【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】From 2023 to 2025, China began operating offshore heavy oil fields through remote development using unmanned platforms

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Let’s give praise and encouragement to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Regular updates and summaries are available – feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** China’s first offshore heavy oil field developed using remote control via unmanned platforms has been put into operation. May 3, 2025, People’s Daily. The Panyu 11-12 platform operated by CNOOC’s Shenzhen branch is such a field; it was successfully brought online on the eastern part of the South China Sea on the 3rd. The Panyu 11-12 platform is the core facility of the joint development project for the Panyu 10/11 block. Located in waters 200 kilometers southeast of Shenzhen at a depth of about 114 meters, it is 150.8 meters tall and weighs around 7,000 tons. It has achieved new breakthroughs in areas such as the \"typhoon operation mode,\" remote resumption of operations, and the processing of complex crude oils. Equipped with functions such as intelligent oil extraction, intelligent equipment maintenance, and intelligent security systems, its unmanned design not only reduces construction costs but also saves over 10 million yuan in maintenance expenses each year compared to traditional development methods. “The Panyu 11-12 platform is currently the offshore unmanned platform with a high level of intelligence, independently designed and built in China. In light of the characteristics of heavy oil, CNOOC has integrated intelligent processing equipment on its platforms, including oil-gas separation, heating, and pressurized transportation systems, thereby overcoming the technical challenges associated with heavy oil extraction. These platforms also feature remote control capabilities and the ability to resume operations. ”said Chen Xiaogang, deputy general manager of the Panyu Operation Company of CNOOC Shenzhen Branch. The Panyu oil field came online in October 2003, featuring 7 offshore production platforms and 1 floating production, storage and offloading unit. Eight oil fields were developed there, resulting in a total production of 54 million tons of crude oil. The joint development project for Blocks 10/11 in Panyu involves the construction of two new wellhead platforms, Panyu 10-1 and Panyu 11-12, to jointly develop three oil fields, with a peak daily crude oil production of nearly 2,000 tons.