On July 22, the CPC Shaanxi Provincial Committee and the People’s Government of Shaanxi Province issued “the Decision on Commending the 2025 Shaanxi Provincial Science and Technology Award Winners” (Document No. Shan Zi〔2026〕85). Xi’an Petroleum University received awards for 10 research achievements, setting new records in both the award level and the number of awarded projects. As the lead research institution, the University won 1 First Prize, 2 Second Prizes and 2 Third Prizes. As a participating collaborator, it was awarded 1 First Prize, 2 Second Prizes and 2 Third Prizes.
The project“Controllable Fracturing and Targeted Stimulation: Key Theoretical and Technological Innovation & Application in Tight Oil and Gas Reservoirs”led by the research team of Professor Zhou Desheng from the School of Petroleum Engineering, won “the First Prize of Shaanxi Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award”. Following two first-prize successes in 2023 and 2024, this marks another first prize for the University as the primary completing institution, achieving three consecutive first prizes for this award category.
Focusing on common industry bottlenecks including unpredictable fracture propagation in tight oil and gas reservoir stimulation, challenges in fracture trajectory control, and low crude oil recovery efficiency, the team established a complete theoretical system for controllable fracturing and targeted stimulation. The team independently developed domestically built software for large-scale volumetric fracture network simulation and integrated design, together with on-site construction technologies. It pioneered theories and technologies that enable synchronous initiation of multi-level artificial branch fractures inside main propagating fractures.
The research outcomes have been extensively deployed in Changqing Oilfield and Yanchang Petroleum, delivering marked improvements in single-well fracturing stimulation performance and cutting development costs. The work provides core independent technological solutions for the efficient development of domestic tight oil and gas resources.
As the highest honor in Shaanxi’s science and technology sector, the Shaanxi Provincial Science and Technology Award recognizes institutions and individuals with outstanding contributions to scientific and technological innovation, transformation of research results, and industrialization of high and new technologies. Moving forward, building on this round of awards, the University will continue advancing organized research, intensify key technology breakthroughs in unconventional oil & gas exploration and development, energy equipment, new energy storage and other fields. It will refine the service system for research commercialization, continuously foster high-level original achievements, and further strengthen its capacity to serve regional economic growth and safeguard national oil and gas energy security, contributing XSYU’s strength to writing a new chapter of high-quality development in Shaanxi Province.
