IEM Shout Out – Talk Handling Sand Issues In The Upstream Oil & Gas Production

August 11, 2016

My technical division will be hosting a talk seminar on the 18th August, 2016. It is worth 2 CPD points, and held at Wisma IEM. The course will be presented by Ir. Ir. Dr. Eow John Son.

The presence of sands and solids in wellhead production lines are likely to cause erosion and blockage issues in the subsequent downstream equipment at oil & gas production platforms. As a consequence, dangerous incidents, such as the failures of flowlines, production vessels and control valves, have a higher risk of occurring. Moreover, oily sands discharged into the sea are also an environmental concern.

The objective of the Talk is to introduce the participants to the sand removal technologies, such as wellhead de-sanders, produced water desanding hydrocyclones, sand fluidizers, and sand cleaning systems, which are commonly used in the upstream oil & gas production platforms. Moreover, these sand removal and cleaning systems need to be designed and operated correctly to ensure optimized separation performance.

Ir. Dr. Eow John Son is Principal Engineer & Trainer with EDES Technology Sdn Bhd. He is also a Professional Engineer (BEM), and a Chartered Engineer (Engineering Council, UK). He obtained his PhD (in electrostatic water-oil separation) from the UK, and has published many technical papers in international journals and conferences. Having spent many years in multinational companies, and having worked in the UK, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia, John is well-versed in the oil & gas processes and production technologies, such as Wellhead Desander, Produced Water Treatment, Sand Separation & Management, Crude Oil Treatment, and Gas Processing for the upstream oil & gas Industry. He has worked from Technical and Commercial Proposal Stage to Detailed Engineering Stage to Commissioning Stage to Production Troubleshooting for oil & gas processes. John has conducted technical training and consultancy work for engineers and operators at Saudi Aramco, PETRONAS, Sarawak SHELL, GAIL India, etc. He is also an Assistant Professor at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).

Register here, or download the form here.


IEM Shout Out – Talk on “Managing HSE Challenges in Oil & Gas Industry”

August 10, 2016

My technical division will be hosting a talk seminar on the 17th August, 2016. It is worth 2 CPD points, and held at Wisma IEM. The course will be presented by Ir.Lee Chang Quan. Safety practitioners, fill up the seats, please.

In view of the hazards and risks associated with production, transportation, and handling of hydrocarbon, companies in the oil and gas industry have always given the pledge to have the subject of Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) as the top business priority. People may get injured or killed, and environment may be damaged. It is evident from the history that, if the hazards and risks are not managed properly, catastrophic disaster could happen, as in the case of Piper Alpha, Bhopal, or the recent one at Macondo.

Managing HSE has remained a top challenge though. In the time of market volatility since year 2015, many oil and gas companies have taken serious measures to control cost so as to survive the turbulence. It is in this time of cost pressure that the pledge of maintaining HSE as the top business priority will be tested.  This talk will look into the key HSE challenges faced in the oil and gas industry, and share on how these challenges could be managed, especially in times of turbulence.

 

Ir. Lee Chang Quan started his career as a mechanical engineer with a design engineering firm, and moved on to join a national oil company. His experience in the oil and gas industry includes engineering, procurement, installation and construction activities in plant modification and rejuvenation projects. He has led a few feasibility studies, engineering management work and managing brownfield projects. Later, he moved on to undertake operational excellence and improvement roles at business level. He is now the Health, Safety and Environment Manager with one of PETRONAS subsidiaries, formulating HSE strategies and implementation plan. He is a trained internal auditor, involving in Tier 1, 2, 3 HSE Assurance Programs. He is an active trainer in HSE programs. Occasionally, he delivers adjunct lecture to university students in the subject of mechanical engineering and safety.

Ir. Lee Chang Quan graduated from University Teknologi Malaysia with a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has a Master Degree in Business Administration from University of Nottingham. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®). He is also a committee member of the Oil, Gas and Mining Technical Division of IEM.

Register here, or download the form here.


JX Nippon gears up for Malaysia drilling campaign

August 10, 2016

Dateline 2016-06-28, Offshore Engineer:

Japan’s JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration (Malaysia) is gearing up to drill three wells offshore Malaysia after agreeing a contract for the rig for the campaign.

JX Nippon is to hire the semi-tender drilling rig SKD Berani from a SapuraKencana Petroleum subsidiary.

The contract with be for a minimum 150 days and has two option wells. The contract is expected to start by July 2016.

JX Nippon acquired blocks SK10 and SK8 offshore Sarawak, Malaysia, in 1987 and 1989 respectively. In 2012 and 2013, the firm also acquired deepwater Blocks R (offshore Sabah), 2F and 3F (offshore Sarawak).

The SKD Berani is able to drill to 6000ft water depth and was built in 2006 at Keppel Offshore & Marine in Singapore.

