Main control factors affecting mechanical oil recovery efficiency in complex blocks identified using the improved k-means algorithm

The system efficiency of pumping units in the middle and late stages of oil recovery is characterized by several factors, complex data and poor regulation. Further, the main control factors that affect system efficiency in different blocks vary greatly; therefore, it is necessary to obtain the block characteristics to effectively improve system efficiency. The k-means algorithm is simple and efficient, but it assumes that all factors have the same amount of influence on the output value. This cannot reflect the obvious difference in the influence of several factors in the block on the efficiency. Moreover, the algorithm is sensitive to the selection of the initial cluster centre point, so each calculation result that reflects the efficiency characteristics of the block system cannot be unified. To solve the aforementioned problems affecting the k-means algorithm, the correlation coefficient of all the factors was first calculated, followed by extracting the system efficiency of the positive and negative indicators of standardization. Next, the moisture value was calculated to obtain the weight of each factor used as a coefficient to calculate the Euclidean distance. Finally, the initial centre point selection of the k-means algorithm problem was solved by combining the dbscan and weighted k-means algorithm. Taking an oil production block in the Daqing Oilfield as the research object, the k-means and improved algorithm are used to analyse the main control factors influencing mechanical production efficiency. The clustering results of the two algorithms have the characteristics of overlapping blocks, but the improved algorithm's clustering findings are as follows: this block features motor utilization, pump efficiency and daily fluid production, which are positively correlated with system efficiency. Further, low-efficiency wells are characterized by the fact that the pump diameter, power consumption, water content, daily fluid production, oil pressure and casing pressure are significantly lower than the block average; high-efficiency wells are characterized by pump depths lower than the block average. For this block, it is possible to reduce the depth of the lower pump and increase the water-injection effect to increase the output under conditions of meeting the submergence degree, which can effectively improve the system efficiency.

Response analysis of the nodes of pipe networks under seismic load

Transient ground displacement (TGD) that is caused by earthquakes can damage underground pipes. This damage is especially critical for the joints, elbows and tees of the pipes which play an important role in the operation of a pipe network. In this study, a scale pipe network with both elbows and tees, as well as some components of the pipe network with only tees or elbows, has been investigated. The response of the nodes of a pipe network, when installed in non-uniform geology, was analyzed using the shaking table test and ABAQUS finite element simulation. This paper has firstly introduced the preparation of the test and the developed finite element model. Then the system response in terms of strain, the friction, the bending deformation, the node deformation amplification coefficient and the pipe-soil relative displacement along the pipe axis of the pipe network and two pipe network components have been analyzed explaining the correlation between these responses. Finally, the influence of elbows and tees on the pipe network was analyzed, and the conclusions that have been reached about how tees and elbows can change the response of a pipe network during an earthquake can provide theoretical support for the seismic design and layout of an underground pipe network.

Polyethylene glycol-based deep eutectic solvents as a novel agent for natural gas sweetening

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have received significant attention as potential extracting agents in recent years due to their favorable characteristics including low cost, easy preparation and environmentally safe starting materials. Experimentally screening for highly efficient DESs meeting various requirements for natural gas sweetening remains a challenging task. Thus, an extensive database of estimated Henry’s law constants (H_i) and solubilities (x_i) of CO₂ in 170 different DESs at 25°C has been constructed using the COSMO-RS method to select potential DESs. Based on the COSMO-RS study, three DESs, namely tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB)+polyethylene glycol (PEG-8) (on a molar basis 1:4), TBAB+octanoic acid (OCT) (1:4), and methyltriphenylphosphonium bromide (MTPB)+PEG-8 (1:10), were chosen for further experimentation up to 2 bar at 25°C using a vapor-liquid equilibria (VLE) apparatus. Reliable thermophysical properties were determined experimentally, and a detailed equilibrium-based model was developed for one of the glycol-based DESs (i.e., TBAB+PEG-8 (1:4)). This information is an essential prerequisite for carrying out process simulations of natural gas sweetening plants using ASPEN PLUS. The simulation results for the proposed DES were compared to those of monoethylene glycol (MEG). Here, we find that the aqueous TBAB+PEG-8 (1:4) solvent shows ~60% lower total energy consumption and higher CO₂ removal when compared to those using the MEG solvent.

