The Technical Pulse is a bi monthly newsletter. Please send us details for articles that you would like to submit and contact us at... [email protected]Submissions TECHNICAL December 2012 . . . inside this issue . . . Technical Pulse is written, edited and produced by the Global Technical Assurance and Communications Teams. Submissions and feedback are welcome and can be sent to: [email protected]www.woodgroup-psn.com . . . inside this issue . . . Being a client Driving maintenance improvements for Caltex in Australia Technical Training Solutions (TTS) Delivering the goods – pipeline improvements in Oman Asset Replacement Model Know Your Limits – risks in engineering software Technical Applications The Guiding Light - Technical Assurance Governance Recently the Kearney household decided to undertake an upgrade to our upstairs room. Essentially a boarded out attic, we wanted to put in more windows, heating, lighting and a shower. We hired a design architect and over the next few weeks we put together an outline scheme. It was going to be a considerable disruption to our life and we wanted to make sure that it went like clockwork. It was when the drawings started to arrive that alarm bells began to ring. Each time we would mark up the drawings the revised draw- ings might or might not have the correction but there would always be unannounced alterations. Then the specification for materials was a very limited document and we were informed that we shouldn’t worry as it would be sorted out on site. Knowing something about projects I asked about the schedule for tendering to the construction company, award and project execution. I still remember the blank looks. We emphasised one vital item to the architect when we set out on the journey and that was we didn’t want any variations to either cost or schedule. However no matter how many times we emphasised this point, all we got back was vagueness and soothing words. It came to a point that we had no confidence in the design, we were not clear about the standard of materials we could expect and were seriously concerned about the cost and schedule for the work. It was an easy but disappointing decision to cancel the project and pay off the architect. Our experience of being a client was not a happy event. It obviously set me thinking about how our clients perceive our efforts on their behalf. Do we always listen to what they want? Do we provide expert advice when needed? Do we openly discuss the pros and cons John John Kearney Global technical director, Wood Group PSN I would like to introduce you to the Technical Assurance Governance Policy Document. The purpose of the document is the definition of the guiding principles that lay the foundation for delivering a high integrity product and service to all of our clients, both internal and external. Through the guiding principles of this document there will be Global Assurance that the work we produce and service we provide are safe, fit for purpose and reflect the consistency in design and networking approach that exists across the company network. Within WGPSN we cover a range of service provision. This flows from the delivery of technical expertise from Concept, FEED, Detailed Design, Construction and Commissioning, Operations and Maintenance to Decommissioning. These services are to be provided in line with the expectations described in this document. It is the responsibility of each Region to ensure that the Technical Function Management Systems are established and function in line with the intent of this document and the Corporate Management System (iMAP). This will ensure that each Region globally operates: • safely • consistently • collaboratively • with common tools • to agreed Standards • with competent personnel • in a compliant manner Hard copies are available and will be sent to the regional technical managers for distribution in their respective regions. The guiding light - Technical Assurance Governance of how we can approach their work? Do we have their best interests at heart and do they know that? If we could put ourselves in their shoes maybe it would ensure our clients believe that we are always the best company to work with. For more information on the Technical Assurance Governance Policy Document, please contact Bill Riley, Head of Global Assurance & Start Up on [email protected]
Transcript
The Technical Pulse is a bi monthly newsletter. Please send us details for articles that you would like to submit and contact us at...
Technical Pulse is written, edited and produced by the Global Technical Assurance and Communications Teams.Submissions and feedback are welcome and can be sent to: [email protected]
. . . inside this issue . . .
Being a client
Driving maintenance improvements for Caltex in Australia
Technical Training Solutions (TTS)
Delivering the goods – pipeline improvements in Oman Asset Replacement Model
Know Your Limits – risks in engineering software Technical Applications
The Guiding Light - Technical Assurance Governance
Recently the Kearney household decided to undertake an upgrade to our upstairs room. Essentially a boarded out attic, we wanted to put in more windows, heating, lighting and a shower. We hired a design architect and over the next few weeks we put together an outline scheme. It was going to be a considerable disruption to our life and we wanted to make sure that it went like clockwork.
