A panel on the future of the oil and gas industry and the energy transition kicked off this Monday (13), at the Eldorado Institute, the 5th Epic Conference (acronym in English for Center for Innovation in Energy Production). The Epic project was conceived by professors from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering (FEM) at Unicamp based on a notice launched by the São Paulo State Research Support Foundation (Fapesp) in 2017, in partnership with the Norwegian energy multinational Equinor.
Epic seeks innovative solutions to improve oil production processes, increase the efficiency of oil wells, recover reservoirs and improve the management of water and gas removed with oil in drilling and extraction activities.
The center's project was divided into two phases, each lasting five years. In this first phase, which is now ending, research focuses on the area of oil exploration and production, divided into three main lines: reservoir management; artificial elevation and guarantee of drainage; and reservoir characterization.
The Epic team is made up of professors and researchers from Unicamp, from different teaching and research units, and from the Polytechnic School of the University of São Paulo (USP). Epic is headquartered in the Center of Energy and Petroleum Studies (Cepetro).
The rector of Unicamp, professor Antonio José de Almeida Meirelles, who participated in the opening of the conference, said that the project is important in several aspects. “We know the strength that this [oil] industry has today and had in the development of the world throughout the 20th century. Today we are faced with new challenges, which are the challenges of the energy transition, the need to move towards an economy based on renewable resources”, said the rector.
“For Unicamp, it is extremely important to be involved in a project of this magnitude and with these characteristics, because the University has a very strong commitment to working to combat climate change. We are aware of the risk this means for the future and we want our community to incorporate this with great intensity”, he added.
First phase
The director of Epic, professor Denis Schiozer, from FEM, said that the project has completed the first phase and can now be considered a success. “In our assessment, this is a very successful partnership,” he said.
“The focus of this first phase is efficient energy management. We are integrating geology and geosciences, better understanding oil and how it flows underground. We are working to better manage this flow and how to bring the oil to the surface in the most efficient way possible, since there is so much talk about energy transition”, explains the director, before issuing a warning.
“We will continue to need oil and gas for a long time to come and, therefore, we need to get them out of there as efficiently as possible and, when emitting CO2, try to compensate in some way. That’s what we’re studying here,” he explains.
One hundred researchers
According to Equinor's chief researcher, Juliana Finoto Bueno, in these first five years, the three lines of research required the work of approximately one hundred researchers – from undergraduate students to postgraduate researchers, doctoral students and postdocs. According to her, the results – presented in articles published in specialized magazines – will now undergo a period of maturation within the company.
The researcher recalled that Equinor already envisions solutions for the energy transition process, but warns that the planet will have to live with oil and gas for a long time.
“We need to understand that we will have to produce oil and gas for a long time to come, but we must look for ways to do this in the most sustainable way possible,” said Bueno. “We have to see what we can do to decarbonize the production units in this sector as much as possible”, he concludes.
The future of the oil and gas industry in Brazil
Since 2019, Epic has organized annual conferences to publicize the work being developed at the center. The events are aimed at postgraduate students, researchers and professionals in the field of reservoir engineering.
Held this Monday morning, the opening round table, entitled “The future of the Oil and Gas Industry in Brazil in times of energy transition”, was attended by professor and director of Cepetro, Marcelo Souza de Castro (Unicamp), Andrea Achoa (Equinor), Rodolfo Jardim Azevedo (Fapesp) and Raphael Moura (National Agency for Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels – ANP).
Over the two days of the event, there will be round tables, lectures, technical presentations and poster sessions. Among the speakers and debaters, there are also professors and researchers from Unicamp, USP and foreign companies and institutions.
