On August 25, China's first fully automated polymer production line for offshore oilfield chemical flooding broke ground in Tianjin Nangang Industrial Zone. Upon completion of the project, polymer—the core chemical agent for chemical flooding in China's offshore oilfields—will achieve independent, large-scale production.
This project marks another significant move by CNOOC in the oilfield chemicals sector, following the commissioning of the Nangang Chemical Plant in 2021. Since the plant began operations, the HAILOONG CHEMICAL brand has expanded to 18 types of oilfield chemical agents, with a formula localization rate of 95% and an annual supply volume exceeding 43,600 tonnes, comprehensively serving China's offshore oilfields and exporting overseas. The newly launched Nangang construction project for oilfield chemicals focuses on chemical flooding polymers, representing a technological upgrade and capacity expansion based on the existing Nangang Chemical Plant.
Chemical flooding is a key technology for enhancing oil recovery in offshore oilfields, with polymer flooding being the most widely applied method. The principle involves dissolving high-molecular-weight polymers in water and injecting them into the reservoir, where the increased solution viscosity enables more uniform displacement of fluids underground, effectively recovering residual oil left after conventional water flooding. The quality and stable supply of polymer products are essential guarantees for the large-scale implementation of chemical flooding.
The Nangang oilfield chemicals construction project covers an area of 121.54 mu (approximately 8.1 hectares), with a designed total annual capacity of 58,000 tonnes. It will build six production lines for dry powder polymers, emulsion polymers, and other products, capable of manufacturing a full range of products including fast-dissolving salt-resistant polymers, temperature- and salt-resistant polymers, and polyacrylamide emulsions. Upon completion, it will join the Nangang Chemical Plant to form CNOOC's largest oilfield chemicals production base, providing resource support for increasing reserves and boosting production.
The project is scheduled for mechanical completion in September 2027. The production lines will be equipped with distributed control systems, enabling fully automated and precise control of the entire process from raw material feeding to finished product packaging, with complete traceability of process data. Previously, the Nangang Chemical Plant was recognized as an "Advanced-level" smart factory in Tianjin and is now progressing toward "Excellence-level" smart factory status. The construction of this project will elevate CNOOC's intelligent manufacturing capabilities in oilfield chemicals to a new level.