Engineering Forum has Remote Reach
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- Saudi Aramco News
- Dhahran Media
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Author: Saudi Aramco News
Released 1 February 2008
ABQAIQ, January 30, 2008 -- Southern Area Oil Operations (SAOO) showcased innovations and successes at its second Engineering Forum recently, with more than 200 SAOO engineers and experts from Saudi Aramco and other companies.
The forum, under the theme “Working Smarter Toward Best-in-Class Engineering,” was held in al-Murjan Hall and connected by videoconference to rooms at Hawtah, ‘Udhailiyah, Mubarraz, Shedgum, Ain Dar, Abqaiq and Qurayyah. It was the first event in SAOO to use a videoconference system to allow participants in more remote locations to interact with the presenters and discussion-panel experts.
Forum attendees gather around an exhibit, above, of a new technology.
The two-day forum, packed with presentations, poster sessions, exhibitions and panel discussions, was sponsored by the Sea Water Injection Department.
Forum Organizing Team chairman Khalid M. Al-Shehri welcomed the participants. Key-note speaker Bahjat M. Al-Zayed, manager of the Sea Water Injection Department, stressed the importance of relying on effective engineering as rapid growth in the industry brings more challenges. “Engineering is the backbone of industry, and similar forums are stepping stones for continuous excellence,” he said. Al-Zayed urged the participants to share, discuss and learn smarter ways to improve.
One of the innovations discussed at the forum was SAOO’s simple, cost-effective way to increase the reach of coiled tubing on extended open-hole horizontal wells for acid stimulation. Conventional methods to increase productivity in such wells are expensive and risk getting the tool stuck or lost, especially in rough open holes. But by pumping a “fluid friction reducer,” SAOO successfully tested a Haradh oil well, optimizing the well-stimulation process while presenting no operational risks.
SAOO management members listen to a poster explanation.
SAOO also implemented a state-of-the-art, multi-stage fracturing stimulation technology in horizontal gas-producing wells, which effectively stimulated the entire horizontal length of the well. That had not been possible with conventional techniques. The new technique produced 3- to 10-fold gains in comparison with similar wells that were not stimulated. Plans are in place to increase the number of applications.
Forum Topics included human-resource development, new technologies, safety, reliability, innovation and energy conservation. They were followed by panel discussions.
Faysal H. Al-Khaldi, executive director of SAOO, thanked the organizing team, presenters, and panel discussion experts, saying, “The dream became a reality.”
Al-Khaldi commented on the effectiveness of videoconferencing, calling it a tool for knowledge transfer that also keeps people safe by cutting down driving time.
He expressed his happiness at the overwhelming participation from within and outside SAOO, supporting the quest to be the best company in the world.