Ensuring Saudi Arabia`s energy supply of tomorrow, today

Sun
The Arabian
Vol. LXX, No. 13, April 1, 2015
Aramco Asia launches sites
Aramco Asia and its satellite offices in the Far East launch
a series of websites for their multiple business locations.
... page 3
Ensuring
Saudi Arabia’s
energy supply
of tomorrow,
today
n T
he development of the Karan Field in Saudi Arabia’s northeast is just one element of the company’s multi-pronged efforts to harness the Kingdom’s vast gas deposits as a means for ensuring the
Kingdom’s energy and economic future.
Cover
Story
Beginning with the development of
Saudi Aramco’s Master Gas System
some 40 years ago, the company has
seen steady growth of its gas program,
including the development of plants in
Haradh, Hawiyah, Karan, Khursaniyah and
soon-to-be fully functional operations in
Wasit and Fadhili.
Saudi Aramco by the Numbers
9 million
barrels of crude oil were saved by implementation of the
Peak Seasonal Production Strategic Plan that targets prolific reservoirs, implements best reservoir management
practices, and optimizes gas production priorities and
spare plant capacity to minimize the amount of supplemental crude oil burned.
The Gas Reservoir Management
Department (GRMD) is responsible
for the company’s nonassociated gas
program, with 700 wells that produce
close to 8 billion scfd of raw gas with
425,000 barrels per day of condensate.
With more than 100 professionals
focused on developing the Kingdom’s
nonassociated gas reserves, GRMD has
thrived.
RT hosts Arabian horse show
The RT Ranch
Association shares its
passion with first show.
... page 12
Concerted efforts to implement
novel technology and new initiatives
have substantially accelerated the
Kingdom’s gas development program.
With its history of success in developing
and expanding the program, Saudi Aramco
is confident about its ability to support the
Kingdom’s energy sectors and strengthen
its economic growth for many more years
to come.
See full story
on pages 5-8
Al Abdulkarim named general manager
of CS Projects and Technical Services
Mohammed A.
Al Abdulkarim has been
appointed general
manager of Community
Services Projects and
Technical Services,
effective today, April 1.
... page 3
2 The Arabian Sun | April 1, 2015
JAWAHER B. ABULHAMAYEL
DHAHRAN — Chief position holders
and supervisors from all human resource
(HR) departments convened recently for
the second HR Strategy Forum.
The engaging and interactive forum
provided an opportunity to review successes in 2014, align the organization’s
leaders on key business deliverables for
2015-2017 and discuss risks and mitigations to delivery. The forum was designed to break down silos between
departments and encourage collaboration as a key enabler to success.
Huda M. Al-Ghoson, executive director of HR, kicked off the forum by
recounting the HR journey from reorganization in April 2014 to “one team” in
2015. She highlighted major accomplishments, including recruiting, leadership
development, the behavior program,
key policies and programs, and a more
comprehensive approach to providing
HR support across all business lines and
admin areas. She emphasized that none
of this could have been accomplished in
isolation — it took teamwork and collaboration — and that success in 2015
could only be realized by HR improving
its ability to operate as “one team.”
Members of the HR management
team led each session, with the audience interacting in discussions and exercises. The highlight of the event, a
strategy café, was led not by HR management but by everyday team members. The café was organized into 10
booths — one for each major segment
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Your Voice
The art of
chilling
Your Voice reflects the thoughts and
opinions of the writer and not
necessarily those of the publication.
n
Company News
F
ocused on the concept of “one team,” chief position holders from all HR departments recently gathered for the second HR Strategy
Forum held in Dhahran. The event also featured a strategy café, which featured 10 booths, one for each major segment of HR.
of HR. Each booth was manned by presenters who showcased their department, focusing on 2015 objectives and
challenges.
The presenters not only discussed
their departments but also illustrated
their organizations through video, posters and other media. The audience was
divided into small groups, which rotated
every 10 minutes, allowing attendees
to ask questions of all departments in a
more personal setting.
“As we planned the event, we knew
one marker of success would be if the
Studies around the world
have shown that anxiety leading to stressful lifestyles is the
major cause of many modern
illnesses that appears in various forms such as cognitive
defects, emotional depression,
and physical tiredness, as well
as abnormal behavior.
Adapting to such stress is
not an option because of its
destructive consequences on
our most precious asset: our
body. For that, chilling became
a famous word whenever we
wanted to make efforts to
counsel or coach overstressed
people.
Chill is defined in its most
basic phrase as a sensation of
coldness. Yet, there is more to
the word than meets the eye.
It is recognized by psychotherapists as one healing tool. Chill
has even been scripted by specialists in the talent stimulation
field as a confidence-building
secret and a common behavior
The Arabian Sun is a weekly publication issued
free of charge by the Public Relations Department
for Saudi Aramco employees.
Room 87, Dhahran Heights, Building 9156, D Wing,
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Telephone, 876-0374; Email: [email protected]
ISSN: 1319-156X
participants tried to stay at each booth
for too long because they were so engaged with the content. And that’s exactly what happened. They actually
wanted more time,” said Daniela King,
HR Strategy lead. “We felt really good
about that. People were learning and interacting.”
The café was followed by a plenary
session to work out how HR could overcome challenges, which ranged from
improving collaboration to driving efficiencies and streamlining processes to
understanding how to better incorpo-
Ajdal Al-Sulami
Ras Tanura
[email protected]
of successful people.
Steve Miller, in his book “7
Secrets of Confidence” has
identified chilling as a fundamental set of behaviors that, if
used effectively and efficiently,
can result in building robust
self-esteem, which in turn supports the best decision making.
Saying something has always been easier than doing it.
Director, Publishing Division:
Haitham Jehairan
Editors: Jamsheed Din, Todd Williams
Editorial staff: Eamonn Houston, Scott Baldauf,
Jeff McCoshen and Rawan Nasser.
rate the four critical behaviors.
