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The 20th century was a century of rapid development for the oil industry. Firstly, in terms of understanding levels and research methods, there has been a development from analyzing hydrocarbon reservoirs in isolation and understanding underground geological features from a static shelf-and-platform perspective, to analyzing the formation and evolution of hydrocarbon-bearing basins using plate tectonics and dynamic theory concepts, as well as systematically examining the processes of oil and gas generation, migration, and accumulation from the perspective of hydrocarbon systems. Secondly, in terms of exploration methods and techniques, there has been a gradual development from simple traditional drilling methods to jet drilling, large-displacement drilling, underbalanced drilling, and multi-branched horizontal wells. Seismic exploration technology has evolved from nothing to something, developing rapidly from the stage of analog recording to digital seismic, 3D seismic, and 4D seismic methods. Logging technology has evolved from analog recording logging to digital logging, imaging logging, and nuclear magnetic resonance logging. The targets for exploration have also evolved from anticline traps and structural traps to more complex and hidden types of stratigraphic traps, lithological traps, deep seeps, reef structures, and sub-salt traps, among others. The areas explored have evolved from single shallow land areas to marginal regions such as deserts and polar regions, as well as deep waters, shoal seas, and vast continental shelf areas. In short, the early exploratory activities that resembled trying to understand an elephant by touching it have gradually evolved into modern concepts of comprehensive exploration. Below, some of the key technologies currently in use in the international oil industry are briefly discussed by specialty, along with their development trends. (1) Research and application of geological theories: Since the 1990s, with the development of fundamental technologies such as computers, information technology, and communication systems, significant progress has been made in the research and application of oil exploration theories, with new theories and technologies continually emerging. Some disciplines related to petroleum geology, such as plate tectonics theory, sedimentology and sedimentary basin studies, basin analysis and simulation, oil and gas reservoir formation dynamics, oil and gas systems, sequence stratigraphy, natural gas geology, and multidisciplinary working groups, have all made significant progress. Oil and gas exploration technologies are becoming more refined and integrated, giving rise to a comprehensive exploration system based on multidisciplinary collaborative research, which is gradually being applied in the field of oil and gas development. Within the entire comprehensive exploration framework, geological integrated research has developed a set of methods and techniques for geological assessment that are based on basin analysis, utilize oil and gas systems as conceptual frameworks and approaches, and rely on target evaluation systems as tools. Basin analysis has been further improved, from its theoretical foundations to its methodological techniques, following the integration of plate tectonics, sequence stratigraphy, 3D basin simulation technologies, and multidisciplinary approaches. The oil and gas system approaches the formation, migration, and accumulation of oil and gas as a cohesive scientific framework, thereby changing the previous practice of studying individual factors related to hydrocarbon accumulation in isolation. It has proven effective in predicting oil and gas-bearing areas and the distribution of oil and gas reservoirs, and has become an essential theory and tool for oil exploration. The exploration target evaluation system has a development history of over 10 years abroad. Currently, major oil companies all possess their own methods for evaluating exploration targets, along with corresponding software that includes descriptions of four key elements: source rocks, reservoirs, traps, and reservoir formation dynamics ； Geology, engineering, economics, and risk analysis ； Post-drilling evaluation and assessment of recoverable oil and gas reserves, among other aspects. At present, the key geological technologies for oil and gas exploration abroad include: (1) reservoir description technology, (2) basin simulation technology, (3) high-precision sequence stratigraphy, (4) quantitative evaluation technology for oil and gas exploration targets, (5) resource evaluation technologies and methods, (6) comprehensive reservoir prediction technology, and (7) integrated exploration technology. The integration of multiple disciplines, the combined use of various exploration methods and techniques, as well as broad collaborations among different organizations will be the main trends in the development of oil exploration technologies in the 21st century. An efficient information management network, the integration of exploration technologies, and goal selection and decision-making based on risk and economic evaluations will become the keys to success for major oil companies. In the next 5 to 10 years, the aforementioned key geological technologies will see further development and application. Furthermore, the