Tatar Oil Research and Design Institute (TatNIPIneft) of PJSC TATNEFT was set up in 1956, to support the newly emerged oil industry in Tatar ASSR with high-quality research. The biography of TatNIPIneft is closely related to the history of oil producing industry of the Republic of Tatarstan, beginning from the moment of oil fields’ discovery and development up to nowadays. Considerable part of oil industry national wealth in the Republic of Tatarstan is created thanks to TatNIPIneft efforts.
Discovery and start of development of the Bavlinskoye and Romashkinskoye oil fields entailed vast research, designing, and development, which in the early 1950s were provided by the scientists from the Russian renowned research centers. By order No. 253 of the Minister of Oil Industry of the USSR as of April 24, 1956, TatNII–Tatar Oil Research Institute – was set up in Bugulma, Tatar ASSR. Vasiliy Eronin, the former Tatneft chief engineer, was appointed a director of the newly formed institute, and he remained at that position until 1964. In 1957, affiliates of Giprovostok and Giprotatneft Design Institutes merged into Tatnefteproekt–State Design Institute of oil industry. Pimen Retyunin was appointed a director of the new institute, who held this position till 1965.
By 1957, oil industry of Tatariya, thus, had at its disposal a powerful research and engineering basis for solution of urgent problems of oil fields exploration, development, and production. By order of the Minister of Oil Industry of the USSR as of March 17, 1970, TatNII and Tatnefteproekt institutes merged into TatNIPIneft – Tatar State Research and Design Institute of Oil Industry. Gadel Vakhitov, Dr.Sc., Prof., was the first director of TatNIPIneft (1964–1971). During subsequent years, TatNIPIneft was headed by R.T. Bulgakov, Ph.D. (March–October 1972), F.M. Khammadeev (1972-1978), R.Kh. Ibatullin, Ph.D. (1978–1997), I.G. Yusupov, Dr.Sc., Prof., Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan (1997–2000), R.R. Ibatullin, Dr.Sc., Prof., Member of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan (2000-2014), R.Z. Sakhabutdinov, Dr.Sc., Prof. (2014-2019), M.M. Zalyatov, Ph.D. (2019-2023). In 2023, A.A. Pimenov, Dr.Sc. was appointed to the position of TatNIPIneft Director.
In 1994, following restructuring, the institute was renamed into Tatar Oil Research and Design Institute (TatNIPIneft) of OAO TATNEFT. Today we are a structural unit of PJSC TATNEFT.
TatNIPIneft is involved in just about every aspect of upstream activities: prospecting and exploration, reservoir engineering, wells construction, oil production and treatment, anticorrosive protection of oil-field facilities, design engineering of industrial and civil engineering facilities. Prioritization of research projects has always been dictated by the most urgent needs of oil industry of the Republic.
In the 1960s, when oil gushed out from the Tatarstan earth, all the efforts were focused on accelerated development of oil fields, attaining maximum possible production rates and maximum overall economics. Technologies developed by TatNIPIneft scientists were used on a wide scale in many oil producing regions, and the technology of contour waterflooding has been rightly recognized both in this country and abroad as a large-scale technology on a par with world standards. In the 1970s, the most important task was to stabilize oil production at a sustained level, and, accordingly, researchers and engineers turned their efforts to solve this task. In the 1980s, it became obvious that the once prolific oil fields had approached their maturity. Since then, our efforts have been concentrated on investigation and evaluation of mature reservoirs and managing declining reserves.
TatNIPIneft possesses a considerable scientific potential. Currently, 15 Doctors of Science are working at TatNIPIneft, 59 employees have the Ph.D. degree. By decision of State Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles as of December 1, 2000, a Dissertation council on Conferment of a Doctor degree was set up in TatNIPIneft. At present, doctoral thesis on two specialities, Drilling and Completion of Wells and Reservoir Engineering, are defended in TatNIPIneft.
Scientific research and pilot works are performed at a level of up-to-date achievements and a lot of them are corroborated as patents on inventions. For the period of TatNIPIneft existence, more than 3000 inventions were developed, 15 of which were patented by 76 foreign patents in the USA, Great Britain, Canada, France, Japan, Germany, and in the Middle East countries. Altogether, 91 collections of research works, 237 treatises, and 10000 scientific papers were published.
The technologies and equipment developed by TatNIPIneft are applied on a wide scale by different operators both in Russia, and abroad. TatNIPIneft scientists and engineers participate in world congresses, symposia, exhibitions, and shows. We maintain business relationship with many companies from the USA, Canada, Norway, Japan, Germany, Finland, France, China, Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
The Design Engineering sector of TatNIPIneft extensively uses computer-aided design system based on Bentley Systems and CAD House program packages for designing of oil production and infrastructure facilities. The projects of designers involve the latest developments of their colleagues from the Research Sector. Scope of activity includes designing of development projects for new and brown fields operated by PJSC TATNEFT, field construction projects for different Russian and foreign oil fields, designing of various industrial and infrastructure facilities. The latest projects include Surgery Hospital of PJSC TATNEFT Medical Center in Almetyevsk, cascade of ponds in Almetyevsk recreation area, apartment buildings in Almetyevsk, Leninogorsk, Bugulma, and Bavly, mountain skiing centre in YAN health resort in Tatarstan, fiber glass plant in the ALABUGA exclusive economic zone, off-site water supply systems for TANECO Petrochemical Complex and ZAO Nizhnekamsk Gas Refinery, the Ashalchinskoye heavy oil field construction project.
The Design Engineering Sector of TatNIPIneft has established and applies a quality management system according to ISO 9001:2008 for carrying out of engineering surveys and development of design documentation for oil projects and construction of buildings and facilities for production, residential, and public purposes. TatNIPIneft contribution to industrial growth has been recognized by numerous national and international awards and prizes.
Set up back in 1956, TatNIPIneft still holds its position of a leading Russian petroleum research centre. Scientific and engineering capabilities and rich hands-on experience of research engineers gained over years guarantee state-of-the-art level of solution of challenging scientific and technological problems of upstream operations.