“It’s not just what we deliver, but
how we deliver,” said Badr Harbi, supervisor of Non-employee Programs Recruitment. “We have to embrace our four
critical behaviors — collaboration, empowerment, people conversations and
decision making — so that we can better serve our customers.”
The Strategy Forum will be a regular event for HR, though the format will
change according to business needs.
“It’s a great start to what we know will
be a great year,” Al-Ghoson said.
A drifting business life will never give us the opportunity to
chill or allow us to retreat and
reform, however, it is our decision on how to make our day
wrap around us.
Healthy spirits will definitely
result in healthy bodies and
will sustain us throughout our
life experiences, where success
and failure overlap repetitively.
Give it a try, and seek those
relaxing moments through
physical activities and wellness
programs.
There are many activities
out there that can help us
“chill” and restore our energy
and focus. The most active and
cost-effective way is to exercise. A fixed and attainable exercise schedule three to four
times a week can have a magical effect on how we feel and
will also adapt our minds and
bodies to different levels of
stress, not to mention the improvement exercise can provide
in our appearance.
Yoga and other mental
therapies are more difficult
to conduct given the particular environment in which
they should be practiced.
However, such therapy will
certainly help in clearing
one’s mind and adjusting
one’s breathing.
A final tip for those who
wish to “chill” would be to
manage time appropriately
and to avoid overwhelming
one’s schedule with all sorts
of stressful issues. These
should be broken down into
easier subjects to handle.
In other words, be selfish in
those times when you feel
that your lifestyle has become too stressful.
Brand yourself, invest
in a healthy lifestyle, and
sense the difference you
may feel toward repeating
the same episode or living a
more stress-free existence.
Correspondence may be addressed to the editor,
R-87, Dhahran Heights, Building 9156 (D Wing)
Articles may be reproduced provided The Arabian
Sun is credited.
Printed by:
April 1, 2015 | The Arabian Sun 3
Company News
n
ressing the button to launch Aramco Asia’s five new websites, Khalid A. Al-Falih, Saudi Aramco president and CEO, noted that the new sites will increase corporate brand awareness,
P
support business growth in the dynamic Far East market, and bring a local and cultural touch to our business dealings there.
Connecting to the world: Websites launched
SHANSHAN LIU and HOWIE WANG
BEIJING — Aramco Asia’s five new
websites were officially launched last week
by Saudi Aramco president and CEO Khalid
A. Al-Falih.
As the culmination of a cross-company
effort, the launch was also attended by Aramco Asia president Ibrahim Al Buainain,
Aramco Asia management and employees.
“The new Aramco Asia websites mark
a new era for the digital communication in
this rapidly growing region,” said Al-Falih.
“In addition to increasing corporate brand
awareness, these websites will also support
our business growth in these dynamic markets by making us more accessible to our
business partners and customers with a local and cultural touch.”
Celebrating the addition of the five
new websites, Saudi Aramco’s executive
director of Corporate Affairs Nasser A. Al
Nafisee, said: “The websites will deliver
value to all business functions by better engaging key stakeholders, helping them carry out their operations more effectively and
bridging any gaps between the Aramco
enterprise and its business partners. This is
all part of our quest to be the world’s leading supplier of energy and petrochemicals
in 2020.” Al Nafisee also indicated that the
driving force behind this project is the new
Aramco corporate brand positioning strategy.
The development of these websites
presented Aramco Asia with both challenges and opportunities. The key communications objectives across all four key
Asian markets stem from the digital channel strategy and mark the culmination of
a three-month “discovery” phase to fully
understand the audiences, businesses, and
competition. The team also worked to ensure a first-class user experience and to create a brand-consistent digital presence for
the world’s leading energy supplier.
But the challenge was how to adapt
these communication objectives to each
market, in terms of outlining the content
strategy and functional requirements. The
key point of differentiation lies in the localized content of each website and the way
it is communicated to its intended audience: Business partners; customers; suppliers; and specialized interest groups such as
prospective employees, academics, or the
media.
Al Buainain said the websites will raise
the profile of the company in the emerging Asian region while providing a solid
communications platform to showcase the
company’s abundant business opportunities.
“The new Aramco Asia
websites mark a new
era for the digital communication in this rapidly growing region.”
— Khalid A. Al-Falih
He added that they cater to the needs
of the offices in China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, which serve 10 markets
across the Asia-Pacific region.
Aramco Asia Public Affairs teams in
China, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore
followed a collaborative 10-week process
to create, review and refine each piece of
content in cooperation with the contracted
digital agency. More than 170 pages of
unique content were created across four
websites, in four different languages.
“Through this process, we were able to
consolidate information from each corner
of the business and present it in a way that
truly resonates with our stakeholders,”
said Waleed Al Helal, director of Public Affairs, Aramco Asia.
The website design focused on creating localized and culturally aligned country
sites, while staying true to the company’s
new brand positioning and messaging. Users in the Asian markets will see localized
content relevant to their needs with a familiar and consistent user experience and
structure that is applied across all Saudi Aramco Web properties.
Responsive design — an approach that
makes use of flexible layouts to allow content to be viewed across an entire range
of devices — has been employed throughout. That means the user can view the
same website on an iPad, laptop, or mobile
phone and it will automatically load in the
layout most appropriate for the screen size.
Technically, the websites share the same
underlying code, hosting environment,
and market-leading content management
system as their big brother, www.SaudiAramco.com. This provides a high level
of efficiency, consistency, and scalability to
the websites, allowing for easy creation of
Web pages, sharing of digital assets, and
the ability to share relevant content between markets.
You can visit the websites at:
• asia.aramco.com
• china.aramco.com
• korea.aramco.com
• japan.aramco.com
• singapore.aramco.com.
