Gazprom’s Science and Technology Prize

Rehabilitative and remedial treatment technology for employees of Gazprom

The authors have accomplished the task of raising worker productivity in Gazprom through a new technology that combines early disease detection at the premorbid stage with rehabilitative and remedial treatment based on a new research and methodological framework.

The custom rehabilitative and remedial treatment (RRT) technology for employees of Gazprom has been developed and implemented to enhance the efficiency of diagnostics, treatment, rehabilitative and health-improving procedures, as well as to ensure a better quality of RRT and make it more efficient from a medical and economic perspective.

In both Russian and foreign rehabilitation medicine, this is the first-ever comprehensive health assessment approach to involve diagnostics of a person's functional capacities in addition to clinical examinations.

The technology comprises the following main stages of rehabilitative and remedial treatment: integral assessment of the initial health condition (including nosological diagnosis and assessment of functional reserves of a given person); determining a base standard for RRT (which specifies an optimal combination of diagnostics, treatment and health-improving methods to be applied in the RRT of the most widespread chronic diseases) and its customization; implementation of an individual treatment and health-improving program; re-assessment of functional reserves and comprehensive objective evaluation of the treatment outcome.

The diagnostics tool applied in the technology is a purpose-built Integral Health Indicator hardware and software package (PAC) which makes it possible to assess a given person's health, both physical and psychological.

These processes are automated, which means fast access to the information about the base RRT standards for various diseases and ensures regular and uniform application of both the algorithm for adapting a base RRT standard to the needs of a given person and the algorithm for the RRT outcome evaluation, in addition to minimizing subjectivity and reducing the working time spent by a doctor to prescribe individual treatment and assess its effectiveness.

The software of the PAC is designed to enable a quantitative and qualitative assessment of the body's adaptation reserves and the level of strain observed in its regulatory systems, as well as the autonomic homeostasis, functional condition and reserves of cardiovascular, respiratory and central nervous systems, along with physical capabilities and psychological and emotional state.

The PAC determines the quantitative parameters of the body's functional reserves via a mathematical treatment of the data collected during tests. It is also possible to maintain dynamic monitoring of the body's functional reserves' indicators with the data of follow-up examinations depicted in tables and charts.

In total, over 70,000 persons have received RRT with this new technology.

While the scientific work on the technology was in progress, the software application was officially registered.

The cost effectiveness of the new technology results mainly from the reduction of expenses for sick day payments achieved thanks to better and comprehensive treatment provided with the new RRT technology leading to a higher standard of health and higher quality of life for employees of Gazprom.

A. Babakov (supervisor of the work, Gazprom Transgaz Moscow), E. Bezborodkin, A. Sokolov, A. Stoma (Gazprom Transgaz Moscow), V. Perevezentsev, I. Kharebava, S. Khomyakov (Gazprom), O. Kalashnikova, N. Lebedev (Industry Clinic and Diagnostic Center of Gazprom), T. Shishkina.

Nominating company: Gazprom Transgaz Moscow.

Domestic adsorption (silica gel) system: Unique gas treatment solution for gas trunklines

The authors of the paper have solved the challenge of developing a gas treatment technology employing competitive domestically manufactured high performance silica gel adsorbents for simultaneous dehydration and stripping of the treated substance.

In the course of the research, domestic silica gel adsorbents were upgraded to better performance characteristics (dynamic adsorption capacity for n-heptane vapors, specific surface area, tolerance for water droplets, high crush strength) so as to satisfy the requirements of Gazprom to the quality of gas in transmission lines.

During the launch of production of the new adsorption system, the following accompanying documents were developed: technical specifications for domestic adsorbents, design workload charts, equipment commissioning manuals, and a regulation for the use of domestically-manufactured silica gel with a view to establishing a systemic approach to cost planning in terms of silica gel replacement in treatment units which prepare gas for trunkline transmission.

The results of the research can be applied at gas treatment units prior to trunkline transmission, at in-field comprehensive gas treatment units, and in liquefied petroleum gas production.

The solution is patented.

