The academic seminar on “Research and Application of Electromagnetic Methods in the Oil and Gas Industry,” hosted by the Institute of Geophysical Exploration, was successfully held.

From September 12 to 13, the “Academic Symposium on Research and Application of Electromagnetic Methods in the Oil and Gas Industry” was successfully held in Changsha, Hunan Province. More than 130 participants, including leaders, experts, and technical backbones from over 50 institutions and universities across the country, attended the conference. The symposium was co-organized by Hunan Jishan High-Tech Co., Ltd. and the Sichuan Institute of Geophysical Exploration. Zhang Guangda, Secretary of the Party Branch, Chairman of the Board, and General Manager of the Institute of Geophysical Exploration, led the team and actively prepared for and participated in the conference.

At the meeting, leaders and experts including He Jishan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering; Li Jingsheng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Central South University; Guo Tonglou, Secretary of the Party Committee and Executive Director of Sinopec Southwest Branch; and Li Fangshu, Chairman of Hunan Jishan High-Tech Co., Ltd., delivered speeches.

Academician He Jishan pointed out:

Since ancient times until today, China has experienced numerous tectonic movements, and its geological conditions are far more complex than those of other countries. This poses a tremendous challenge for technicians engaged in oil and mineral exploration. However, the Chinese people have always been unafraid of difficulties and challenges; the problems faced by the Chinese can only be solved by the Chinese themselves. At present, the wide-area electromagnetic method has established its own technical standards within the industry, with increasingly rigorous technical protocols and new innovations in instrumentation and equipment. These conditions not only meet the nation’s and the industry’s growing demand for deep-earth exploration but also lay a solid foundation for the wider application and promotion of this technology. Nevertheless, the wide-area electromagnetic method still requires further research and continuous improvement. We look forward to, with everyone’s concerted efforts, the continued evolution and iteration of the wide-area electromagnetic method, yielding even more abundant and remarkable results.

In the field of fracture monitoring for oil and gas development, the Institute of Geophysical Exploration has been leveraging wide-area electromagnetic methods and fracture-monitoring technologies for seven years, achieving remarkable results. At the meeting, Liu Jinhui, a member of the Party Branch Committee of the Institute and Head of the Seismic Exploration Department, delivered a presentation titled “Application of Wide-Area Electromagnetic Methods in the Sichuan Basin.” In his presentation, he highlighted the series of achievements made in the exploration of wide-area low-resistivity zones for shale gas in the Sichuan Basin, focusing on the characteristics of wide-area low-resistivity distribution in the Sichuan Basin, the key factors influencing low resistivity, and wide-area resistivity-based methods for predicting gas content tailored to different dominant mechanisms driving low resistivity. He also explored the boundaries of low-resistivity zones under various overlapping factors and proposed a classification and evaluation approach for predicting gas content in low-resistivity areas. These findings further enhance the supporting and guiding role of wide-area resistivity data in the exploration and development of shale gas in the Sichuan Basin.

Participants also actively engaged in questions and exchanges with their同行 experts on various topics, including the technologies and achievements of wide-area electromagnetic methods in exploring low-resistivity zones for shale gas and in prospecting the Qiangtang Plateau; research and applications of electromagnetic methods in fracture monitoring and sweet-spot identification in unconventional oil and gas reservoirs; as well as the technical requirements and development prospects of electromagnetic methods in oil and gas field exploration and development. The atmosphere at the conference was lively and enthusiastic.

The Institute of Geophysical Exploration will take this academic seminar as a platform to further strengthen cooperation with universities, research institutes, and relevant organizations in the oil and gas sector. In the future, the Institute will continue to leverage its professional strengths, intensify scientific and technological research, and apply the wide-area electromagnetic method more effectively in shale gas exploration and development, railway and highway surveys, geological hazard investigation and assessment, and the new round of strategic mineral exploration initiatives. In doing so, it will contribute Sichuan’s resources and geophysical exploration expertise to ensuring national energy security and to fully building a modern socialist country.

Executive Producer | Zhang Guangda
Reviewed by | Zou Zhongping
Editor-in-charge | Zhou Huiying
Text | Wen Han
Figure | Wen Han
Editor | Wen Han