Al Abdulkarim named GM of Community Services Projects and Technical Support
DHAHRAN — Saudi Aramco has appointed Mohammed A. Al Abdulkarim as general
manager of Community Services Projects and
Technical Support, effective April 1. Prior to
this appointment, Al Abdulkarim worked as
manager of Mega-Projects for the Jazan Refinery and Economic City Projects Department for
one year.
Before joining the Jazan Project, he completed the highly profiled Manifa Projects,
leading the Project Management team as a
manager, where he exemplified an ability to
successfully deliver complex and challenging
projects, such as Manifa.
Under his leadership, the Manifa team suc-
cessfully completed the Manifa Program, meeting project objectives with an impressive safety
record, below budget, and it was completed
three months ahead of schedule, accomplishing startup in the first quarter of 2013. Manifa
has been an award-winning project for the
company, garnering several important mentions in international project publications.
During his time with the Manifa Projects
Department, Al Abdulkarim’s dedication to
safety and Saudization played a key role in attaining and maintaining a high level of safety
awareness and successful Saudization program
implementation.
Prior to the Manifa Project, he built up his
career in Project Management through various
assignments, escalating in responsibility, and
covering a diversity of projects from Upstream,
Downstream, Infrastructure, Pipelines and various Community Services projects across the
Kingdom. In addition, Abdulkarim participated
in various taskforces and committees assigned
under Project Management and completed
short assignments in Operations.
Al Abdulkarim holds a B.S. in Engineering
from King Fahd University of Petroleum and
Minerals in Dhahran. He attended numerous
managerial and development programs, and
attended the Executive Program at London
Business School.
Mohammed A. Al Abdulkarim
4 The Arabian Sun | April 1, 2015
Company News
“The Middle East uses 80 percent of the available
water resources, while states in other regions of
the world, such as Latin America and the Caribbean, use only 2 percent.”
— Ahmad Al-Baghdadi
“Saudi Aramco is a pioneer in the field of water conservation. We
invested in the company’s sewage treatment facilities and nearly
75 percent of wastewater produced by the company’s communities
and operational facilities is being reused.”
— Hany K. Abu Khadra
Tapping technology, innovation for reliable water
MOHAMMED ADARBEH
AL-KHOBAR — Under the patronage of HE Abdullah Al-Hussayen, Minister of Water and Electricity, and in the
presence of Ahmad Al-Baghdadi, Deputy Minister for Water Affairs, the 2015
Water Arabia Conference and Exhibition
was recently held in al-Khobar under
the theme “Innovative & Reliable Water
and Wastewater Technologies for Sustainable Water Quality.”
Hundreds of academics and environment and water affairs experts representing specialized companies from
various government and private sectors
inside and outside of Saudi Arabia participated in the three-day conference,
which included seminars and technical
workshops.
The event was jointly organized by
the Saudi Arabian Water Environment
Association (SAWEA), Ministry of Water
and Electricity, Water Environment Federation (WEF), International Desalination
Association (IDA) and Dammam University, with major sponsorship support
from Saudi Aramco.
At the opening session, Hany K.
Abu Khadra, executive director of Saudi Aramco’s Community Services Department and conference committee
chairman, outlined the conference program, pointing to the most prominent
specialized workshops. He invited attendees to take advantage of the technical exhibition, where Saudi Aramco
had a significant presence through its
network of employees sharing their expertise.
Abu Khadra said the conference has
come a long way since its inception six
years ago. The conference has received
solid support from the government,
which has provided SR6 billion to support projects and studies that seek to
achieve water security in the Kingdom.
“Saudi Aramco is a pioneer in the
field of water conservation,” said Abu
Khadra. “We invested in the company’s
Photo: Michael Temporas/MPD
n
undreds of academics and environment and water affairs experts participate in the
H
three-day Water Arabia Conference in al-Khobar.
sewage treatment facilities and nearly 75
percent of wastewater produced by the
company’s communities and operational
facilities is being reused. By contributing
to the preservation of precious groundwater in the Kingdom, the company
seeks to achieve the well-being and prosperity of future generations.”
He said the urgency of this issue requires everyone to make efforts to reach
innovative solutions, such as the use of
renewable energy in wastewater treatment and improving the efficiency of traditional uses of energy.
The future of water
In his speech, Al-Baghdadi stressed
the sensitivity of the water situation in
Saudi Arabia due to population growth
and relatively scarce water resources. He
also noted that water conservation, the
search for new technical methods and cooperation among states in the exchange
of expertise and experiences on the water
issue is now urgently needed to preserve
water resources in the Kingdom.
“The Middle East uses 80 percent of
the available water resources, while states
in other regions of the world, such as Latin America and the Caribbean, use only 2
percent,” he noted.
Al-Baghdadi thanked Saudi Aramco
for its efforts at the technical level and for
sponsoring the conference, praising the
company for its culture of building longterm strategic objectives to provide water
solutions for a secure future for the coming generations.
Saudi Aramco’s scientific
and technical presence
Saudi Aramco offered six specialized
scientific presentations in the technical program of the conference about the
company’s experience regarding techniques and methods used in wastewater
treatment and reuse.
Zubair Aziz Khan from the Environmental Protection Department in the
Western Region made a presentation
titled “Revision of Water Security” in
which he spoke about practices that can
be adopted daily to rationalize water
consumption.
On the topic of modern technology
in the design of water networks, Ihssan
Ansari from the Utilities and Technical
Support Department gave a specialized
interactive presentation, with audience
members raising many questions about
optimal means used.
Adel Badghaish from the Consulting
Services Department, Umapathy Dharmaraj from the Shaybah Producing Department, Ziyad Ahmad and Thamer
Al-Mutairi from the Water and Sewage
Department and David Goode from the
Project Support Department gave distinctive presentations on techniques that
help to preserve water resources in the
region.
Saudi Aramco’s exhibition booth,
where educational booklets on methods
of water conservation and highlighting
the company’s efforts were distributed,
drew large crowds.