A high-temperature plugging system for offshore heavy oil thermal recovery

There are many heavy oil reservoirs in offshore oilfields in China. Steam and multiple thermal fluid stimulation technologies are of increasing interest and have been applied to an increasing number of projects. During the stimulation or displacement of heavy oil reservoirs during thermal recovery, several factors, such as reservoir heterogeneity, are prone to cause channeling phenomena and affect the thermal recovery effect of steam stimulation. According to the unique requirements for the stimulation of multiple thermal fluids for offshore heavy oil, this study used transmission, blocking and relieving, heat resistance and a comprehensive evaluation of parallel sand tube experiments to conduct a screening evaluation of plugging systems for the stimulation of multiple thermal fluids, screen out a commonly used plugging agent in the current stage and propose corresponding guidance for the selection basis. The results show that foam, gel, foam gel and temperature-sensitive gel systems have a good transmission performance, whereas the oil sludge exhibits a poorer performance. The phenolic resin system exhibits great plugging properties, followed by oily sludge, temperature-sensitive gel, gel, foam gel and foam. Considering about washing resistance properties, phenolic resin system shows the best quality, followed by oily sludge and temperature-sensitive gel. The oily sludge system brings the best performance in plugging a high-permeability channel than phenolic resin gel and temperature-sensitive gel.

Experimental research on the performances of water jet devices and proposing the parameters of borehole hydraulic mining for oil shale

Oil shale is an unconventional energy source, and it is also a potential petroleum substitute. Nowadays, the energy shortage is becoming more and more prominent, oil shale has attracted the attention of energy researchers all over the world. Borehole hydraulic mining is an effective method to exploit the underground oil shale which has more prominent advantages than other conventional mining methods. Jet devices are the key component of borehole hydraulic mining, which include the straight cone nozzle, organ pipe nozzle and self-excited oscillation pulsed jet nozzle. Also, the reasonable mining parameters are also crucial in mining underground oil shale efficiency. The jet characteristics of the non-submerged water jet, submerged water jet, direct water jet, cavitating water jet, and pulsed water jet are also explained and compared based on theoretical analysis. The jet performance of the non-submerged water jet is better than the submerged water jet. Each type of jet devices has its own basic principles and optimal structural parameters. The best operating scheme of borehole hydraulic mining for underground oil shale is to use the pulsed water jet which is produced by the self-excited oscillation pulsed jet nozzle to break underground oil shale under the non-submerged condition. Moreover, the pulsed water jet should be placed parallel to the oil shale bedding. In addition, under the preconditions of ensuring the safety and reliability of the hydraulic mining equipment and pipelines connection, the jet pressure and jet flow should be raised as much as possible, so as to obtain the much higher mining efficiency. These results and conclusions can provide very valuable guidance for borehole hydraulic mining of underground oil shale.

Metal leaching from refinery waste hydroprocessing catalyst

The present study aims to develop an eco-friendly methodology for the recovery of nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), and vanadium (V) from the refinery waste spent hydroprocessing catalyst. The proposed process has two stages: the first stage is to separate alumina, while the second stage involves the separation of metal compounds. The effectiveness of leaching agents, such as NH₄OH, (NH₄)₂CO₃, and (NH₄)₂S₂O₈, for the extraction of Mo, V, Ni, and Al from the refinery spent catalyst has been reported as a function of reagent concentration (0.5 to 2.0 molar), leaching time (1 to 6 h), and temperature (35 to 60°C). The optimal leaching conditions were achieved to obtain the maximum recovery of Mo, Ni, and V metals. The effect of the mixture of multi-ammonium salts on the metal extraction was also studied, which showed an adverse effect for Ni and V, while marginal improvement was observed for Mo leaching. The ammonium salts can form soluble metal complexes, in which stability or solubility depends on the nature of ammonium salt and the reaction conditions. The extracted metals and support can be reused to synthesize a fresh hydroprocessing catalyst. The process will reduce the refinery waste and recover the expensive metals. Therefore, the process is not only important from an environmental point of view but also vital from an economic perspective.

Separation of emulsified crude oil in saline water by flotation with micro- and nanobubbles generated by a multiphase pump

The flocculation-column flotation with hydraulic loading (HL, >10 m h^-1) was studied for the treatment of oil-in-water emulsions containing 70-400 mg L^-1 (turbidity = 70-226 NTU) of oil and salinity (30 and 100 g L^-1). A polyacrylamide (Dismulgan, 20 mg L^-1) flocculated the oil droplets, using two floc generator reactors, with rapid and slow mixing stages (head loss = 0.9 to 3.5 bar). Flotation was conducted in two cells (1.5 and 2.5 m) with microbubbles (MBs, 5-80 μm) and nanobubbles (NBs, 50-300 nm diameter, concentration of 10⁸ NBs mL^-1). Bubbles were formed using a centrifugal multiphase pump, with optimized parameters and a needle valve. The results showed higher efficiency with the taller column reducing the residual oil content to 4 mg L^-1 and turbidity to 7 NTU. At high HL (27.5 m h^-1), the residual oil concentrations were below the standard emission (29 mg L^-1), reaching 18 mg L^-1. The best results were obtained with high concentration of NBs (apart from the bigger bubbles). Mechanisms involved appear to be attachment and entrapment of the NBs onto and inside the flocs. Thus, the aggregates were readily captured, by bigger bubbles (mostly MBs) aiding shear withstanding. Advantages are the small footprint of the cells, low residence time and high processing rate.

