Venezuelan Institute Of Oil Technology (Intevep): Its Mission And Objectives
Authors: Romero Evanan 
Published: March 2010

The Industria Petrolera Venezolana [Venezuelan National Oil Corporation], represented and directed by its parent company, petroleos de Venezuela, S. A. [Venezuelan Petroleum, Ltd.] (PDVSA), in 1976 established an applied Research and Development Centre for hydrocarbons and petrochemicals. This Centre is known as the Institute Tecno1ogico Venezolano del paroleo [Venezuelan Institute of Petroleum Technology] (INTEVEP), and constitutes the fifteenth affiliate of the PDVSA.

The mission of the Institute is: "to provide technological support for the national oil and petrochemicals industries and thus bring about a reasonable reduction in their dependence on foreign sources of technology."

Objectives over the next ten years have been divided into two phases of five years each. During Phase I, INTEVEP will:Consolidate its own structure by building up its scientific, professional and technical staff, and setting up research laboratories, workshops, offices, etc.Initiate research and offer technical support to the petroleum industry by defining and implementing priority projects in areas such as: recovery techniques for heavy and extra-heavy oils; off-shore development of the Venezuelan continental shelf; the enhanced recovery of deposits of light and medium oils in an advanced state of depletion; seismic data processing applied to local conditions; the formulation of lubricants and fuels; drilling deep oil deposits; the processing, desulphuration and demetalization of heavy oils; etc.Maintain access to foreign technology, but at the same time diversify its sources to increase the autonomy of the national industry.

At the end of 1976, INTEVEP started construction of its main laboratories by remodelling 10,000 m2 of an existing building on an 80-ha parcel of land Some 30 km south of Caracas.

INTEVEP's staff currently numbers 70 people, of whom 45 are researchers and professionals working in six different scientific: disciplines: earth sciences, petroleum engineering, general engineering, process engineering, basic sciences, and computer and systems engineering.

INTEVEP

The Institute Termologico Venezolano del Petroleo [Venezuelan Institute of Oil Technology] (INTEVEP) was created on January 1st, 1976 by the Government of the Republic of Venezuela to provide technological support for the national oil and petrochemicals industries and thus bring about a reasonable reduction in their dependence on foreign sources of technology.

The Institute had its origins in the Fundacion para la Investigacion en Hidrocarburos y Petroquimica [Hydrocarbons and Petrochemical Research Foundation] (INTEVEP) created by Executive Decree 1385 of August 29th, 1973. This was later amended by the decree setting up INTEVEP, in which the legal status of the Foundation was maintained but with the scope of its operations extended to the entire petroleum industry. By placing INTEVEP under Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. [Venezuelan Petroleum, Ltd.] (PDVSA), the parent company of the Industria Petrolera Venezoelan [Venezuelan National Oil Corporation], the Institute became the Corporation's Research and Development Centre.

BACKGROUND

Prior to the creation of INTEVEP, there was only one centre in the country devoted exclusively to research: IVIC. This governmental institution had a working staff of some 10 researchers, plus another 35 professionals and technicians engaged in oil chemistry research, specializing in the processing and upgrading of heavy crudes.