Commissioning Support: Petroleum Development Oman

We are providing full completion, commissioning, and startup services for a diverse portfolio of gas processing facilities and megaprojects in Oman. The five-year contract (2017-2022) with Petroleum Development Oman (PDO) provides support services to manage and control the entire facility completion process. It also mandates a custom technical training program for engineers to staff the facilities.

Challenge:

To meet Oman’s increasing gas demand, PDO is building a broad scope of gas processing facilities and ancillary projects with varying degrees of complexity, including two sour gas processing megaprojects. Our objective is to safely deliver fully commissioned, certified and documented, operational plants. In addition to the megaprojects, there are a variety of smaller projects within the commissioning contract. Approximately 30 projects were active in mid-2018. These include relatively simple gathering stations that separate the raw production into oil, gas, and water; facilities to boost gas pressure with compressors; and heavy oil enhanced recovery projects to increase water production for stream injection and to support polymer injection operations.

The often complex, and in some cases hazardous, operations require specialized skills and experienced engineers. A custom training program was required to further educate recently graduated Omani engineers in facility-specific process, electrical, instrumentation, automation, and mechanical disciplines. The objective of the three-year program of classroom and field training is part of a PDO initiative to create sustainable technical and commercial capabilities in Oman.

Solution:

Our specialists are fully integrated within PDO’s commissioning and start-up management team, including planning, consultancy, supervision, execution and administration of the various oil and gas facilities. Embedding Kent expertise at every level provides a high degree of control and management of the overall commissioning process, while ensuring full engagement in each project. Our sour gas experience and project management skills reduced HSE risk and ensured project delivery.

To enhance efficiency and safety, we are also training the next generation of Omani technicians to operate the new facilities. The unique custom training program enrolls 50 engineering students each year. PDO hires about 15% to support on-going projects. Students spend six months at the training centre, and two and a half years on site with trainers and engineers. The training includes practice in independently performing completion, commissioning, and start-up activities using Omani vendors. The comprehensive academy includes training simulations using PDO’s innovative small-scale processing plant.

Value:

Our on-going services are successfully controlling and managing the completion, commissioning, and start-up of a varied spread of projects, from simple to complex and hazardous. With an integrated solution, we ensure certainty of project delivery and successful start-ups to help PDO achieve its long-term production objectives. We also share in the education of young engineers and the development of Oman’s future capabilities through the successful implementation of the custom training program.