Spotlight on INNOVATION FACTORI Beijing
INNOVATION FACTORI Beijing is located in the Haidan district, a dynamic area with many universities, large technology companies, and startups that is perfectly suited to support its core values of collaboration, innovation, and progress. We spoke with its manager, Yunlong Liu, on the role the center plays in the region’s digital transformation.
Can you tell us about a recent project where digital technology played a transformative role?
We have recently had a good deal of interest and success in several underground gas storage (UGS) projects in China, where UGS is a popular subject. For one customer we were able to bring immense value to their UGS project by effectively managing subsurface models—across geomechanics, reservoir simulation, wellbore, and pipeline.
In light of the rapid switching of injection-production frequency during gas storage operations, there is a relatively high demand for integrity in both surface injection-production facilities and underground storage. Therefore, it was essential to swiftly and systematically optimize the integrated coupling system between underground and above-ground components during operation. Additionally, we employed machine learning-assisted analysis of flow data to predict the risk of hydrate blockage and liquid loading, ensuring operational safety.
In this and other recent UGS projects we have been able to leverage, and tailor, our existing solutions to meet the needs of the customer, bringing together the INNOVATION FACTORI product portfolio and local talent. For example, in this project we used simulators including the Intersect™ high-resolution reservoir simulator to model the subsurface, the Pipesim™ steady-state multiphase flow simulator for wellbores, and we used the Olga™ dynamic multiphase flow simulator for the pipeline itself, in this way we built up a solution that serves as a digital foundation for daily operations of underground gas storage facilities.
Can you explain how your center reinforces the global strength of SLB by accessing local talent or solving local challenges?
One significant challenge we face locally is navigating data residency and cloud restrictions, for instance customers often see features of our cloud-native solutions that they would like to implement as stand-alone elements. When we demonstrate a public cloud solution you can imagine it as an aircraft, it’s a huge solution and to reap all its possible benefits you need the whole package. But many, particularly on-prem only customers, would often like one part of this “aircraft”, we cannot deconstruct entire solutions and take only this small element. So, usually we must find alternative technologies. Luckily, we have a large catalogue of solutions and knowledge base to draw on, we are generally able to do this and implement a tailored solution for the customer directly.
Also, in the case of most of the national oil companies we work with in the region, they have their own service teams and their own R&D institutes with a lot of deliverables. So, in these cases the challenge is merging with and improving their existing technologies. We must create new technologies that can integrate with their systems by leveraging our own research and global experience.
How do you connect and collaborate with other INNOVATION FACTORI centers globally?
Close collaboration is central to INNOVATION FACTORI’s vision of making our global expertise available and easily accessible to solve local challenges for our customers.
We meet online frequently to discuss our current projects, challenges, and where necessary or helpful we connect our customers with relevant expertise from our other INNOVATION FACTORI centers. It’s hugely beneficial that at SLB we can draw on vast domain knowledge, from both other INNOVATION FACTORI centers and other departments globally, to develop and deliver the solutions our customers need.
In what ways does your center engage with the local and educational community?
There are six petroleum universities local to us and we consider our relationship with them to be extremely important for the future of INNOVATION FACTORI. We make our software available to them free of charge; this helps build competency and familiarity in the next generation of innovators. We further develop this by running a competition each year with the students, on the design and implementation of new digital solutions.
Our center also takes on interns from local universities. In the past year we have had two such interns in our center, who have now joined SLB as employees, with one staying with us in INNOVATION FACTORI and the other moving into another part of SLB.
I believe it’s incredibly important to maintain a close relationship with the local and academic community, it ensures we stay grounded in the local culture, whilst building bridges between our region and the global SLB community.
What is one area that you are excited about and see growing in the next few years?
I’m excited to see the further development of carbon capture and storage (CCS) and energy transition projects. Particularly in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan we’ve seen a growing focus on CCS, and our center has been a part of several projects so far. I look forward to INNOVATION FACTORI having greater involvement in such projects in the coming months and years. In particular, I’m excited to develop and provide CCS projects with digital monitoring systems.
