Topic 1: Examining the Reactions of US Oil and Gas Producers to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Research Aim: The primary aim of the study is to examine and assess the reactions of the US gas and oil industry producers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study looks to assess the effect of COVID-19 on returns and volatility on the oil and gas industry during a world crisis. The research will assess firm returns and return volatility using a sample of US oil and gas firms. The data will be analysed using a logarithm operator model to assess the total deaths per million in comparison to stock data from US oil and gas producers.
Topics 2: Assessing China’s Oil and Gas Consumption using Integrated Modelling.
Research Aim: The primary aim of the study is to assess China’s oil and gas consumption using five representative scenarios to project until 2050 using integrated modelling. The study seeks to incorporate data from the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) scenarios. The research will use integrated modelling of NDC data that asserts a consumption peak for the country by 2035. Using the integrated scale, the research will assess the extent of import dependence of China and its risk of a national energy security crisis.
Topic 3: Examining the Impact of Crude Oil Prices on Stock Returns – Firm Analysis of Developing Country Oil and Gas Sector.
Research Aim: The aim of the study is to analyse the role of crude oil prices in predicting the stock returns of firms in developing countries. The study will also assess this relationship using factors noted as traditional by the literature, such as returns on risk-free assess. The data will be collected from major oil and gas companies listed in the stock exchange of a developing country. The stock exchange data will then be analysed using the capital asset pricing model (CAPM).
Topic 4: Analysing the Impact of Oil Price Fall on Betas of Oil and Gas Industry.
Research Aim: The primary aim of the study is to assess the effects of oil price movements that began in 2014. The research assesses financial systematic risk proxied by betas on firms that operating in the unconventional oil and gas industry in comparison to the conventional industry standards. The data is collected from oil price movements from 2014, with analysis taking place using cross-section regressions prior to- and after- 2014 oil price drop.
Topic 5: The Impact of Bullwhip Effect on the Oil and Gas Supply Chain.
Research Aim: The primary aim of the current study is to assess the various factors that may impact the bullwhip effect in oil and gas supply chain. The study intends to examine the economic impacts of this effect due to it being rarely studied. The research will be conducted using evidence from North American companies focusing on functions of exploration and production, refining, and marketing. The research will analyse the data for each company and target operational causes of the bullwhip effect.
Topic 6: Examining the Beneficial Reuse of Wastewater from Oil and Gas Extraction in the US.
Research Aim: The oil and gas industry is a large producer of wastewater from the process of extraction. The study attempts to assess the extent of wastewater production from the US associated with oil and gas extraction which can be a potential cause for water scarcity, subsurface disposal limitations, and regional linkages that may cause potential seismic activity. The study will quantify produced water (PW) volumes in connection to water demand of various sectors. The study will also analyse the PW quality associated with treatment and reuse options in US shale oil and gas firms.
Topics 7: Analysing the Economic Impact of Oil and Gas Development in the Permian Basin.
Research Aim: The aim of this study is to analyse the economic effects of oil and gas development in the Permian Basin, as it is known to be the most prolific oil and gas geologic basins in the US. The study presents a basin-wide representation that examines the employment and income effect of the area since its development for oil and gas production. The study will analyse the local and spatial spill over effect impact. The data collected on the firm and local level takes into account the drilling decisions and economic activities of the area. The research’s data will be analysed using an instrumental variables regression model.
Topic 8: Assessing Water Quality of Downstream Water Discharges of Oil and Gas Production.
Research Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the quality of produced water discharges related to oil and gas extractions in the United States. The study will attempt to empirically highlight the contents of organic compounds in produced water by assessing the amounts of salts, organic compounds, metals, and radioactive material. The research will analyse if the produced water and surface water from oil and gas production can be reused for agricultural benefits. The study will collect data from downstream discharges and analyse it using inferential statistics.
Topic 9: Examining the Presence of Rare Earth Elements in Drill Cutting Samples from Oil and Gas Exploration.
Research Aim: The primary aim of the study is to monitor rare earth element concentrations from oil well drill cutting to provide policy measures to prevent environmental contamination. The study looks to assess the empirical concentration of rare earth elements in drill cutting from oil and gas exploration wells in ultra-deep coastal waters. The study will analyse this phenomenon from different depths. The data will be conducted using a field study of ultra-deep coastal waters then tested against vigorous experimental methods such as microwave-assisted acid digestion to determine the concentration of ICP-MS. The data will then be analysed using inferential statistics.
Topic 10: Assessing the Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Production in the United States.
Research Aim: The study aims to investigate the impact of oil and gas production on methane emission associated with industrial activity. The study focuses on regions in the United States that use horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Data will be collected using TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument to assess methane enhancements over production regions of the country. Data taken will then be analysed using inferential statistics.
Topic 11: Analysing the Impact of Water Issues on Oil and Gas Production in the US.
