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University and TNO host student workshop for boosting oil & gas production

Published Feb 13, 2014

Texas A&M University at Qatar and Dutch company, TNO, hosted a student workshop on 25 January at the University’s Engineering Building at Education City. Experts from TNO gave students from Texas A&M at Qatar and Qatar University unique training on how intelligent oil and gas field technologies can be used to maximize hydrocarbon production. The training in this emerging topic in the oil & gas industry is of significant relevance for major oil & gas producers like Qatar.

Dr. Michael Fraim, associate professor of Petroleum Engineering at Texas A&M at Qatar, said, “This workshop provided students from the University and Qatar University with a great learning and practice opportunity. TNO’s experts taught students the basics of Intelligent Field and then made them work in multi-disciplinary teams to design an optimum intelligent field. Teams presented their work and were evaluated to declare winner of the best design. We thank TNO for making such a valuable event possible for our students.”

At the workshop students learned about various aspects of Intelligent Fields including new sensor technologies, production optimization methods and IT systems required to optimize a field’s production. In addition, the trainers explained the important role people have in Intelligent Fields, in particular regarding decision-making for a field’s operations. Students received hands-on experience through a case study in which they competed for the best design for an Intelligent Field. The event was hosted in collaboration with the Qatar Society of Petroleum Engineers (Q-SPE) Student Chapter.

The focused workshop was the second that TNO has organized on Intelligent Fields for students in Qatar. Dr. Ruud van der Linden, one of TNO’s senior experts on the topic, was brought to Doha for the course. Anton Leemhuis, managing director of TNO’s Doha-based Middle East branch, said, “Intelligent Field technologies have been emerging over the last decade and are becoming commonplace in the industry. Technologies are available, but the key is to train people so they can use them well. Therefore, it is important to familiarize students with Intelligent Field technology at an early stage, as they are the engineers and industry leaders of the future.“