R&D Center Steps Up Pace of Progress
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Author: Larry Siegel (Saudi Aramco News)
Released 26 March 2008
DHAHRAN, March 26, 2008 -- What a difference a week can make. Over the course of five days, the Research and Development Center (R&DC) set its sights on the future as it embraced three separate but connected events.
First, R&DC launched its Technical Advisory Council (TAC). The TAC is a board of recognized authorities from outside of Saudi Aramco who will guide research programs and provide First, R&DC launched its Technical Advisory Council (TAC).
Lab scientist Abdul Akhras runs a simulation at the inauguration of the R&DC’s Computational Research Laboratory.
The TAC is a board of recognized authorities from outside of Saudi Aramco who will guide research programs and provide a wider scientific perspective.
TAC members came from around the world to meet with R&DC management on March 10-12.
The council is composed of Dr. Charles Westbrook from Lawrence Livermore Laboratory in the United States, an expert in fuel combustion; Dr. Chunshan Song from Penn State University in the United States, to advise on refining processes; Dr. Soliman Al-Khowaiter, former director of the Petroleum and Petrochemicals Research Institute, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology; Harry Audus, former director of the International Energy Authority and general manager of the Greenhouse Gas Project; Dr. Horst Hahn from the Karlsruhe Nanotechnology Laboratory in Germany; and Dr. Gerrit Voordouw from Calgary University, Canada, a leader in biotechnology applications in oil fields.
“The TAC is vital to our development because these experts are all from areas of research that have been targeted as the primary focus of our R&D,” said R&DC manager Omar S. Abdul-Hamid.
The R&DC Technical Advisory Council met with R&DC and Saudi Aramco leaders in Dhahran. From left are Omar S. Abdulhamid, Dr. Charles Westbrook, Chunshan Song, Khalid A. Al-Falih, Dr. Soliman Al-Khowaiter, Harry Audus and Horst Hahn.
“They will suggest improvements and subject our work to the highest possible critique. They represent an important link to the latest advances in techniques and technology and will keep us independently informed about industry trends, technology breakthroughs and cutting-edge academic research,” Abdul-Hamid said. “We are also asking the TAC members to challenge our own scientists to keep pushing the boundaries in relation to their projects.”
During the three-day visit, council members were given a grounding in the structure and research programs of the R&DC. They also heard detailed project reviews by the center’s leading scientists as part of the TAC’s program assessment.
They also met with Khalid A. Al-Falih, executive vice president of Operations, to discuss their roles and expectations and to present their initial impressions.
In the future, the TAC will meet twice a year and be in contact with its counterparts at R&DC throughout the year. Al-Falih welcomed them into their new advisory capacity for the company and outlined the central role for technology development in the company’s strategic plans.
Tour de Force
The second event took place on March 15 and included a presentation to Al-Falih; Salim S. Al-Aydh, senior vice president of Engineering and Project Management; and Isam A. Al-Bayat, vice president of Engineering Services.
The presentation was a complete and thorough briefing on major R&D projects as well as future strategy. The ultimate vision, presenters said, is for R&DC to become a world-leading center for oil and gas research and development.
In addition, Al-Falih was shown the progress made in the three targeted areas of undisputed global leadership - whole crude oil desulfurization, petroleum fuel formulation for emerging engine designs and carbon management, which includes managing emissions and using oil as a feedstock for hydrogen fuel.
“Our objective was to provide senior management with a complete understanding of our current, as well as future, activities,” said Abdul-Hamid.
It worked. According to Al-Falih, “We had set an ambitious vision for the R&DC, and although we are fully aware that the nature of R&D requires a long time to see results, we still came to the review with high expectations. They exceeded our expectations in their focus, accomplishments, future plans and especially the caliber of people they have. We encourage the team to continue on this path as we stand behind and cheer them in this endeavor.”
The executives toured some of the center’s newest, most advanced capabilities - including the new $1.3 million Fourier Transform Ion Cyclotron Mass Spectrometer, the $4 million investment in the Single Cylinder Research Engine and lab, and the $5 million Hydrodesulfurization Pilot Plant. The executives also participated in a ribbon-cutting event to introduce the brand new Computational Research Laboratory (CRL). Dr. Maher Shariff, a research scientist in computational fluid dynamics, gave a brief overview of the CRL’s potential.
Designed to provide numerical modeling and virtual experimentation, the CRL will be invaluable in obtaining critical data far quicker. Shariff also presented some 3-D visualizations of crude oil separation and stabilization, the coalescence of an oil droplet and a hydrodesulfurization reaction.
Total Alignment
At R&DC’s Employees’ PMP Goal-Setting Event are, clockwise from lower left, Omer Koseoglu, Gordon Jamieson, Yoann Violett, Ahmed Naimi, Alexander Rebrov, Johnson Athimoottil and Bill Sheppard.
On March 17, the final piece of the puzzle was added when every R&DC employee was shown the identical presentation given to the TAC and corporate management. Called the Research and Development Center Employees’ PMP (Performance Management Program) Goal-Setting Event, this daylong cafe-style gathering ensured that every employee fully understood R&DC activities and plans.
“Everyone in R&DC must be an integral part of our plans,” said Abdul-Hamid. “If we are going to continue to make excellent progress, the entire team must be rowing together.”
The Leadership Center’s Larry Brumsey showed R&DC employees and leaders how to set specific goals that would enhance research projects. The fact that the employees collectively set PMP goals and motivate each other to meet them in partnership with the leaders’ goals is a Saudi Aramco first, according to Emad Kohaji, superintendent of Facility Services Division.
“Our employees are highly educated and experienced, said Bashir Dabbousi, coordinator of the R&D Division. “They are responsible for our organization’s continuing ability to progress to the next levels. We expect their input to this process to be crucial.”
Commitment to Progress
According to R&DC business manager Paul Frazer, “Science is like running a long-distance race, not a sprint. We don’t start, then stop and rest. We have to keep working to keep pace with developments around the world.”
“The significance of TAC, Al-Falih’s visit and the involvement of our employees in the all-hands event is to make sure we are all aimed at the same target,” said Abdul-Hamid about the PMP goal-setting session. “We have made incredible progress over a short period of time, but we have a very long way to go and we need everyone’s involvement.”
A perpetual motion machine may be impossible, but R&DC is aiming for perpetual momentum.