following two technologies will be developed and applied, becoming key technologies for some major oil companies: (1) comprehensive geological simulation technology; (2) data integration and management systems for oil exploration and development. (II) Geophysical exploration technologies play a crucial role in oil exploration and development, with seismic exploration being a key service provided by foreign technical service companies. It is also one of the main methods used by integrated oil companies to reduce costs and achieve efficient production. Since seismic exploration techniques were introduced into oil exploration, reflection seismics, digital seismics, and 3D seismics have each made significant contributions at different stages in history, leading to a substantial increase in the number of oil and gas discoveries as well as reserves – representing milestone advances in the history of seismic exploration technology. Entering the 1990s, with the advancement of computer technology, a range of new techniques such as high-resolution seismic technology, 3D pre-stack depth migration technology, reservoir seismic description technology, and 4D seismic monitoring technology developed rapidly. These techniques not only greatly increased the success rate of exploration in new areas but also injected new vitality into exploration in existing areas. At the present stage, the continuous development of related disciplines has led to significant advancements in seismic exploration technology in terms of data acquisition, processing, interpretation, and equipment manufacturing. The application of imaging technologies and multidisciplinary collaborative research has expanded the scope of applications of seismic exploration techniques. Technologies such as 3D seismics, borehole seismics, seismic reservoir description and monitoring, and 3D visualization all play an irreplaceable role in oil and gas exploration and production, making significant contributions to improving exploration success rates, reducing production costs, and enhancing recovery rates. In the early 2000s, these technologies will continue to play their role in oil and gas exploration and production. However, as production requirements increase, it becomes necessary to modify these technologies themselves. There are signs that the integration of various methods and technologies, along with real-time resolution of production issues, is the trend in the development of these technologies. Key technologies that will emerge over the next 5–10 years include: deploying permanent seismic sensor arrays, implementing real-time monitoring of oil reservoir production, and achieving instrumented (electronic) management of oil field operations ； Develop real-time depth imaging technology, implement seismic imaging while drilling, and achieve visual control of the drilling process ； Improve multi-component seismic exploration techniques to enable the exploration for lithology and direct fluid identification ； Establish a comprehensive visualized system for the data processing-interpretation-evaluation-decision-making process to comprehensively enhance the research capabilities of multidisciplinary teams and the decision-making accuracy of asset evaluation teams. (III) Logging Technology: The new challenges faced in oil and gas exploration and development have imposed new requirements on logging technology. The rapid development of technologies such as electronics, mechanics, computers, and communications has provided the prerequisites for the advancement of logging technology. In this context, logging data acquisition, processing, and interpretation technologies have developed rapidly. Today, logging instruments have evolved from numerically controlled logging instruments to imaging logging instruments, which are capable of transmitting more measurement data at a higher data transfer rate and in less time ； More downhole instruments can be combined in a single descent ； An instrument with more detectors expands the coverage of the borehole, enabling imaging measurements ； The instrument features a higher sampling rate, higher resolution, and multiple detection depths. In the mid-1990s, large companies such as Schlumberger introduced imaging logging technologies, which brought about a fundamental change in logging techniques. Logging was shifting from average-based measurements to array measurements, enabling better detection of stratigraphic heterogeneity, more effective separation of thin layers, and more accurate determination of the porosity and oil saturation of those layers. In addition to imaging logging technology, nuclear magnetic resonance logging technology, cased hole logging technology, real-time logging technology, and rapid platform logging technology have all seen rapid development and have become key logging technologies in recent times. Through years of development, nuclear magnetic resonance logging technology has been continuously improved; its logging accuracy and measurement speed have been greatly enhanced, and its use in field applications has become increasingly widespread, with ever more evident benefits. Well logging in cased wells plays an increasingly important role in oil and gas field development. In the international market, well logging for cased wells accounts for 47%. The instrumentation used for such logging