It was when the drawings started to arrive that alarm bells began to ring. Each time we would mark up the drawings the revised draw-ings might or might not have the correction but there would always be unannounced alterations. Then the specification for materials was a very limited document and we were informed that we shouldn’t worry as it would be sorted out on site.
Knowing something about projects I asked about the schedule for tendering to the construction company, award and project execution. I still remember the blank looks. We emphasised one vital item to the architect when we set out on the journey and that was we didn’t want any variations to either cost or schedule. However no matter how many times we emphasised this point, all we got back was vagueness and soothing words.
It came to a point that we had no confidence in the design, we were not clear about the standard of materials we could expect and were seriously concerned about the cost and schedule for the work. It was an easy but disappointing decision to cancel the project and pay off the architect.
Our experience of being a client was not a happy event. It obviously set me thinking about how our clients perceive our efforts on their behalf. Do we always listen to what they want? Do we provide expert advice when needed? Do we openly discuss the pros and cons
JohnJohn Kearney Global technical director,Wood Group PSN
I would like to introduce you to the Technical Assurance Governance Policy Document.
The purpose of the document is the definition of the guiding principles that lay the foundation for delivering a high integrity product and service to all of our clients, both internal and external.Through the guiding principles of this document there will be Global Assurance that the work we produce and service we provide are safe, fit for purpose and reflect the consistency in design and networking approach that exists across the company network.
Within WGPSN we cover a range of service provision. This flows from the delivery of technical expertise from Concept, FEED, Detailed Design, Construction and Commissioning, Operations and Maintenance to Decommissioning. These services are to be provided in line with the expectations described in this document.
It is the responsibility of each Region to ensure that the Technical Function Management Systems are established and function in line with the intent of this document and the Corporate Management System (iMAP). This will ensure that each Region globally operates:
• safely• consistently• collaboratively• with common tools• to agreed Standards• with competent personnel• in a compliant manner
Hard copies are available and will be sent to the regional technical managers for distribution in their respective regions.
The guiding light - Technical Assurance Governance
of how we can approach their work? Do we have their best interests at heart and do they know that? If we could put ourselves in their shoes maybe it would ensure our clients believe that we are always the best company to work with.
For more information on the Technical Assurance Governance Policy Document, please contact Bill Riley, Head of Global Assurance & Start Up on [email protected]
Driving maintenance improvements for CALTEX in Australiaplanning and scheduling, especially the execution plan, with a drive to ensure that all work in the plan is correctly prioritized and achievable.
Key successes to date include:
• Maintenance backlog has reduced by 75% from more than 60,000 man-hours to just under 20,000 man-hours
• Significant improvement in maintenance compliance from 45% to 97% (Kurnell) and 10% to 93% (Lytton)
• A 20% increase in scheduled work delivery
• A reduction in the number of maintenance personnel across both sites, resulting in cost savings to Caltex
• Two years without a lost time injury (LTI) - having exhausted more than one million hours this is a significant milestone
Improvements at the refineries are ongoing too. We are currently reviewing the Caltex maintenance regime and comparing this with our own maintenance strategies (this encompasses 51 individual equipment strategies) with a view to improving the overall plant availability and reducing the amount of corrective and breakdown work. A plan to optimise material management to suit the current refinery operating parameters is another key development that is underway.
These initiatives are all designed to help Caltex achieve its goal of becoming a top quartile performer for maintenance and reliability when compared to other refineries in the Asia Pacific region.
Asset replacement modelIn Colombia we have developed an innovative and simplified approach to asset cost modelling, allowing us to plan optimum replacement timescales for assets in order to improve cost performance.
During a recent asset optimization contract we reviewed 10 facilities operated by an oil & gas company. Not only were we determined to deliver cost and performance improvements to the client, but our focus on safety also allowed us to identify and address a number of safety critical situations. We were able to find high risk conditions and recommend appropriate corrective action based on international standards, local regulation, best practice and cost analysis. Cost reductions and performance improvement don’t exclude good safety practice, and our experience was key in being able to drive safety improvements in addition to the benefits of our asset optimisation modelling.