In terms of economic effectiveness, the main advantages of the solution are that it reduces the expenses incurred in purchasing foreign adsorbents and makes domestic companies less dependent on foreign adsorbent suppliers.

S. Shablya (supervisor of the work, Gazprom Transgaz Krasnodar), V. Petruk (Gazprom Transgaz Krasnodar), I. Bolgrabsky, O. Burutin, M. Kruchinin, V. Khodakovsky (Gazprom), S. Popov, I. Sivov (Gazprom Transgaz Saint Petersburg), D. Medvedev, N. Suslikova (Salavat Catalyst Plant).

Nominating company: Gazprom Transgaz Krasnodar.

Developing and integrating management information systems to improve technogenic and geo-ecological safety at gas production facilities of Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg

In this work, the authors successfully introduced a number of improvements into management information systems (MIS) applied at gas production facilities. The improvements help increase the adaptability of MIS to the specific conditions of Russia's Extreme North and facilitate the maximum application of domestic software and hardware packages.

With the set of innovative activities devised, MIS are able to minimize the risks associated with technogenic, environmental and geo-ecological incidents at gas production facilities.

In the course of their work, the authors developed:

• tandem integrated models adequate to the specifics of process operations at gas production facilities;
• a series of data processing and management decision-making algorithms to be applied when imperfect data is submitted to MIS (the algorithms have been successfully implemented);
• methods providing for automated alignment between process facilities management and individual MIS in the event their connection with the integrated hierarchical system of gas facilities automation is lost;
• methods to equip MIS with more functions, such as performing express tests and evaluating current parameters of productive formations development, all with minimal environmental impact;
• technical solutions to create a single information space where MIS at gas production facilities and field development mathematical modeling systems are united, so that to ensure proper operational control of development, the best possible field development process, and avoidance of any possible technogenic, environmental and geo-ecological incidents;
• innovative algorithms that make MIS at gas production facilities intelligent and provide the possibility to create a new generation of domestically manufactured automated control systems.

The authors have received 19 patents for the findings and have published 23 paper works, including two monographs.

The economic effectiveness of the solutions is in their ability to reduce the amount of chemical agents spent for process needs and the amount of gas lost during the blowdowns of well clusters.

O. Arno (supervisor of the work, Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg), A. Arabsky, S. Gunkin, A. Dyakonov, S. Zavyalov, R. Kozhukhar, I. Kushch, T. Sopnev, E. Talybov (Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg), S. Kirsanov (Gazprom).

Nominating company: Gazprom Dobycha Yamburg.

Working out a production method and formulation for Gazpromneft Drilline drilling fluid hydrocarbon base oil

The author team has accomplished the important task of introducing competitive domestic substitutes for imported hydrocarbon base oils with a low viscosity-to-density ratio, which are used in horizontal drilling.

The authors have developed and implemented a production method for low-viscosity hydrocarbon base oil.

In terms of quality, Gazpromneft Drilline products surpass their domestic counterparts in the “Aromatics content, percentage by weight” parameter and are equal to their foreign counterparts, while having better fire safety (due to a higher flash point) and a low setting point.

The most significant objectives reached in the course of the research work are as follows:

• requirements to low-viscosity hydrocarbon base oil have been developed providing for a high degree of fire safety and eco-friendliness;
• the manufacturing possibilities have been determined for the product of the required quality;
• competing products have been analyzed;
• the technology for the required component of hydrocarbon base drilling fluids has been developed, and the component has been successfully put into production;
• manufacture of a range of commercial products has been successfully set up; the products have been approved for application at the drilling facilities of Gazprom Neft;
• drilling site tests have been performed by an oil service company.

The developed solution is patented.

The Gazpromneft Drilline products create an obvious economic benefit as their cost is lower than that of imported analogues.

Ya. Treskov (supervisor of the work, Gazpromneft-Lubricants), A. Khomutov (Gazprom Neft Science and Technology Center), D. Borisanov, M. Bubnov, N. Vakhromov, I. Gudkevich, E. Dutlov, N. Karpov, A. Piskunov (Slavneft-YANOS).

Nominating company: Gazprom Neft.