is more comprehensive, with a new generation of pulsed neutron logging instruments now available. These new instruments have various functions, including formation evaluation, production logging, and oil well monitoring. Since its introduction in the 1980s, wireline logging technology has undergone continuous improvements and has now reached its third generation. Wireline logging instruments are evolving toward array-based imaging, and some wireline logging systems have already achieved imaging capabilities. With the introduction of downhole MRI logging instruments by Halliburton, the imaging logging equipment has become more complete, and the reliability of these instruments has been further enhanced. To cope with more severe logging conditions, Schlumberger and Halliburton have both developed logging technologies for extreme environments; the instruments can withstand temperatures of up to 500°F and pressures of up to 25,000 psi, allowing them to perform logging operations in wells at depths of over 30,000 feet. In barehole logging, the market share of resistivity plus three-porosity logging accounts for 78%. Therefore, several major logging companies have actively intensified research on conventional logging systems, applying the highly reliable technologies from real-time logging to these systems. They have developed rapid platforms that enable conventional logging instruments to evolve in the direction of multiple configurations, smaller sizes, higher reliability, and lower costs. Logging platforms can reduce logging time, lower the failure rate during logging, and **save time spent at the wellsite. Compared to imaging loggers, its cost is much lower, allowing the service price to **decrease**. This series is highly competitive in the international market. Furthermore, the application of permanent measurement technologies has increased in the past two years, with various service companies actively entering this market; it is expected that this technology will play a very important role in the development of oil and gas fields. (IV) Drilling technology: Since drilling costs account for 50% to 80% of the exploration and development expenses in the oil industry, researching and developing advanced and suitable drilling technologies is a key focus for major foreign oil companies aimed at reducing exploration and development costs. In general, there are two main objectives in the development of drilling technology abroad: one is to improve the overall efficiency of exploration and development, and the other is to reduce the direct costs of drilling. In recent years, foreign core drilling technologies have mainly manifested in the following areas: 1. Underbalanced drilling technology. Underbalanced drilling technology (referring to gas injection underbalanced drilling technology) originated in Canada in the early 1990s and was promoted there first. Underbalanced drilling technology can reduce formation damage, increase mechanical drilling speed, and overcome fluid loss and stick-slip problems; it is an effective method for developing depleted oil reservoirs. However, underbalanced drilling technology is more complex than conventional drilling technology, as it requires the addition of a series of equipment first. Moreover, there are also a number of difficulties at present in terms of safety and corrosion prevention. 2. Large-displacement well drilling technology: The United States began using large-displacement wells in the 1920s, and this technology saw rapid development in the 1990s. Large-displacement well technology is primarily used to develop offshore oil and gas fields with fewer platforms, as well as to develop offshore oil and gas fields from land-based sites; it is currently in use in the North Sea, the WatchFarm field in the UK, and off the coast of California, USA. 3. Multi-branch well drilling technology: Multi-branch horizontal wells enable oil to be drained from multiple reservoirs simultaneously into a single main wellbore. The reservoir and subsurface conditions dictate the connection specifications for the main wellbore and multi-branched horizontal wells. Currently, the classification of TAML for multi-branched well completion systems is widely recognized internationally. TAML divides the completion of multi-branched horizontal wells into 6 stages, of which the third stage includes a sub-stage. Multi-branched horizontal wells are a method to increase oil well production and capacity. Currently, Schlumberger Cambridge Research and Schlumberger Doll Research, two research institutions under Schlumberger, are collaborating with numerous universities to study methods for increasing the production per well and maximizing the productivity of multi-branched horizontal wells. The research topics include yield enhancement measures and control, multiphase flow monitoring, fluid analysis, etc. 4. Coiled Tubing Drilling (CTD) Technology: CTD drilling technology is a new approach for exploiting areas that have not yet been accessed and for increasing the production capacity of oil wells. It opens the way to utilize such areas and boost well productivity, offering an economical and effective solution. 