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Because of the requirements for accelerating the construction of a green, low-carbon, and recycling economy development system, the petrochemical industry has been paying attention to green and low-carbon transformations and innovations. Oily sludge is a type of bulk hazardous solid waste from various sources that significantly harms the environment. Chemical heat washing of oily sludge represents a large proportion of the treatment technology for oily sludge, which can be used individually and has many applications in joint treatment with other processes. However, research on the formulation of cleaning agents for this process has mainly focused on the surfactant at this stage, and many studies have demonstrated the secondary pollution of surfactant; thus, research on reducing or replacing surfactants as cleaning agents has been conducted. This review highlights the research progress of chemical heat washing of oily sludge according to the classification of cleaning agents and describes the reasons for the stabilization of currently recognized oily sludge, the chemical heat washing process, and the mechanism of oil–soil separation. Finally, the research direction for new emulsions as new cleaning agents to replace surfactants is set out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drill bits are the main rock-breaking tools in the petroleum and gas industry. Their performance directly affects the quality, efficiency, and cost of drilling. Drill bit manufacturing mainly employs traditional mold forming processes such as milling molding and press molding, which have low production efficiency and long processing cycles and are not conducive to rapid responses to field requirements. Inadequate production accuracy makes it difficult to produce drill bits with complex structures. Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has fast molding speeds and high molding accuracy. In this paper, 3D printing was applied for the first time to the manufacture of molds for carcass polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) drill bits and PDC–cone hybrid drill bits. In comparison with forging and milling molding, 3D printing improved production efficiency. The manufactured molds had higher machining accuracy. The ability of 3D printing to make molds with complex surfaces enables the development of drill bits with complex structures. A field experiment was conducted on a PDC drill bit produced by 3D printing, which had a higher rate of penetration and was more efficient in breaking rocks than bits manufactured by traditional processes. The ROP of the drill bit increased by 20.1–25.8%, and the drilling depth increased by 7.7–29.5%. It is therefore feasible to apply 3D printing to the manufacture of petroleum drill bits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water must be separated from water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion because of the corrosion it brings to the relative equipment in the process of transportation and storage. It is an effective method to apply external electric field to achieve high performance of separating small, dispersed water droplets from W/O emulsion; however, the coalescing micromechanism of such small salty droplets under AC electric field is unclear. In this paper, molecular dynamics simulation was adopted to investigate the coalescence and separation process of two NaCl-aqueous droplets under AC electric field and discuss the effect of AC electric field frequency, as well as the time required for contacting, the critical electric field strength, the dynamic coalescence process and the stability of the final merged droplet. The results show that the critical electric field strength of the droplet coalescence increases with the increase of frequency, while the time required for droplet contacting becomes shorter. The shrinkage function curve was applied to characterize the droplet coalescence effect and it was found that the droplets coalescence and form a nearly spherical droplet under the AC electric field with a frequency of 1.25 GHz and strength of 0.5 V/nm. When the electric field frequency is 10 GHZ, the merged droplet presents a periodic fluctuation with the same period as the AC electric field, which mainly depends on the periodic movement of cations and anions under the AC electric field. The results can provide theoretical basis for the practical application of electrostatic demulsification technology in the petroleum or chemical industry from the microscopic perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The aim is to comprehensively understand the research status and application trends of oily drilling sludge at home and abroad. Methods Based on China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and Web of Science (WOS) databases, this paper searched literature relating to oily drilling sludge research from 2007 to 2021, and adopted bibliometric method in analysis from multiple perspectives. Results The number of papers published in Chinese and English was rising from 2007 to 2021 while the former was higher than the latter. The funded projects with the largest number of publications globally were the National Natural Science Foundation of China. The influential institutions at home and abroad were China University of Petroleum (East China) and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in Saudi Arabia. Researchers from China were highly active in this field, while the United States still takes the international