Achievements recognized
The WEF Public Education Award recognizes individual achievements that
promote and support the development
of public awareness programs. This major global award for 2014 was given to
Mahmoud Al-Muiqel, a SAWEA board
member who is currently a supervisor
at Saudi Aramco’s Utilities and Technical
Support Department.
Al-Muiqel was selected for his outstanding efforts in educating youth
about water conservation, as he organized many visits to Saudi Aramco’s
Sewage Treatment Plant, and provided
several training programs for school students in the Dhahran area.
The Arthur Sidney Bedell Award,
given out by WEF in recognition of
the efforts of one of its members, was
awarded to Abdul Hamid Al-Mansur,
SAWEA’s director.
April 1, 2015 | The Arabian Sun 5
Cover Story
No point in the history of the Kingdom has seen a drive to
develop an alternative for power more than the current efforts
to replace crude oil as Saudi Arabia’s main source of power
generation.
Replacing crude oil for power generation is no easy task, but
Saudi Aramco is up to the challenge. With a long history of
successes behind it and new technologies and initiatives ahead,
we are confident about the ability of gas development to
support Saudi Arabia’s energy sectors.
Gas development has a long history at Saudi Aramco, spanning
back 40 years with the development of the Master Gas System.
Today, the company has invested in both conventional and
nonconventional methods to increase the Kingdom’s energy
capacity.
Ensuring Saudi Arabia’s
Energy Supply
of Tomorrow, Today
ZILLUR RAHIM, MIKE HASS, AND ADNAN AL-KANAAN
The history of Saudi Arabia’s gas program has
been rich in achievements and growth over the
past 40 years.
In 1975, the Kingdom initiated the Master
Gas System (MGS), which became operational
by 1977 with the commissioning of the Berri,
Shedgum and ’Uthmaniyah gas plants to process
the associated gas that is recovered with oil
production. Associated gas is found dissolved in
solution with the oil, or as a free “gas cap” above
the oil in the reservoir.
In 1984, the nonassociated gas
from the ’Uthmaniyah and Shedgum Khuff reservoirs was introduced
into the MGS. Nonassociated gas is
found in natural gas reservoirs that
do not contain crude oil but may
have condensate in solution. In 2001
and 2003, two new grass root gas
plants in the Hawiyah and Haradh areas were put fully onstream to process only nonassociated gas, followed
by the Hawiyah gas plant expansion
along with the Hawiyah natural gas
liquid (NGL) recovery plant. Furthermore, the Khursaniyah gas plant (KGP)
went onstream in 2010 to process associated gas, and later in 2012, the
KGP facilities were expanded to process nonassociated gas from Karan
Technology is at the forefront
of Saudi Aramco’s efforts to
tap its vast gas resources, from
exploration (left) throughout
the Kingdom to the use of
high-strength irregular shaped
proppants to extract the most from
those resources.
reservoir Khuff gas.
The gas program’s future is
bright with the addition of two new
gas plants, Wasit and Fadhili, expected to come onstream in 2015
and 2018, respectively, along with
another new plant in Abqaiq, which
will process gas from the Abqaiq
and Berri Khuff gas fields. Overall,
the new gas plants will raise the raw
gas feed for the MGS to almost 20
billion standard cubic feet per day
(Bscfd).
Delineation program
The delineation and deepening
initiatives to ascertain conventional
6 The Arabian Sun | April 1, 2015
and tight gas resources in and around
existing fields have resulted in the discovery of new reservoirs and added reserves by extending the field limits.
Deepening selected wells to the
pre-Khuff sandstone level after drilling
through the primary Khuff carbonate
target is a cost-effective method to assess new formations in existing fields
and to expand the reserves portfolio.
This strategy, along with new discoveries and improved production due to the
use of novel technologies, increased
the nonassociated gas reserves by 70
percent in the past 10 years. The current yearly addition through the continuation of such strategies will replenish
production and increase reserves cost
effectively to help meet the Kingdom’s
increasing energy requirement.
Underbalanced coiled tubing
drilling rigless
An example of a new technology
application is underbalanced coiled
tubing drilling rigless, which is a “game
changer” for the gas program. It has
increased the total productivity of tiedin low rate gas producers by 1.3 Bscfd,
with more wells identified and planned
for coiled tubing workover without using a conventional rig.
The rigless unit uses slim drilling
assemblies to place multi-slim laterals within the reservoir while flowing
the well and transferring the produced
gas to the nearest processing facility
throughout the drilling operation —
eliminating flaring and protecting the
environment.
Over the past five years, many low
rate gas wells were re-drilled with this
application, which delivered higher gas
rates, reduced drilling time, and lowered unit development cost compared
to conventional drilling.
Meeting domestic energy
requirements with gas
The Peak Seasonal Production (PSP)
Strategic Plan is to meet domestic power requirements by supplying additional
gas during peak demand periods —
to reduce burning crude oil — which
has worked successfully by targeting
prolific reservoirs, implementing best
reservoir management practices, and
n
“
This is a recognition of the
entire team.
This award is
for every single
one of the 150
professionals
who worked
on and supported the
gas program,”
said Adnan
A. Al-Kanaan,
who has been
manager of the
Gas Reservoir
Management
Department
since its inception.
Cover Story
optimizing gas production priorities
and spare plant capacity to minimize
the volumes of supplemental crude oil
burned.
Last year, 9 million barrels of crude
oil were saved. Since starting the PSP
strategy in 2010, there has been about
an 85 percent reduction in the volumes
of supplemental crude oil burned,
amounting to 35 million barrels. The
goal is to fully offset the supplemental
crude oil burning in the Eastern region
in the coming years by capitalizing on
full continuous production of the Karan
field, the ongoing Wasit and Fadhili
gas plant developments, other new
planned gas plants and increments,
and fully utilizing the dedicated PSP.