However, we faced a challenge when the number of individual assets that required cost analysis grew above expectations. Time constraints did not allow us to build comprehensively detailed models, so we created a simplified approach to cost modelling that still provided high integrity results. The new model uses a Life Cycle Cost (LCC) methodology to construct a whole life cost line that includes capital expenditure, operational expenditure and revenue impact. Major economic variables such as inflation and international exchange rates were also considered. Furthermore, an environmental impact analysis was conducted because a number of the assets produced similar or related emissions. The future costs were then estimated along with an availability simulation covering the future life cycle of the assets. The result is a net cost cash flow that is used to calculate the optimum replacement timescales for each asset.
The reports form and information are easily understood by financial professionals, and the models delivered to the customer have quickly become recognised as their preferred investment justification. This achievement has led us not only to the award of a new contract next year, but has also provided us with an effective cost and time saving methodology that can be easily applied in other industries. Customer benefits include improved communication between technical and management areas in addition to time/cost savings.
There are always new and better ways to do our work; this is how our innovation core value strengthens us and gives added value to our contracts. In this case, customer concerns about safety in their facilities and customer investment procedures have led to combined improvements. This new product benefits our customers and us, as we enhance our portfolio.
For more infromation contact Luis Carlos Contreras on [email protected]
1. Program definition and analysis2. Design and planning3. Verification and mobilisation
4. Delivery5. Transition
6. Consolidation and improvement7. Hand over
Two years into a maintenance support services contract with Caltex at its two Australian refineries, our teams there have successfully delivered a number of tangible maintenance improvements. Paul Lapsley, assignment manager for Caltex, shares some of the successes and initiatives that are underway.
With a workforce of approximately 250 personnel at Caltex’s Lytton (Brisbane) and Kurnell (Sydney) refineries, we are responsible for planning and scheduling all on-site maintenance activity, managing the execution of mechanical and electrical & instrumentation work scopes and delivering major maintenance and minor CAPEX projects.
One of the biggest challenges we faced early in the contract was the need to adapt how the computerised maintenance management system (CMMS) - in this case SAP - was being used in the planning, scheduling, execution and reporting phases of maintenance. The way it was structured did not provide us with meaningful metrics to analyse maintenance and reliability performance.
We introduced new metrics to gauge the ‘health’ of the overall maintenance effort to ensure that everything was being done to maximize mechanical availability at the refineries. The initial results from these metrics showed a worrying trend. Preventive maintenance (PM) routines were not being completed to schedule, there was an excessive backlog of work, work history capture was sporadic, and critically, equipment was not being correctly identified.
Applying best practices based on processes within the WGPSN management system, we have focused on driving tangible maintenance improvements while at the same time promoting and maintaining a strong safety culture at both Lytton and Kurnell.
Key to ensuring this has been a more robust structure around
Meet David MillarI am pleased to announce the appointment of David Millar as global head of Knowledge Management & Innovation.
An expert in his field, David has 10 years of experience under his belt developing, deploying, sustaining and maturing Knowledge Management and continuous improvement initiatives with major companies in the oil and gas industry.
He kicked off his career as a director of business intelligence for BizBites, a company based in Aberdeen and Hyderabad, India before joining the future phases team of Agip KCO (a large joint venture involving Shell, Exxonmobil, Total, eni, KazMunaiGaz, ConocoPhillips and Inpex) where he worked as head of Knowledge Management in Milan. Most recently he worked as a global organisational learning specialist at BP where he received an award of recognition of his leadership and drive establishing new global networks for the company.
In his new role David is tasked with establishing WGPSN as a leader in the field for Knowledge Management and Innovation and laying strong foundations to embrace an effective, continuous improvement culture. This includes setting and implementing strategy, policies, procedures and supporting tools to allow our people to connect, share, learn and innovate.
David says the challenge in the coming months will be tapping into our networks around the globe, understanding their needs and challenges to see how knowledge management and innovation can support them. David also firmly believes that an experienced and knowledgeable workforce is essential to deliver our strategic Core Values, operate and expand our business. “Therefore, as well as ensuring integration of lessons and new ideas into our processes and services, we must also ensure we proactively capture and transfer the knowledge of our experienced employees to those coming up through the ranks to continually develop our global capabilities and prevent critical knowledge loss.”