leading position. Domestic research focused on drilling technology and petroleum sludge treatment, while studies aboard paid more attention to drilling materials and polluted water treatment. We also concluded that the studies on resource utilization of drilling mud was inadequate. Conclusions The resource utilization of oily sludge has become a research hotspot currently. Further, the harmless treatment and resource utilization of oily sludge for greening planting soil could be regarded as an important research and development direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phytoremediation and the use of suitable amendments are well-known technologies for the mitigation of petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) contaminations in terrestrial ecosystems. Our study is aimed at combining these two approaches to maximize their favorable effects. To this purpose, Helichrysum microphyllum subsp. tyrrhenicum, a Mediterranean shrub growing on sandy and semiarid soils, was selected. The weathered PHC-polluted matrix (3.3 ± 0.8 g kg−1 dry weight) from a disused industrial site was employed as the cultivation substrate with (WCAM) or without (UNAM) the addition and mixing of wood chips. Under the greenhouse conditions, the species showed a survival rate higher than 90% in the UNAM while the amendment administration restored the totality of the plant survival. At the end of the greenhouse test (nine months), the treatment with the wood chips significantly increased the moisture, dehydrogenase activity and abundance of the microbial populations of the PHC degraders in the substrate. Cogently, the residual amount of PHCs was significantly lower in the UNAM (3–92% of the initial quantity) than in the WCAM (3–14% of the initial quantity). Moreover, the crown diameter was significantly higher in the WCAM plants. Overall, the results establish the combined technology as a novel approach for landscaping and the bioremediation of sites chronically injured by PHC-weathered contaminations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Iraqi Journal of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The screening and evaluation of co-control technologies for pollution reduction and carbon mitigation represent a crucial prerequisite for researching pathways toward pollution and carbon reduction within petroleum refining industry. A systematic assessment method for technology synergies in pollution reduction and carbon mitigation remains deficient in China. In this study, we propose a method for evaluating the synergistic effects of technologies in pollution reduction and carbon mitigation in the petroleum refining industry. This model evaluates the synergistic control efficacy of technologies from multiple perspectives, including pollution-carbon synergy, synergistic reduction of pollutant-carbon emissions, cost-benefit analysis, and environmental benefits. The developed methodology is validated through its application to typical petroleum refining technology. The results confirm the synergistic benefits of pollution and carbon reduction through five petroleum refining technologies. With the increase in carbon trading prices, bio-jet fuels (T1) and microalgae carbon sequestration (T5) technologies have greater application potential. This study provides a scientific basis and theoretical support for the realization of collaborative control of carbon pollution in the petroleum refining industry. [Display omitted] • An evaluation model for pollution and carbon reduction of technology was constructed. • The model was applied to estimate the petroleum refining technologies. • Five technologies exhibited synergy on pollution-carbon emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to explore the remediation effect of persulfate oxidation technology on petroleum hydro-carbon contaminated groundwater, the effects of oxidant dosage, dosing ways, and alkali activated method on the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbon pollutant (PHC) in groundwater were studied by single factor experiments. Then the effects of oxidant dosage, initial concentration of PHC, solution pH, and reaction time were investigated by orthogonal experiments. The result showed that the wet addition was more effective than the dry addition for PHC removal, and the alkali activated persulfate increased the removal rate of PHC by 12.6% compared with the addition of sodium persulfate alone. The results of orthogonal experiments showed that the optimal reaction conditions were 10% oxidant dosage, 5.23 mg/L PHC concentration, pH 10, and 5 h reaction time, and the PHC removal rate could reach 89.7%. The removal rate was greatly affected by the dosage of oxidant and the initial concentration of pollutants. Increasing the oxidant concentration or reducing the initial concentration of PHC was beneficial to improve the stable treatment effect of the system, but the removal rate of PHC was not significantly improved by excessive oxidant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nano-calcium carbonate is a new type of nanomaterial, which has great influence in many fields. In order to explore the influence of nano-calcium carbonate on petroleum asphalt, an experiment was designed to analyze the application of nano-calcium carbonate in improving road petroleum asphalt technology. This article explores the methods of preparing nano-calcium carbonate and petroleum pitch, understands the characteristics of the two materials, and then draws two methods of mixing nano-calcium carbonate