IEM Shout Out – Talk on Mastering Physical Laws: Reminders to Engineers

August 7, 2014

This is a shout out for the IEM. My Technical Division will be having a talk on Saturday 9th August, 2014 by Ir. Al-Khairi. It’ll be at 9:00am (makan-makan at 8.30am) at Wisma IEM. Due to the topic, I expect a lot of our friendly law enforcement and massive camera presence

 

A physical law or scientific law, according to the Oxford English dictionary, “is a theoretical principle deduced from particular facts, applicable to a defined group or class of phenomena, and expressible by the statement that a particular phenomenon always occurs if certain conditions be present.”Wikipedia.
So if the physical laws are always true than we can repeat success every time when the success conditions are presents. Similarly we can avert failures or even predict poor consequences whenever the conditions are met.
As long as we live in this earth the physical laws will always govern us. The questions are:

  • Are you aware of the physical laws that govern your life?
  • How can you benefits from the laws?

To be successful, you must not beat the physical laws. You must use the laws to your advantage. The physical laws are always present. We just don’t realize how to get the laws working to our favours.
To fly, you don’t ignore gravity. You use the understanding of gravity to defy falling down.
This talk will expand on the physical laws in experiential manner for you to uncover your hidden potential and what has hindered you from success. The physical laws can be used in all aspect of your life, management, business, relationship.
This talk will not only change the way you think about physics. It will make you be part of the physical world.

Ir. Al-Khairi has 20 years of experience in research, cement, oil and gas, petrochemical, oleo chemicals industries and health care facilities. He has gained various experiences in design, construction, testing and commissioning, operate and maintain facilities and plants from various multinational companies both abroad and locally. He has served in various roles as engineers and manager to the plant and facilities.

You can register here and download the flyer here.

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Posted by Wata

Major Accident Hazards (Public Nuisance)

August 6, 2014

In the world of technical safety, there is a term called Major Accident Hazard / Event (MAH / Event). It can be described as a hazard or event that cause a major accident (duh),which as defined by the UK HSE as:

  1. a fire, explosion or the release of a dangerous substance involving death or serious personal injury to persons on the installation or engaged in an activity on or in connection with it;
  2. any event involving major damage to the structure of the installation or plant affixed thereto or any loss in the stability of the installation;
  3. the collision of a helicopter with the installation;
  4. the failure of life support systems for diving operations in connection with the installation, the detachment of a diving bell used for such operations or the trapping of a diver in a diving bell or other subsea chamber used for such operations; or
  5. any other event arising from a work activity involving death or serious personal injury to five or more persons on the installation or engaged in an activity in connection with it;

As elaborated by a National Oil Company:

A Major Accident Hazard is typically a low probability, high consequence event, which requires a different approach to the occupational safety management processes.

In Malaysia, I this would also be covered under CIMAH, Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards.

I suggest a new category be put into place to cover Major Accident Hazards to public utilities, for example pollution and loss of water resources. The definition can follow that for MAH, paperwork can be as onerous (call me for help), penalties can be as sever, upto summary execution without due process (yes, I moved into sarcasm territory). I call dibs on MAH(PN).

Please note that, no matter how much you want to, one bad taxi driver cannot be a MAH(PN). I think that suggesting a taxi driver causing major damage to an institutional structure (tourism, national goodwill, etc) is too extreme, even for me.

To eliminate the cause of the MAH, or minimise the effects of the MAH, barriers are put into place (Safety Critical Elements) with a minimum expectation of performance (Performance Standard). For example, if the consequence of the MAH in question is strong BO, the SCE is use of deodorant (or seclusion from the public), with a PS criteria of daily use (or permanent exile).

Bow tie diagram taken from Highly Reliable Performance Blog published by the DOE Office of Corporate Safety Analysis (HS-30)

 

 

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Posted by Wata

2,000 people now live in fear – Baru Bian wants Petronas to explain Lawas explosion

August 5, 2014

Dateline 2014-06-11, Malaysia Chronicle:

Sarawak PKR chief has demanded Petronas conduct “a full and thorough” investigation into the cause of the explosion of its gas pipeline in Lawas earlier today and make their findings public to placate the fears of people living along the pipeline.

Baru Bian said some 2,000 people living along, or close to, the pipeline in the most northern district of the state are now living in fear as the assurance the national petroleum company gave them before they constructed the pipeline years ago is now all very hollow.

“Is this pipeline safe. To me, it is unsafe. To them, it is very unsafe following what happened today.

…

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Posted by Wata

Saturday Star 2014-08-02 – Job Opportunities

August 4, 2014

Eid Mubarak.

Buy my recommendations, or through my Amazon store. Or get the Young Turks series (all 4 books). Where are those corporate sponsors? Or throw donations at me. I need RM360 to get The Star ePaper.

  • Nothing this week (loooong weekend).

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? How if you visit Vietnam, how about visiting and updating GoHalalVietnam! for your food needs. For your other needs, talk to your local tour guide/ concierge / man on the street.

Some books for you to turn those bad numbers’ frown upside down.