Offshore developments
Saudi Aramco has been exploring,
developing, and producing hydrocarbons for more than 80 years, but it
was not until 2011 that the Karan field
— the first offshore nonassociated gas
field — was put in to production. Saudi Aramco developed the Karan gas
field — located in one of the busiest oil
tanker shipping areas in the world —
in record time from exploration to production.
The field was discovered in 2006
and was put into early production in
July 2011 — just five years after discovery and three years after the final
investment decision. The Karan field
is Saudi Aramco’s first offshore nonassociated gas development to be “fast
tracked,” with 21 startup wells drilled
down to 14,000 feet subsea from
five multi-well slot platforms in a water depth of 175 feet, completed with
7-inch monobore tubing completions
to meet the required well production
rates. The gas is used for domestic consumption to meet the Kingdom’s energy needs for the foreseeable future,
resulting in a significant reduction of
crude oil burning that would otherwise
be required to generate energy.
The new Arabiyah and Hasbah offshore Khuff reservoir gas field increments are on track to supply gas to the
new grass root Wasit Gas Plant, which
has a planned completion date in
2015. The Arabiyah and Hasbah fields
are being developed with big bore
n
F
rom left, Tasneem T. Sharif, Zillur Rahim, Adnan A. Al-Kanaan, Hamoud A. Anazi, and Danah A. A
Gas Reservoir Management Department work together to make the company’s nonassociated ga
raw gas daily.
9-inch completions rated at 10,000
pounds per square inch working pressure for the first time in the world to
supply gas for Saudi Arabia to meet its
increasing energy demand.
The big bore concept reduced the
well count from 34 conventional 7-inch
wells to 13 big bore completed wells,
thereby saving significant upstream
costs and providing much more production flexibility to meet gas demand.
The new Fadhili nonassociated gas processing plant, with a completion date
of 2018, is designed to process gas
production from the offshore Hasbah
gas field and from the Khursaniyah onshore gas field.
Gas Reservoir Management
Department
The Gas Reservoir Management Department (GRMD) is responsible for the
company’s nonassociated gas program,
with 700 wells that produce close to 8
Bscfd of raw gas with 425,000 barrels
per day of condensate. With more than
100 professionals focused on developing the Kingdom’s nonassociated gas
reserves, GRMD has thrived under the
building blocks of attracting a talented
and qualified workforce, establishing a
healthy and creative working environment and empowering staff to make
decisions to handle the challenges and
workload required to meet the Kingdom’s future gas needs. A large percentage of the development budget
over the next 10 years is dedicated to
the conventional gas program to meet
the increasing gas demand. By identifying a robust gas development program,
new technologies and the necessary
“This is a recognition of
award is for every singl
sionals who worked on
program.”
staffing levels, the department is well
positioned to meet these goals.
GRMD is committed to the “Energy
to the Kingdom” initiative in the Accelerated Transformation Program for the
gas program’s role in identifying additional gas resources and increasing gas
supply. The department continues to
steward new technologies within the
gas program to enhance production
and increase reserves.
New technologies include seismic
imaging to identify “sweet” spots,
long extended reach horizontal wells
to improve reservoir contact, multistage fracture stimulation to enhance
production from relatively tighter formations, underbalanced coiled tubing
drilling to tap into productive layers,
and evaluating the feasibility of using
low-pressure systems to significantly
decrease field abandonment pressures
and increase production and ultimate
gas recovery. These are being used to
produce gas that otherwise would not
be recovered using conventional methods.
These endeavors and the continuous testing and application of novel
technologies have increased the suc-
April 1, 2015 | The Arabian Sun 7
Cover Story
Alsana review an open-hole log from a recently drilled ‘Uthmaniyah area gas well. Members of the
as program a success, helping manage 700 wells that produce about 8 billion standard cubic feet of
f the entire team. This
le one of the 150 profesand supported the gas
— Adnan A. Al-Kanaan
cess rate and significantly enriched
Saudi Aramco’s gas program.
Technical talent
Meeting the technical talent requirement plays a major role in the expansion of the nonassociated gas program
in new frontiers, as well as in expanding the life of existing fields through
the introduction of innovative evaluation techniques and new technology.
GRMD works in close collaboration
with geoscientists, drilling, facility and
production engineers, as well as completion, stimulation, and production
specialists, to ensure that overall well
and field development criteria are followed and met.
Reservoir management engineers
are key enablers in optimizing field development, maximizing property value,
evaluating production performance,
ensuring reservoir health, and they are
responsible for supplying and sustaining nonassociated gas production for
the Kingdom. All GRMD engineers are
specialized in general reservoir engineering, as well as many other petroleum engineering disciplines such as
well completion and hydraulic fractur-
ing, rock and fluid properties, pressure
transient testing, and production forecasting.
The qualified young professionals
are closely mentored by senior staff
to receive the proper knowledge and
training to meet future challenges of
producing oil and gas in more complex
reservoirs. GRMD has positioned itself
to meet these challenges by hiring the
most talented workforce possible, providing world-class training, and empowering them to perform their tasks.
Great leadership
Over the years, the GRMD, which
is responsible for all nonassociated gas
production operations in the Kingdom,
has demonstrated strong leadership to
attain the goals and objectives set by
Saudi Aramco securing a prestigious
position within the international oil
and gas industry. The integrity, optimism, and motivation among the engineers, and the collaboration with other
departments, have led to remarkable
achievements, while all tasks were performed with professionalism, knowledge, and dedication.
Adnan A. Al-Kanaan, who has been
leading the department as manager
since its inception, received the prestigious 2014 “Production Manager of
the Year” award from the Oil and Gas
Middle East (OGME). While receiving
the award in a ceremony conducted in
Abu Dhabi, UAE, Al-Kanaan said: “This
is a recognition of the entire team. This
award is for every single one of the
150 professionals who worked on and
n
A dual well packer assembly provides added isolation.