and petroleum pitch: one is freezing and disintegrating, and the other is stepwise mixing fusion. In this paper, the fusion-modified asphalt is subjected to grouping experiments on the prediction model and "three indicators." The experimental results show that with the increase in nano-calcium carbonate, the ductility of the modified asphalt decreases, the softening point increases, and the penetration is 15% reaching the maximum value. Nano-calcium carbonate is very suitable for improving road petroleum asphalt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Disruptive technologies can significantly contribute to the sustainability of operations in the petroleum supply chain. The present study aims to identify the prime sustainable dimensions and disruptive technologies implementation in the supply chain of the petroleum industry. The authors used content analysis in the literature and experts input to explore the sustainable dimensions and disruptive technologies in the supply chain. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a hybrid method of hesitant fuzzy set and regret theory to identify the prominent sustainability dimensions and prominent disruptive technologies. This method emphasizes the decision-makers psychological characteristics under uncertain environments. Findings: The result indicates that social responsibility, labor practices, safety and technical standards hold the most prominent sustainable dimensions in the petroleum supply chain. Further, the result also depicts that when consider an equal degree of regret and rejoice, artificial intelligence and big data could significantly enhance operations sustainability in the petroleum industry. Research limitations/implications: This study considers only 11 sustainable dimensions and 43 sustainable factors, whereas other dimensions and factors could also be considered in future research. The research uses hesitant fussy set and regret set theory to identify the prominent sustainable dimensions and disruptive technologies, whereas other multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) techniques can also be used. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first paper to explore the sustainable dimensions (environmental, social and economic) and disruptive technologies in the supply chain of the petroleum industry. This research intended to guide the practitioners, policymakers and academicians to emphasize their effort toward sustainable operations supply chain management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Micropolar fluid model is considered to discuss the microrotational inertial effects of fluid particles. The fluid movement is initiated through stretchable disk, which is engulfed into porous space. Porous medium is characterized in numerous engineering processes, geophysics, petroleum technology and biological tissues. The generalized Fourier's law that is the Cattaneo–Christov model is utilized for to study the heat transfer mechanism. Moreover, the thermophoresis phenomenon is reflected in flow phenomenon. The constitute model is initially consists upon the system of partial differential equations, which is then converted to ordinary one by making use of appropriate similarity variables. Runge–Kutta–Fehlberg procedure is then used to obtain the numerical solutions. The determined physical parameters are discussed through graphical way and tabular description. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rudarsko-Geolosko-Naftni Zbornik is the property of Faculty of Mining, Geology & Petroleum Engineering and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

[Display omitted] • Mo precursors were used for the slurry-phase hydrocracking of vacuum residue. • The effects of P-containing ligands on the resulting MoS 2 catalysts were evaluated. • A new method of measuring solubility parameters was used to determine dispersibility. • Precursor solubility was key for the performance of the resulting MoS 2 catalyst. • The Mo triethylphosphite precursor improved product distribution and quality. Slurry-phase hydrocracking for heavy oil upgrading is a challenging technology in the petroleum refining industry. We prepared various P-containing Mo precursors to elucidate the effect of their ligand structures on the slurry-phase hydrocracking of vacuum residue. Characteristic analyses of the Mo precursors were performed by first determining their dispersibility and decomposition patterns, followed by evaluating the sulfidation degree and morphology of the resulting MoS 2 catalyst. The dispersibility of the Mo precursors was evaluated by a method of measuring the solubility parameter based on the oil compatibility model. The slurry-phase hydrocracking results revealed that the H 2 consumption rate, residue conversion, hydrodesulfurization, and asphaltene conversion were dependent on the Mo precursor. The Mo triethylphosphite species, which had the largest number of active sites, was found to be the most efficient precursor for improving product distribution and product quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petroleum sludge is produced during oilfield development and production and can negatively impact the production area and surrounding environment. With increasing attention to the environmental protection of oilfields, finding an energy-efficient, environmentally sound, cost-effective and socially acceptable sludge treatment method is crucial to the sustainable development of oil companies. However, there are several problems in the selection