November 20, 2025
Russia has developed a method for oil extraction in the Arctic that does not require melting permafrost. Scientists from Perm Polytechnic University (PNRPU) have proposed an innovative technique for extracting oil in the Arctic, which prevents permafrost degradation.
Ensuring the stability of frozen soils is a critical task in the development of northern fields, as their thawing can lead to well collapses and damage to expensive equipment.
Russian researchers have created a digital twin of a well to accurately determine safe ground heating parameters. This virtual model, which boasts 95 % prediction accuracy, enables optimization of the heating regime. It ensures that the oil in the reservoir becomes less viscous without compromising the stability of the surrounding permafrost, thus preventing well destruction.
To evaluate the reliability of the mathematical model, tests were conducted using data from the Usinskoye field in the Komi Republic. The results confirmed the high efficiency of the development under various well operation modes.
During the tests, it was found that in passive mode (without steam injection), the difference between calculated and actual values did not exceed 0.1 %. With moderate heating up to 143 °C, deviations were no more than 8 %. At maximum heating intensity (273 °C), the model demonstrated a 95 % match with experimental data.