8 The Arabian Sun | April 1, 2015
n
Cover Story
Multistage fracturing in a horizontal well.
management engineer makes that decision based on experience and extensive data analyses and modeling.
Simulation modeling is routinely
performed to compute the number of
optimal transverse fractures needed
to achieve the desired well production
rate and the dimensions and properties of these induced fractures. Rigorous modeling with the best available
data has enabled the engineers to design and select the optimal completion and stimulation practices, optimize
well placement and spacing, and attain
higher well productivity.
In essence, MSF technology and its
application has made a great impact on
overall gas production, changed low
rate gas wells to commercially valuable
ones, and made gas field development
economically viable.
supported the gas program.”
Hydraulic fracturing industry leader
Multistage fracturing (MSF) in horizontal wells has been a major development initiative for Saudi Aramco’s
gas program, especially compared to
dual lateral and vertical stimulated well
methods. This technique includes drilling a well in the minimum horizontal
in situ stress direction, installing a completion assembly comprised of injection
ports and zonal isolation packers, and
fracturing the well in multiple stages.
The induced fractures grow transverse to the wellbore, thereby staying
independent and separated from one
another and contributing to the reservoir/fracture contact area. GRMD initiated several environmentally friendly
optimization strategies to enhance the
MSF technology that was tested successfully, thereby increasing well potential and sustainability. Saudi Arabia
today is internationally recognized in
the field of hydraulic fracturing, contributing to its technical enhancement,
and deriving immense benefits from
its application by achieving higher and
sustained gas rates.
The significant improvement of gas
production and transforming low producing areas to commercially viable assets with the use of MSF has made this
technology important to the overall gas
field development strategy.
Since its inception, MSF has made
substantial progress in improving and
optimizing the conventional practices in both stimulation treatments and
completion assemblies with the testing and use of high strength irregular shaped proppant, retarded acids,
emulsified systems, low polymer nondamaging fluids, advanced open hole
multistage completion assemblies,
cased plug and perforation stimulation
procedures, and innovative sequential
pumping operations.
As opposed to conventional proppants — which are mostly well-sorted
sand grains — high strength proppants
are made of special materials, such as
ceramic or bauxite that can withstand
very high closure stress and overburden
pressure without becoming deformed
and losing permeability. The appropriate use of such proppants also resists
gel damage, high temperature degradation, embedment, and crushing. Although proppants are usually round or
oval in shape, newly obtained irregular
shape proppants, which will provide
even higher long-term permeability
n
Clean fracture fluids such as this shown above have helped bring Saudi Aramco’s gas
program to the fore. The significant improvement of production and transforming low
producing areas to commercially viable assets with the use of multistage fracturing has
made this technology vital to the overall gas field development strategy.
and restrict proppant flow back during
production, are now being tested. The
proppant flow back challenge is currently being mitigated with the use of
resin-coated proppants that stick the
proppants together, thereby restricting
the movement but that also reduces
the proppant permeability, something
that needs to be avoided if possible.
The two types of completions used
for MSF treatments in Saudi Arabia are
the open hole, uncemented assembly
and the cased hole perforation configuration. The isolation between fracturing stages is obtained by mechanical or
swellable packers in the open hole system and by cement for the cased hole.
The choice of conducting a fracturing
operation open hole or cased hole system depends largely on reservoir properties, hole geometry, and production
expectation from the well. A reservoir
Gas program future
Saudi Aramco has taken the decision to invest in both conventional and
nonconventional methods to increase
the Kingdom’s energy capacity. The gas
program will require significant capital
expenditures — especially for offshore,
deepwater, and remote areas — that
will require a talented and experienced
workforce to ensure projects are economical and are completed within
scope and delivered on time.
The application of innovative ideas
is an essential enabler to meet the
Kingdom’s future energy needs, and
new concepts, ideas, and plans are being assessed and deployed across the
whole spectrum of upstream operations. Proven technologies, along with
new ones, are routinely being trial
tested and implemented to enhance
production rates and maximize reserve
recovery. All of the concerned petroleum engineering and geoscience disciplines are working as an integrated
team to ensure that the entire process
chain from exploration, delineation,
development planning, facility construction, installation, commissioning,
startup and production is done efficiently and cost effectively.
Implementing novel technology,
new initiatives and focused vision and
have substantially accelerated the Kingdom’s gas development program. With
the long history and the successes
achieved throughout the development
and expansion of the program, Saudi
Aramco is confident about its ability to
support the Kingdom’s energy sectors
and strengthen its economic growth
for many more years to come.
April 1, 2015 | The Arabian Sun 9
Company News
well-being
Caring for your health and wellness
Behind the refrigerator door
9
Tips to taking care
of your kidneys
“World Kidney Day” took
place on March 12. The Clinical
Nutrition and Food Services Unit
at JHAH shared its message on
how to “Get Involved and Take
Care of Your Kidneys” with the
following tips:
• Be salt cautious, and limit
your intake of salt and salty foods,
including pickles, sauces, processed foods, and salted cheese
• Keep hydrated, and drink
plenty of water
• Eat healthy and well-balanced meals
• Keep fit and active
• Maintain your body weight
within the healthy range
• Avoid smoking (active and
passive)
• Check your blood sugar,
blood pressure, and lipids, and
keep them controlled
• Get your kidney function
checked, as a person can lose up
to 90 percent of his/her kidney
function before experiencing any
symptoms. Most people have no
symptoms until Chronic Kidney
Disease (CKD) is advanced. Signs
of advancing CKD include swollen
ankles, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, decreased appetite, blood
in the urine, and foamy urine.
• Do not take over the counter
medication, and always consult
your doctor on medication usage.
JHAH News
Delivered to your Saudi Aramco email every month. Read
the latest health and wellness
news, and the current and upcoming events are available.
Register the personal email
addresses of all your family
members by sending an email to
[email protected] and
they too will receive the latest
JHAH health and wellness news.
