Beijing, 21st December 2022 (BISTU)--- Zhang Tao, Ph.D., associate professor, a master supervisor, is currently Director of Hejian Laboratory of Beijing Key Lab of High Dynamic Navigation Technology. He has been listed in outstanding young talent cultivation plan of Beijing Municipal Educational Commission and become a member of Society of Petroleum Engineers. In addition to a series of awards and honors including the first prize of Beijing Science and Technology Award, the first prize of Science and Technology Progress by China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association, Science and Technology Innovation Award of Hejian, and Special Mayor Award of Hejian, he has also published over 40 journal articles and been granted 14 invention patents. With years of devotion to academic research, Zhang Tao has effectively promoted intelligent development of well drilling industry and made dedicated service to Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development.  

Taking initiative in the big picture of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Coordinated Development 

As a researcher of Beijing Key Lab of High Dynamic Navigation Technology, Zhang Tao mainly focused on data measurement, information processing, and intelligent drilling technology and equipment. He has settled down in Beijing and has been leading a happy life. Automation and intelligent technology of petroleum and gas equipment remained the area of his research interest.  

Studies on science and technology innovation were mostly conducted in Beijing. Yet production practices were mostly found in neighboring provinces. Hejian city of Hebei Province is a close neighbor of PetroChina Huabei Oilfield Company. Services for oil drilling were provided by around 200 local companies based in Hejian. However, for years the industry has mainly focused on rough machinery processing--- featured for low barriers in market entry, high energy cost, and fierce competition. Bottleneck in technology would become a major problem in the wave of structural upgrading. Under the context of coordinated industrial development in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, an agreement was then reached between BISTU and Hejian city in April 2020 on establishing Hejian Laboratory of Beijing Key Lab of High Dynamic Navigation Technology and Zhang Tao was appointed as the Director of the Laboratory.  

In the principle of “marching forward with courage”, Zhang Tao did not hesitate to leave his families behind in Beijing. From a metropolis to a local small city, Zhang Tao invested almost all time and energy in building the laboratory and conducting industrial researches. He has paid just a couple of home visits during the past few years. Jointly running a laboratory between a university and a local government was pretty new to both parties. On behalf of the University, Zhang Tao has for many times conducted effective communication and negotiation with Hejian government. Finally a laboratory covering over 3,000 square meters with first-class facilities was built. Over 40 postgraduate students have ever been working or being supervised here and a number of faculties and researchers from universities in North China have conducted surveys or collaboration with the laboratory. It has been widely covered by local media and become a place to receive academic visits, indicating its well-established social benefits.   

Surmounting new heights to facilitate industrial upgrading and technological development  

Technological advances of the Laboratory in respect of “high dynamic inertia devices, high dynamic navigation, high dynamic intellisense, high dynamic pattern recognition, and high dynamic intelligent control” were brought into full play. An integrated platform was then built for academic research, technological services, commercialization of achievements, talent cultivation, and social services. As of today, the Laboratory has been capable of conducting design analysis of mechanical engineering, simulation analysis of fluid mechanics and kinetics, electronic circuit and software system design, signal processing and analysis, big data mining, mathematical modeling, and analysis of artificial intelligent system.  

During his inspection in Shengli Oilfield in October 2021, General Secretary Xi Jinping has specially pointed out that we must attach enough importance to energy safety. As the drilling of wells or boreholes went to deep or ultra-deep depths, higher requirements emerged on drilling technology. Zhang Tao and team members laid focus on automation, digitization, informationization, and intelligence of oil and gas equipment and invested immense efforts in research. They have made breakthroughs in respect of intelligent measurement of downhole parameters, torsional impactor and related detection and measurement equipment, etc. The latest technologies were then be able to applied to local production. The 200MPa-pressure bearing downhole measurement tool they have developed could successfully solve the problem of deformation and sealing of instruments under high temperature and high pressure. The high-precision turbine flowmeter provided satisfactory solution to accurate measurement of various high-pressure fluids in well cementation. Motion control system for protective cooling robots could meet the demand of emergent rescue. It should also be noted that they have developed the integrated torsional impact generator with surveillance model and parameter measurement tool. Based on the advantages of the Laboratory, they dispatched team members to local enterprises to provide technological consultancy for production and R&D. About 10 cooperative projects have been established annually in the past years between team members of the laboratory and local enterprises. Outstanding contribution of the laboratory were widely covered by Hebei Daily, Cangzhou Daily, Hejian Media Convergence, etc. and have been pushed to Xue Xi Qiang Guo (a learning platform) for three times. In effect, the laboratory has become a local business card for science and technology innovation.  

Other achievements of the laboratory of course were worthy of mention. Zhang Tao and team members have chaired 10 projects sponsored by National Natural Science Foundation or National Key Project Foundation in Science and Technology. They have also completed 30 research projects (with over 15 million yuan funding) entrusted by enterprises in the field of oil and gas. The reputation of BISTU was thus enhanced in respect of oil and gas measurement. Their outstanding performances were successively commended with the first prize of Beijing Science and Technology Award and the first prize of Science and Technology Progress by China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association.  

Technologies of the laboratory were topping peer labs in a number of aspects. Facing with praises, Zhang Tao said sincerely that “the most powerful drive is that we could apply what we have learned to practice and bring the true value of technology to people.” 

Dedicated to local service in the spirit of “diligence and honor” 

The University motto “Diligence in learning and honor for life” was put in the most noticeable place in the laboratory. Zhang Tao viewed the quality of hard-working as the most important. For a very long time he did not even take a break--- he has spent two Spring Festivals in the laboratory. When being asked whether he would feel boring or tired, he commented that “there is no short cut to any achievements, except diligence and perspiration”. He often told young faculties around that “we have to strengthen our convictions and be capable of resist any temptation from feeling too comfortable, if we really want to make achievements in work.” “Doing research and teaching students both require the spirit of diligence and honor. For all faculties, staff, and students of the laboratory, the University motto is the baseline.” Zhang Tao said.  

Zhang Tao particularly emphasized on cultivating students in making social services. He would take postgraduate students on regular intervals to local famous enterprises to conduct on-site surveys. A number of technological training sessions have been organized, which benefited over 300 local people. Since the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Zhang Tao has for many times donated money to local middle schools to encourage financially challenged students to work hard. He guided the postgraduate students to transform unmanned vehicles into disinfection robots, which has greatly helped places of nuclear acid test. Meanwhile, the laboratory has officially been nominated as an off-campus field learning base for primary school students of Hejian city and a number of activities have been organized to show students a wonderful world of sciences.  

Zhang Tao and his laboratory have been widely accepted and renowned for their contribution to science and technology as well as for their social reputation. They have become a shining business card of BISTU in Hejian. Zhang Tao was elected a deputy to the People’s Congress of Cangzhou (the 15th session) and a member of the standing committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of Hejian (the 8th session). Yet he still felt a bit regretted that he could not accompany his own family very often. “It is the father’s love of some kind that I should be a role model for him.” Zhang Tao said. And he is still trying hard to make even greater achievements.