process: ① there is no effective index system for the evaluation of treatment technologies; ② there is data uncertainty and loss of information; ③ experts in the field often make one-sided decisions; and ④ the common decision models fail to balance the general effect and local dominance of a treatment technology. This study is innovative in the following aspects: ① a decision index system of petroleum sludge treatment technology is established; ② the interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy set effectively managed data uncertainty and loss of information; ③ the redundancy-based expert weighting method is used to avoid one-sided decisions; and ④ using the basic ideas of the VIKOR model to balance the general effect and local dominance of a technology. Example verification proved the effectiveness of this method and a sensitivity analysis showed the results were reliable. Finally, this study compared the results obtained by three other similar methods, and comparative analysis demonstrated that this approach effectively evaluated and selected petroleum sludge treatment technologies. This study improves the rationality of petroleum sludge treatment technology selection and provides a necessary reference for the selection of treatment technology for other petroleum pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioremediation is a promising technology to treat the petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. In this study, the strengthen of alkane metabolism and transport activity in Yarrowia lipolytica resulted in increased degradation of n-hexadecane. The highest degradation rate of 10 g/L n-hexadecane of engineered Y. lipolytica was 75.12 % at 96 h, and the wild-type was 45 %. Candida bombicola, which could produce sophorolipids, was cultured with the engineered Y. lipolytica to construct microbial consortia for improving the degradation. The highest degradation rate by the microbial consortia reached 81.57 % at 96 h. Transcriptomic analysis showed the expression levels of genes related to alkane metabolism in engineered Y. lipolytica was down-regulated. Thus, the alcohol dehydrogenase activity was further strengthened, and the degradation rate of 20 g/L n-hexadecane were significantly increased. The 20 g/L n-hexadecane degradation rate of newly engineered Y. lipolytica reached 57.89 %, and that of the microbial consortium reached 72.28 %. This study provides new insights into the construction of synthetic microbial consortia for high-efficient degradation of n-hexadecane. • Microbial consortia were constructed for biodegradation of n-hexadecane. • Transcriptomic analysis results of engineered Y. lipolytica are discussed. • The highest degradation of n-hexadecane by microbial consortia was 82.14 % for 96 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the technical challenges in enhanced oil recovery using a sodium silicate solution as a multi-purpose chemical are introduced to enhance oil recovery by alkaline flooding and prevent channeling flows through high permeability layer/regime and geological storage of carbon dioxide(CO2). We have focused on the sodium-metasilicate-hydrates (NazSiOs-。; S-MS) from many types of chemicals. Firstly, oil properties with S-MS solution (pH12-13) are presented to carry out alkaline flooding based on measurement results of interfacial tension (IFT), contact angle and emulsion formation with oil considering reservoir-water salinity. Secondary, in-situ gel formation using the reaction between S-MS solution and dissolved CO2 is introduced as a blocking agent in high permeability flowpasses in an oil reservoir with different permeability layers. Both of Raman and SEM - EDS spectroscopy revealed that the formed gel is a sodium carbonate type gel (SC-gel). Physical characteristics of SC-gel were investigated in respect of S-MS concentration, temperature and し〇2 gas pressure. The blocking effect was evaluated by threshold pressure gradient and gas permeability by forming in-situ SC-gel in a sandstone core. Then the core flooding test using heterogeneous core consists from two sandstones cores with different permeabilities was carried out to find improvements in oil recovery by alkaline flooding using S-MS solution and blocking effect by the in-situ gel formation with CO2 gas injected. Furthermore, a new system (a kind of Carbon-dioxide capture, utilization and storage) using the S-MS solution is proposed for CO2 capture, usage and geological storage into relatively shallow oil reservoirs or aquifers meet a safe and economical onshore CO2 sequestration. Furthermore, it is also expected that the in-situ gel formation between S-MS solution and CO2 gas emitted from fires of peat layer or coal seam has a possibility to extinguish large scale fires contributing global warming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of shale oil and gas from unconventional wells are typically declined within a short term. Each operator is trying to maintain production levels or prevent production levels from declining. Recently, applied nanotechnology is focused to increase the productivity of oil and gas and extensive research and development efforts are now common. Formulated fluids (nanoActiv® Hydrocarbon Recovery Technology (HRT), Nissan Chemical America Corporation, the United States) which are developed based on nanotechnologies are dispersion of unique surface modified nanosilica particles to enhance the stability in harsh reservoir conditions. Formulated fluids with nanoparticles contribute to increase the