Applications and prospects of geophysical exploration technologies in large-scale oil and gas engineering construction
- 1China Petrochemical Corporation (Sinopec Group), Beijing 100029, China
- 2Sinopec Petroleum Engineering Corporation, Dongying 257026, Shandong, China
- 3School of Civil Engineering and Water Resources, Shandong University, Ji’nan 250100, Shandong, China
Abstract
Objective The construction of large-scale oil and gas engineering projects serves as a strategic cornerstone for ensuring national energy security. Various types of projects, including long-distance pipelines, refining and petrochemical facilities, and underground storage facilities, work together to support the national economy and people’s livelihoods. An integrated site investigation runs from site selection and design to construction and operation. Its core tasks include identifying geological hazards along pipelines, assessing foundation conditions at refining and chemical facilities, and evaluating rock mass integrity and stability in underground spaces. However, conventional investigation methods, including drilling, have limitations such as poor adaptability to complex terrain, limited exploration coverage, site disturbance, high costs, and long investigation periods. Methods Engineering geophysics with its unique advantages of being non-destructive, rapid, and capable of 3D exploration has become the solution to the aforementioned challenges. Methods such as controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), shallow seismic exploration, ground penetrating radar (GPR), and microtremor surveys have been widely applied in oil and gas projects. Results Appropriate combinations of geophysical methods have demonstrated significant effectiveness in pipeline investigation, foundation exploration in karst-developed areas, and underground storage facility investigation. Conclusions With advances in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, airborne geophysical surveys are expected to improve personnel safety and survey efficiency in areas with complex terrain. Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven geophysical data processing and inversion techniques are expected to achieve a computational acceleration of tens of thousands of times. Joint inversion of Airborne, ground-based, and borehole geophysical data can leverage the complementary strengths of different methods to achieve high-precision 3D imaging. The development of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology provides a new approach to real-time dynamic monitoring of geological structures. Significance As engineering geophysics continues to advance in intelligence, multidimensional integration, and real-time monitoring, it will provide stronger technical support for large-scale oil and gas projects.
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BibTeX
@article{shaodong2026applications,
title = {{Applications and prospects of geophysical exploration technologies in large-scale oil and gas engineering construction}},
author = {JING Shaodong and MA Xuedong and YAN Yuefeng and SUN Huaifeng},
journal = {Dizhi lixue xuebao},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2026054},
url = {https://doi.org/10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2026054},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Applications and prospects of geophysical exploration technologies in large-scale oil and gas engineering construction
AU - JING Shaodong
AU - MA Xuedong
AU - YAN Yuefeng
AU - SUN Huaifeng
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/01
JO - Dizhi lixue xuebao
DO - 10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2026054
UR - https://doi.org/10.12090/j.issn.1006-6616.2026054
AB - Objective The construction of large-scale oil and gas engineering projects serves as a strategic cornerstone for ensuring national energy security. Various types of projects, including long-distance pipelines, refining and petrochemical facilities, and underground storage facilities, work together to support the national economy and people’s livelihoods. An integrated site investigation runs from site selection and design to construction and operation. Its core tasks include identifying geological hazards along pipelines, assessing foundation conditions at refining and chemical facilities, and evaluating rock mass integrity and stability in underground spaces. However, conventional investigation methods, including drilling, have limitations such as poor adaptability to complex terrain, limited exploration coverage, site disturbance, high costs, and long investigation periods. Methods Engineering geophysics with its unique advantages of being non-destructive, rapid, and capable of 3D exploration has become the solution to the aforementioned challenges. Methods such as controlled-source audio-frequency magnetotellurics (CSAMT), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), shallow seismic exploration, ground penetrating radar (GPR), and microtremor surveys have been widely applied in oil and gas projects. Results Appropriate combinations of geophysical methods have demonstrated significant effectiveness in pipeline investigation, foundation exploration in karst-developed areas, and underground storage facility investigation. Conclusions With advances in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology, airborne geophysical surveys are expected to improve personnel safety and survey efficiency in areas with complex terrain. Artificial intelligence (AI)-driven geophysical data processing and inversion techniques are expected to achieve a computational acceleration of tens of thousands of times. Joint inversion of Airborne, ground-based, and borehole geophysical data can leverage the complementary strengths of different methods to achieve high-precision 3D imaging. The development of distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology provides a new approach to real-time dynamic monitoring of geological structures. Significance As engineering geophysics continues to advance in intelligence, multidimensional integration, and real-time monitoring, it will provide stronger technical support for large-scale oil and gas projects.
SN - 1006-6616
ER -