Petroleum
1. Nanotechnology Contributions at a Glance
As early adopters of nanotechnology, petroleum industry producers have dealt with emulsions of oil, gas, and water, which are made of nanoscale particles, for years, even prior to the recent burgeoning interest. However, the need for integrating technological breakthroughs with conventional exploration, monitoring, primary production, distribution, and refining processes cannot be overstated. The significant effect of oil price fluctuations on international relations, in conjunction with the high levels of private and public investments, propels academia, organizations, manufacturers, and governments towards seeking inexpensive, efficient methods using novel sciences such as nanotechnology.
NPD contains data about 298 nanoproducts of 65 various types in this sector. These products are introduced into global markets by 125 companies, the headquarters of which are located in 28 different countries. The products are classified into oils and lubricants, coatings, well treatment, pipeline, oil exploration, and tooling/drilling sub-industrial sectors.
Various oils and lubricants such as motor oil, petroleum grease, gearbox oil, and oil filter glue are available on global markets. Steel coatings, anti-corrosion coatings, anti-oxidation coatings, thermal insulation coatings, thermal insulation sheets, fireproofing insulations, petroleum insulating aerogels, washing fluids, cleaning agents, surfactants, and solutions are included in the coating sub-industrial sector. A wide spectrum of dehydrogenation, oxychlorination, and metal catalysts (e.g., platinum, iron, manganese, silver, copper, and nickel) along with drilling fluids, sulfide scavengers, sand consolidators, well stimulation chemicals, gelling agents, desulfurization catalyst, drilling muds, fixing agents, gypsum boards, wells corrosion inhibitors, and drilling fluid additives are categorized into the well treatment sub-industrial sector. The pipeline sector contains different types of pipes and valves as well as their relevant cleaning acids, insulators, coatings, and protectors. Gas Sensors, oil-liquid separators, embeddable tags, adsorbents, oil refinery catalysts, and hydrocarbon contamination removal solutions are the products classified into the oil exploration sector. Regarding the tolling/drilling sub-industrial sector, some products can be mentioned of polycrystalline diamonds, downhole drills, cutters, bits, tooling, and polymer modifiers.
So as to stretch the frontiers of current energy resources into improved production techniques, such nano-enabled and nano-enhanced products as sorbents, catalysts, solvents, inhibitors, and sensors have been developed to enhance oil recovery rate; increase drilling performance, tubular, and rotating parts; design lightweight transportation vessels; reduce energy losses during production; provide real-time analytic on emulsion characteristics; monitor fluid-flow; and so forth. From an environmental viewpoint, petroleum-derived byproducts constitute the most prevalent sources of air, water, and soil degradation. Today, the industry is considerably greener since nanostructured filters remove polluted wastes before releasing in nature. A broad spectrum of nanoparticles is used in the petroleum industry, some of which are tungsten disulfide, silicone oxide, titanium dioxide, and zinc oxide, leading to abrasion and corrosion resistance, high strength-to-weight ratio, increased thermal conductivity, and low chemical reactivity.
2. Best-Performing Companies in Nanotechnology Exploitation
Monitoring the companies active in the field of petroleum industry reveals that Millers Oils Ltd, AMSOIL INC, Chelyabinsk Pipe-Rolling Plant, Green Energy Innovations, Putoline Oil, Donaldson Company Inc, NanoMaterials Technology, Amf nano, ARCHOIL, Zhengzhou Dongshen Petrochemical technology, Nanolux Global Inc, NNT BORPOWER GMBH, Nano Grease, NYACOL® Nano Technologies, QuantumSphere Inc, Aerogel Technologies LLC, NanoProMT, NanoSave N1, Flotek Industries, Calnano, NanoProtech Asia, Victoria Lub Pty Ltd, and Arset LLC are effectively involved in exploiting nanotechnology to either improve the quality of their products or introduce innovative solutions.
3. Top Countries in Nanotechnology Promotion
The most active countries in exploiting nanotechnology in the petroleum industrial sector are USA, Russia, the UK, Singapore, China, Germany, Iran, Canada, and Austria.
4. Search String
The keywords used to build up the petroleum sector database are as follows:
Nano + catalyst, refining catalyst, fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), thermoset composites, thermoplastic composites, composite pipes, pipe wrapping, offshore pipeline, onshore pipeline, drill plugs, frac balls, dielectric insulators, petrochemical process, heat transfer fluid, high temperature fluids, low temperature liquids, fuel, gasoline, petroleum, membrane, filtration, hydrophilic-oleophobic membrane, gas-oil separation package, oil-water separator, oily water separators (OWS), stage separator, trap, knockout vessel, knockout drum, knockout trap, water knockout, liquid knockout, flash chamber, flash vessel, flash trap, expansion separator, expansion vessel, photo electrolyte cell, sealing, seal materials, oil seals, lubricant, anti-corrosion fluid, corrosion inhibitor, passivation, drilling mud, anti-fouling, anti-corrosion paints, oil exploration, hydrocarbon exploration, nanorobots, nanosensors, cementation, well cementing, oil production, rotary cutting tool, enhanced oil recovery, tertiary recovery, well test, well logging, borehole logging, well completion, downhole tools, drilling motors drilling jars, motor optimizer, shock tools, data loggers, drilling tools, drilling accessories, well treatment, and enhanced oil recovery (EOR).
