Rosneft’s Potok Targets Errors Before Construction
Researchers at Rosneft’s Tomsk-based design institute have developed and deployed the Potok (Flow) information system to automate pipeline system modeling during the design of oil and gas facilities.
The system automatically prepares and transfers data to an engineering simulator and adjusts the level of calculation detail. For example, it switches from annual to monthly modeling during periods when the properties of a water-oil emulsion are expected to change. This reduces the amount of manual work for engineers and, crucially, helps identify potential process constraints before a facility is built.
The technology has demonstrated its practical value at fields in Eastern Siberia. Modeling showed that forecast pressure at one well pad would slightly exceed the allowable limit for two months. Engineers adjusted the schedule, shifting production of 120 metric tons of oil to a later period while preserving the project’s target economic performance.
Developed In-House
The system was built by RN-Proektirovanie Dobycha (RN Production Design), Rosneft’s key corporate design institute based in Tomsk. The main challenge the developers set out to address was that conventional annual calculation intervals often miss short-term changes in fluid properties, leading engineers to underestimate risks.
Potok primarily automates routine work. It extracts data, runs calculations in the powerful PIPESIM engineering simulator and returns the processed results automatically. In practice, the manual approach to this workflow is now a thing of the past.
The system also adapts the level of modeling detail. At a certain point in oil production, an inversion occurs, when a water-oil emulsion changes from a water-in-oil to an oil-in-water. Dynamic viscosity rises sharply, increasing hydrodynamic resistance in pipelines and causing pressure spikes. When that happens, the model automatically switches from annual to monthly forecasting.
The Value of the System
Identifying risks early – before construction begins – can save enormous resources and reduce the risk of downtime. The system directly supports Rosneft’s strategy to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs through 2030.
The technology is a notable example of Russia’s expanding portfolio of specialized industrial software, particularly in engineering and hydraulic modeling, an area that was already receiving close attention in 2025.
At the industry level, the system can help improve the efficiency of Russia’s fuel and energy sector while strengthening domestic expertise in sophisticated engineering software. Russian companies have developed dozens of specialized products. Of the 175 particularly significant industrial software import-substitution projects selected by a government commission since 2022, 120 have now been completed. The resulting systems are used by more than 900 enterprises.
Where Potok Began
In 2022, Rosneft began bringing its proprietary software to the broader market. At the time, its corporate portfolio included 16 products for the upstream sector. The RN-GRID simulator was the first to reach external customers, with more than 400 licenses sold and an agreement signed to supply the software to China.
In 2024, the company developed an integrated digital twin for sections of the Achimov deposits at the Urengoy field. It covered the production chain from the reservoir to the gas treatment unit, automatically adapted to new data and could calculate different operating scenarios. The project used a Russian industrial platform, domestically produced equipment and AI technologies.
In 2025–2026, Rosneft continued expanding its digital infrastructure models. The company developed digital twins of production facilities, pipeline transportation monitoring systems and other digital-field tools. A year ago, the technology covered more than 8,000 wells. During the same period, company professionals created a digital twin of a major oil pumping station using Russian software, significantly improving design quality and engineering information management.
Potok’s development reflects a gradual shift in the digital transformation of Russia’s oil and gas industry – away from general-purpose corporate systems and toward specialized engineering software that directly influences design and process decisions.