Food safety at
the store and
in the kitchen
Food Safety is the theme of
the “World Health Day” on April
7. Sponsored by the World Health
Organization (WHO), World Health
Day looks to spread awareness
about vital issues concerning global health and well-being, and food
safety is no exception.
The journey of food safety
starts at the grocery store and
does not end at the dining table.
It continues for handling leftovers
and eating safe food when dining
out and when traveling. Consuming safe food is important for the
health and well-being for all family members. Infants, small children
and seniors are the most affected by food poisoning as many of
them have a weaker immune system to fight the harmful germs
found in contaminated foods and
drinks.
The Clinical Nutrition and Food
Services Unit at JHAH shares with
us food safety tips to enhance your
well-being.
Food safety tips at the grocery store and in your kitchen:
• When buying food, check the
expiration dates. Do not buy any
product that smells or looks unusual, and don’t buy any dented,
bulging, or leaking cans or cracked
eggs.
• Arrange all items in the right
storage places at home, such as
the freezer, refrigerator and cabinets. Keep all these places clean,
sanitized, and free from mold or
insects. Store foods with older
items up front for first use.
• Store perishable foods in
the refrigerator or freezer quickly.
Store them in small portions and
in covered containers to prevent
plates in small sizes to avoid leftovers
• Heat leftovers to the boiling
point for at least one minute
• Avoid keeping perishable
food, even cooked, at room temperature for more than two hours
• For buffet style foods, keep
the hot food hot and cold food
cold, and replenish serving dishes.
Avoid mixing fresh foods with food
that has been on the serving table
earlier.
• Ensure food safety during
traveling or picnics. Use long life
food products that do not need
refrigeration, such as tinned hummus, canned tuna, fruit juices, dry
fruits, long life milk, crackers, etc.
moisture loss, absorption of offodors, and droppings from other
foods.
• Store cooked items in the refrigerator in small portions and in
shallow containers. Write the date
of storage, and use them within
three days of storage.
• Don’t overload your freezer
or refrigerator. Allow for cold air
circulation. Store foods purchased
frozen in their original containers,
as they are sealed and airtight.
• Do not take any risk by eating
foods you think might be contaminated or spoiled, even if they look,
taste, or smell normal
• Thaw frozen foods in the
refrigerator, not on the kitchen
counter.
Food safety tips during food
preparation and service:
• Wash your hands thoroughly with water and soap, and ensure that all the tools used in food
preparation and cooking are clean
• Do not prepare foods if you
have a cut or a wound on your
hands that is not healed or ooze
blood or any discharge
• Do not prepare foods for others if you have serious infection
• Direct coughs and sneezes
away from food
• Wash fresh fruits and vegetables with clean running water.
Remove wilted leaves, and do not
use soap. If necessary, you can use
a soft brush to remove dirt.
• Keep the juice of the raw seafood, poultry, or meat away from
other foods
• Avoid eating any raw or rare
cooked food, such as meat, poultry, eggs, liver, and seafood
• Avoid drinking or eating unpasteurized milk or its products,
such as Labnah, cheese or yogurt.
Boil raw milk before using.
• Avoid eating undercooked
items. Make sure that the cooked
eggs are not runny, that fish flakes
easily, and that no pink juices
come from meat or poultry.
• Cut the food into small pieces
and cook it thoroughly. Stir or rotate the food while cooking, and
keep it covered.
• Avoid low-temperature cooking over an extended time, as
some germs can survive that temperature and cause trouble, even if
the food is cooked
• Portion the food on the
Learn more, read more,
and stay in touch
For more information about
food safety visit:
World Health Organization
(WHO)
• http://www.who.int> campaigns> world health day>
2015> en
• http://www.who.int > food
safety> areas work> food hygiene> 5keys-poster> en/
Mayo Clinic
• http://www.mayoclinic.org > diseases conditions> food poisoning>
basics>prevention>con-20031705
JHAH
• http://JHAH > Health Education> Read, Listen, Watch>
Healthy Shopping and Healthy
Cooking
For more information on kidney health visit:
Recommended Apps
Download the following Android Apps to know more about
food safety:
• Is My Food Safe? (Academy
of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Food Safety (Food and Environmental Hygiene Department)
• Center for Food Safety
(Center for Food Safety)
Legal Disclaimer: All health and health-related information contained in this Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare Company material is intended to be general in nature and should not
be used as a substitute for a visit with a health-care professional. The advice is intended to offer only a general basis for individuals to discuss their health and medical conditions with
their health care provider. Your health-care provider should be consulted regarding matters concerning the medical condition, treatment and needs of you and your family.
Johns H opkins Aramco H ealthcare Caring Profile
Dr. Abdullah Halawani, MBBS, FRCPC
Educational Background
• King Abdulaziz University Medical School,
Jiddah, Saudi Arabia, 1992
• Anesthesiology post-graduate training program at University of British Columbia (UBC),
Vancouver, Canada, 1995
• Fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Ottawa, Canada, 1999
• Fellowship in pediatric anesthesia in 2000
and a fellowship in cardiac anesthesia for
adults and pediatrics in 2001 from McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Work
• Joined JHAH in February as a consultant
cardiovascular and pediatric anesthesiologist
• Consultant Cardiovascular and Thoracic Anesthesiologist King Faisal Specialist Hospital
and Research Center in Riyadh from 2001 until joining JHAH
• Director of anesthesia training program and
the director of the Fellowship training program
for pediatric anesthesia and cardiac anesthesia and deputy chairman in the Department of
Anesthesiology, KFSH and RC, Riyadh.
Quote
“Taking care of patients in the perioperative period to have a safe trip throughout the surgical
trip is one of the challenging procedures, especially for those with cardiovascular diseases,
neonates, and pediatric patients. As a cardiovascular and pediatric anesthesiologist, I’m dedicated to providing optimal perioperative care with
expert manipulation of patient cardiopulmonary
physiology through precise and advanced application of pharmacology, resuscitative techniques, critical care medicine, and invasive
procedures.”