SapuraKencana has also announced a number of other contracts. SapuraKencana Drilling Jaya has accepted an extension to its contract with BP Trinidad & Tobago (BPTT) for the provision of the semisubmersible SKD Jaya. BPTT has extended the use of SKD Jaya for its development drilling campaign offshore Trinidad & Tobago for an additional one well for approximately 45 days, and additional work on an existing well for approximately 60 days.

In addition, SapuraKencana HL won a contract by Selex ES Malaysia, for the provision of FEED and EPCIC of the Radio Shortwave Support System project for Petronas Offshore Facilities off the west coast of Sabah, for 19 months.


Saturday Star 2016-08-06– Job Opportunities

August 8, 2016

Happy Visit Miri Again Week.

Donate to your favorite charity (me), buy my recommendations, or through my Amazon store. Or get the Young Turks series (3 books until I can get YTP republished). Where are those corporate sponsors? Or throw donations at me, my camera dive case flooded, and I need a new replacement. Heck, if you want to send me a Canon 5D Mk III plus dive case, I will not say no.

  • A mate of mine is looking for a MD/EngMan type person to help run his engineering company (the main business is skid manufacturing). He can’t handle the work volume, so you know that his oil & gas company is bucking the trend, and has a bright future ahead. If I know you, send your CV’s to me. If I don’t know you, send your CV along anyway, but note I will contact your references. I am not getting a commission for this ad, you know.
  • I’m looking for fresh meat-ish, to help with a peak work period.
  • Nothing in the papers today.
  • I’m looking for jobs for 4Q2016. Send me your POs.

Support your local bookshop!  Bookalicious at The Summit Subang is a good choice. I think they focus on trilogies, quadrilogies, and other ologies. Tell them I sent you, and enjoy the look of perplexity on their faces. Those of you who have dropped my name, thanks!

Food choice of the week? Any weight loss diet.

Let’s get a bit nostalgic with the book selection.

Wetter, Louder, Stickier: A Baby Blues Collection (Baby Blues Scrapbook), BBXX: Baby Blues: Decades 1 & 2, Bedlam


Petronas creates another record

August 7, 2016

Dateline 2016-06-27, NST:

PETROLIAM Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has achieved another milestone by receiving the tallest and heaviest propylene fractionator process column for the steam cracker facility within its Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC) in Pengerang, Johor, on Saturday. The fractionator would complement the overall development of the PIC, poised for its refinery start-up by early 2019. It also established a new record as the tallest and heaviest process column to have landed on Malaysian shores. The column measures 121.3m — equivalent to a 36-storey building — and weighs 1,808.6 tonnes. “I am proud to announce that our propylene fractionator has been recognised by the Malaysia Book of Records as the tallest and heaviest process column in Malaysia,” said Petronas senior vice-president and Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Corporation Sdn Bhd chief executive officer (CEO) Dr Colin Wong Hee Huing.


SapuraKencana Inks Deal to Sell Gas from Malaysia’s B15 Field to PETRONAS

August 6, 2016

Dateline 2016-06-27, Rigzone:

SapuraKencana Petroleum Berhad (SKPB) reported Monday that its upstream subsidiary SapuraKencana Energy Sarawak Inc. (SKE) has signed June 23 the SK310 Upstream Gas Sales Agreement for gas produced from the B15 field located offshore East Malaysia to national oil company Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS).

Facilities for the B15 gas development comprise a central processing platform with a 22 mile (35 kilometer) gas evacuation pipeline to be tied into the existing infrastructure. The field, which was discovered in December 2010 and will deliver gas to the Malaysia Liquefied Natural Gas (MLNG) complex in Bintulu, Sarawak, is scheduled to commence production in the fourth quarter of 2017.

“I would like to thank PETRONAS and the SK310 JV (joint venture) partners for their efforts in getting the project to realization. The SK310 UGSA marks SKE’s first participation in a Gas Sales Agreement for East Malaysia,” Shahril Shamsuddin, president & Group CEO of SKPB, said in the press release.

 


Tie-ups key to survival in ‘lower for longer’ oil era

August 5, 2016

Dateline 2016-06-25, NST:

In the current environment of prolonged low oil prices, dubbed the “lower for longer” era, players in the oil and gas (O&G) industry are defying the odds through collaboration. Returns may be less than favourable, but industry players are staying focused on deep-water exploration and production activities, albeit higher costs involved in initial stages for such ventures. Shell Malaysia chairman Datuk Iain Lo said the deep-water business was under pressure, like other segments in the industry, and this called for collaboration among O&G industry players in order to remain sustainable. “Collaboration is important as it brings together the best capabilities and encourages assumptions to be challenged and boundaries to be pushed. “Such effective collaboration doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a long-term commitment from the parties involved but it allows us to jointly achieve something we wouldn’t be able to do alone.


