectors could possibly increase or decrease the emission intensity of GVCs. This study could recognize the most productive spots for GHG emission mitigation through efficiency-related TP. It provides a new perspective for international cooperation to promote global GHG emission mitigation.

Organizational agility, dynamic managerial capability, stakeholder management, discretion, and project success: Evidence from the upstream oil and gas sectors

Today's organizations are dealing with a turbulent and unpredictable business environment. In these uncertain times, it is critical that managers at all levels have a deep understanding of discretion as part of the decision-making process. This study investigated the relationship between perceived managerial discretion and project success in the upstream oil and gas sectors. A total of 108 project managers participated in this study. We analyzed data using covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) to construct a framework that highlights the importance of dynamic managerial capabilities and organizational agility on perceived managerial discretion. The results confirm and emphasize the direct role of perceived managerial discretion on project success. The study notes the essential roles of strategic management literacy in mediating the relationship between perceived managerial discretion and project success in Indonesia and provides insights for middle managers seeking to foster the success of projects by considering strategic management literacy.

Imports, supply chains and firm productivity

This paper explores how competition-induced productivity gains from imports in intermediate producing sectors transmit through the supply chain. Based on firm-level panel data from Vietnam, we show that in addition to the productivity premium associated with importing intermediate inputs, firms that use domestically-produced inputs from more import-intensive sectors also have higher productivity. We find evidence that import competition leads to product differentiation, in particular higher quality output in sectors where there is greater scope for quality variation, leading to better quality domestically-produced inputs. We also find evidence that non-importing firms that experience productivity gains due to greater import intensity in upstream sectors change their input mix and become more capital intensive. We conclude that ignoring the gains from trade through this mechanism may significantly underestimate the impact of trade on productivity.

The synergistic effects of cationic surfactant and smart seawater on the recovery of medium-viscosity crude oil from low-permeability carbonates

In the petroleum industry, there is a continuous search for cost-effective enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods to increase oil extraction. Surfactant-based EOR is one of these effective methods, which is applied after the primary and secondary recovery phases. This paper presents an experimental study on the use of a cationic surfactant, hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB, CH3(CH2)15N(Br)(CH3)3), and smart seawater (SW) for EOR in low-permeability carbonate rock with medium viscosity crude oil. Smart SW was prepared by modifying the concentrations of Ca2+, Mg2+, and SO42- in synthetic offshore SW. The aqueous stability of CTAB was tested in different salinities of smart SW at the reservoir temperature. It was demonstrated that CTAB is stable at 55 °C, which was further confirmed through optical transmittance measurements, revealing values mostly exceeding 93%. The use of smart SW and CTAB significantly altered the wettability of carbonate rock towards water-wet and reduced the interfacial tension (IFT) between crude oil and water, reaching levels below 0.087 mN/m. However, the presence of smart SW increased the adsorption of CTAB onto the surface of carbonate rock. Nevertheless, the adsorption values were significantly below 1 mg/g-rock. Smart SW + CTAB resulted in a total oil recovery of 76.71% of original oil-in-place (OOIP), compared to 71.70% of OOIP with unmodified SW + CTAB. These results suggest that the use of smart SW in combination with CTAB is a promising approach for enhancing the recovery of medium-viscosity oil from tight carbonate reservoirs. Findings from this study can help in better understanding the optimal conditions for the application of smart SW-CTAB flooding to improve the effectiveness of tertiary recovery operations in the upstream oil sector.

Green technology diversification, technology vertical spillovers, and energy intensity in Chinese cities

Drawing from patent data spanning 2011-2016 in 249 Chinese prefecture-level cities and urban scale multi-region input-output (MRIO) table data, this paper empirically demonstrates that as green technological diversification levels escalate, the energy intensity of Chinese prefecture-level cities exhibits an initial increase followed by a decline. Green technological diversification indirectly influences urban energy intensity through vertical spillovers of green technology across the upstream and downstream sectors within the supply chain. Medium-sized cities, service industry-oriented cities, and those in the early stages of industrialization need to prioritize development of multiple green technologies to surpass the diversification turning point. The finding suggests a strategic transition for Chinese cities from a single green technology agglomeration model to a cluster model of collaborative development of multiple green technologies.

Estimation of natural methane emissions from the largest oil sand deposits on earth.

Worldwide methane emission by various industrial sources is one of the important human concerns due to its serious climate and air-quality implications. This study investigates less-considered diffusive natural methane emissions from the world's largest oil sand deposits. An analytical model, considering the first-order methane degradation, in combination with Monte Carlo simulations, is used to quantitatively characterize diffusive methane emissions from Alberta's oil sands formations. The results show that the average diffusive methane emissions from Alberta's oil sands formations is 1.56 × 10-4 kg/m2/year at the 90th percentile of cumulative probability. The results also indicate an annual diffusive methane emissions rate of 0.857 ± 0.013 Million tons of CO2e/year (MtCO2e/year) from Alberta's oil sands formations. This finding suggests that natural diffusive leakages from the oil sands contribute an additional 1.659 ± 0.025 and 5.194 ± 0.079% to recent Canada's 2019 and Alberta's 2020 methane emission estimates from the upstream oil and gas sector, respectively. The developed model combined with Monte Carlo simulations can be used as a tool for assessing methane emissions and current inventories.