10 The Arabian Sun | April 1, 2015
This & That
Photographic
Memory
Movies
ABQAIQ
MUPPETS: MOST WANTED,
starring Ricky Gervais, Ty
Burrell, Tina Fey (adventure,
PG-13) – April 1-4, 5 and
7:30 p.m.
GODZILLA 2014, starring
Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken
Watanabe (sci-fi, PG-13) –
April 5 and 7, 5 and 7:30
p.m.
DHAHRAN
BELLE, starring Gugu
Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson
(drama, PG) – April 1-4, 5:30
and 8 p.m.
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS,
starring Shailene Woodley,
Ansel Egort, Nat Wolff
(romance, PG-13) – April 5
and 8, 5:30 and 8 p.m.
‘UDHAILIYAH
MILLION DOLLAR ARM,
starring John Hamm,
Aasif Mandvi, Bill Paxton
(biography, PG) – April 1-4, 5
and 8 p.m.
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF
THE APES, starring Andy
Serikis, Gary Oldman (sci-fi,
PG-13) – April 5 and 8, 5 and
8 p.m.
NAJMA
GUARDIANS OF THE
GALAXY, starring Chris Pratt,
Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista
(sci-fi, PG-13) – April 1-4, 5
and 7:30 p.m.
MUPPETS: MOST WANTED,
(adventure, PG-13) – April 5
and 7, 5 and 7:30 p.m.
BELLE: The daughter of a Royal Navy admiral is raised by her
aristocratic great-uncle.
THE FAULT IN OUR STARS: Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who
share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love
that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more
miraculous given that Hazel’s other constant companion is an
oxygen tank. Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they meet
and fall in love at a cancer support group.
MILLION DOLLAR ARM: A sports agent stages an unconventional
recruitment strategy to get talented Asian cricket players to play
Major League Baseball.
DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES: In the wake of a disaster
that changed the world, the growing and genetically evolving
apes find themselves at a critical point with the human race.
MUPPETS: MOST WANTED: While on a grand world tour, the
Muppets find themselves wrapped into an European jewel-heist
caper headed by a Kermit look-alike and his dastardly sidekick.
GODZILLA: The world’s most famous monster is pitted against
malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific
arrogance, threaten our very existence.
Photo: Ali Khalifa
n S
even of the giant Shedgum Power Plant’s nine 72-megawatt generators are shown in this photo. Operations
there were wholly Saudi staffed by 1983. It was the largest gas-turbine plant in the Kingdom and among the biggest in the world at the time.
RELEASE DATE—Sunday, March 29, 2015
Los
Angeles Times Sunday Crossword Puzzle
Crossword
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
“ICK FACTOR” By
MELANIE MILLER
Sudoku
Easy
Each row, column and 3-by-3
square must contain only one
of each digit, from 1-9.
Last week’s answer
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©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
ANSWER TO TODAY’S PUZZLE
12
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Page 9
The Arabian Sun
April 1, 2015
SA LIFE
Inaugural Arabian Horse Show held in RT
HASSAN K. IQBAL
RAS TANURA — The majestic
beauty and finesse of an Arabian
horse is recognizable anywhere in
the world, and for the first time,
these fine animals graced Ras
Tanura during the first Arabian
Horse Show on March 7.
Khalid Al-Hamad and Salem
Al-Enezi, both from the Marine
Department, and Angel Kovacich
of the Ras Tanura Ranch Association wanted to share their passion for horses with the whole
community, so they planned the
inaugural event with Ras Tanura
Community Services and the AlHasa Equestrian Club to bring the
finest Arabian horses in the Eastern Province to Saudi Aramco.
The cultural and historical significance of the Arabian horse is
evident in its elegance, strength,
endurance, and speed — traits
that were nurtured by the nomadic Bedouins through careful
breeding developed over centuries. Today, the purebred Arabian
is virtually the same as those seen
in ancient Arabia. Arabians now
display their athletic talents in a
variety of disciplines from English
to Western competitions, where
they are positioned as the undisputed champions of endurance
events.
Readers
Album
Peeking
out of the
fox hole
n A
fter many weekends trying
to get his “dream daytime
photograph” of a fox exiting a
den, Ian Gow finally succeeded
recently. With about 30 fox
holes in the general area
around Pump Station No. 3 that
showed use, Gow positioned a
Bushnell Trail Cam at a nearby
hole that captured several
night images of the fox family
(see inset photos). Among
those photos was the main
photo. Gow, a desert nature
photographer enthusiast, works
at Pump Station No. 3 as a
supervising craftsman for EastWest Pipelines. He has been for
the company for 25 years.
The highly anticipated event
lived up to expectations as many
of the community’s families gathered around the arena beside the
picturesque Ras Tanura beach.
The event featured an introduction of each horse in Arabic as
well as English. Each horse entered the arena with its trainer
and was welcomed by loud applause from parents and children
in awe of these magnificent animals.
The prancing and poise of
each horse was eloquently choreographed by the accompanying skilled trainer. Children were
able to get up close and pet the
horses and talk to the trainer and
groomer to find out more about
their daily regimen.
The organizers shared their
gratitude with Ras Tanura Community Services for sharing its
vision and providing logistical support. Also, special thanks went to
the Marine and Terminal Department for its contributions, as well
as Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare and Industrial Security Operations for providing a safe and
fun environment for the event.
The Al-Hasa Equestrian Club
was also congratulated for its
support in making the event possible.
n
ansour (the Arabian stallion)
M
was enjoying being patted as
much as the children enjoyed
it. At right, Reem Fahad (Arabian mare) shows a dished
profile: arched neck, level
croup and high-carried tail.
Photos: Fahad Al-Ghanim