From October 13th to 15th in 2023, the 5th International Conference on Advanced Technology in Deepwater Oil and Gas Engineering and the 4th International Youth Forum on Hydrates were successfully held. More than 200 representatives from over 30 universities, research institutes, and enterprises from 8 countries including China, the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Singapore, and South Korea attended the conference.

The forum scene

    Academicians Sun Jinsheng from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Bernt S. Aadnoy from the Norwegian Academy of Engineering, Peter Englezos from the Canadian Academy of Engineering, Vasily I. Bogoyavlensky from the Russian Academy of Sciences, and expert scholars such as George Moridis, an SPE Honorary Member and professor at Texas A&M University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, attended the conference. Representatives from organizing units such as Xu Fengyin, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Petroleum Society, Li Xiaosen, Director of the Natural Gas Hydrate Professional Committee of the China Renewable Energy Society, Dai Caili, Vice President of China University of Petroleum (East China), and Ma Zheng, Executive Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Hydrodynamics, were also present. The conference was chaired by Professor Sun Baojiang, the chief scientist of the National 973 and Basic Science Center project at our university.

    The conference was jointly organized by the China Petroleum Society, the Natural Gas Hydrate Professional Committee of the China Renewable Energy Society, China University of Petroleum (East China), the National Key Laboratory of Deep Oil and Gas, the China-Saudi Arabia Petroleum Energy Belt and Road Joint Laboratory, the National Engineering Research Center for Oil and Gas Drilling and Completion Technology, and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Hydrodynamics. China University of Petroleum (East China) and the Research Institute of Engineering Technology of China Petroleum Group jointly hosted the event, with the cooperation of units such as the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey of the China Geological Survey and the Research Institute of CNOOC Limited. Academicians Sun Jinsheng and Professor Sun Baojiang served as co-chairs of the conference organizing committee, while Professor Wang Zhiyuan and Associate Professor Chen Litao from our university served as chairs of the Hydrate Youth Forum organizing committee. 

Vice President Dai Caili delivers a speech

    Dai Caili, on behalf of the conference organizing and hosting units, delivered a welcome speech, welcoming the arrival of experts from various countries. She expressed that this forum has provided a high-end platform for experts and scholars in the field of deepwater oil and gas engineering and the basic theory and development technology of natural gas hydrates. She hoped that this forum would serve as an opportunity to jointly promote new technologies in deepwater oil and gas engineering and the application of hydrates in the energy field.

Xu Fengyin, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Petroleum Society, delivers a speech

    Xu Fengyin delivered a speech on behalf of the organizers, welcoming representatives from all parties attending the conference. He expressed the hope that this conference would gather innovative achievements in the exploration and development of deepwater, ultra-deepwater oil and gas, and natural gas hydrates, and through practical actions, implement China's deepwater development strategy to ensure national energy security.

Academician Sun Jinsheng introduces the conference situation and delivers a report

    Academician Sun Jinsheng introduced the conference, stating that the event focuses on topics such as deepwater drilling and completion, deepwater oil and gas development, hydrate technology applications in carbon storage and hydrogen storage, and marine oil and gas engineering equipment. The conference serves as an important international academic exchange platform for cutting-edge technologies and fundamental theories in deepwater oil and gas as well as hydrate development.

    The conference featured 15 keynote presentations, 7 invited speeches, and 51 thematic reports on topics including deepwater drilling and completion, hydrate fundamental theories, and flow assurance in oil and gas development. There were also 27 poster presentations. Experts and scholars actively shared their research and viewpoints, sparking extensive discussions and exchanges among participants, deepening cooperation and innovation in deepwater oil and gas engineering and hydrate research between China and other major energy countries.

    Academician Sun Jinsheng delivered the opening keynote presentation, elucidating the key challenges faced in the drilling and production of natural gas hydrates in the South China Sea. He shared insights on the fundamental theories, technologies, and equipment development for gas hydrate drilling and production in offshore areas, highlighting the urgent need to address fundamental scientific issues in this field.

 Academician Bernt S. Aadnoy delivers a report

    Professor Bernt S. Aadnoy, a professor at the University of Stavanger in Norway and a member of the Norwegian Academy of Technological Sciences, introduced the digitalization progress in the offshore oil and gas drilling industry in Norway. He shared research advancements in future drilling visualization, multi-parameter monitoring, low latency, and distributed downhole parameter monitoring.

