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Petroleum Exploration, Development and Transportation

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "H: Geo-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 1715

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Tarek Al Arbi Omar Al-Arbi Ganat

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Petroleum and Chemical Engineering, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat 123, Oman
Interests: petroleum exploration technologies; drilling & completion strategies; reservoir management; sustainable practices (including carbon capture); risk mManagement; digitalization in petroleum operations; economic analysis & market trends; greenhouse gas reduction; renewable energy integration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The petroleum industry plays a pivotal role in fulfilling the energy needs of our contemporary society. The exploration, development, and transportation of petroleum resources are essential for ensuring a reliable supply of this vital commodity, supporting numerous industries and applications, from fuel production to the creation of essential industrial goods.

Significant advancements in exploration techniques, drilling technologies, reservoir management, and transportation infrastructure have significantly enhanced the efficiency and safety of these operations. However, the industry faces growing environmental and economic challenges, demanding innovative solutions and sustainable practices.

This Special Issue seeks to showcase and disseminate cutting-edge research and developments within the field of petroleum exploration, development, and transportation. We invite contributions from leading researchers and industry experts, encompassing a broad spectrum of topics related to this critical sector.

The areas of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:  

  • Exploration Technologies: Advanced seismic imaging, geophysical methods, and innovative exploration techniques.
  • Drilling and Completion: Innovations in drilling technologies, well-completion strategies, and advancements in horizontal and unconventional drilling.
  • Reservoir Management: Reservoir characterization, enhanced oil recovery methods, and digital reservoir modeling.
  • Sustainability and Environmental Practices: Sustainable petroleum extraction and processing, carbon capture and storage, and environmental impact mitigation strategies.
  • Petroleum Transportation: Pipeline and transportation infrastructure optimization, safety and security of petroleum products, and advancements in alternative transportation modes.
  • Risk and Management: Risk assessment and management in exploration and production activities, including geological, operational, and environmental risks.
  • Digitalization and Automation: Applications of digital technologies, automation, and artificial intelligence in petroleum operations.
  • Case Studies: Successful petroleum exploration and development projects, highlighting best practices and technological breakthroughs.
  • Economic Analysis and Market Trends: Analysis of economic factors, market trends, and future outlooks for the petroleum industry.
  • Unconventional Resources: Shale gas, tight oil, and other unconventional plays.
  • Greenhouse Gas Reduction: Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).
  • Renewable Energy Integration: Integration of renewable energy sources into petroleum operations.

We eagerly anticipate your insightful contributions to this Special Issue, which aims to promote collaboration, disseminate knowledge, and advance the field of petroleum exploration, development, and transportation.

Dr. Tarek Al Arbi Omar Al-Arbi Ganat
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • petroleum exploration
  • petroleum development
  • petroleum transportation
  • drilling technologies

