Gearing up for ADIPEC

With nearly US$6 billion worth of deals made in the four-day biannual event in 2008, in 2010 it is slated to attract decision makers from both established industry majors and smaller players in even greater numbers from around the region and the world.

The event promises to focus on hot topic issues in the industry such as pricing, investment in human capital and training, and health and safety.

At this year’s conference event which is running under the theme of “Delivering Energy in the Low Carbon Era: Challenges and Opportunities”, over 1000 abstracts have been submitted with 262 speakers from 33 different countries. Thirty seven technical sessions, three poster sessions, five panel sessions and one executive plenary sessions are planned for the event.

ADIPEC 2010 event director, Hifazat Ahmad says that “This is the platform for local, regional and international energy businesses to come together and form new relationships. We expect close to 40000 people to from around the world, in the last show we had 39000 people coming in from 89 countries. We sold out in the last six months which is a testament to the strength of the show and the strong Abu Dhabi economy.” Around 40-45% of ADIPEC exhibitors are engineering and production companies which Ahmad believes very much leads the industry as a whole at the event.

Ahmad says that compared to the 2008 event, the number of Chinese, American, Norwegian and British companies participating this year have gone up hinting at a possible direction for the market.

“Obviously for mature markets like the US and parts of Europe, there is still an opportunity for a lot of small to medium companies from those mature markets who may not have had a looked at the Middle East as a region previously because the markets which served them were in their own back yard,” he says.

Ahmad says that in response to feedback from the previous event, this year’s event will increase the number of excellent networking opportunities.

“From a survey that we carried out more than 70% of the people coming from the region will want to speak to your technical guys, not just anyone on the stand,” Ahmad suggests. “I would stress to whoever is
coming, bring your technical people because there are real clients in that audience who want to have a genuine conversation about your products, not just look at stuff and drop a card,” he concludes.

In this special ADIPEC 2010 Preview, we speak to some of this year’s participants about their hopes and expectations for the for the Middle East’s most important upstream event.

 

ADIPEC Stand 02070
Company: Magnatech
Who: Ralph Wijnholds
Position: Director, sales and marketing
Magnatech International BV

Originally founded in 1946 to manufacture aerospace components, supporting initial development of the gas turbine engine, Magnatech focuses exclusively on equipment for orbital welding applications. Orbital means that the oil or gas pipe is in a fixed position and cannot be rotated – the tool must move around the fixed pipe. Tube and pipe welding, especially in field applications, is possibly the single most demanding requirement of welders’ skills.

Ralph Wijnholds is sales and marketing director of the Netherlands based company which he says had an exceptional performance at ADIPEC 2008, its second time at the event.

“We will do live demonstrations on of our automatic welding systems which is very unusual at these kinds of shows and a lot of people really love it. We are going to show one complete welding tractor,” he says.

Giving an example of how successful Magnatech’s showing at the 2008 event was, Wijnholds says: “The customer came to our stand and he was interested, saw the equipment and he placed an order two weeks after the show for $2 million just for equipment supply, it paid off the show completely with all the expenses we had, and it was just one of the orders we got from that show.”

Following unsuccessful plans to establish itself in the UAE in 2008, Wijholds says that the company will definitely be pushing ahead with opening an office in the country by 2011.

“We see that due to the lack of qualified welders, there is a very strong move towards mechanised or automatic welding,” he observes.

ADIPEC Stand 11269
Company: WEG Middle East
Who: Colin Cox
Position: Managing director,
Middle East region, WEG

Brazilian electrical machine and automation solutions provider WEG is a relative newcomer to the Middle East market with its facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone operating for about four years.

The company will be exhibiting for the first time this year at ADIPEC and managing director for the Middle East region, Colin Cox says that he hopes that WEG’s presence at the exhibition will translate into increased awareness of the company in the region.

“We took the decision to go into the ADIPEC exhibition this year, this is the first year that we will be exhibiting there,” Cox says. “It does demonstrate the importance we are putting in the oil and gas market, we want to get a lot closer with for example the oil and gas companies in the UAE and generally around the Middle East region,” he explains.

“We are hoping that this will be a platform where we can meet some of these oil and gas companies who can come and talk to us and we can arrange to come and see them and do some seminars at their premises and talk to their engineers and their commercial people.”

“We are still going through the process in the region of qualification with a lot of these companies so it is a long process but this is a long haul strategy for WEG.”

Cox says that as part of its growth plans in the region, WEG will be investing in a larger office space and enter into agreement with a local partner company for its logistical operations.

“We want to be up around the $50-60 million turnover from our operation here in the Middle East in the next few years, it is not a long term vision, that is a relatively short term one,” he says.