  

Proofiness: The Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception, Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks, How to Lie with Statistics

Leave a Comment » | engineering, Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Sarawak’s oil royalty poser

August 3, 2014

Dateline 2014-06-10, Malaysia Chronicle:

SARAWAK Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem, just 100-odd days in office, has made a demand for an increase in oil royalty to the state from 5% to 20% a key agenda of his administration.

Last month, the state assembly passed a resolution to this effect and Adenan repeated it last week, in the presence of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in Miri.

Najib said the federal government would consider the matter.

Those who are familiar with how the formula of royalty payment to the oil producing states of Sabah, Sarawak and Terengganu works are astounded by the demand, especially asking for a 15% increase, which is ridiculously high.

It calls into question whether the Sarawak state government understands the formula, which I must add here, is rarely explained to the public by Petronas.

Hence public ignorance of the oil royalty issue.

…

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Posted by Wata

Petronas claims RM2.8 billion spent on student scholarships since 1975

August 1, 2014

Dateline 2014-06-08, The Malaysian Insider:

Petronas has spent RM2.8 billion on 21,000 students under its Petronas Education Sponsorship Programme (PESP) since 1975.

Its human resource management senior vice-president, Raiha Azni Abdul Rahman said since Petronas was established in 1974, the programe had been Petronas’s main effort in contributing to the development of sustainable human resource in the country.

Speaking at the PESP scholarship-presentation ceremony at Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) in Seri Iskandar today, Raiha Azni said Petronas planned to make Malaysia the regional hub for education and learning in oil and gas.

…

 

 

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Posted by Wata

SapuraKencana Touts Four Gas Finds Offshore Malaysia

July 31, 2014

Dateline 2014-06-09, Rigzone:

SapuraKencana Energy (SKE) announced Monday four significant gas discoveries in the SK408 Production Sharing Contract (PSC) area offshore Sarawak, Malaysia.

All four wells have discovered non-associated natural gas within the primary target Late Miocene Carbonate reservoirs. The first well, Teja-1, located southeast of the Cili Padi gas field encountered 719 feet (219 meters) of gross column whilst the Gorek-1 discovery, southeast from F23 gas field encountered a gross gas column of 771 feet (235 meters).

The third well, Legundi-1, located south of F23 gas field was drilled in a down-flank location and encountered a 456 feet (139 meters) gross gas column, and the fourth well, Larak-1, located south of F6 gas field, also drilled in a down-flank location encountered a gross gas column of 1,093 feet (333 meters).

…

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Posted by Wata

Looking beyond the oil royalty issue

July 30, 2014

Dateline 2014-06-06, Malaysiakini:

As stated in my previous article, it is not wrong for Sabah to ask for an increase in oil royalty if it can prove that the billions of ringgit distributed by the federal government through various grants are insufficient to develop the resource-rich state.

Since 2008, Sabah has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the federal financial allocation. It is also important for state leaders to convince Petronas and the federal government that the increase in oil royalty from 5 percent to 20 percent will not adversely affect the sustainability of oil production in Malaysia. While most leaders are harping on the issue continuously, none so far has been able to provide a viable solution to put an end to it.

But before the increase in oil royalty is to be considered, several factors must be put into consideration. It is wrong to assume that out of the 100 percent oil revenues that go to Petronas, only 5 percent is given to Sabah while the remaining 95 percent is ‘grabbed’ by the national oil company. This is the popular misconception among Sabahans.

…

Leave a Comment » | Malaysia, oil and gas | Permalink
Posted by Wata

Saturday Star 2014-07-26 – Job Opportunities

July 28, 2014

Eid Mubarak.

Buy my recommendations, or through my Amazon store. Or get the Young Turks series (all 4 books). Where are those corporate sponsors? Or throw donations at me. I need RM360 to get The Star ePaper.

  • Nothing this week (loooong weekend).

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? How if you visit Vietnam, how about visiting and updating GoHalalVietnam! for your food needs. For your other needs, talk to your local tour guide/ concierge / man on the street.

Some books for you to turn those bad numbers’ frown upside down.

  

Proofiness: The Dark Arts of Mathematical Deception, Bad Science: Quacks, Hacks, and Big Pharma Flacks, How to Lie with Statistics

Leave a Comment » | engineering, Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Wata

New mechanism puts inflationary pressure on rich and poor alike

July 27, 2014

Dateline 2014-06-03, Sin Chew Daily:

Once the government has put into implementation the “eligibility for subsidized fuel purchase” mechanism, those in the low and medium income bracket are not expected to be severely affected, but it is inevitable that the public will have to confront the inflation problem thanks to rising fuel cost.

The Petroleum Dealers Association of Malaysia (PDAM) hopes the new mechanism will make things convenient for vehicle owners while not excessively increasing the burden of petroleum dealers in the country.The association believes the prices of RON95 and diesel will inevitably be increased progressively.

According to the SMI Association of Malaysia once the government has specified that only those earning RM5,000 and below will be entitled to purchase subsidized fuel, small businesses will be affected.

Some believe the public will better accept the government’s plan if the subsidies saved could be used to improve on existing transportation facilities and development.of new infrastructure.

…

Leave a Comment » | Malaysia, oil and gas | Tagged: | Permalink
Posted by Wata

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