Abstract: The present invention relates to the use of ultra-high-molecular-weight polyolefin particles as proppants for treating subterranean formations, as well as to compositions comprising said particles and to fracturing methods employing said particles.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method for detecting hydrocarbon spill in an aqueous medium from a plurality of images of the surface of the aqueous medium obtained by an infrared camera comprising analyzing an image of the plurality of images; checking whether at least one region that could be identified as spill is displayed in the image, in case of positive result, assessing whether the point representing a multidimensional vector of characteristics associated with the region is within a reference zone defined in a multidimensional space, this reference zone being representative of multidimensional vectors of characteristics of regions corresponding to real spills; if it is determined that the point representing the multidimensional vector of characteristics is within the multidimensional reference zone, generating a warning signal of spill.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for generating well location plans and field development plans assessing and ranking the potential of the different plans with a small number of parameters or initial conditions, thus considerably reducing the decision time for taking a particular strategy when compared with the techniques described in the art.

Abstract: A system, method and program product for generating an optimal field development plan (FDP) for the exploitation of oil and gas reservoirs when the available data of the reservoir is limited. A tree is generated starting from a root node wherein each node represents a decision or an observation of the field. The tree generation includes a specific manner of combining a search and a rollout process for exploring paths providing candidates of field development plans (FDP) and adding new nodes to the tree. The method reduces drastically the computational cost providing an affordable manner of estimating an optimal field development plan (FDP) before carrying out the exploitation of the reservoir.

Abstract: The present invention is related to a catalyst supported for the selective oxidation of sulphur compounds of the tail gas from the Claus process or streams with an equivalent composition to elemental sulphur or sulphur dioxide (SO2). It is also the object of the present invention, a process for the preparation of a catalyst of this type, as well as the process of selective oxidation of sulphur compounds to elemental sulphur using the catalyst of the invention, as well as the process of catalytic incineration of the tail gas from the Claus process using the catalyst of the present invention.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of graphene includes the steps of a) providing flash thermal treatment of a graphite oxide at a temperature up to 700° C. sufficient to produce exfoliation and under inert atmosphere and b) cooling the material obtained in the previous step below 90° C. The method further includes the step of c) heating the material resulting from the previous step under inert atmosphere at a temperature which is higher than the temperature of step a), wherein the heating rate is between 1 and 15° C./min. The graphenes obtained from the process exhibit excellent physico-chemical properties.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a double metal cyanide (DMC) complex catalyst with an improved catalytic activity useful for epoxide polymerization. It also relates to polyether polyols prepared by a polymerization reaction using said DMC catalyst.

Abstract: An energy converter for converting kinetic energy from a body of liquid by transverse galloping includes a support, an elongate galloping body extending between a first end and a second end and being of a suitable cross-section for transverse galloping, a substantially horizontal guide arranged outside the body of liquid for guiding the first end of the galloping body, one or more elastic means substantially horizontally arranged and connected between the galloping body and the support, and a generator including a static generator component and a dynamic generator component, and wherein the galloping body is substantially vertically suspended such that the second end of the body extends into the body of liquid, and the dynamic generator component is operationally connected to the galloping body. Further disclosed are energy conversion systems including a plurality of energy converters and methods for energy conversion.

Abstract: A system, method and program product for managing hydrocarbon energy production. A hydrocarbon field modeler models physical characteristics of a hydrocarbon energy field. A load predictor predicts processing workload in modeling the hydrocarbon energy field, and identifying a balanced modeling unit distribution across multiple processors simulating field production. A load distribution unit distributes the modeling units across the processors for a balanced modeling unit distribution. The load predictor and load distribution unit proactively shifts loads to maintain workload balanced throughout the simulation.

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for generating scenarios of hydrocarbon reservoirs based on limited amount of information on a target hydrocarbon reservoir, and more particularly to automatically supplying missing parameters and uncertainty associated with each supplied parameter allowing to valuating the target hydrocarbon reservoir.

Abstract: A population comparison system, method and a computer program product therefor. A stored list of population members, e.g., hydrocarbon reservoirs, characteristics and analogous members is partitioned into lists for each member. A weighting system automatically uses the partitions to determine a weight set (w*) for population member characteristic and a similarity function. The weighting system may include an objective model that iteratively, blindly identifies analogous members for each population member until the identified analogous members match the listed analogous members. An analogous member selector uses the weights set (w*) and similarity function to automatically select analogous listed members for each new population member.

