TEHRAN- Iran’s deputy oil minister for engineering, research and technology affairs said Oil Ministry is utilizing the high scientific capacities of the country for implementation of its projects, Shana reported.

“Today, the Oil Ministry is conducting 26 research projects through cooperation with 16 top universities and research institutes of the country, and given that these major universities benefit from the contribution of a network of universities, so research measures of Oil Ministry are in fact applying a vast scientific potential in the country”, Saeed Mohammadzadeh said on Saturday.

Through this cooperation, universities help development of oil industry and Oil Ministry helps elevation of scientific status in the country, the official noted.

Last week, Iranian Central Oil Fields Company (ICOFC), a subsidiary of National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), inked a research deal with Amirkabir University of Technology.

The deal, which was signed on the sidelines of Iran’s first innovation event in the oil industry dubbed “Petroleum Take-Off”, is on boosting production of liquefied gas from the gas fields under development by ICOFC during a period of 24 months.

ICOFC also inked another research-based deal with Research Institute of Petroleum Industry on last Tuesday.

It was on improving the performance of the O-rings used in the centrifugal pumps through applying nanotechnology. The deal is scheduled to be implemented within 10 months.

Considering the challenges of exploring hydrocarbon resources, NIOC’s Exploration Directorate has identified various research projects and created a roadmap based on the country’s Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (2016-2021) and in line with its organizational strategies.

Operational exploration activities in the oil and gas industry require structural studies and up-to-date technologies in the field of geology and exploration.

In this regard, so far NIOC’s Exploration Directorate has signed several agreements with Iranian universities and knowledge-based companies for research in various fields of geophysics, geochemistry, unconventional hydrocarbon resources and drilling.

MA/MA