Sinopec has achieved a significant milestone by securing the ISO's approval for China's first Technical Specifications for Multi-element Thermal Composite Flooding of Heavy Oil.
The ISO technical specification for heavy oil, developed by a team led by academician Sun Huanquan, is set to facilitate international cooperation and advance global heavy oil development.
Heavy oil, characterised by its high density and viscosity, constitutes a substantial 36% of the world's proven oil reserves.
It is a crucial resource, particularly for the production of specialty oils and naphthenic heavy oil, which is often referred to as the 'rare earth' of oil and is considered a premium material for manufacturing asphalt and transformer oil.
Notably, China has maintained an annual heavy oil output exceeding 15 million tonnes (mt) for 13 consecutive years.
China's heavy oil reserves present unique challenges as they are buried deep under the earth and the oil layers are thin, compounded by complex geological conditions.
To address these issues, Sun Huanquan's team, with the backing of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and Sinopec science and technology projects, has developed an innovative multi-element thermal composite development technology.
This breakthrough has been successfully applied in large-scale operations within the Shengli and Henan oilfields, enabling Sinopec to sustain annual heavy oil production of more than 4.8mt.
Sun Huanquan's team is now preparing to form an international working group with technical experts from the US, Saudi Arabia and other nations.
This group will work under ISO's guidelines to expedite the drafting and release of the international standard, aiming to share this innovation with the global community at the earliest.
Last month, Sinopec, in partnership with Saudi Aramco, commenced the construction of a refining and petrochemical complex in the Fujian province of China.
Located in the Gulei industrial park in Zhangzhou city, the new venture features a refinery with a capacity of 16 million tonnes per annum (mtpa), or 320,000 barrels per day, along with a 1.5mtpa ethylene plant and a 2mtpa paraxylene facility.