Key local factors, supplier and linkage effectiveness: Evidence from the upstream petroleum sector of Ghana

This paper examines the role of the key local factors, local supplier effectiveness on local linkage effectiveness to support local content requirements, in-country spending and value retention. Drawing on extant literature and linkage and spill-over effect theory, this study developed a conceptual framework and measurement items, which were validated by 205 responses from randomly sampled upstream petroleum firms supplemented with key informant interviews. Quantitative data was analysed using PLS-SEM with the help of SmartPLS3. Overall, all the results suggest highly satisfactory model fit. Furthermore, the results confirmed a statistically significant positive direct relationship between the key local factors and local linkage factors (0.573), key local factors and supplier effectiveness (0.699), supplier effectiveness and local linkage factors (0.369) and, indirectly, the key local factors impact local linkage factors via local supplier effectiveness (0.258). The policy and management implications of the findings are well noted, while further research is proposed based on the limitation of this study.

Formulating a novel drilling mud using bio-polymers, nanoparticles, and SDS and investigating its rheological behavior, interfacial tension, and formation damage

Formation damage is a well-known problem that occurs during the exploration and production phases of the upstream sector of the oil and gas industry. This study aimed to develop a new drilling mud formulation by utilizing eco-friendly bio-polymers, specifically Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC), along with nanostructured materials and a common surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The rheological properties of the drilling fluid and the impact of additives on its properties were investigated at the micromodel scale, using a flow rate of 20 mL/h. The polymer concentration and nano clay concentration were set at two levels: 0.5 wt% and 1 wt%, respectively, while the surfactant content was varied at three levels: 0.1 wt%, 0.4 wt%, and 0.8 wt%. The results of the interfacial tension (IFT) analysis demonstrated a significant decrease in the interfacial tension between oil and water with the increasing concentration of SDS. Furthermore, following the API standard, the rheological behavior of the drilling fluid, including the gel strength and thixotropic properties of the mud, was evaluated with respect to temperature changes, as this is crucial for ensuring the inherent rheological stability of the mud. The rheological analysis indicated that the viscosity of the mud formulation with nanoparticles experienced a reduction of up to 10 times with increasing shear rate, while other formulations exhibited a decline of 100 times. Notably, the rheological properties of the Agar specimen improved at 150 °F due to its complete solubility in water, whereas other formulations exhibited a greater drop in viscosity at this temperature. As the temperature increased, drilling fluid containing nanostructured materials exhibited higher viscosity.

A Multi-Regional Input–Output Model to Measure the Spatial Spillover of R&D Capital

Reallocating innovative capital elements can improve the growth of total factor productivity and promote high-quality economic development. The multi-regional multiplier model measures the spatial spillover effects of R&D capital to trace the interregional R&D flows and explore the engines of the longer-term economic growth in China. Results show that the direct R&D intensity in different regions is all concentrated in basic research sectors supported by government funds, and decreased from coastal areas to inland areas. Second, R&D gradually flowed from China’s coastal regions to inland regions, from upstream basic research sectors to downstream infrastructure construction sectors. Third, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Beijing are the main contributors, with R&D spillover intensities reaching 1.69%, 1.40%, and 1.37%, respectively. Xinjiang, Tibet, and Hainan are the main beneficiaries, with R&D inflow intensities reaching 0.49%, 0.53%, and 0.50%, respectively. Finally, the channel of R&D spatial spillover manifests a circular distribution and contact-type and jump-type modes.

Analysis of investment and international trade on the Gross Domestic Product of the fisheries sector in Indonesia: evidence from the Panel Vector Autoregressive (P-VAR) Model

The aim of this study is to identify the dynamics of Gross Domestic Product growth in the Indonesian fisheries and marine sector. This is important to study considering that Indonesia is a country that has abundant marine wealth but faces several challenges such as production quality, investment growth, global uncertainty, and the international trade cycle. Thus, this study considers several variables, namely the GDP of the fisheries and marine sector, domestic investment, foreign direct investment, imports and exports of the fishery sector, and the volume of production in the fisheries sector. The research method used is a panel vector autoregression (P-VAR) model involving impulse response functions and variance decomposition tests. The results of the P-VAR estimation suggest that the variables that have a significant impact on the GDP of the Indonesian fishery sector are the GDP of the fishery sector itself, domestic investment, foreign direct investment, exports of the fishery sector, and the volume of production in the fishery sector. The results of the study indicate the need for implementing policies that are in accordance with the dynamics of the marine economy through coordination of all upstream and downstream sectors; developing and advancing the industrialization of fishery products; fulfilling international product standards; increasing the quantity and quality of environmentally friendly production; improving fishermen’s welfare; and implementing related policies in international trade.