David is an Associate Lecturer at the Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen and a member of the Knowledge Innovation Network – Warwick University Business School. He also has a BSc (Hons) Environmental Science and Management and an MSc in Knowledge Management from RGU. Based in the Justice Mill Lane office in Aberdeen, David will report to Bill Riley, head of global technical assurance.
David’s experience, skills, drive and persona make him a fantastic and valuable addition to our network and I would ask you to give him the necessary support to succeed in his new role.
Interesting facts about David: he played hockey for Scotland up to under 21 level and is a keen triathlete currently training for half ironman races in 2013.
Ours is a people business. People and the services our people provide to our customers are central to our continued success.
All our people are vital: those in our functional teams provide support to our project teams; our project teams provide skilled technical support to our customers.
Technical advances and innovations mean that the skill sets of our technical workforce need to be continually updated and monitored to ensure that they are able to provide the best service possible to customers.
Technical Training Solutions (TTS) is helping to improve the skill levels of our technical people by providing leadership and focus to set standards for technical training. It also provides consultancy support across the entirety of our business.
As part of the Global Technical Assurance team, TTS comprises of manager, Duncan Pearce, supported by technical training leads Mike Riungu and Ken Todd. TTS’ main aims are to:
• Develop training strategies and support regional and discipline training plans
• Review training requirements to satisfy needs determined by skills gap analysis
• Design and develop training solutions to meet internal project needs
• Externally source or develop in-house technical training programmes
• Collaborate with our other training teams (e.g. HR, ODL, PAC, etc)
• Support our various third party specialist technical training relationships and alliances
• Work with client learning and development teams to support their initiatives
• Support and facilitate our ADVANCE methods and techniques for sustainable change management (see article in The Pulse, issue 33)
TTS also promotes innovative in-house training programmes including Re-Engineer and Design Academy; these have been enhancing frontline O&M technician and designer skills since 2006.
Our career conversion programme, Re-Engineer is a key part of the strategy we employ to help us address the demographic challenges we face.
Technical Training Solutions (TTS)
The programme fast-tracks highly skilled O&M technicians from different industry backgrounds into the energy industry. We typically recruit technicians from the armed forces and other non-hydrocarbon industries such as power or nuclear. Comprehensive assessing and retraining of their already extensive skill-sets enables their safe deployment in the Oil & Gas industry. The successful 2011 intake is pictured above.
The process for fast-tracking these highly skilled technicians into our business generally goes as follows:
1. Candidates are first matched to designated project positions.
2. They complete eight weeks intensive tuition with our training partner to formal competency based qualification (CBQ) Level 2 standard.
3. They gain 18-months of supervised on-the-job experience at an offshore or site facility. During that time they are assessed to achieve CBQ Level 3 standard. In the UK, this aligns with NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) standards.
The next Re-Engineer intake is scheduled to begin in January, with a further course planned for mid 2013.
Could your project offer supervised, on-the-job experience to skilled technicians in this programme? If so, please email [email protected] or contact the Technical Training Solutions team.
Alongside Re-Engineer, we have our Design Academy. Whereas Re-Engineer transitions highly skilled technicians into our industry, Design Academy provides a common basic foundation in design and engineering principles for those starting their technician career.
The programme provides up to 13 weeks of tailored training delivered by our own senior designers; disciplines covered are piping, mechanical, structural and E&I.
The Academy has touched the remote corners of our global network. It has already delivered skilled designers for the UK, Brunei, Sakhalin Island (Eastern Russia), Australia and Kazakhstan. Further courses to support our UK, Middle East and Kazakhstan regions are being planned for 2013.
For further information about any aspect of technical training across the global WGPSN network, contact Duncan Pearce on [email protected]
By Rajib Mukhopadhyay, WGPSN technical safety engineer, Perth, Western Australia.
Software is a powerful tool to assist engineers in carrying out design, modelling, problem-solving or verification work. It is not, however, an all encompassing solution and every software package has its own unique strengths and weaknesses. To enable us to select the best tool for the task, it is vital that we understand the limitations of the tools we use.