5. Geologically guided drilling technology: Schlumberger developed the bit sensor in the mid-1990s and applied it to guided drilling operations, thereby creating a new type of guided drilling technology known as geologically guided drilling technology. This drilling technique was then promoted worldwide. Furthermore, to advance geological steering drilling technology, Schlumberger also developed the instrumented steerable motor, adding a new tool to geological steering drilling. The characteristic of geologically guided drilling is that, due to the sensors being located close to the drill bit, measurement data from the vicinity of the drill bit can be transmitted to the surface in real time. Drilling engineers can use this real-time data to adjust the orientation and inclination of the borehole as needed, ensuring that it drills along the designed path. 6. Automatic tracking rotary closed-loop drilling system: The automatic tracking rotary closed-loop drilling system achieves drilling automation through six processes: downhole measurement, surface measurement, data acquisition, comprehensive interpretation, surface process control, and downhole process control. By January 2001, Baker Hughes had drilled 710,000 meters using an automatically tracked rotary closed-loop drilling system. Since the automatic tracking rotary closed-loop drilling system was put into use in 1977, a total of 486 wells have been drilled in 15**. A total of $300 million in combined costs was saved. 7. Manufacturing and application technology of expansion tubes. Expansion tube technology was developed in the early 1980s, successfully created by the former Soviet Union. At that time, special-shaped tubes made of grade 93 steel were used. When normal drilling is impossible due to encountering aquifers or fractured zones, it is lowered into the well, where an expander is used to expand the irregular-shaped tube into a circular shape and press it against the well wall, thereby sealing off the aquifers and fractured zones. By the end of the 1990s, the United States developed slotted expansion tubes, which are easier to expand in diameter compared to shaped tubes, and thus offer a better effect in sealing fractured zones. It is said that by using such slotted expansion tubes consecutively to seal the formation, one or several layers of casing can be omitted, thereby significantly reducing drilling costs. The future development of drilling technology will continue to aim primarily at reducing the overall costs of exploration and development as well as the direct drilling costs. Research focused on achieving automated drilling will drive progress in the entire field of drilling technology. Drilling technology will be better integrated with specialized fields such as geology, seismology, logging, and well recording, thereby creating an efficient drilling system that enhances the success rate of oil and gas exploration and the output per well, reduces drilling time, and lowers the cost per ton of oil produced. Important development trends in drilling technology at the beginning of the 21st century include the following aspects: (1) multi-branched wells. The drilling and completion technologies for multi-branched wells will be further improved and developed, and will be widely applied in old oil fields and offshore oil fields. (2) Large-displacement wells. Drilling technology for large-displacement wells will continue to evolve with the aim of reducing costs, minimizing risks, and increasing success rates, and it will be used more widely in offshore oil fields, shallow sea oil fields, and other oil fields where surface conditions are limited. (3) Underbalanced drilling. Underbalanced drilling technology will continue to evolve in the direction of safety, simplicity, and applicability. This technology is of great significance for protecting oil reservoirs and increasing drilling speed, and will be widely used in low-pressure, low-permeability oil fields as well as older oil fields. (4) Drilling information technology, including technologies such as real-time drilling measurement, real-time logging while drilling, real-time seismic while drilling, and real-time 3D borehole trajectory monitoring (combined with geological models). The locations of various downhole sensors will move further toward the drill bit, enabling them to detect information about the formation ahead of the drill bit. This allows for better real-time monitoring of conditions underground, adjustment of geological models, and two-way communication between the surface and underground, thereby facilitating geologically guided drilling. (5) Coiled-tube drilling technology. Coiled tubing, coiled tubing drills, and the tools used in coiled tubing drilling (such as small-diameter downhole motors, drill bits, and measurement tools) will see further development. The coiled tubing drilling technology holds broad application prospects in branched well and small-bore well drilling. (6) Expandable sleeve technology. In conventional drilling, casings of fixed sizes are lowered into the well, with the diameter decreasing gradually from the wellhead to the oil reservoir. Therefore, the wellbore size may limit downhole operations at a certain depth, or even prevent access to the target formation. Shell Research Center has recently developed expandable slotted tubes and solid casings, among which the diameter of the expandable slotted tube can increase to twice its original size. This technology is of great significance: firstly, it can simply and effectively address the issue