ADIPEC Stand 04040
Avon Protection to launch sulphur dioxide protection hood at ADIPEC 2010
Company: Avon Protection Systems

Avon Protection, a part of Avon Rubber, has developed a compact NIOSH (National Institute Of Occupational Safety & Health) certified H2S Filter Escape Hood, claimed to be the world’s most compact and is designed to protect individuals in their safe escape from a toxic emergency, and will be on show for the first time at ADIPEC between 1-4 November.

Due to the long distance toxic effect of a potential sour gas (H2S) and Sulphur Dioxide (SO²) release, it is essential that production and construction site workers in the oil and gas industry have respiratory protective equipment available to them at all times.

Avon’s NH15 Filter Escape Hood has been designed to meet the latest oil and gas industry safety challenge time standards of 100 minutes protection at an onsite

H2S concentration level of 5,000ppm. It is quick and easy to use – from opening the packaging through to donning the hood, the wearer can be safe in less than 30 seconds. Once donned, the NH15 provides the user with a wide and clear view of the scene, as well as the ability to easily recognise and communicate with colleagues. In areas of high humidity, it has been designed to minimise condensation and fogging levels within the hood – very important if you are in the midst of an emergency.

Further benefits the NH15 has over other respiratory protection include it being able to fit all head sizes, plus it can accommodate all facial features such as beards, turbans and long hair as well as equipment such as spectacles and goggles. It is compact and lightweight, and can be carried around on a utility belt or stored in confined spaces. Finally, it has a five year zero inspection and maintenance shelf life. All of this combines to make the NH15 Emergency Hood one of the safest, most cost efficient pieces of respiratory equipment available to the oil and gas industry.

Steve Windley, Avon Protection’s Regional Sales manager to the Middle East, explains: “Here at Avon Protection, we have been working with leading HSE providers in the Middle East to design the most compact H2S/SO2 filter escape hood which meets the oil and gas industry’s latest safety challenge times for high ppm levels of toxic gases that would be present during a rig or refinery emergency.”

ADIPEC Stand 02115
Company: AlMansoori Specialized Engineering

Who: Nabil Alalawi

Position: CEO

AlMansoori Specialized Engineering is a regional provider of oilfield services in the Middle East. Established in Abu Dhabi in 1977, it has more than 1,000 employees working in more than 15 countries providing a variety of oilfield services ranging from production testing, slickline and completions to safety training and manpower supply.

“AlMansoori Specialized Engineering is taking its largest ever exhibition space at ADIPEC 2010 which is a clear indication of our commitment to this event,” says CEO Nabil Alalawi. “We expect to see a greater number of visitors to our stand – old friends and new ones alike – and, of course, we would hope more business will result,” he says.

The company which has been very active in Bahrain and the Kurdistan region of Iraq this year has recently won a contract with HESS Oil Company of the USA for the use of the next generation Versa Rig in Thailand for hydraulic workover services.

This versatile, self supporting, hydraulic workover rig can operate on multi-well pads, onshore or offshore and to depths of up to 25,000ft, claims Alalawi.

Alalawi cites that new technology is needed across the region’s oil and gas sector where he sees a wealth of opportunities for companies like his to enter and says that Iran is the go-to destination for local companies.

ADIPEC Stand 11280
CorDEX Instruments
Explosion proof equipment firm sets sights on oil and gas industry

CorDEX Instruments, the innovator of the world’s first explosion proof digital camera with flash and zoom – is showing its unique range of services at ADIPEC where it believes they have huge potential in the oil and gas industry, particularly in achieving health and safety compliancy.

Areas offshore where there is a risk of explosion due to the mixtures of gas and air, or other flammable combinations, are classified as high risk. Therefore it is important to eliminate the source of ignition, such as sparks, flames, hot surfaces or static electricity which could potentially escalate into a full scale incident offshore if left unchecked.

Special precautions need to be taken offshore especially as the industry pushes further into more remote and challenging locations and CorDEX Instruments believes its explosion-proof digital cameras are ideally suited for offshore personnel in photographing and capturing crystal clear images of their work.

The state-of-the-art cameras developed by CorDEX are ideal for oil and gas industry personnel working in hazardous environments.

Marcus Halliday, general manager of CorDEX says: “Most explosions are initiated by a spark and when electronic equipment is used in a volatile environment the risk of explosion is increased. Our portable digital cameras are designed to the highest safety standards and are ideal for use offshore where safety is a top priority and traditional digital cameras are not permitted for danger reasons.

“We have designed the cameras to be as simple to use as an everyday camera with all the functions you would expect from a top end model and we believe they will be of particular use to HAZOP (health and safety) officers, who need to record incidents.”