productivity of oil and gas for a long term due to penetration of highly stabilized nanosilica particles into the natural fractures and in the deep reservoir and peel off the oil droplet from the rock surface mechanically. In addition, Formulated fluids with nanoparticles works to modify wettability and reduce Interfacial Tension (IFT), allowing more oil and gas to be mobilized in a re-pressurized environment created by using large volumes of injected fluid. Nano-sized particles penetrate further and more thoroughly permeate the natural fracture network than traditional remediation or stimulation technologies and resulting in longer and more complete production efficacy. We have obtained good results in oil and gas productivity from the majority of case studies in Permian basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the enhancement of public awareness of environmental protection, the harm of oily sludge has gradually been paid attention to. As a kind of dangerous solid waste, the arbitrary disposal of oily sludge will cause quite serious harm to both the environment and human beings. Research on the treatment methods of oily sludge has become a hot spot recently. At present, treatment methods of oily sludge are various, mainly including pyrolysis, direct combustion, freeze-thaw treatment, biological treatment, solvent extraction, thermochemical cleaning, ultrasound- assisted treatment or joint technology, etc. Based on the consideration of economic benefits, social benefits and treatment difficulties, pyrolysis has been considered to be the most appropriate method for oily sludge treatment. Syngas, liquid oil and char can be obtained from pyrolysis of oily sludge, which can meet different needs. In this paper, the pyrolysis technology of oily sludge is reported in detail, including pyrolysis methods, operational parameters and pyrolysis products of oily sludge. On the basis, the advantages and limitations of oily sludge pyrolysis technology are discussed, together with the report of feasibility of pyrolysis technology of oily sludge. Moreover, the development trend of pyrolysis technology of oily sludge is prospected for the future work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this work is to determine the collaboration level of Latin American universities with companies in terms of scientific co-authorship, and to identify the main institutions involved in these collaborations. To do this, all publications from 2009 to 2018 with at least one co-author belonging to each of 20 Latin American countries, and another co-author affiliated to a company, were extracted from Elsevier’s Scival (powered by Scopus data), obtaining a set of 22,469 records, from which 1,531 companies (both of public and private nature) and 428 Latin American universities were identified. Despite publications co-authored by universities and companies are highly-cited, results evidence low percentages of academic collaboration between Latin American universities and companies over the period. Just few firms (mainly from Pharmacy, Technology and Petroleum markets) have established strong connections with few universities, mainly from Brazil, whose performance masks the remaining minor linkages established in other countries. Otherwise, the presence of publicly-traded companies (e.g., Petrobras, Agrosavia, Embrapa, YPF or Petróleos Mexicanos) is also remarkable. The establishment of stable public policies aimed at promoting and strengthening University-Industry relations in the region, and based on the integration and regulation of these actions in the researcher's activities, is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem Statement. This research proposes to highlight a well-known subject which does not receive a practical approach about the impact of emotional intelligence (EQ) in the process of learning and its connection with motric activities. Purpose of Study. The research was achieved at Petroleum-Gas University of Ploiesti on a group composed of 69 students: 37 students of Faculty of Petroleum Technology and Petrochemistry; 32 students of Faculty of Letters and Sciences. I mention that the group was aleatory selected. The only condition of selection was attendance of the same university and the year of study. Attending the same university and being in the same year conclude that most of students have got a lot of interests, aspirations and hobbies in common. Research Methods. The literature review method; The observation method; The sociological research (conversation, questionnary etc.); The mathematical statistics method; The graphoanalytical method. Findings. The research has started from the hypothesis that emotional ingelligence (EQ) can be improved by the confrontation of certain difficulties. Through sporting activities, the inividual encounters these difficulties under the form of motric tasks which should be systematically solved in order to produce positive changes with a visible impact in learning process Conclusions. The intelligence enhances in confrontation with difficulty. Through motric activities thatgenerate tasks and difficulty, we are capable to produce multiple types of intelligence. Therefore, the multiple intelligence facilitates the keys to the problems, optimizing the learning process. This evidence was demonstrated by the results of our subjects at the end of highschool (marks in the final exams), first year of university (marks obtained at the end of the first year of university) and competitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the