of borehole wall stability in complex sections; secondly, it allows for a reduction in the diameter of the upper part of the borehole as well as the number of casing layers, enabling drilling from the wellhead to the bottom of the well with a consistent diameter over several years, which makes it possible to drill deeper vertical wells and wells with large displacement distances; thirdly, it can repair damaged casings in existing wells; fourthly, it can **reduce drilling costs. (7) Automated drilling. Continue to develop research in downhole drilling, geological information acquisition and processing technologies, as well as remote-controlled downhole tools and automatic downhole execution devices. (8) Deep-water drilling. Over the past decade or so, human oil drilling activities have expanded from a depth of 300 meters in 1983 to around 2300 meters by 1998. To effectively develop deep-water oil and gas resources, deep-water drilling technology must be further developed. (V) Oil and gas development technologies: On a global scale, the proportion of marginal, aged, low-grade, and difficult-to-extract resources among the remaining reserves is increasing, leading to greater challenges in extraction. This is the basic situation faced by the global upstream oil industry. This situation determines that the development of technologies for oil and gas field exploitation focuses on two main aspects: first, reducing costs and improving efficiency; second, effectively extracting marginal, aged, low-grade, and difficult-to-extract reserves, thereby increasing the recoverable reserves and recovery rates. In recent years, around these two aspects, an oil technology system has been developed in the upstream sector of the oil industry—one that is centered on reservoir management, based on technological advancement, relies on the integrated application of technologies, features multidisciplinary collaboration, and aims at solving problems in real time. Maximizing efficiency is the goal pursued by oil companies. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to emphasize both the research and development of high-tech technologies and to focus on the integrated application of mature technologies alongside high-tech ones; this has become the major trend in the development of oil and gas field extraction technologies today. Looking at the development of the oil industry over the past fifty years, the overall trends in oil and gas field development technologies can be summarized by the following characteristics: (1) A shift from increasing the production per well to integrated reservoir management ； (2) Evolving from solitary efforts by a single discipline to collaborative work across multiple disciplines ； (3) Evolving from the application of individual technologies to using integrated technologies to solve problems. (VI) Surface Engineering: Petroleum surface engineering covers a wide range of areas, including the surface processes and equipment for ordinary oil fields and gas fields as well as those for special oil and gas reservoirs, in addition to the processes and equipment for long-distance oil and gas pipelines; there are countless technologies involved in this field. Foreign oil fields make full use of multi-stage separation of formation energy, employ integrated equipment to simplify processes, as well as crude oil pre-dehydration technology, liquid-liquid cyclone separation technology, oil-gas mixed transportation technology, metering technology for the simultaneous transport of oil, gas, and water, and automation technology for oil and gas fields. Foreign gas field construction is at a relatively high level, with the development of new processes and equipment, giving rise to systems such as pneumatic additive injection devices, automatic pressure-regulated gas production methods, ultrasonic measurement techniques, and modularized plant designs. Advanced systems generally employ SCADA systems; in recent years, fieldbus technology has also been adopted, enabling unattended operation and the optimization of production processes, thus forming a complete software and hardware framework. Intelligent and networked technologies for oil field production operations represent the development trend in the engineering technology and management of oil field surface facilities worldwide. At the beginning of this century, pipeline construction will continue the trend seen at the end of the last century: low cost and environmental sustainability will drive the development of future oil pipeline technologies. At present, pipeline construction mainly focuses on natural gas pipelines; advanced oil transport pipelines employ closed-system oil transfer technology, and there are a variety of demulsifiers and drag reducers available, all of which offer excellent performance. Sequential conveying has been widely applied, capable of transporting more than 100 different types of media, and a set of supporting technologies has been developed. Gas transmission pipelines are evolving toward higher pressure, longer distances, larger diameters, and a more networked structure. The pressure for land-based gas transmission has reached 12 MPa, with the maximum diameter being 1420 mm; X80-grade pipelines have already been constructed. The use of high-strength steel pipes for transporting natural gas at high pressures is the future