The company’s products were launched last year in the mining and chemical sectors; however these capabilities are not restricted to these industries, which is why CorDex is
offering new products to the energy sector.

The company has developed the Centurion XPG which is certified to European ATEX standards for hazardous equipment.

Using the Centurion XPC, engineers, inspectors and safety officers in oil, gas, petrochemical and pharmaceutical organisations can safely capture still and video images to safely document images from high risk operations, assets, vessels and installations.

The Centurion XPC is certified for image capture within a Zone 1 EEC TQ hazardous (explosive areas) and has the ability to make high resolution/high quality photos capturing images up to 10 mega pixels, as well as moving pictures in AVI format.

Photographs can be instantly viewed with 2GB of capacity, or hundreds of images can be stored which can be transferred via high speed USB. A 4 x digital zoom allows the camera to be used to capture intricate details or wide-angled shots.

Images and movies can be searched within the explosive area quickly via keypad and viewed immediately. The camera is encased in aluminum with a viewfinder of armoured glass and has an in-built strobe flash for use in low light conditions. It comes with a rechargeable 1000mAH battery pack, charging station, mains power pack, USB cable and user manual.

CorDEX cameras are designed for use all day and night and are built with highly durable materials to withstand use in challenging environments such as offshore drilling rigs.

Other products in the range include the Centurion XP Dual which offers a larger memory capacity; interchangeable lenses for high accuracy close up and wide angle imaging and robust transport case.

CorDEX has now opened an office in Aberdeen’s Regus Business Centre with the intention of developing more bespoke products for the oil and gas sector.

This company recently launched the LaserMETER 3000XP, custom-designed as a distance measurement tool for offshore workers.

The handheld tool with robust IP65 flameproof design is tested for use within hazardous areas, making it an ideal device for offshore personnel working on high risk rigs and installations, who at the moment have to obtain hot work permits to use traditional laser measuring devices.

The LaserMETER 3000XP distance metre can be used within a Zone 1 IIC T4 hazardous (explosive) area. The IP65 design incorporates shock resistant, anti-static over mould with interchangeable battery pack and backlit LCD display. It is capable of measuring distances of up to 30m with an accuracy of 3mm. It comes with a number of features such as Pythagoras and area and volume calculations.

Halliday explains that the distance measuring device is an essential piece of kit for offshore workers.

He says: “Working from end-user feedback, we have developed the first flameproof laser distance measure for offshore workers. Safety in the workplace is a major concern for companies and staff and we strive to make products to address problems encountered in high risk areas. The LaserMETER 3000XP will help cut the time and administration of obtaining hot work permits and is particularly useful when measuring pipes or equipment that are high or hard to reach.”

Halliday explains: “In the harsh and demanding energy sectors, our digital cameras are robust enough to provide reliable and high quality images. Crucially, they can support organistions’ safety strategies. Aberdeen is an important location for entry into the energy market and we are gearing up to develop a spectrum of bespoke products that will be of use to oil workers.”

ADIPEC Stand 02080
Hi-Force
Who: Craig Brown
Position: MD, HI-FORCE DUBAI

UK based high pressure tool and bolting equipment manufacturer Hi-Force has had a presence in the Middle East for almost two decades. It first established its first regional facility in Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, in February 1992, followed by a further facility in the Mussaffah Industrial Area of Abu Dhabi in 1996.

Hi-Force Dubai will be relocating to new premises within the Jebel Ali Free Zone, which subject to completion of construction, will take place by the end of this year.

“Our existing premises is simply no longer able to accommodate our ever expanding business needs and a move to a much larger facility will better support our end user customers in the region.” The company which employs over 50 people within the UAE and recently opened its new headquarters in the UK, will be exhibiting at this year’s ADIPEC conference.

“Hi-Force’s presence at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum exhibition and conference (ADIPEC) is vitally important to the continued growth within the Middle East region,” says Craig Brown, managing director of Hi-Force FZCO, Dubai.

“As the largest exhibition of its kind in the Middle East, Hi-Force have participated in every exhibition since 1996, making ADIPEC 2010 the eighth successive Hi-Force appearance,” he says. Products on display at the Hi-Force stand will include cylinders, manual and powered pumps, manual and hydraulic torque wrenches and host of other items. In addition, visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about BoltRight, our software programme that assists engineers, in applications where accurate and consistent ‘bolt up’ of joint connections is required.