late nineteenth century onwards the Brazilian state founded several public institutions involved in oil exploration: the Geographical and Geological Commission of São Paulo (CGG, 1886), the Geological and Mineralogical Survey of Brazil (SGMB, 1907), the National Oil Council (CNP, 1938), and the state-run oil company Petrobras (1953). This article details the history of geophysical exploration in Brazil over the first half of the twentieth century and its role in transforming the country into a major oil producer, stressing the involvement of foreign experts and the role of imported technology. It focuses on the close relationship between Brazil and the United States in applying geophysics techniques to scrutinize Brazilian territory in the search for oil while unveiling the commercial and political dimensions of such technoscientific exchanges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuous increase in petroleum refining wastewater production poses a significant challenge to protecting the water environment. The comprehensive review of petroleum refining wastewater treatment processes, particularly on the cutting-edge treatment technologies, treatment efficiency, and pollutant degradation mechanisms, must be provided. This article offers such a review for filling up the literature gap. The current technologies, including the traditional pre-treatments, primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments, the combined treatments, and the wetland treatment processes, were discussed in detail. The challenges encountered in current practice, with the future research needs to overcome the challenges, were then outlined. The emerging research trend including the use of artificial intelligence technology for enhancing the petroleum refining wastewater treatment performance was also highlighted. • The current status of petroleum refining wastewater treatment was reviewed. • Traditional and the latest combined processes and their principles were summarized. • Challenges and perspectives for petroleum refining wastewater treatment were highlighted. • The use of tools such as AI on problem solutions is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the interference of the complexity of underground environment to the bioremediation scheme, an evaluation model for bioremediation technology in the soil source area of oil contaminated sites was established. On the basis of traditional CDE model, a compartment model was coupled to express the adsorption and degradation process, and the spatial expression of biodegradation was enriched through environment-dependent factors. The visualization of the model was achieved based on COMSOL Multiphysics software platform. Two sets of indoor sandbox experiments on natural attenuation and bioaugmentation were carried out for 120 days to verify the prediction function of the model. The results showed that bioaugmentation greatly improved the remediation effect. Petroleum hydrocarbons with different occurrence states exhibited different spatial distributions under the influence of environmental factors. The prediction accuracy evaluation results of total petroleum hydrocarbons, bio available hydrocarbons and non extractable hydrocarbons showed excellent fitting degree, and the model had a good prediction function for petroleum hydrocarbon in soil under different bioremediation scenarios. This model can be used to screen bioremediation technical schemes, prevent pollution and assess risk of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated sites. [Display omitted] • The fate of PHs in soil was simulated in situ at the scale of sandbox. • Evaluate the remediation effect of PHs in different bioremediation scenarios. • Novel evaluation model of in-situ bioremediation technology for PHs soil developed. • Visualization of models using the COMSOL platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For improving the hole-enlarging capability, roundness and rock-breaking efficiency of the nozzle in radial jet drilling, a new structure of self-rotating nozzle was put forward. The flow structure and rock-breaking features of the self-rotating nozzle were investigated with sliding mesh model and labortary tests and also compared with the straight and the swirling integrated nozzle and multi-orifice nozzle which have been applied in radial jet drilling. The results show that the self-rotating jet is energy concentrated, has longer effective distance, better hole-enlarging capability and roundness and impacts larger circular area at the bottom of the drilling hole, compared with the other two nozzles. Forward jet flow generated from the nozzle is peak shaped, and the jet velocity attenuates slowly at the outer edge. Due to periodic rotary percussion, the pressure fluctuates periodically on rock surface, improving shear and tensile failures on the rock matrix and thereby enhancing rock-breaking efficiency. The numerical simulation results of the flow structure of the nozzle are consistent with the experiments. This study provides an innovative approach for radial jet drilling technology in the petroleum industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estudios Económicos is the property of El Colegio de Mexico AC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Hydraulic fracturing is a widespread stimulation technology in the petroleum industry. The retardation due to the fracture wall existence impacts the efficient placement of the proppant in fractures. Accurate prediction of the wall factor for proppant settling