trend, and internal coating technologies for gas pipelines are widely applied. As an important component of large-scale natural gas supply systems, underground gas storage technology is well-developed in developed countries, with 596 such facilities in place by 1998. The total storage capacity is 575.5 billion cubic meters, and the total effective working gas volume is 307.6 billion cubic meters. Primarily depleted oil and gas reservoirs, followed by aquifers and salt cavern storage. The use of ultrasonic metering technology for natural gas is increasing. Abroad, great emphasis is placed on corrosion prevention; there are a wide variety of anti-corrosion materials, and internal coating technologies are widely used. The infrastructure related to these technologies, from raw materials and coating methods to testing equipment, is quite well-developed. In the early 1980s, reliability assessment techniques were developed to evaluate the safety and reliability of gas pipelines. These evaluation methods have since reached a practical stage and have been successfully applied to numerous oil and gas pipelines. In the future, the pipeline industry will continue to develop more cost-effective technologies to reduce its environmental impact during construction and operation. Key technologies for onshore oil and gas projects that may be employed: natural gas hydrate storage and transportation technologies, and natural gas adsorption storage technologies. (VII) Oil refining: The world’s oil refining industry in the 21st century will face severe challenges such as economic globalization, internationalization of markets, intensifying competition, and increasingly strict environmental regulations. With the continuous increase in global oil consumption and the decline in the quality of crude oil, traditional refining technologies will find it difficult to meet the demands of the times. Refining industries around the world, especially those in developed countries, have already taken or are taking some significant measures, including mergers, partnerships, and reorganizations, in order to leverage their strengths and enhance their competitiveness ； Adopt an integrated approach to oil refining and chemical manufacturing, optimize resource allocation, and improve economic efficiency ； Producing clean petroleum products using clean technologies, biotechnology, and synthetic techniques ； Emphasis is placed on strengthening scientific management and taking measures to reduce production costs, etc. Environmental and resource issues have become the main driving force behind the development of refining technologies worldwide. Producing clean fuels to meet increasingly stringent environmental regulations and fuel specifications has become a common challenge for the global refining industry. The deterioration and increasing heaviness of crude oil are becoming more severe, hence the deep processing and utilization of heavy oil are gaining importance. Developing new technologies for residue upgrading and utilization, as well as improving the comprehensive utilization capacity of residues, have become key issues of concern for the refining industry in the 21st century. Improvements and innovations in refining technology, centered on hydrogenation technology, provide a favorable foundation for the survival and development of the refining industry under strict environmental protection demands. To improve economic efficiency and meet market demands, the integrated refining and chemical processing strategy is receiving increasing attention from foreign refineries. Entering the 21st century, with increasing energy demands and stricter environmental regulations, while traditional refining technologies continued to develop, some new technologies for processing and utilizing oil and gas have gradually come to receive attention. Some of the key research areas in the global refining industry over the next few years include: natural gas-to-oil conversion technology, biological desulfurization technology, fuel cell technology, and others. (8) Chemical industry: At present, the global petrochemical industry is moving in the direction of larger scale, continuity, automation, and higher precision. Petrochemical technologies are evolving rapidly, with new processes and methods being introduced continuously. The key technologies in this field include those related to natural gas chemistry as well as petrochemistry. 1. Natural gas chemistry: Natural gas is a high-quality, efficient, and clean energy source as well as a raw material for chemical industries. The development and utilization of natural gas are receiving increasing attention. The promotion and application of natural gas chemical utilization technologies in the 21st century will become a strategic initiative for countries around the world. The main routes of natural gas chemical industry consist of the following three parts: (1) Conversion of natural gas to syngas ； (2) Synthesis of liquid hydrocarbons from syngas ； (3) Producing various petroleum products and petrochemical products. (1) Conversion of natural gas to syngas: In the technology for converting natural gas into syngas, steam reforming, partial oxidation, autothermal reforming, and mixed reforming are mature technologies used in industry. The improved autothermal conversion technology developed by Exxon in the United States, the