Software is designed by qualified and experienced professionals from the relevant fields, using well-defined, trusted quality methods and it is tested rigorously. The majority of issues relating to a particular field can be mathematically modelled, and thus solved with full trust in the software; however, the complexity of coding means there are inevitable limitations or flaws that can escape the developer’s attention. Software may also be originally designed for a specific purpose, and then modified to meet another, which often introduces limitations or unexpected behaviour.
Software developers usually inform users if they become aware of limitations. Similarly, users can develop their own knowledge base. As a network of engineers, it is important that we share this knowledge and know of cases when we can manipulate the software to meet our needs, or whether there are unyielding limitations.
A specific example from the technical safety field can help illustrate the issue of software limitations. Our process safety engineers need to estimate safe and appropriate flare boom length and height based on acceptable thermal radiation criteria at target manned locations. To assist them with this work, they generally select from three well-known software packages: Flaresim by Softbit, PHAST by DNV and FRED by Shell Global Solutions.
Know your limits - risks in engineering softwareThe example to the right shows a flare arrangement with inclined boom, from an offshore platform with an inclined tip at the end. Wind is blowing towards the platform from the flare tip side.
Flaresim and FRED can model this scenario accurately, allowing for orientation, inclination and relative wind direction (including counter wind) combinations. PHAST, however, had limitations in this scenario:
- It can’t model the boom and tip, as it assumes a point source release with associated elevation and the orientation of the release relative to horizontal (00-900).
- It only models downwind effects; height/length shortening effects due to counter current release cannot be calculated directly.
In other situations, such as where the user needs to enter a specific value of emissivity factor (fraction of heat radiated/ f-factor), Flaresim and PHAST both accept user-defined values; FRED does not. Likewise, only Flaresim can model multiple tip configurations.
We need to share our knowledge about the strengths, weaknesses and limitations of our engineering software to help us select the correct tool. Sometimes we may have to use more than one tool and collate results to configure the best design, but sharing our experience is the strength of our network. If you have specialist knowledge of a software tool that may help others, please send details to Neil Hebden, Global Head of Technical Applications, Aberdeen.
For more details and a copy of the technical paper comparing Flare modelling products, please contact Rajib Mukhopadhyay on [email protected]
Vent boom, length to be determined by study
Pipe Tip 3.035m, 45° angle
Edge of upper deck
Vent boom angle - 7°
Wind direction
Technical ApplicationsThe merger between Wood Group and PSN has created an opportunity to rationalise our diverse CAD and engineering software tools. The Technical Applications team is seeking to bring a greater degree of standardisation within our technical toolsets through a four stage process:
This work is an important precursor to the overall technical toolset development project that aims to define and deliver our standard, global and scalable technical toolset for the future.
DiscoverThe discovery phase has enabled the Technical Applications team to analyse the way some engineering tasks are undertaken, the software deployed to facilitate those processes across regions, and to establish exactly how the systems are installed, configured, customised and deployed.
DesignThe design phase is in progress now. It consists of merging\consolidating the software, combining the strategies and configuring the system into a common WGPSN “way of working”. A detailed plan, managed by George Davidson, has been devel-oped to ensure a “step process” is being maintained. During this process, duplicate and redundant tasks will be removed. New developments (quick wins) will be indentified and deployed.
DevelopThe development phase is overlapping the design phase. Imme-diate developments include:
• Creation of a standard user interface
• Piping isometric production simplified
• Pipe support design simplified to suit client requirements
• Standardisation of drawing borders
• Production of 2D deliverables fully automated
A major development during this stage, managed by Lenny Webster, is the deployment of AutoCAD P&ID. This product will standardise the way in which P&ID’s are produced throughout the organisation and will initiate the transfer of data from a single source into the 3D environment.
Other longer term developments include:
• Standard configuration of core software across the regions
• Standard catalogues of components for all disciplines
• Integration of electrical design into the 3D environment
• Greater control of materials management for fabrication and procurement
• Integration of systems in the wider picture of the organi sation as a whole
Deploy Deployment of completed systems will not be accompanied by a big announcement. There will be a rolling development and deployment over a period of time.