in fractures filled with Power-law fluids is important in predicting the transport distance and bed height of proppant in hydraulic fractures. However, few studies were conducted to analyze the wall factor of fracture on the settling proppant. In this study, a set of transparent parallel plates and a high-speed camera were used to record the settling behaviors of the proppant in the fracture. A total of 756 tests were carried out to analyze the effects of fluid properties, the dimensionless diameter, particle size, particle density, and the particle Reynolds number on the wall factor, involving the ranges of the dimensionless diameter and the particle Reynolds number are 0.04–0.9 and 0.0001–144.25, respectively. Results indicate that the wall factor is a function of both the dimensionless diameter and the particle Reynolds number. And a new model with 1.23% relative error was developed to predict the wall factor of the parallel plates on the spherical particles settling in the Power-law fluid. Finally, it was found that the wall effect vanishes when the dimensionless diameter is smaller than 0.057. The results of this study could help field engineers optimize proppant size and fracturing parameters. • The effects of fluid, particle, and slot properties on wall factor are studied. • Dimensionless diameter and Reynolds number affect wall factor in parallel plates. • A new model of the wall factor is developed by introducing Reynolds number. • Wall effect vanishes when the dimensionless diameter is smaller than 0.057. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There are hardly any involvement of end users in early phases such as designing algorithms and training data of cognitive technology development in the Norwegian petroleum industry. • The reason for this lack of involvement include limited access to end user and that there are no regulations on the involvement during early phases. • A lack of human factors methods for early technological development contribute to little and low quality end user involvement in the early phases of complex technology development. • The findings are very important for development of regulations and practical advice on a how to achieve a broader inclusion of end users in all phases of complex technology development for increased safety during operations. The petroleum industry is a high-hazard industry depending on reliable technical solutions. The industry tends to use increasingly advanced technologies including machine learning technology with increased difficulties for end users to keep abreast of how these technologies work. Thus, our research question was: How are end users involved in the development and implementation of cognitive technologies in the Norwegian petroleum industry to contribute to safe and reliable technical solutions? We used a qualitative explorative approach, with semistructured interviews with 31 informants from 10 companies. Thematic analysis revealed the categories 'technology focus', 'understanding of end-user involvement versus end users' actual involvement', 'lack of access to end users', 'lack of human factors methods in early phases', and 'lack of official rules and regulations'. Findings show that during the earlier phases of designing algorithms and training data, end users are hardly involved. Regarding later phases with offshore testing, implementation, use, and improvement, end users are much more integrated in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Due to the significance of low temperature oxidation (LTO) process on the subsequent oxidation reactions and oil recovery for in situ combustion (ISC), this work aimed at conducting a series of comprehensive investigations into LTO of heavy crude oil. The LTO behavior of heavy oil was analyzed by static oxidation experiments. Then the alterations in oil characteristics due to LTO were investigated through coke content measurements, flammability tests and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations. Additionally, the effect of LTO on thermal behavior and kinetics of heavy oil was researched using thermogravimetry (TG)/differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique. The results showed that the temperature played a crucial role in LTO of heavy oil. Almost no coke was deposited at 80 °C. The amount of coke deposition at 160 °C averaged 0.346 g coke/g oil, which was roughly 4.2 times higher than that at 120 °C. The oxidized oil at 160 °C possessed the most superior flammability at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure in comparison to that at 80 and 120 °C. The surface morphologies of oxidized oil at 160 °C and its formed coke were quite rough, which boosted the subsequent combustion reactions. The results of TG/DSC unravelled that the oxidized oils were subjected to higher mass loss and exothermic effect at the fuel deposition (FD) and high temperature oxidation (HTO) stages as compared to crude oil. After the static LTO, the activation energy in the LTO and FD stages for heavy oil was increased, while that in the HTO stage was reduced. Compared with crude oil and oxidized oils, the coke deposited during the static LTO presented the highest thermal release and reaction activity in the HTO interval. This paper can provide some new insights regarding LTO mechanisms of heavy oil to rich the ISC technology. Highlights • LTO behavior of heavy oil was analyzed under different temperatures. • Alterations in oil characteristics due to LTO were presented. • Effect of LTO on thermal behavior and