Developing and implementing a set of sci-tech solutions to support gas production in brownfields

The authors of the work have developed a set of management and sci-tech solutions ensuring efficient and stable functioning of brownfields. In particular, the following tasks have been completed:

• improvements have been made to processing, interpretation and analysis methods applied to geological, geophysical and field data (a technology for automated determination of rock properties on the basis of a structural model, a mineral composition model, a fluid contact model, and a fluid flow model of terrigenous rocks has been implemented; mathematical statistics-based hydrodynamic simulation techniques have been improved; the monitoring method for gas-water contacts deepening in gas deposits has been improved);
• operation technologies for marginal wells at brownfields have been improved (tests were performed to assess various technologies for stable functioning of marginal wells, such as the use of plunger lifts and concentric tubings in well operation; technologies have been implemented for the employment of gas lifts in well operation and use of foamers to remove liquids from bottomholes);
• energy saving technologies for gas dynamic research in wells have been implemented (gas dynamic research methods employing an influence function; methods for measuring onstream gas flow rate, liquid content and solids content);
• integrated modeling systems have been used to substantiate the operating practices applied at gas production sites (substantiations have been provided for the gas production site practices which rely on the coordination between gas-dynamic characteristics of gas production systems and those of gas treatment systems and are based on calculations with mathematical models of gas formations, wells, gas gathering systems, booster compressor stations, comprehensive gas treatment units, and inter-field headers customized to match the actual field data).

The results of the work bring advantages in terms of both economic effectiveness and process efficiency and also allow the dates of technical upgrades to be properly scheduled at gas production fields.

The authors of the work received 15 patents; 12 regulatory documents have been developed for the findings within the research.

The cost-effectiveness of the solutions is confirmed by their capacity to prevent excessive expenses for workover, boost gas production volumes, and reduce the amount of gas lost during dynamic research and well blowdowns.

S. Menshikov (supervisor of the work, Gazprom), A. Velichkin, A. Darymov, A. Ilyin, M. Kisilev, I. Melnikov, V. Moiseev, D. Odintsov (Gazprom Dobycha Nadym), A. Kharitonov (Tyumen Petroleum Research Center), S. Varyagov.

Nominating company: Gazprom Dobycha Nadym.

Developing and implementing a set of sci-tech solutions to optimize geological exploration

The authors have proposed a set of sci-tech solutions for optimized geological exploration in the challenging environments of the Arctic seas and the Sea of Okhotsk in terms of:

• assessing the reservoir parameters and hydrodynamic characteristics of pay zones;
• collecting standard samples of formation water and obtaining other required geological data.

Depending on the type and class of producing reservoirs penetrated, these solutions make it possible to:

• plan the scope of works on wireline formation testing and perform hydrodynamic logging by state-of-the-art instruments, with an option to determine the number of pressure buildup measurement points;
• find the interval values of effective permeability and productivity, along with other parameters;
• locate the exact place of fluid contacts with obligatory confirmation tests; study the connectivity between pay zones, tectonic blocks and edge water zone; take samples of formation fluids.

The new methodological approaches to the measurement and calculation of hydrodynamic characteristics in pay zones and to the collection of standard formation water samples help reduce the amount of testing in the production casing while delivering all the geological data required, and thus make it possible to perform all exploration activities in just one construction season (against a minimum of two seasons previously required for these works).

The authors have received 2 patents for the findings.

The solutions developed offer an economic benefit, providing for a reduction of both time and costs for the construction of offshore exploration wells.

A. Davydov (supervisor of the work), T. Byachkova, S. Dmitriev, S. Kurdin, A. Martyn, V. Khoshtariya (Gazprom Geologorazvedka), S. Akhmedsafin, Yu. Pyatnitsky, V. Rybalchenko, A. Rybiakov (Gazprom).

Nominating company: Gazprom Geologorazvedka.

Sci-tech complex for fine-tuning of development technologies in vertical, horizontal and directional gas wells

The authors of the work have created the conditions necessary for large-scale research and experiments required in the course of physical simulation and studies of multiphase mixture movement in gas production and collection systems at brownfields.