For more information on the Technical Toolset project, contact Simon Sawers, Technical Assurance & Start-Up Group on [email protected]
Discover Design Develop Deploy
Ours is a people business. People and the services our people provide to our customers are central to our continued success.
All our people are vital: those in our functional teams provide support to our project teams; our project teams provide skilled technical support to our customers.
Technical advances and innovations mean that the skill sets of our technical workforce need to be continually updated and monitored to ensure that they are able to provide the best service possible to customers.
Technical Training Solutions (TTS) is helping to improve the skill levels of our technical people by providing leadership and focus to set standards for technical training. It also provides consultancy support across the entirety of our business.
As part of the Global Technical Assurance team, TTS comprises of manager, Duncan Pearce, supported by technical training leads Mike Riungu and Ken Todd. TTS’ main aims are to:
• Develop training strategies and support regional and discipline training plans
• Review training requirements to satisfy needs determined by skills gap analysis
• Design and develop training solutions to meet internal project needs
• Externally source or develop in-house technical training programmes
• Collaborate with our other training teams (e.g. HR, ODL, PAC, etc)
• Support our various third party specialist technical training relationships and alliances
• Work with client learning and development teams to support their initiatives
• Support and facilitate our ADVANCE methods and techniques for sustainable change management (see article in The Pulse, issue 33)
TTS also promotes innovative in-house training programmes including Re-Engineer and Design Academy; these have been enhancing frontline O&M technician and designer skills since 2006.
Our career conversion programme, Re-Engineer is a key part of the strategy we employ to help us address the demographic challenges we face.
The programme fast-tracks highly skilled O&M technicians from different industry backgrounds into the energy industry. We typically recruit technicians from the armed forces and other non-hydrocarbon industries such as power or nuclear. Comprehensive assessing and retraining of their already extensive skill-sets enables their safe deployment in the Oil & Gas industry. The successful 2011 intake is pictured above.
The process for fast-tracking these highly skilled technicians into our business generally goes as follows:
1. Candidates are first matched to designated project positions.
2. They complete eight weeks intensive tuition with our training partner to formal competency based qualification (CBQ) Level 2 standard.
3. They gain 18-months of supervised on-the-job experience at an offshore or site facility. During that time they are assessed to achieve CBQ Level 3 standard. In the UK, this aligns with NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) standards.
The next Re-Engineer intake is scheduled to begin in January, with a further course planned for mid 2013.
Could your project offer supervised, on-the-job experience to skilled technicians in this programme? If so, please email [email protected] or contact the Technical Training Solutions team.
Alongside Re-Engineer, we have our Design Academy. Whereas Re-Engineer transitions highly skilled technicians into our industry, Design Academy provides a common basic foundation in design and engineering principles for those starting their technician career.
The programme provides up to 13 weeks of tailored training delivered by our own senior designers; disciplines covered are piping, mechanical, structural and E&I.
The Academy has touched the remote corners of our global network. It has already delivered skilled designers for the UK, Brunei, Sakhalin Island (Eastern Russia), Australia and Kazakhstan. Further courses to support our UK, Middle East and Kazakhstan regions are being planned for 2013.
For further information about any aspect of technical training across the global WGPSN network, contact Duncan Pearce on [email protected]
Delivering the goods – pipline improvements in OmanHow is the installation going?The installation is progressing well. We’ve faced some complex technical challenges, but these were recognised in advance of actual installation and we were therefore able to successfully address them at an early stage.
For example, one of the problems identified by the project team was developing a suitable liner welding procedure to ensure complete fusion, and prove that production welds satisfy their established strength requirements. We developed a new fusion welding procedure, and implemented a qualification programme to ensure our welders were able to carry out the procedure to the required standard. We also introduced a robust quality framework and strict monitoring regime to ensure that we are in control of any production variables and standards throughout installation.
Could you give us an overview of the installation process?The liner is supplied by a local HDPE manufacturer in 12 metre lengths, and some 8 separate carbon steel pipe flanged sections totalling a cumulative length of 3.5 km were fabricated, with the various sections allowing us to insert the liner. In addition, vent valves need to be installed adjacent to each flange to cater for annular venting during installation, testing and, ultimately, during line operation.