ADIPEC Stand 1046
Company: NEPTUNE MARINE PACIFIC
Who: Benoit Barbier
Position: Regional VP, Asia and Middle East

Neptune Marine Pacific will be participating in its first ADIPEC this year. “We want to take advantage of this major industry event to publicise our arrival on the Middle East subsea services scene,” says Benoit Barbier, regional vice president, Asia and Middle East.

Neptune offers to upstream operators, EPIC contractors and drilling contractors an integrated suite of subsea inspection, repair and maintenance (IRM) services combined with engineering and fabrication capabilities targeting their offshore assets.

“Our aim is to support these companies’ asset integrity management programmes.”

Barbier says the region is an important growth market for Neptune, and that the company has already secured work for major upstream clients.

“Neptune is currently contracted by QatarGas for a three year pipeline inspection campaign. Further, Neptune conducted in July a pipeline survey and free span rectification work for RAK Petroleum in Oman,” Barbier added.

The company’s Middle East focus geographies are Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE. “These countries have deployed over the past decades large production infrastructures which require regular maintenance and repair work. Neptune is well equipped to provide the related services, bundled under common project management or executed separately,” explained Barbier.

The company will be performing interactive presentations of its NEPSYS dry underwater welding service at its exclusive UAE agent, AlMansoori, booth throughout ADIPEC 2010.

ADIPEC Stand 09005E
Industry Technology Facilitator
ITF welcomes Gulf partners to forge ahead in new technology

AS hydrocarbon reserves become harder to recover, technological expertise is what it takes to unlock the evolving challenges facing the global industry to keep oil supplies flowing.

Countless technologies go into the extraction and manufacturing of oil and gas and staying ahead in the R&D game requires a heady mix of industry experience with a shrewd application of knowledge.

The development of new technology is fundamental in supporting efficient production, and keeping at the sharp edge of innovation is the Aberdeen-based Industry Technology Facilitator (ITF), which calls upon inventors worldwide to think outside the box to find revolutionary sources of new technology.

ITF already has a list of high-profile members, but now is celebrating a major coup, as a major Middle East company has now joined its ranks. KOC, the Kuwait Oil Company, known as the ‘backbone’ of Kuwaiti economy, has been impressed by ITF’s track record and the many benefits the organisation offers.

Dr. Adel Al-Abassi, manager research and technology, KOC said: “Our attraction to the ITF model is underpinned by the real results we are seeing in oilfields across the globe from technology that has been delivered through projects jointly funded by ITF members. We are committed to innovation and look forward to increasing our engagement with technology developers and other ITF members to champion groundbreaking, technology solutions that can benefit the entire industry.”

Neil Poxon, managing director at ITF welcomed the new members on board: “We are delighted that such a high profile organization has embraced the benefits that ITF offers in driving new technology innovation. We continuously strive to address the technology needs of our members and support them at every stage of the process so that they can get the most out of collaboration.

“KOC’s activities extend across exploration operations, on-shore and off-shore surveys, drilling of test wells, and development of producing fields in addition to crude and natural gas exploration. “

The motivated organization is now focused on raising its profile in the Middle East, and is exhibiting at ADIPEC 2010, to encourage more Gulf companies to keep pace with technology and enhance their research and development capabilities through ITF’s guiding and funding programme.

Now in its eleventh year, the company ensures new technologies are realised through collaboration with major operators and top service companies – by offering a ‘no tricks’ channel to innovators with potential solutions to oil and gas challenges.

The ‘not for profit’ organization is owned by 25 global operator and service companies who work closely with technology developers to identify the needs of the exploration and production (E&P) sector. The company is entirely funded by the industry, and was originally established by the UK Oil and Gas Industry Taskforce in 1999 as part of the PILOT initiative.

ITF fosters the best and most viable ideas and progresses these from early development stage through to implementation throughout the industry. Most of this is achieved through joint industry projects (JIPs) with up to 100% funding available for successful proposals.

To date, ITF has been responsible for successfully delivering over 150 revolutionary oilfield projects to the global market whilst securing direct funding of approximately $80 million.

Poxon Said: “ITF believes that greater collaboration between industry, academia and government is crucial to delivering the game-changing technologies needed to extract the remaining hydrocarbons worldwide.

And we need to achieve this through methods which are reliable, affordable and safe.

“It is essential that research and development projects not only address global challenges but are refined so they achieve a real impact on the problems identified by the industry. The ITF process has been of real benefit to our international members as it provides a collaborative stage to ultimately deliver the best technology for the industry’s most pressing problems.

ITF wants more Middle East companies to join its ranks and views ADIPEC as a great platform to introducing Gulf companies to their international programme.

Poxon explained: “ADIPEC is the gateway for oil and gas business, offering direct access to the world’s industry powerhouses and key players. Increased oil production for the UAE, now places the Middle East as one of the world’s key energy hubs.