Corresponding Academician Vasily I. Bogoyavlensky delivers a report

    Academician Vasily I. Bogoyavlensky of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Oil and Gas Research Institute introduced gas blowouts and explosion events in the Arctic region of Russia, sharing research progress on the three-dimensional structure of blowout vents and the formation of cavities caused by gas eruptions.

Academician Peter Englezos delivers an online report

    Academician Peter Englezos of the University of British Columbia in Canada introduced the latest advances in carbon capture and storage (CCUS) technology, analyzing the challenges of large-scale application of CCUS using the hydrate-based method.

Professor George Moridis delivers a report

    Professor George Moridis, an SPE Honorary Member from Texas A&M University and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, shared his thoughts on energy transition, the future of oil and gas, emphasizing that the era of fossil fuel dominance will inevitably come to an end in the context of carbon neutrality. However, he highlighted that there is currently no perfect alternative, and fossil fuels will continue to play a significant role in the future energy mix.

    Professor Praveen Linga from the National University of Singapore presented advancements in using hydrate technology for capturing and storing carbon dioxide, discussing the feasibility of implementing carbon dioxide sequestration under deepwater high-pressure low-temperature conditions.

    Professor Bahman Tohidi from Heriot-Watt University in the UK shared the latest developments in remedial measures for hydrate blockages in deepwater oil and gas developments.

    Professor Ju Dong Lee from the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology and Robello Samuel, Chief Technologist at Halliburton, delivered conference presentations on digitalization technologies for deepwater oil and gas well engineering and hydrate-based seawater desalination and in-situ Raman detection technology, respectively.

Liu Shujie, Deputy General Manager and Chief Engineer of CNOOC Hainan Branch, delivers a report

    Liu Shujie, Deputy General Manager and Chief Engineer (Drilling and Completion) of CNOOC Hainan Branch, introduced the technical advancements in deepwater high-pressure well control safety, efficiency improvement in deepwater deep drilling and completion, and long-term production assurance in the Deep Sea No. 1 project. He also outlined the future development direction of key technical equipment for deepwater and ultra-deepwater drilling and completion in the South China Sea.

    Director Li Qingping of the Hydrate and Marine Resources Strategic Research Center at CNOOC Research Institute introduced advancements in real-time monitoring and intelligent control of deepwater multiphase flow systems, as well as engineering design and risk prevention for deepwater flow assurance projects.

    Chief Expert Yin Zhiming from the Well Control Division of CNOOC Research Institute shared research progress on major safety accident prevention and control in offshore oil and gas production. He introduced disaster prevention and control measures and emergency response mechanisms for common hazards in offshore oil and gas field development such as typhoons, blowouts, and structural fatigue.

Professor Sun Baojiang delivers a report

    Professor Sun Baojiang shared the latest research achievements in intelligent well control technology for complex pressure systems in geological formations. This technology has enabled early diagnosis of kicks and precise inversion of formation pressures. By utilizing real-time data for intelligent well control, it has reduced well control response times and improved wellbore pressure control accuracy.

    Professor Wang Zhiyuan discussed advancements in predicting and efficiently treating hydrate blockages within complex flow channels, focusing on the regulations and prediction methods for hydrate blockages in deepwater oil and gas gathering pipelines.

    Professor Yang Jin, Director of the Hainan Research Institute at China University of Petroleum (Beijing), introduced the advantages of using suction piles for well construction compared to traditional methods. He shared research progress on suction pile deepwater shallow well construction processes and multi-wellhead suction pile well construction models.

Exchange with experts and scholars at the conference

Experts and scholars at the conference view the poster presentation

    The conference hosted the first Young Pioneers Dialogue in the field of hydrates, where Professor Praveen Linga from the National University of Singapore, Professor Ning Fulong from China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), and Professor Yin Zhenyuan from Tsinghua University's Shenzhen International Graduate School attended. They shared their research journeys, advancements, and insights in the field of hydrates during the dialogue session.

The conference holds the first Young Pioneer Dialogue in the field of hydrates

    The conference emphasized that international deepwater oil and gas engineering and natural gas hydrate development are hot research areas of common interest in academia, industry, and applied sectors. They hoped that the participants would take this conference as an opportunity to engage in academic exchanges with experts from around the world in the fields of deepwater oil and gas as well as hydrates. By deepening cooperation and enhancing the internationalization of scientific research, they aim to collectively promote research and technological advancements in deepwater oil and gas and hydrate development. (Zhou Ziqiang, Xia Yuxiang, Photographers)