catalytic partial oxidation technology developed by Conoco in the U.S. and Gas Technology Group in the UK, as well as the integrated conversion technology developed through a partnership between BP Amoco and Kvaerner Process Technologies, are expected to be put into industrial use in the 21st century. (2) Synthesis of liquid hydrocarbons from syngas: The technology for producing liquid hydrocarbons from natural gas is primarily based on the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process. The circulating fluidized bed and advanced fluidized bed processes developed by South Africa’s Sasol company, as well as Shell’s first-generation fixed-bed Fischer-Tropsch (SMDS) synthesis process, have been put into industrial use. The suspended-bed low-temperature Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process developed since the 1990s will become an advanced technology in the 21st century. (3) Production of various petroleum and petrochemical products: Among the petrochemical products derived from syngas, methanol and dimethyl ether are promising bulk products. The low-pressure methanol synthesis technology is a mature process that has been put into industrial use, and industrial plants for producing fuel methanol directly from syngas have also been established. Topsoe and Air Products’ company-developed technology for the direct synthesis of dimethyl ether from syngas enables large-scale production of dimethyl ether in remote areas using inexpensive natural gas through a one-step process, which is expected to reduce the cost of dimethyl ether. 2. Petrochemicals: Petrochemicals are the downstream sector of oil refining, covering six major fields including organic raw materials, synthetic resins, synthetic rubbers, synthetic fibers, fine chemicals, and fertilizers, with hundreds of different products. The key technologies in various fields of the petrochemical industry in the 21st century are all aimed at reducing costs and increasing efficiency, improving product quality, expanding the range of products, and ultimately achieving greater economic benefits. To this end, the key technologies in this report can be classified as: technologies for scaling up and improving efficiency of bulk products ； Technologies for the flexibility and diversification of new varieties. (1) Technologies for larger-scale production of bulk products: Ethylene plants and cracking furnaces will employ large-scale production technologies; for example, the Iranian **Petroleum Company has signed a contract with the French company Techip to build in Iran the world’s largest single ethylene plant, with an annual production capacity of 1.4 million tons. The capacity of newly built world-class PTA plants over the next 5 years will exceed 800,000 t/a. The technology for scaling up polyolefin plants is illustrated by the world’s largest LDPE plant operated by Elenae in France, which came online in 2000 and has a capacity of 320,000 tons per year per production line ； DSM will build a 400,000 t/a tubular LDPE plant in Europe, while the joint venture between Yangzi Petrochemical and BASF will construct one in Nanjing ； The maximum single-line capacity for LLDPE production by the vapor phase method is 480,000 tons per year (operated by Univation in Singapore) ； The maximum single-line capacity for LLDPE by solution process reaches 450,000 tons per year (Nova’s plant is located in Canada), among others. The single-line capacity for polyesters can reach 6 million tons per year (Gemma technology) and 6–9 million tons per year (Contis-DuPont technology). The single-line production capacity of polyester staple fiber spinning equipment has increased from 500,000–600,000 tons per year to 1,000,000–1,500,000 tons per year, or even 2,000,000–2,500,000 tons per year. Polyester filament spinning equipment has also seen an increase in production capacity as a result of higher spinning speeds; the winding speed has risen from 4,000 m/min to 6,000 m/min, or even 8,000 m/min. (2) Efficient technologies for bulk products: Ethylene production technologies reduce investment by combining multiple units of equipment, decreasing the number of devices needed, shortening the construction period, and improving the internal rate of return; an example is the DWC technology developed by KBR. The industrial application of anti-coking technologies for ethylene cracking furnace tubes can reduce economic losses (which amount to about $2 billion worldwide each year). Adsorption separation techniques for p-xylene can increase the one-pass recovery rate; for example, UOP’s Parex process achieves a one-pass recovery rate of up to 97%, which is 32% higher than that of traditional crystallization separation processes, thereby **improving efficiency. The new PTA technology developed by BP can significantly reduce investment and variable costs, minimize floor space requirements, and simplify operations. The industrial production of polyolefins and synthetic rubber polyolefin elastomers using metallocene catalysts represents an important technological advancement in recent years. The use of metallocene catalysts allows for the customization of molecular structures as needed, improving the properties of resins and enabling the creation of new generations of polyolefins and EPDM, thereby expanding the range of products and increasing their added value. The