“In contrast to other funding programmes, ITF is unique in that it is truly global, but not linked to Government so it enjoys greater flexibility. This position allows ITF to lever the highest amounts of funding and open calls for proposals which are then evaluated by industry experts.

ITF has helped coordinate the development of a system for Subsea Water Injection &Treatment (SWIT) which could prove to be a groundbreaking alternative to traditional seawater injections.

The pioneering technology is set to revolutionise the oil and gas industry by taking water injection facilities from topside to seabed for the very first time, increasing oil recovery and cutting costs by up to 50% whilst removing the need for bulky topside treatment plants.

Tests of the SWIT unit prove the treatment has a significant effect on delaying the formation of biofilm, showing excellent disinfectant results and a continuous reduction in solids content.

Inventor Dave Pinchin from Well Processing (AS) said: “We have four potential applications with key Gulf oil and gas companies. Not only can it be used for offshore applications
but it is also being considered for supplying treated water to large land based reservoirs such as those in and around the Arabian Gulf.

“ITF has played a key role in enabling the development of this technology by investigating technology requirements from their members, coordinating contributions and providing the framework for conducting a JIP. The project has also received funding from the Norwegian Research Council which truly shows how collaboration in the oil and gas industry is nurturing technological advances. SWIT has been awarded four patents and won an innovation award at ONS.

SWIT technology was developed to allow reservoir engineers to rethink their reservoir drainage strategy and manage reservoirs more effectively to get more oil from a field.

Said Pinchin: “Water Injection is the most commonly used method to achieve higher recovery of OIP from an oil reservoir. To just maintain present global oil production, water injection will need to increase from 3 times oil production in 2010 to 7 times in 2020 – i.e. to more than double in the next 10 years. The potential gains of an effective Water Injection campaign can be as big as a ‘new find’.”

SWIT allows for significant reduction in solids content, providing two independent methods for on-line sterilisation of seawater – electro-chlorination and a new method of sterilisation via hydroxyl radical generation.

SWIT also gives freedom of choice with respect to the number and location of wells – it allows for injection of as much treated seawater as required, where required without typical host platform restrictions. The technology allows the decision on water injection needs to be delayed until the reservoir is up and running.

In all, a total of $2.2 million was invested in the 18 month long JIP from four major oil and gas operators and Norway’s DEMO 2000. It is now proposed to conduct full scale pilot plant trials in the Middle and Far East, as well as being considered for large land-based reservoirs around the Arabian Gulf.

“As some of the largest reservoirs in the world become depleted it will be necessary to significantly increase water injection – which in some cases can only mean lengthy pipelines into the desert from the nearest available seawater source,” added Pinchin.

ADIPEC Stand 05120
Company: EFC Group
Who: Bob Will
Position: EFC Group managing director

EFC Group secured a contract with the Al Ghaith Group for National Drilling Company (NDC) Abu Dhabi worth $370,000 last month, and will be participating at ADIPEC in November.

The new deal sees the designer and manufactuer of Instrumentation, Monitoring, Control and Handling Systems cruise over the $1.5 million worth of UAE contracts in the last 12 months.

“EFC are keen to continue investment in this important market, we have a resident engineer based in Abu Dhabi supporting EFC’s UAE clients, developing new business and building relationships,” said Bob Will, EFC Group managing director.

The Aberdeen-headquartered company has successfully completed work onboard NDC’s Al Hail jack-up rig, supplying and installing High Pressure/High Temperature (HPHT) Monitoring System, part of the Choke and Kill Manifold upgrade for its Khuff drilling schedule.

“This significant contract win continues to cement EFC as a niche supplier of bespoke systems for specialist areas such as Well Control. The UAE currently accounts for 18% of EFC orders and along with the rest of the Middle East remains a key target market for EFC growth,” said Will.

Additional recent Middle East contract wins for EFC include work for two semi-subs: one ordered a Well Control Monitoring System, a key upgrade to its Choke Control system, assisting it to meet stringent international standards, and another which required a complete overhaul of its BOP Controls system, a particular area of EFC expertise.

“Another encouraging product area for the EFC Group in this region is its Integrated Marine Monitoring Systems (IMMS), a total of 6 IMMS Tank Gauging systems have been delivered to NDC operated drilling rigs and we see a growing client base for the supply of these systems,” explained Will.

“We will be using ADIPEC 2010 to introduce our latest Group offering; Mechanical Handling Solutions, as well as addressing the emerging Well Control and HPHT market needs as Khuff drilling activity increases.”
EFC Group is exhibiting on stand 05120 with Al Ghaith Group.