For this purpose, a research complex has been developed and built by the authors, complete with embedded independent system modules for the studies of multiphase flows in directional wells, the influence of surfactants on the flow parameters, the processes through which solids are discharged from the wellbore, the movement of gas-liquid flows in annulus channels, the speed of mechanical waves in gas-liquid flows, as well as for visualization of multiphase flows.

The sci-tech complex:

• is able to promptly alter the equipment configuration to match a task, with the possibility to set the inclination of the tested pipe between 0 and 90 degrees;
• unlike its foreign analogues, can create and study flows with an extremely low liquid content (less than 0.1 per cent in terms of volume velocity) in field pipes with an inner diameter of up to 200 mm;
• makes it possible to perform applied, fundamental and exploratory scientific research of multiphase flows with a content of gas, liquid and solids in terms of understudied physical parameter values that are of interest for the gas sector (the measurement methods applied are patented).

All functional and structural elements of the complex are made with domestically-manufactured components.

The results of the research can be applied at all gas and gas condensate fields that employ compressor stations; at gas and gas condensate fields with horizontal and directional wells and/or extensive in-field gas gathering networks; at underground gas storage facilities constructed in aquifers.

On the basis of the work performed, 4 industry-specific regulatory documents have been developed, 34 scientific articles have been published, and 3 patents have been received.

The effect of the solution is that it provides enhanced control over the operation regimes of water-invaded wells (including directional ones) during production decline.

S. Borodin (supervisor of the work, Gazprom VNIIGAZ), M. Davydov, Yu. Kuznetsov, O. Nikolaev, V. Pishchukhin, S. Shulepin (Gazprom VNIIGAZ), S. Buzinov, Yu. Vasiliev.

Nominating company: Gazprom VNIIGAZ.

Information analysis system for identifying potentially hazardous sections in gas trunklines due to stress corrosion cracking and for planning major repairs: A case study of Gazprom Transgaz Yugorsk

The authors have accomplished a relevant task of creating a system to identify potentially hazardous sections in gas trunklines due to stress corrosion cracking, as well as to plan their major repairs.

As a result of the research performed, a methodological framework has been developed to minimize accidents caused by stress corrosion cracking at the gas trunklines of Gazprom Transgaz Yugorsk and to conduct more accurate planning with regard to pipe cutting (replacement) during major repairs. The methodological framework is integrated into the Information Analysis System.

The set of organizational and technical measures, which has been developed to achieve the required result, is based on the following algorithm:

• collection and analysis of initial statistical data on the defects and operating conditions of the previously repaired gas trunkline sections;
• creation of a geospatial digital model of gas trunklines showing the data on their technical parameters and operational properties, places of defects and accidents, and environmental factors;
• employment of geospatial analysis methods to determine the hierarchy of factors that cause stress corrosion cracking in pipes;
• employment of pattern recognition to identify potentially hazardous stress corrosion cracking defects in gas trunklines;
• performance of additional ground surveys at gas trunkline sections, including field and laboratory surveys to determine the content of corrosive substances in soil and their influence on the deterioration of pipe steel;
• use of neural simulation to ensure a more precise assessment of the amount of pipes that are potentially prone to stress corrosion cracking;
• determination of the share of pipes that are potentially prone to stress corrosion cracking, proceeding from the totality of hydrological, geological, environmental, climatic, technogenic and operational factors behind stress corrosion cracking in gas trunklines.

In terms of economic efficiency, the results of the work provide a cost reduction option, as they allow less work to be carried out on the linear gas trunklines of Gazprom Transgaz Yugorsk that are prone to stress corrosion cracking.

M. Lukyanchikov (supervisor of the work, Gazprom Gaznadzor), A. Dokutovich, S. Kovalenko, A. Kuznetsov, Yu. Nemchin (Gazprom Gaznadzor), A. Arabey, A. Shipilov (Gazprom), V. Babushkin (Gazprom Transgaz Yugorsk), L. Vlasova, I. Ryakhovskikh (Gazprom VNIIGAZ).

Nominating company: Gazprom Gaznadzor.

