Transforming Oilfields Into Hydrogen Hubs via Interval Optimization With Repurposed Well Infrastructure

The low-carbon energy transition faces the challenges of uncertainty from high renewable energy penetration and the economic reconstruction of traditional fossil fuel regions. Repurposing abandoned oil wells (AOWs) provides an alternative option to facilitate the low-carbon transition and revitalization of these oilfields. This paper aims to propose a novel hydrogen hub-centered oilfield integrated energy system (HH-OIES) to resolve the aforementioned challenges. Synergistic hydrogen-heat repurposing of AOWs can be achieved through integrated hydrogen production, storage, and multi-pathway utilization across various oilfield zones. Furthermore, a multi-objective transition planning and optimization framework for the HH-OIES is developed to overcome the limitations of relying solely on AOWs for heat supply, which cannot adequately address the intermittency of renewables. To solve the proposed model, we introduce a Global Envelope Interval Optimization method.Its solution space enveloping technique effectively handles the planning and operation of complex, large-scale systems, enabling a synergy between economic and low-carbon objectives under varying risk preferences while significantly reducing computational complexity. Simulation results demonstrate the role of the HH-OIES in advancing oilfield transition and validate the effectiveness of the proposed solution method.