Impact of offshore gas platforms on the structural and functional biodiversity of nematodes

The Mediterranean Sea hosts hundreds of offshore gas platforms, whose activity represents a potential threat to marine ecosystems. Evidence from several studies indicates that nematodes can be highly sensitive to changes in the environmental quality. Here, we investigated the response of nematode assemblages to the presence of offshore gas platforms (located in the central Mediterranean Sea) in terms of spatial heterogeneity, structural and functional diversity. Since the effect of the investigated offshore platforms on macrofaunal assemblages were previously assessed by Terlizzi et al. (2008), the study provided also the opportunity to compare the response of different benthic compartments to the same impact related to fossil fuel extraction on marine environments. The platforms had a significant impact on nematode assemblages up to 1000 m distance from the structure. The effects were evident in term of: a) more homogeneous spatial distribution of nematode assemblages, b) increased trophic diversity of deposit feeders and c) changes in life strategies with an increase of opportunistic species in sediments closer to the platforms. Such effects seemed to be related to the dimension of the platform structures, rather than to chemical pollution or changes in food availability. These findings suggest that the platforms exert a physical alteration of the surrounding environment that is reflected by altered structural and functional traits of nematode biodiversity. The use of nematodes for monitoring the effects of the platforms only partially matched with the results obtained using macrofauna, providing further insights on potential outcomes on the functional response of marine assemblages to fossil fuel extraction.

Synergies and Tradeoffs Among Environmental Impacts Under Conservation Planning of Shale Gas Surface Infrastructure

Hydraulic fracturing and related ground water issues are growing features in public discourse. Few have given much attention to surface impacts from shale gas development, which result from building necessary surface infrastructure. One way to reduce future impacts from gas surface development without radically changing industry practice is by formulating simple, conservation-oriented planning guidelines. We explore how four such guidelines affect the locations of well pads, access roads, and gathering pipelines on state lands in Pennsylvania. Our four guidelines aim to (1) reduce impacts on water, reduce impacts from (2) gathering pipelines and (3) access roads, and (4) reduce impacts on forests. We assessed whether the use of such guidelines accompanies tradeoffs among impacts, and if any guidelines perform better than others at avoiding impacts. We find that impacts are mostly synergistic, such that avoiding one impact will result in avoiding others. However, we found that avoiding forest fragmentation may result in increased impacts on other environmental features. We also found that single simple planning guidelines can be effective in targeted situations, but no one guideline was universally optimal in avoiding all impacts. As such, we suggest that when multiple environmental features are important in an area, more comprehensive planning strategies and tools should be used.

Hygienic evaluation of objects concerning extraction, preparation and primary processing of oil, considering health risk parameters

The authors presented results of hygienic evaluation of ambient air quality in area influenced by oil extraction wells, primary oil processing devices, squeeze stations and other oil extraction objects, using criteria - adherence to hygienic requirements and allowable risk levels for public health. Findings are that due to substantial technologic, organizational changes and innovations in oil extraction industry chamicals content of air at MAC levels and allowable levels of inhalation risk in acute and chronic exposure for majority of the objects studied are reached on considerably shorter distances from industrial area, than it is preset by actual sanitary rules and regulations. Levels of hygienic safety at the objects indicate possible revision of sanitary classification toward reducing the size of approximate sanitary protective zones.

Airgun inter-pulse noise field during a seismic survey in an Arctic ultra shallow marine environment

Offshore oil and gas exploration using seismic airguns generates intense underwater pulses that could cause marine mammal hearing impairment and/or behavioral disturbances. However, few studies have investigated the resulting multipath propagation and reverberation from airgun pulses. This research uses continuous acoustic recordings collected in the Arctic during a low-level open-water shallow marine seismic survey, to measure noise levels between airgun pulses. Two methods were used to quantify noise levels during these inter-pulse intervals. The first, based on calculating the root-mean-square sound pressure level in various sub-intervals, is referred to as the increment computation method, and the second, which employs the Hilbert transform to calculate instantaneous acoustic amplitudes, is referred to as the Hilbert transform method. Analyses using both methods yield similar results, showing that the inter-pulse sound field exceeds ambient noise levels by as much as 9 dB during relatively quiet conditions. Inter-pulse noise levels are also related to the source distance, probably due to the higher reverberant conditions of the very shallow water environment. These methods can be used to quantify acoustic environment impacts from anthropogenic transient noises (e.g., seismic pulses, impact pile driving, and sonar pings) and to address potential acoustic masking affecting marine mammals.