Enhancing Heavy Crude Oil Flow in Pipelines through Heating-Induced Viscosity Reduction in the Petroleum Industry

The process of transporting crude oil across pipelines is one of the most critical aspects of the midstream petroleum industry.In the present experimental work,the effect of temperature,pressure drop,and pipe diameter on the flow rate of heavy crude oil have been assessed.Moreover,the total discharge and energy losses have been evaluated in order to demonstrate the improvements potentially achievable by using solar heating method replacing pipe,and adjusting the value of the initial pressure difference.Crude oil of API=20 has been used for the experiments,with the studied pipelines sections connecting the separator unit to the storage tank operating at a temperature of 25℃-100℃,pressure drop of 3,4,5,and 6 kg/cm^(2),and with pipe diameter of 4,6,and 8 in.The results show that on increasing the temperature and/or the pressure drop,the flow rate through the pipeline becomes higher,thus raising the total pumping energy(as the pipe diameter increase),while energy losses increase from the last separator to the storage tank in the field.A pipe diameter increase can also produce a growth of the total pumping energy(i.e.,energy losses increase).The results of the present analysis suggest that employing an optimal temperature(50℃)is needed to ensure good performance.

Needs and Challenges of Nigeria Petroleum Industry in Assessing Process Safety Cumulative Risk

A cross-sectional exploratory assessment of the needs and challenges of petroleum industry in Nigeria, in assessing process safety cumulative risk for major accidents prevention was investigated. A purposive cum random sampling technique was used in this study, among selected petroleum companies operating in Nigeria. Survey questionnaires were received from 216 participants made up of asset integrity engineers/operators, process safety experts, production safety professionals in the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Data analyses were carried out to cover descriptive and inferential statistics. Overall, the study recognized that assessing process safety cumulative risk is not a simple process due largely to the changing nature of safety critical barriers degradation data. The study result showed four main challenges faced by petroleum industries in Nigeria, in assessing process safety cumulative risk: 1) the study showed that 94% of the respondents agreed that there is limited accessibility to safety critical barriers degradation data (little automation). Also 2) 94% of the respondents accounted for poor knowledge of process safety cumulative risk is and agreed it to be of low rating. The result further showed that 3) 90% of the respondents demonstrated that there are no guidance and procedures in assessing process safety cumulative risk and finally 4) 92% of the respondents reported that there is no real-time risk visualization model/ tool. Addressing these issues and challenges by the petroleum industries in the study area, will lead to successful assessment of process safety cumulative risk, thereby reducing the risk of major accidents.

Cellulose-based materials in wastewater treatment of petroleum industry

The most abundant natural biopolymer on earth, cellulose fiber, may offer a highly efficient, low-cost, and chemical-free option for wastewater treatment. Cellulose is widely distributed in plants and several marine animals. It is a carbohydrate polymer consisting of β-1,4-linked anhydro-D-glucose units with three hydroxyl groups per anhydroglucose unit(AGU). Cellulose-based materials have been used in food, industrial, pharmaceutical, paper, textile production, and in wastewater treatment applications due to their low cost, renewability,biodegradability, and non-toxicity. For water treatment in the oil and gas industry, cellulose-based materials can be used as adsorbents, flocculants, and oil/water separation membranes. In this review, the uses of cellulose-based materials for wastewater treatment in the oil & gas industry are summarized, and recent research progress in the following aspects are highlighted: crude oil spill cleaning, flocculation of solid suspended matter in drilling or oil recovery in the upstream oil industry, adsorption of heavy metal or chemicals, and separation of oil/water by cellulosic membrane in the downstream water treatment.