Abstract: Assessing the impact of existing fractures and faults for reservoir management, in one aspect, may comprise employing a numerical mesh to generate a geomechanical model, the numerical mesh representing a geological reservoir and its surrounding regions, the numerical mesh comprising delimitation associated with regions and layering of geology without constraining the numerical mesh to explicitly represent a fault or fracture, initializing the geomechanical model to define initial stress-strain compatible with measured stress in well locations associated with the geological reservoir, generating a fluid-flow model employing the numerical mesh, solving for a coupled solution of the fluid-flow model and the geomechanical model, and employing the solved fluid-flow model and the geomechanical model to assess the impact.

Abstract: A method and computer program product for managing hydrocarbon field production, e.g., petro-chemical reservoir production. The hydrocarbon field is modeled using the finite volume method (FVM) model and the finite element method (FEM). Centroids are located in each FVM cell and each FEM element and overlapping cells are identified. After determining the distance between centroids for overlapping cells, fluid characteristics are mapped to the FEM element centroids, weighted inversely for distance between the respective centroids. A permeability/conductivity weighted average is determined for pore pressure and temperature of sub-volumes clustered around each FEM element node. Field production may be adjusted in response to FEM element node characteristics.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a double metal cyanide (DMC) complex catalyst with an improved catalytic activity useful for epoxide polymerization. It also relates to polyether polyols prepared by a polymerization reaction using said DMC catalyst.

Abstract: A population comparison system, method and a computer program product. A stored list of population members, e.g., hydrocarbon reservoirs, includes parameters for corresponding known characteristics and analogous members for each member. A new population member input receives new member descriptions including parameters for each respective new member. A parameter extraction system automatically extracts an estimated value for each missing key parameter, providing a supplemented description. An analogous member selector automatically selects a subset of listed population members as analogous members for each new population member responsive to the supplemented description. The analogous members serve as a basis for uncertainty characterization from the joint parameter distribution and univariate distributions for each parameter.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a process of preparing a double metal cyanide (DMC) complex catalyst with an improved catalytic activity useful for epoxide polymerization. It also relates to the DMC catalyst obtainable by said process, as well as to polyether polyols prepared by a polymerization reaction using said DMC catalyst.

Abstract: An energy converter (12) for converting kinetic energy from a body of liquid by transverse galloping comprises a support (11), an elongate galloping body (2) extending between a first end and a second end and being of a suitable cross-section for transverse galloping, a substantially horizontal guide (4) arranged outside the body of liquid for guiding the first end of the galloping body, one or more elastic means (5) substantially horizontally arranged and connected between the galloping body (2) and the support (11), and a generator (6) comprising a static generator component and a dynamic generator component, and wherein the galloping body (2) is substantially vertically suspended such that the second end of the body extends into the body of liquid, and the dynamic generator component is operationally connected to the galloping body (2). Further disclosed are energy conversion systems comprising a plurality of energy converters and methods for energy conversion.

Abstract: A population comparison system, method and a computer program product therefor. A stored list of population members, e.g., hydrocarbon reservoirs, includes parameters for corresponding known characteristics and analogous members for each member. A new population member input receives new member descriptions including parameters for each respective new member. A parameter extraction system automatically extracts an estimated value for each missing key parameter, providing a supplemented description. An analogous member selector automatically selects a subset of listed population members as analogous members for each new population member responsive to the supplemented description.

Abstract: A system, method and a computer program product for to determining energy production controls for a given subterranean hydrocarbon (oil) field production and more particularly to specifying controls for sustaining optimal field production (by means of a plateau-like profile over time).

Abstract: A system, method and computer program product for assessing field development plans selected based on a stochastic response surface, preferably, for hydrocarbon reservoir production. Assessment begins by assessing uncertainty associated with multiple decision variable configurations. A subset of realizations is selected. An individual surrogate is constructed for each subset realization. A reduced representative realization subset is determined, where the reduced subset is representative of the behavior/performance of all realizations of decision variable configurations.