IEM Shout Out – Talk Handling Sand Issues In The Upstream Oil & Gas Production

August 4, 2016

My technical division will be hosting a talk seminar on the 18th August, 2016. It is worth 2 CPD points, and held at Wisma IEM. The course will be presented by Ir. Ir. Dr. Eow John Son.

The presence of sands and solids in wellhead production lines are likely to cause erosion and blockage issues in the subsequent downstream equipment at oil & gas production platforms. As a consequence, dangerous incidents, such as the failures of flowlines, production vessels and control valves, have a higher risk of occurring. Moreover, oily sands discharged into the sea are also an environmental concern.

The objective of the Talk is to introduce the participants to the sand removal technologies, such as wellhead de-sanders, produced water desanding hydrocyclones, sand fluidizers, and sand cleaning systems, which are commonly used in the upstream oil & gas production platforms. Moreover, these sand removal and cleaning systems need to be designed and operated correctly to ensure optimized separation performance.

Ir. Dr. Eow John Son is Principal Engineer & Trainer with EDES Technology Sdn Bhd. He is also a Professional Engineer (BEM), and a Chartered Engineer (Engineering Council, UK). He obtained his PhD (in electrostatic water-oil separation) from the UK, and has published many technical papers in international journals and conferences. Having spent many years in multinational companies, and having worked in the UK, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia, John is well-versed in the oil & gas processes and production technologies, such as Wellhead Desander, Produced Water Treatment, Sand Separation & Management, Crude Oil Treatment, and Gas Processing for the upstream oil & gas Industry. He has worked from Technical and Commercial Proposal Stage to Detailed Engineering Stage to Commissioning Stage to Production Troubleshooting for oil & gas processes. John has conducted technical training and consultancy work for engineers and operators at Saudi Aramco, PETRONAS, Sarawak SHELL, GAIL India, etc. He is also an Assistant Professor at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).

Register here, or download the form here.


IEM Shout Out – Talk on “Managing HSE Challenges in Oil & Gas Industry”

August 3, 2016

My technical division will be hosting a talk seminar on the 17th August, 2016. It is worth 2 CPD points, and held at Wisma IEM. The course will be presented by Ir.Lee Chang Quan. Safety practitioners, fill up the seats, please.

In view of the hazards and risks associated with production, transportation, and handling of hydrocarbon, companies in the oil and gas industry have always given the pledge to have the subject of Health, Safety, Environment (HSE) as the top business priority. People may get injured or killed, and environment may be damaged. It is evident from the history that, if the hazards and risks are not managed properly, catastrophic disaster could happen, as in the case of Piper Alpha, Bhopal, or the recent one at Macondo.

Managing HSE has remained a top challenge though. In the time of market volatility since year 2015, many oil and gas companies have taken serious measures to control cost so as to survive the turbulence. It is in this time of cost pressure that the pledge of maintaining HSE as the top business priority will be tested.  This talk will look into the key HSE challenges faced in the oil and gas industry, and share on how these challenges could be managed, especially in times of turbulence.

Ir. Lee Chang Quan started his career as a mechanical engineer with a design engineering firm, and moved on to join a national oil company. His experience in the oil and gas industry includes engineering, procurement, installation and construction activities in plant modification and rejuvenation projects. He has led a few feasibility studies, engineering management work and managing brownfield projects. Later, he moved on to undertake operational excellence and improvement roles at business level. He is now the Health, Safety and Environment Manager with one of PETRONAS subsidiaries, formulating HSE strategies and implementation plan. He is a trained internal auditor, involving in Tier 1, 2, 3 HSE Assurance Programs. He is an active trainer in HSE programs. Occasionally, he delivers adjunct lecture to university students in the subject of mechanical engineering and safety.

Ir. Lee Chang Quan graduated from University Teknologi Malaysia with a Bachelor Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He has a Master Degree in Business Administration from University of Nottingham. He is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP®). He is also a committee member of the Oil, Gas and Mining Technical Division of IEM.

Register here, or download the form here.


Joint efforts result in Malaysia’s first Tension Leg Platform

August 3, 2016

Dateline 2016-06-25, NST:

Malaysia’s first Tension Leg Platform (TLP), which was completed in April, is a result of a collaboration among major oil players — a signal that joint efforts are needed to remain sustainable during the “lower for longer” period. The Malikai deep-water platform was designed and built and will be operated by Malaysians. It was completed on time after 23 million man-hours, including 10 million work-hours, without a loss time injury recorded. The platform was a joint venture between Shell Malaysia as the operator (with a 35 per cent stake), ConocoPhilips Sabah (35 per cent) and Petronas Carigali Sdn Bhd (30 per cent). It was designed and engineered by Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Sdn Bhd (MMHE) and Technip. It is a major milestone on what was once deemed difficult to achieve and is a national accomplishment.