Research Aim: The study aims to investigate the impact of oil and gas production on methane emission associated with industrial activity. The study focuses on regions in the United States that use horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Data will be collected using TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument to assess methane enhancements over production regions of the country. Data taken will then be analysed using inferential statistics.
Topics 12: Examining the Impact of Oil and Gas Production on Sedimentary Contamination Levels in the UK.
Research Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the impact of increased oil and gas production on new environmental pollution issues in the UK. The primary issue studied will be management of produced waters disposed from deep well injection causing induced seismic activity. The research will analyse historical records of sediment pollution associated with oil and gas production in the UK. It will highlight environmental risks associated with produced water and contamination of sediments.
Topic 13: Assessing the Impact of Environmental Policy on Investment Efficiency- Examining the Oil and Gas Sector of the UK.
Research Aim: The study intends to assess the impact of loosened environmental policies on firm performance of UK’s oil and gas sector. The research will use the Porter hypothesis by adapting it with investment efficiency to measure corporate performance. The research will discuss the long-term effects of loose environmental policies on UK’s oil and gas sector. The data will be collected using historical firm performance of UK’s companies based on governmental policies. Data will be analysed using structured equation modelling.
Topic 14: Incident Assessment and Attack Patterns of Cyber-Attacks on Oil and Gas Companies.
Research Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the documented cyber-attacks on oil and gas companies, highlight consequences of attacks, and assess the vulnerability taxonomy of incidents. The study will survey cyber-attacks on oil and gas sectors – upstream, midstream, and downstream from the 1990s to 2020. The study will map and catalogue these attacks and their types. Data will be collected from documented attacks and analysed using the methods outlined.
Topic 15: Assessing the Need for Risk Management Examination in Oil and Gas Industries.
Research Aim: The primary aim of the study is to assess the need for risk management in oil and gas projects. The study will assert that large-scale projects in the oil and gas industry face operational problems from a deficit of risk management measures. The research will identify the evaluation and prioritise risks of upstream oil and gas sectors in developing economies. The research will acquire firm level data from developing economies and analyse the data using inferential statistics.
Topic 16: A Comprehensive Review of The Effectiveness of The Quality Management Systems in The Oil and Gas Sector of the UK.
Research Aim: The aim of this research is to identify the practices being applied in the oil and gas sector in the UK and how these practices are helping the teams to manage the quality and efficiency of oil and gas products. The scope of this study also applies to upstream as well as downstream manufacturing processes. The research methodology adopted in this particular study is the comparative analysis of various quality management systems employed at various organizations across the UK. The study will present its finding as a recommendation of the best-suited system and changes can be made to improve the QMS.
Topic 17: A Comparative Study of Upstream Cracking Processes Used in The Cracking of Texas Crude Oil.
Research Aim: the aim of this comparative research is to identify the most suitable cracking process for downstream cracking of the Texas crude oil. The study will compare the results to identify the better process and provide suggestions for the improvement of the process. The main instrument of research includes process analysis, upstream processing’s turnaround time, and quality of the upstream products as a result of the cracking process. The research can be further extended to improve the processing capabilities of various other crudes.
Topic 18: An Analysis of The Environmental Impacts of Oil and Gas Drilling Operation on The Local and Global Ecology.
Research Aim: The aim of this study is to analyze the harmful and striking impacts of the oil and gas drilling processes on the environment, ecosystem, and biodiversity of the region in which wells are drilled. The research will analyze on-shore and offshore drilling rigs and how they impact the local environment as well as the community. The researcher will conduct a detailed analysis of the drilling site, by-products of the rigging and drilling process, emissions into the environment, etc. The study will shed light on the hazards of careless drilling activities on the ecology.
Topic 19: An Analysis of the Impact of Spilling Accidents of Offshore Oil Rigs on the Marine Life.
Research Aim: The aim of this research is to analyze the adverse impacts of the oil spillage as a result of various spilling accidents of the oil rigs. The oil spillage accidents have caused large-scale damage to the marine ecosystem. The researcher will study the changes that occurred in the marine ecology at the accident sites. The research will also analyze the activities to remedy the impacts of spillages and how the cleansing operations helped to reduce the stress on the aquatic environment.
Topic 20: A Comparative Study of The Costs and Financial Outcomes of The On-Shore and Offshore Oil Wells and Gas Wells.
Research Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate the financial feasibility of offshore rigs. The research will employ statistical tools to monitor drilling data comprising of production of the well, cost of operations, selling prices, and market demand of the offshore drilling products. The researcher will analyze the financial outcomes of the project.
Topic 21: A Study of Oil and Gas Supply Chain Operations. What Is the Best Supply Chain Solution for The Oil and Gas Industry?
Research Aim: The aim of this research is to investigate the supply chain of the oil and gas industry. The research will study the TATs, demand and supply forecasting as well as demand-supply gas for various oil and gas projects.
