Clean technologies innovation to top the agenda of the second edition of the Middle East Technology Forum (ME TECH 2012)
Following a highly successful inaugural event in January 2011, the 2nd Middle East Technology Forum (ME TECH 2012) will run between 14-15 February in Dubai, bringing together all the key players across the gas processing, oil refining, residue upgrading and petrochemical sectors.
Over two days of parallel sessions, delegates will hear first-hand presentations from leading NOCs and IOCs on their latest projects and strategies.
This year’s event will address numerous challenges facing downstream producers in the region including low margins, overcapacity and increasingly stringent quality environmental regulations. The role of technology companies is more important than ever to explore ways to improve efficiency and process heavier and sourer crudes.
“The demand for cleaner fuels and increasingly strict regulations on refined petroleum products requires refiners to adapt to new operating environments. In addition to these pressures, greater use of heavy crude requires innovative technologies, explains Colin Chapman, founder and president of the event organiser, Euro Petroleum Consultants (EPC). “Innovation is key to realising greater downstream potential,” Chapman adds.
“Technology will help plant operators to improve margins and get ahead of the competition in this ever-changing market environment,” says Chapman.
Fareed Mohamed Al-Jaberi, business development manager with The Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Company (TAKREER) will be speaking on TAKREER’s world-class refining strategies, Fuad Mohammed Mosa, manager, chemicals technology development at SABIC will present on optimum plant operations and Sreeramachandran Kartha, general manager, refining business at Reliance will address delegates on the important topic of refining and petrochemical integration principles and how they have employed them in Jamnagar. Saudi’s Sipchem and SAMREF will also be presenting on their recent projects and experiences.
Consultants from Purvin & Gertz, Wood McKenzie and CMAI will be evaluating the market trends across all the downstream sectors, best investment opportunities and examining the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Leading specialists from Shell Global Solutions, UOP, Haldor Topsoe, ExxonMobil and over twenty other technology, catalyst and equipment providers will be sharing their knowledge and offering their best solutions to meet operating challenges.
An exhibition will run alongside the event in the networking area, allowing delegates to maximize their attendance by visiting up to 40 stands where suppliers will be holding demonstrations and displaying their latest products.
“ME-TECH gives innovators and end-users a platform to exchange views on cutting-edge downstream oil and gas technology solutions to improve margins and achieve operational excellence” said Suzanne Costello, head of events at Euro Petroleum Consultants (EPC).
Many participants aim to build on last year’s success to reach more clients. “ME-TECH has been successfully positioned as a highly technical conference with coverage of the whole Middle East Area,” says Rolando Ranauro, regional sales manager, Middle East and India at Albemarle. “This year, we aim to focus on compliance with new specs with actual units and seamless execution of unit revamps,” Ranauro explains.
“The ME-TECH 2011 was an extremely well attended event, with a very high quality of papers,” says Damon Hill, director of global refining at Foster Wheeler. “Given the success of ME-TECH in 2011, we have gone even further by agreeing to deliver a FW seminar, and flying in senior personnel from offices in Europe and the US to participate in the seminar and deliver papers at the conference,” he explains.
For Sabin Metal Corp, ME TECH presents an excellent opportunity to market the company’s products across the region. “We believe that exhibitors and participants at ME TECH represent an active market for our precious metal-bearing catalyst recovery and refining services and capabilities,” says Jan Korbijn, general manager EMEA of Sabin Metal Corp.
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Meanwhile, Air Liquide is participating in the event as it represents an excellent opportunity for networking in addition to promoting its offers and services to local downstream operators.
In addition to networking opportunities, companies attending the event to market their products and services. “We aim to seek new opportunities and networking, in addition to sharing Criterion’s most recent development for Residue Upgrading technologies and catalysis,” says Mohammed Benchekchou, Middle East technical manager, Residue Upgrading at CRITERION.
The flourishing downstream sector across the Middle East has led many companies to set local presence in the region to better serve their clients.
“Despite the somewhat bleak outlook in the mature markets, the Middle East has so far not experienced any refinery closures or sales, and continues to attract huge investment in refining. Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) is well established in the Middle East, with FCC units currently under operation all across the region, providing a combined throughput of over 400 kbpd.,” says Colin Baillie, Marketing Manager, Grace Davison Refining Technologies EMEA.
“In addition, the Middle East is a hot spot of activity for new FCC projects, with at least 12 new units expected to be completed before 2016 in Iran, Iraq, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen representing an additional throughput of over 650 000 bpd,” he adds.
“We are participating at the ME TECH conference for the first time as it is now an established event in the region, and we will use the opportunity to demonstrate how our products enable refiners to increase profits by improving yields and product quality,” explains Baillie.
Though the region is still attractive for the majority of contractors, some of them expect a slowdown of projects activities. “In 2012 we expect a number of major downstream projects to be sanctioned in the Middle East. At the same time there are many studies to optimize existing assets, both in terms of reviewing investment portfolios and plans for optimizing operations and energy demand,” says Hill.
“We fully expect to be providing our expertise and experience in pre-FEED, FEED and EPC phases of project delivery across all business lines in 2012,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the search of clean technologies is expected to be reinforced in 2012, due to the stiffer environmental legislations. “The main investments are in the Deep Gasoil desulfurization for 10 ppm gasoil production, with large units under construction across the region,” says Ranauro.
“While FCC technology is getting new attention to target LPG olefins maximization, key for the success of Refinery and Chemical complex integration, LCO upgrading is one of the current focuses to maximize 10 ppm diesel production,” he explains.
Prior to the main conference on 13 February Criterion Catalysts and Foster Wheeler will host concurrent complimentary half day seminars on their latest technologies and solutions.
“We will showcase an innovative SDA / DCU combination that achieves yield improvements significantly beyond anything in the past, with coke reduction (and hence product yield improvements) of up to 35%, Hill says.
“In fact the combination of commercially proven technology, with no new technology risk, can actually achieve distillate yields comparable with the claims of residue hydrocracking for some crudes; this is getting a lot of interest from clients all over the world and will have relevance with many clients in the Middle East,” reveals Hill. “This is being presented at ME-Tech in our seminar and in the main conference.”
ME TECH will be followed directly by EPC’s high level strategy event, Russia & CIS Executive Summit on 16 and 17 February at Madinat Jumairah, in Dubai.