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1276 KiB  
Article
A Pressure-Driven Recovery Factor Equation for Enhanced Oil Recovery Estimation in Depleted Reservoirs: A Practical Data-Driven Approach
by Tarek Al Arabi Omar Ganat
Energies 2025, 18(14), 3658; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18143658 - 10 Jul 2025
Viewed by 128
Abstract
This study presents a new equation, the dynamic recovery factor (DRF), for evaluating the recovery factor (RF) in homogeneous and heterogeneous reservoirs. The DRF method’s outcomes are validated and compared using the decline curve analysis (DCA) method. Real measured [...] Read more.
This study presents a new equation, the dynamic recovery factor (DRF), for evaluating the recovery factor (RF) in homogeneous and heterogeneous reservoirs. The DRF method’s outcomes are validated and compared using the decline curve analysis (DCA) method. Real measured field data from 15 wells in a homogenous sandstone reservoir and 10 wells in a heterogeneous carbonate reservoir are utilized for this study. The concept of the DRF approach is based on the material balance principle, which integrates several components (weighted average cumulative pressure drop (ΔPcum), total compressibility (Ct), and oil saturation (So)) for predicting RF. The motivation for this study stems from the practical restrictions of conventional RF valuation techniques, which often involve extensive datasets and use simplifying assumptions that are not applicable in complex heterogeneous reservoirs. For the homogenous reservoir, the DRF approach predicts an RF of 8%, whereas the DCA method predicted 9.2%. In the heterogeneous reservoir, the DRF approach produces an RF of 6% compared with 5% for the DCA technique. Sensitivity analysis shows that RF is very sensitive to variations in Ct, ΔPcum, and So, with values that vary from 6.00% to 10.71% for homogeneous reservoirs and 4.43% to 7.91% for heterogeneous reservoirs. Uncertainty calculation indicates that errors in Ct, ΔPcum, and So propagate to RF, with weighting factor (Wi) uncertainties causing changes of ±3.7% and ±4.4% in RF for homogeneous and heterogeneous reservoirs, respectively. This study shows the new DRF approach’s ability to provide reliable RF estimations via pressure dynamics, while DCA is used as a validation and comparison baseline. The sensitivity analyses and uncertainty analyses provide a strong foundation for RF estimation that helps to select well-informed decisions in reservoir management with reliable RF values. The novelty of the new DRF equation lies in its capability to correctly estimate RFs using limited available historical data, making it appropriate for early-stage development and data-scarce situations. Hence, the new DRF equation is applied to various reservoir qualities, and the results show a strong alignment with those obtained from DCA, demonstrating high accuracy. This agreement validates the applicability of the DRF equation in estimating recovery factors through different reservoir qualities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Petroleum Exploration, Development and Transportation)
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18 pages, 33192 KiB  
Article
Fault Cycling and Its Impact on Hydrocarbon Accumulation: Insights from the Neogene Southwestern Qaidam Basin
by Zhaozhou Chen, Zhen Liu, Jun Li, Fei Zhou, Zihao Feng and Xinruo Ma
Energies 2025, 18(13), 3571; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18133571 - 7 Jul 2025
Viewed by 263
Abstract
Building upon the geological cycle theory, this study proposes fault cycles as a critical component of tectonic cyclicity in petroliferous basins. Focusing on reservoir-controlling faults in the southwestern Qaidam Basin, we systematically analyze fault architectures and identify three distinct fault activation episodes: the [...] Read more.
Building upon the geological cycle theory, this study proposes fault cycles as a critical component of tectonic cyclicity in petroliferous basins. Focusing on reservoir-controlling faults in the southwestern Qaidam Basin, we systematically analyze fault architectures and identify three distinct fault activation episodes: the Lulehe Formation (LLH Fm.), the upper part of the Xiaganchaigou Formation (UXG Fm.), and the Shizigou Formation (SZG Fm.). Three types of fault cycle models are established. These fault cycles correlate with the evolution of regional tectonic stress fields, corresponding to the Cenozoic transition from extensional to compressional stress regimes in the basin. Mechanistic analysis reveals the hierarchical control of fault cycles in hydrocarbon systems: the early cycle governs the proto-basin geometry and low-amplitude structural trap development; the middle cycle affects the source rock distribution; and the late cycle controls trap finalization and hydrocarbon migration. This study proposes a fault cycle-controlled accumulation model, providing a dynamic perspective that shifts from conventional static fault concepts to reveal fault activity periodicity and its critical multi-phase control over hydrocarbon migration and accumulation, essential for exploration in multi-episodic fault provinces. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Petroleum Exploration, Development and Transportation)
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16 pages, 2340 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Oil Production Forecasting in CCUS-EOR Systems via KAN-LSTM Neural Network
by Wei Xia, Qiu Li, Quan Shi, Rui Xu, Jiangtao Wu and Song Deng
Energies 2025, 18(11), 2795; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18112795 - 27 May 2025
Viewed by 376
Abstract
The accurate forecasting of crude oil production in CCUS-EOR (carbon capture, utilization, and storage–enhanced oil recovery) operations is essential for the economic evaluation and production optimization of oilfield blocks. Although numerous deep learning models have been widely applied for this purpose, existing methods [...] Read more.
The accurate forecasting of crude oil production in CCUS-EOR (carbon capture, utilization, and storage–enhanced oil recovery) operations is essential for the economic evaluation and production optimization of oilfield blocks. Although numerous deep learning models have been widely applied for this purpose, existing methods still face challenges in extracting complex features from multidimensional time series datasets, limiting the accuracy of oil production forecasts. In this study, we propose a novel KAN-LSTM model that integrates a KAN (knowledge-aware network) layer with a long short-term memory (LSTM) neural network to enhance the accuracy of oil production forecasting in CCUS-EOR applications. The KAN layer effectively extracts relevant features from multivariate data, while the LSTM layer models temporal information based on the extracted features to generate accurate predictions. To evaluate the performance of the proposed model, we conducted two case studies using both mechanistic model data and real project production data. The prediction performance of our method was compared with that of typical deep learning approaches. Experimental results demonstrate that the KAN-LSTM model outperforms other forecasting methods. By providing reliable estimates of future oil production, the KAN-LSTM model enables engineers to make informed decisions in reservoir development planning. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Petroleum Exploration, Development and Transportation)
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22 pages, 41247 KiB  
Article
Hydrocarbon Accumulation Characteristics of the Perdido Fold Belt, Burgos Basin, Gulf of Mexico—A Comparison Between the Central and Eastern Regions
by Yan Fan, Caifu Xiang, Songling Yang, Aishan Li, Liang Chen, Lin’an Pang, Jingtan Chen and Minghui Yang
Energies 2025, 18(7), 1834; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18071834 - 4 Apr 2025
Viewed by 476
Abstract
Frequent salt tectonic activities within the Perdido fold belt complicate hydrocarbon accumulation, severely constraining hydrocarbon exploration. In this paper, the characteristics and differences of hydrocarbon accumulation in the Wilcox and Frio Formations in the central and eastern regions of the Perdido fold belt [...] Read more.
Frequent salt tectonic activities within the Perdido fold belt complicate hydrocarbon accumulation, severely constraining hydrocarbon exploration. In this paper, the characteristics and differences of hydrocarbon accumulation in the Wilcox and Frio Formations in the central and eastern regions of the Perdido fold belt are analyzed through geochemical analysis, hydrocarbon generation simulation, and regional tectonic restoration. The results indicate the following: (1) Hydrocarbon in the Wilcox and Frio Formations in both the central and eastern regions of the Perdido fold belt originates from the Jurassic Tithonian source rocks. (2) Source rocks in the central and eastern regions entered the oil generation threshold in the late Paleocene and reached the oil generation peak in the late Eocene. Compared with the central region, the eastern region reached the gas generation threshold earlier, which is influenced by the activities and differential distribution of salt in the Perdido fold belt. (3) Hydrocarbon accumulation in central and eastern regions is divided into four stages, showing a “terraced single-layer” and “dual-layer” accumulation pattern in the central and eastern regions of the Perdido fold belt, respectively. (4) Central and eastern regions represent discrepancies in the petroleum systems elements of reservoirs, caprocks, traps, generation, charging, and preservation of hydrocarbon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Petroleum Exploration, Development and Transportation)
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