Oil and gas industry collaboration establishes first comprehensive guidelines for upstream scale risk

PARSIPPANY, N.J., Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Specialists from across the oil and gas industry have come together to establish a comprehensive, publicly available framework for assessing and managing upstream mineral scale risk, addressing longstanding inconsistencies in how scale threats are evaluated.

Led by OLI through its Client Engagement Board, the 2026 Upstream Scale Guidelines were developed collaboratively with specialists from major international operators including BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Devon Energy, ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering, Harbour Energy, PDO, Repsol and Shell Exploration & Production Company. Dr Giulia Ness, Principal Client Solutions Architect at OLI, served as lead author. The work was first presented at the SPE Scale Symposium in Aberdeen in May 2026 and is now being made publicly available to the wider industry.

While individual operators have developed their own internal practices and published guidance exists for specific aspects of scale assessment, there has been no universally accepted framework covering the complete process. The new document brings established industry experience into a common technical reference while allowing organizations to retain their own engineering judgement and operating practices.

"Scale management is an area where there is enormous experience across our industry, but much of that knowledge has developed independently," said Dr Giulia Ness. "We wanted to create something the wider industry can trust and use. This document reflects the collective experience of people dealing with scale risk in real operations, rather than the perspective of any single company or technology provider."

The guidelines cover the complete scale assessment workflow, beginning with representative fluid sampling and chemistry before moving through thermodynamic scale prediction and operational risk assessment. Importantly, it connects technical analysis with the decisions practitioners need to make in the field, providing a practical basis for assessing scale threats and determining appropriate action.

OLI initiated the project through relationships developed over decades of working with operators and technical specialists on complex water chemistry and scale challenges. By making that accumulated expertise publicly accessible, the work can support organizations without dedicated scale specialists and provide a valuable technical reference for practitioners across the industry.

The 2026 Upstream Scale Guidelines are available now.

About OLI
OLI equips industrial teams with simulation software to address complex chemical challenges and guide critical decisions with precision. As a trusted partner in demanding environments, it delivers predictive models, automation solutions and expert consulting that have been proven over decades of industrial use to support efficient operations. OLI technology helps users reduce risk and plan with long-term confidence. www.olisystems.com

SOURCE OLI