condensed feed technology for gas-phase polyethylene not only enables efficient capacity expansion of small-scale LLDPE gas-phase plants, but also reduces the investment and costs of new plants. Compared with non-subcooled units, a set of 320,000 t/a subcooled units reduces the product cost by $47 per ton, saving $15.04 million annually. The gas-phase polymerization process represents a breakthrough over the traditional emulsion and solution methods in the polymerization of synthetic rubber. UCC’s gas-phase polymerization process for EPDM **simplifies the production process, improves efficiency, and reduces environmental pollution. A new process for directly synthesizing polyolefin-based plastic elastomers in reactors enables larger-scale production and makes it more competitive from a technical and economic perspective. The melt-spinning production technology for acrylic fiber overcomes the limitation that acrylic fiber could only be produced using the solvent spinning method; it **shortens the production process, simplifies the techniques involved, and addresses environmental pollution issues. It is set to replace the solvent-based acrylic fiber production method in the 21st century, thereby promoting the development of the acrylic fiber industry. (3) Flexible and diversified technologies for new varieties: Technologies that use ethylene to enhance the flexibility of feedstock input in cracking units enable these units to adapt to changes in raw material prices and market demand for products, thereby improving the competitiveness of ethylene production facilities. Technologies such as bimodal and other easy-to-process resin formulations for synthetic resins, along with polypropylene copolymer technologies, have improved the processability of these resins, led to the development of new types of resins, and enhanced the value of the resulting products. The active anion polymerization technology for synthetic rubber breaks through the conventional optimization and integration of structural properties, driving changes in the structure of diene-based rubber varieties. The newly developed \"one-step\" polyester staple fiber production line integrates spinning and post-spinning processing, featuring a compact design and reduced energy consumption; it can be used to produce various differentiated fibers through batch production of small quantities of different types, in accordance with market demands. The carbon fiber filaments for acrylic fibers and the production technologies for acrylonitrile chloroacrylic fibers enable the production of differentiated acrylic fibers with high added value, thereby improving economic efficiency. (IX) Information Technology: The 21st century is an era of the information and knowledge economy. Information technology has brought about profound changes to the oil industry, which is entering a new period of development. Correct decision-making, improved economic efficiency, and rapid growth in productivity will depend on a company’s ability to comprehensively apply enterprise knowledge and information technology. As the development and application cycles for new technologies continue to shorten, companies that are the first to adopt them will reap the greatest benefits. The development and application of information technology and integrated exploration and production technologies are of great significance for oil companies to improve efficiency and enhance their competitiveness in the market. The development of modern information technology relies primarily on the growth of several key industries, namely the integrated circuit industry, the communications industry, and the software industry. Some of the key technologies driving the rapid development of modern information technology include: integrated circuit technology, supercomputer technology, dense wavelength division multiplexing technology which enhances the transmission speed of optical fiber networks to unprecedented levels, technologies for organizing and integrating large volumes of information, GIS technology, and virtual reality technology. Currently, information technology has become the core technology enabling leapfrog development in the petroleum and petrochemical industries. Major oil companies around the world are **accelerating their digitalization efforts in order to reduce costs and maintain their leading position in the oil industry. Oil companies attach great importance to the development of information infrastructure; they have all implemented enterprise resource planning systems to achieve internal information integration, actively adopted e-commerce, and established data centers, data warehouses, and decision support systems. In recent years, the global oil and gas industry has invested over $10 billion in IT each year, accounting for about 2% of its total revenue. Five emerging information technology areas that could impact the development of oil in the future are: World Wide Web technology (WWW) ； Photonic technology ； Data Warehouse Technology ； Object Oriented Technology ； Virtual Reality technology. The overall development trends in petroleum technology can be summarized as: integration, informatization, intelligence, real-time operation, practicality, the penetration of high-tech into the field of petroleum technology, and the penetration of technologies from other fields into this same field