Artificial Intelligence Applications in Petroleum Supply and Management

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue of Fuels, entitled “Artificial Intelligence Applications in Petroleum Supply and Management”.

At present, the application of artificial intelligence in the petroleum industry is far from extensive, as it is still in its primary stage of exploration. However, new technologies are creating a new era, such as integrated sensors, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and unmanned driving, which have brought great challenges and possibilities to the “very traditional” oil industry. For example, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have begun to be used to monitor and manage the safety and efficiency of oil equipment operations, while smart sensors and satellite imaging technology are helping operators to manage and operate remote well sites in real time, reducing the risk of long-term isolation.

Technologies such as COMOS and Walkinside are also helping to create 3D visualizable virtual oil platforms that digitally capture real-time information about each component, enabling operators to efficiently and accurately manage and monitor them without ever having to step foot on the platform. These activities require relevant supporting technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), information and communication technology (ICT), and 5G. Additionally, with the continued use of conventional oil for nearly a hundred years and with most of the remaining recoverable oil and gas resources in the deep sea—the polar region where no human life is present—the application of artificial intelligence can greatly help humankind to achieve economic security for such unconventional oil and gas development and reduce casualties and supply costs, while at the same time, reducing the pollution of the environment through oil development.

A range of tools based on artificial intelligence, simulation integration, and automated data analysis are being developed and increasingly used. Artificial intelligence is undoubtedly an epoch-making leap in software development. It can constantly store, learn, and analyze data to help improve the accuracy of our future predictions, and help more enterprises to use big data technology and analyze data to gain a more strategic understanding.

As petroleum is the most widely used and highly efficient energy raw material, its supply and management play a huge role in the survival and development of petroleum enterprises. However, with the gradual depletion of petroleum, the remaining recoverable resources are primarily located in areas beyond human reach, such as the deep sea and the polar regions. The development of artificial intelligence (AI) is a rare opportunity for petroleum enterprises. On the one hand, with the help of AI technology, petroleum enterprises can effectively control and optimize the production process, improve production efficiency, and reduce the consumption of energy and material. On the other hand, AI technology can help petroleum enterprises to introduce safety management services, allowing machines to replace people in inspecting safety hazards, forecasting safety risks, ensuring installations’ safe operation, and preventing safety accidents.

This Special Issue aims to introduce the application of AI technology, such as machine learning, in petroleum supply and management. The ultimate goal is to identify the most promising approaches for each of the current and future challenges in the petroleum sector and provide readers with a set of concrete applications of AI. These applications are not only conducive to the transformation of the petroleum industry but are also of great significance to promoting energy conservation and emission reduction for the whole industry.

Prof. Dr. Wei Pan
Dr. Gang Xie
Guest Editors

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. Fuels is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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.

• AI in petroleum supply systems
• AI in petroleum management systems
• AI in energy storage
• Energy forecast
• Energy system
• Energy consumption
• Energy Optimization
• Sustainability
• Artificial intelligence (AI)
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Information and communication technology (ICT)
• Big data
• 5G
• Intelligent control
• Machine learning
• Deep learning