kinetics of heavy oil was researched. • Comprehensive investigations into LTO accelerated to understand LTO mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petroleum resins synthesized by ionic polymerization (catalyst - TiCl4-Al(C2H5)2Cl) of different fractions of liquid pyrolysis products have been modified using peracetic acid prepared as a product of in situ reaction between hydrogen peroxide and acetic acid in the presence of sulfuric acid. This modification leads to the introduction of the following polar groups into the resin: carboxyl (acid number 3.7-16.8 mg/g) and epoxy (epoxy number 2.9-8.9 %) groups. It has been shown that initial and modified petroleum resins are suitable for the formation of paint and varnish coatings. Modified resin coatings have improved elasticity and increased adhesion to metal surfaces and can be used as a part of bitumen-resin compositions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, the refining of lubricating oils feedstock is basically carried out either by solvent or hydrotretment refining. Both methodologies can provide integrated processes; hence oils of good quality can be gained. Nevertheless, these processes are always escorted with environmentally harmful emissions and long-operational time as well as high energy ingesting. Thus, implementation of green chemistry trend in such field could particularly help in the reduction of both hazardous emissions and extensive use of energy. In proportion to this route, current research study provides a new platform for the refining of lube oils base-stocks via combining both membrane separation and nanotechnology concept. Four different freshly-prepared nano-structured metals oxides (MgO, Al 2 O 3 , BaO and SrO) membranes were used during this study. Reasonable removal of aromatics as well as reduction of the pour point values in the products, compared to the original feedstock, could be obtained by all membranes. However, the best performance (among the four types) could be detected for both MgO and Al 2 O 3 membranes. Particularly, they showed fluid total permeability of ca 95% with a flux equal 1.793 × 10−8 (L/m2.h.bar) and selectivity of aromatics over saturates came up to nearly 420. Those values were attained at low operating conditions of time (10 min), temperature (50 °C) and pressure of 100 mbar. [Display omitted] • Four types of novel membranes based on different metal oxides were synthesized. • Characterization of the prepared membranesusing different tools was done. • The removal of sulphur and carcinogenic compounds by these membranes was tested. • New route for a catalytic cracking of paraffinic structures was tracked. • New advances regarding the operating conditions of treatment are detected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The control of cost and time in construction projects is one of the most important issues in construction since the emergence of the construction industry. A successful project should meet not only quality output standards, but also time and budget objectives. The management and control of cost and time in construction is fundamental in every project. An effective cost and time management and control technique for construction projects is important in managing risk of cost overrun and delay in completion of projects. Construction projects are becoming more complex as they now involve many stakeholders from different disciplines. The emergence of Building Information Model (BIM), an alternative technology is believed to solve issues related to project cost and time control as it efficiently increases collaboration between stakeholders. The aim of this paper is to review and summarise the causes of delay and cost overrun in construction industries, which are the main causes of disputes and abandonment of projects in the industry. It was found that delays and cost overrun eat deep into the industry and leave the construction industry with a bad image for decades even with rapid advancement in technology. The review of the applications of BIM showed that most of the applications are geared towards minimising construction cost and time spent on projects. This means that the use of BIM in the management of construction projects has great impact on project cost and time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase of anthropogenic activities and growth of technology in Antarctica is fuelled by the high demand for petroleum hydrocarbons needed for daily activities. Oil and fuel spills that occur during explorations have caused hydrocarbon pollution in this region, prompting concern for the environment by polar communities and the larger world community. Crude oil and petroleum hydrocarbon products contain a wide variety of lethal components with high toxicity and low biodegradability. Hydrocarbon persistence in the Antarctic environment only worsens the issues stemming from environmental pollution as they can be long-term. Numerous efforts to lower the contamination level caused by these pollutants have been conducted mainly in bioremediation, an economical and degrading-wise method. Bioremediation mainly functions on conversion of complex toxic compounds to simpler organic compounds due to the consumption of hydrocarbons by microorganisms as their energy source. This review presents a summary of the collective understanding on bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbons by microorganisms indigenous to the Antarctic region from past decades to current knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]