Creating a technological complex to produce hydrocarbons from the Achimov deposits of the Urengoyskoye oil, gas and condensate field

The research carried out by the authors made it possible to successfully launch the development of deep reservoirs within the Achimov deposits of the Urengoyskoye oil, gas and condensate field (OGCF) owing to a set of organizational, technical, energy saving and resource saving solutions implemented with the use of domestic machinery and equipment. The solutions have been designed to provide for stable production and processing of heavy hydrocarbon feedstock found in the low permeability reservoirs of the Achimov deposits, as well as efficient use of the existing infrastructure of the Urengoy gas production center.

In the course of the research, the hydrocarbon reserves in the Achimov deposits of the Urengoyskoye OGCF were put into commercial operation, and about 87 per cent of the total hard-to-recover gas condensate reserves were prepared for commercial development as priority targets.

The following innovations have been delivered:

• an optimal well structure for the Achimov deposits, along with the technical and process solutions for its construction and completion;
• a construction method for well clusters according to which the well piping is installed on a framed structure keeping the underlying soil stable within the entire operation period;
• a set of equipment for safe operation of the Achimov wells which produce formation fluids from abnormally overpressured deposits, as well as preventive anti-corrosion measures for the equipment in wells, gas gathering networks and gas treatment systems;
• a resource saving technology providing for zero gas emissions during well surveying at the Achimov deposits;
• an enhanced scheme of hydrate inhibition with methanol in low-temperature separation process.

A set of regulatory documents for the application of the new technical solutions has been developed and 10 patents have been received with regard to the research paper topic. Batch production of the well equipment and formation fluid collection and treatment equipment for the Achimov sequence has been launched in Russia.

The most significant economic benefit of the work is due to hydrocarbon production growth achieved by means of hydraulic fracturing and a reduction of capital investment owing to a simplified structure of wells.

A. Koryakin (supervisor of the work, Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy), D. Dikamov, M. Zharikov, I. Ignatov, V. Kobychev, A. Neudakhin (Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy), A. Kozintsev, I. Kolchanov, P. Slugin, A. Shekhovtsov (Gazprom).

Nominating company: Gazprom Dobycha Urengoy.

Efficient technological innovations for increasing productivity and operational safety in underground storage wells of Gazprom

The authors have attained the following innovative results:

1. A well-killing technology involving the use of killing fluids which are adjustable to match different geological, technical and climatic conditions observed in underground storage wells. The killing fluids are able to preserve their characteristics for the entire duration of lengthy repair works and can be reused. The technology is complemented by a special method for creating a reliable protective blocking barrier in the bottomhole zone of a well with the use of a highly efficient organic-filled polymeric compound. The compound prevents both ingress of gas from the reservoir and penetration of killing fluid into the reservoir, thus allowing the reservoir parameters to remain unchanged.
2. A technology to restore and increase well productivity, and an emulsion to restore reservoir permeability.
3. Technologies to achieve the following effects so that to maintain safe operation of wells:
   • elimination of pressure occurring between casings and in the annulus due to leaks in threaded connections of a production casing; GPR-1 deep penetrating compound has been developed to eliminate cross flows between casings;
   • elimination of pressure occurring between casings and in the annulus due to a very low cement top resulting from a combination of absorbing horizons and gas ingress in the well; a viscoelastic compound has been developed to resist these effects;
   • elimination of annulus gas flows going from the bottomhole of the pay zone to the wellhead, which occur due to poor cementing of the production casing; a compound on the basis of OKSIKAN and OES-SK blend has been developed to eliminate cross flows between casings and annulus flows.

The authors have received 5 patents and 30 scientific articles have been published with regard to the research paper topic.

The most significant economic benefit achieved by implementing the results of the work is the increase of well productivity.

R. Gasumov (supervisor of the work, SevKavNIPIgaz), E. Zhukov, V. Sedlyarova, I. Shikhaliev, I. Shikhalieva (SevKavNIPIgaz), S. Kostikov (Gazprom), A. Kochetov, D. Koshelev, V. Ovchinnikov, S. Piskarev (Gazprom UGS).

Nominating company: SevKavNIPIgaz.