On August 30, China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) announced that China’s cumulative offshore heavy oil thermal recovery production had exceeded 5 million tons. This marks a critical miled stone in the large-scale application of offshore heavy oil thermal recovery technology systems and core equipment, establishing China as the world’s first country to achieve large-scale thermal recovery development of offshore heavy oil.
According to reports, heavy oil currently accounts for approximately 70% of the world’s remaining petroleum resources, making it a primary focus for production increase in oil-producing nations. For high-viscosity heavy oil, the industry primarily employs thermal recovery methods for extraction. The core principle involves injecting high-temperature, high-pressure steam into the reservoir to heat the heavy oil, thereby reducing its viscosity and transforming it into mobile, easily extractable “light oil”.
Jinzhou 23-2 Oilfield
Heavy oil is a type of crude oil characterized by high viscosity, high density, poor fluidity, and a tendency to solidify, which makes it extremely difficult to extract. Compared to onshore oilfields, offshore platforms have limited operating space and incur significantly higher costs. The large-scale thermal recovery of heavy oil therefore presents dual challenges in terms of both technical equipment and economic viability. This is widely recognized as a major technical and economic challenge within the global energy industry.
China’s offshore heavy oil thermal recovery operations are primarily concentrated in the Bohai Bay. Several major thermal recovery oilfields have been established, including the Nanpu 35-2, Lvda 21-2, and Jinzhou 23-2 projects. By 2025, annual production from thermal recovery had already exceeded 1.3 million tons, with full-year output projected to rise to 2 million tons.
Lvda 5-2 North Oilfield Phase II Development Project Site
To efficiently and economically exploit heavy oil reserves, CNOOC has continuously conducted scientific research and technological innovation, pioneering the “low well count, high output” thermal recovery development theory. The company has adopted a large-spacing well pattern development model characterized by high-intensity injection and production, high-steam quality, and synergistic enhancement through multi-component thermal fluids.
By injecting high-calorific steam supplemented with various gases and chemical agents, and supported by high-volume efficient lifting technology, this approach significantly enhances per-well production. It has successfully addressed long-standing challenges in thermal recovery, such as low productivity and substantial heat loss, thereby markedly increasing the overall recovery rate of heavy oil.
According to reports, to address the complex downhole conditions of high temperature and high pressure in heavy oil thermal recovery operations, CNOOC has successfully developed world-leading integrated injection-production equipment capable of withstanding 350 degrees Celsius. The company has independently developed compact and efficient thermal injection systems, downhole safety control systems, and long-lasting sand control devices. Furthermore, it has designed and constructed the world’s first mobile thermal injection platform—”Thermal Recovery No.1″—filling a critical gap in China’s offshore heavy oil thermal recovery equipment capabilities.
Thermal Recovery No.1″ Sets Sail for the Liaodong Bay Operation Area
With the continuous enhancement of the thermal recovery technology system and the deployment of key equipment, the production capacity construction for offshore heavy oil thermal recovery in China has been significantly accelerated, leading to a breakthrough in reservoir development. In 2024, China’s offshore heavy oil thermal production exceeded the one-million-ton mark for the first time. So far, cumulative production has surpassed five million tons, achieving large-scale thermal recovery of heavy oil in offshore environments.
Heavy oil is characterized by high density, high viscosity, and high resin-asphaltene content, resulting in poor fluidity. The extraction of heavy oil It would carry large amount of fine solid sands with the heavy oil extracted and results difficults of separation at downstream system, including produced water treatment or poor produced water quality for disposal. By using SJPEE high efficient cyclone separation equipment, these fine particles of size down to serval microns will be removed from the main process system and make the production smoothly. .
With multiple independent intellectual property patents, SJPEE is certified under DNV/GL-recognized ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 quality management and production service systems. We offer optimized process solutions, precise product design, strict adherence to design drawings during construction, and post-production usage consulting services to customers across various industries.
Our high-efficiency cyclone desanders, with their remarkable 98% separation efficiency, earned high acclaim from numerous international energy giants. our high-efficiency cyclone desander utilize advanced ceramic wear-resistant （or called, highly anti-erosion） materials, achieving a sand removal efficiency of up to 0.5 microns at 98% for gas treatment. This allows produced gas to be injected into the reservoirs for low permeability oilfield that utilizes miscible gas flooding and solves the problem of low permeability reservoirs development and significantly enhances oil recovery. Or, it can treat the produced water by removing particles of 2 microns above at 98% for directly re-injected into reservoirs, reducing marine environmental impact while enhancing oil-field productivity with water-flooding technology.
SJPEE’s desanding hydrocyclone have been deployed on wellhead and production platforms across oil and gas fields operated by CNOOC, CNPC, Petronas, as well as in Indonesia and the Gulf of Thailand. They are used to remove solids from gas, well fluids, or condensate, and are also applied in scenarios such as seawater solid removal, production recovery, water injection, and water flooding for enhanced oil recovery.
Of course, SJPEE offers more than just desanders. Our products, such as membrane separation – achieving CO₂ removal in natural gas, deoiling hydrocyclone, high-quality compact flotation unit (CFU), and multi-chamber hydrocyclone, are all highly popular.
Post time: Sep-15-2025