NMR fluid analyzer applying to petroleum industry

Tremendous progress of developing nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)fluid analyzer has been witnessed in the oil industry for last two decades.This device allows extensive and accurate exploration of fluid properties,such as its hydrogen content,composition,viscosity,hydrogen index(HI),mud filtrate invasion,gas to oil ratio,average velocity,velocity distribution etc.,in the situations of in situ downhole or surface Petro-pipelines.In this review article,we focus on the design principle,manufacturing,implementation,methodology and applications of NMR fluid analyzer to oil and gas industry.A detailed description of the state-of-art NMR fluid analyzers was firstly given to exhibit their respective characteristics.With these experiences on hand,we introduced a series of NMR fluid analyzers designed by us at China University of Petroleum-Beijing with continuous optimizations,in terms of magnet construction,antenna layout,circuit design and operating surroundings.These systems discussed in this article have been demonstrated to achieve multiple NMR parameter acquisition when the fluid is in stationary or flowing state.In the end,a prototype was fabricated and validated considering a vast of engineering influences,such as variable temperatures in a large range,high pressure,limited volume,detection efficiency,etc.A particular emphasis of this paper is to expedite the measurement efficiency of the NMR fluid analyzer to reduce the operation costs.This dilemma can be Figured out by upgrading both pulse sequence and observational mode.For different fluid states,two rapid pulse sequences were proposed to sufficiently obtain the multi-dimensional NMR correlation map.Meanwhile,two observational modes were developed to take full advantage of the polarization time,during which the individual antenna was systematically switched.Another domain of interest in this review concerns the applications of this new tool.For stationary fluids case,accurate identification of fluid properties is of great value for scheme building in oil and gas exploration process.Particularly,it can acquire the fluid content by different NMR responses of different components.In addition,with Bloembergen theory and Stokes-Einstein equation,not only molecular dynamics and composition,but also oil viscosity can be readily evaluated.Moreover,HI information of crude oils will be speculated through partial least square regression.As for flowing fluids case,velocity is a significant parameter to understand the in situ fluid exploitation and therefore evaluate the productivity of certain oil wells or pipelines.Regarding to the unique magnet and antenna designs in our NMR fluid analyzer;this review adopts two distinct methods to obtain flow velocity at a wide rating scale.The first one is a time-of-flight method adaptive in a homogeneous magnetic field,which is suitable in the case of fluid at high flow velocity.The other one relies on the adjacent echo phase difference at a magnetic field with constant gradient,which is preferred for relatively low flow velocity.In the near future,this tool will be tested underground to offer individual fluid velocities by combining both the stationary and flowing analysis methods.

Institutional preparation for relaxation of control over the upstream petroleum industry in China

Relaxation of control over the upstream business of the petroleum industry in China is discussed. The authors suggest that a basic institutional preparation should be made before relaxing control over the upstream business, and that the institutional preparation includes at least four parts： 1） setting up the admission standards, 2） perfecting the management system of mining rights, 3） reforming the royalty and taxation system for oil and gas resources, and 4） improving the supervision and management system. Stressing the institutional preparation before relaxation of control does not mean that China could not relax control over the upstream business until the management systems are perfected, but the authors suggest that China could establish a necessary system for relaxation of control and to improve it with future practice.

Foreign Cooperation and Development Trends of the Russian Petroleum Industry and Prospects of Sino-Russian Cooperation in Oil and Gas

This article is focused on the analysis of the international cooperation of the Russian petroleum industry and its development trend. Also discussed here are the patterns that the foreign oil companies used in acquiring Russian petroleum assets, and the cooperation models of petroleum exploration and production in Russia. The Russian government encourages foreign oil companies to establish strategic alliances with domestic companies that keep good relations with the government. To achieve this goal, the government provides foreign companies with the space for cooperation in such aspects as advanced technology and management culture. International cooperation in petroleum industry will be further developed under the macro-control of the Russia State energy strategy. The energy cooperation between China and Russia will enter a new phase full of hopes and challenges after the past unfavorable situation is gradually overcome.

World Petroleum Congress Demonstrating Improved Image of China Petroleum Industry

On 1-5 September 2002, the 17th World Petroleum Congress was successfully convened in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with 3000 delegates coming from 59 countries and regions. Representatives from CNPC,Sinopec and CNOOC attended the congress.

Petroleum Industry in China will Develop Continuously in the 21st Century

China Is Rich in Petroleum and natural Gas Resources China is rich in petroleum and natural gas resources with over 500 sedimentary basins and 6.7 million km2 of sedimentary rock. There are more than 420 Mesozoic and Cenozoic basins stretching over 5.3 million km2 that are over 1000- meter thick in sedimentary rock.

International Papers Contribution on Artificial Intelligence Promotes the Application and Development of Big Data in the Petroleum Industry

Artificial intelligence is a new technological science that researches and develops theories,methods,technologies and application systems for simulating,extending and expanding human intelligence.It simulates certain human thought processes and intelligent behaviors(such as learning,reasoning,thinking,planning,etc.),and produces a new type of intelligent machine that can respond in a similar way to human intelligence.In the past 30 years,it has achieved rapid development in various industries and related disciplines such as manufacturing,medical care,finance,and transportation.

Petroleum Periodicals in China Petroleum Industry Circle

ＰｅｔｒｏｌｅｕｍＰｅｒｉｏｄｉｃａｌｓｉｎＣｈｉｎａＰｅｔｒｏｌｅｕｍＩｎｄｕｓｔｒｙＣｉｒｃｌｅ￥（ＧａｏＹｉｎｇ）Petroleum Periodicals in China Petroleum Industry Circle...