After fabrication and welding of the carbon steel flanged sections is complete, we’ll carry out HDPE liner fusion, where the supplied 12 metre liner sections are fused into suitable pulling lengths. These are then strung on custom-built rollers to allow the pulling machine to drag the fused HDPE liner into the corresponding host carbon steel pipe section. The last step is for the pipeline to be hydrotested and commissioned.
How do you feel this project demonstrates our Core Values?I think features of what we’ve done span most of the core values. Enabling a safer and more efficient method of transporting the oil, along with the stringent design and quality measures we’ve brought to the project demonstrate our commitment to Safety and Assurance. I think our approach has also worked towards the standards we set for Social and Financial Responsibilities, and we’re showing Innovation with the first HDPE liner for PDO.
About the author:Mohammad Hammoudy graduated with a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from Helwan University, Egypt in 1981, and an MSc in Al- Azhar University Egypt in 1990 working on pipeline welding. He joined Petrogas Co. in 1982 where he worked as a Project Engineer until 1990 before beginning a two year stint as head of the quality control section. He then moved to the Shell joint venture BAPETCO, working as a Senior Piping and Pipeline Engineer.
In September 1996 he joined PDO in Oman as Senior Pipeline Engineer and in 2006 he moved to Petronas in Malaysia where he worked as a Lead Pipeline Engineer. In his current Role, Mohammad is the Discipline Head of Pipeline for WGCCC in Oman.
Note: Thanks to John Stewart – Engineering Manager, WGCCC and Toni Saliba, Section Construction Engineer/ Nimr for their contribution to the progress of this project.
Our team in Oman is celebrating a significant technical achievement, with the design and installation of the Nimr sludge pit pipeline. An above ground carbon steel 6” pipeline, it is 3.5km long and features a High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) liner. It is the first HDPE pipeline we have delivered for PDO, and solves a number of technical and efficiency challenges. The Technical Pulse spoke to Mohammad Hammoudy, WGCCC’s Pipeline Discipline Head in Oman, about the project.
BackgroundAbout 800 kilometres south of Muscat, Nimr is one of PDO’s major development areas. Across the Nimr field, PDO has used tankers to transport de-gassed well crude (an oil/water mixture) from in-field sludge pits to the central Nimr Production Station (NRPS) for final separation. This kind of trucking operation involves high comparative costs, and managing the large fleet of vehicles and their daily schedule of tasking and movements brings about its own difficulties, including increased HSE exposure.
As PDO has expanded operations and introduced new drill wells, the costs and complexity of the operation have increased, necessitating a safer and more efficient method for oil transportation. Following conceptual studies, we recommended the installation of a 6” pipeline which, at the time of going to print, is nearing completion.
Mohammad, what was the design basis for the pipeline?The basis for the solution was a 6" diameter carbon steel pipeline, running above ground and only buried at road crossings. We considered this a lower cost option compared to a conventional buried pipeline in what is predominantly rocky terrain. One issue we faced was to provide an effective corrosion mitigation strategy; the installation of an HDPE liner was adopted instead of the expensive option to continuously inject corrosion inhibitor and instigate weekly pigging to clean the carbon steel pipeline. The use of a HDPE liner also reduces additional costs, such as inspection pigging.
What kind of technical challenges did you have to overcome with the design?
Fused lengths of the HDPE liner need to have sufficient strength to withstand the stresses associated with installation in the host pipeline, and the liner should be capable of resisting buckling stresses arising from swelling and thermal expansion once the pipeline is in service. In multi-phase lines, it also needs to be capable of resisting annular pressure from gas permeating the liner which could lead to its collapse on depressurisation or as a result of high pressure fluctuations.
Which of those was the key driver for your design?In live gaseous crude service, the collapse pressure requirement is the most stringent, and it is this that usually determines the liner thickness. To minimise the liner thickness, the operating philosophy we adopted requires continuous venting of the annular pressure. This led us to a design case that considered a nominal collapse pressure of 3 bar gauge.
