Synopsis

In the upstream offshore oil & gas production, effective and efficient sand separation and management are vital, since the presence of sand and solids in wellhead production lines are likely to cause erosion and blockage issues in the subsequent downstream equipment at production platforms. As a consequence, dangerous incidents, such as the failures of flowlines, production vessels and control valves, have a higher risk of occurring. Moreover, oily sand discharged into the sea is also an environmental concern.

This full-day course is designed to educate the participants on the engineering design, operation and maintenance of the technologies for the removal and cleaning of the sand and solids prior to discharge. Proven sand removal technologies, such as wellhead desanders, produced water desandinghydrocyclones, sand fluidisers, and sand cleaning systems are commonly used in the upstream oil & gas production. However, these sand removal and cleaning systems need to be designed and operated correctly to ensure optimized separation performance.

The course will cover the following:
1. Equipment Engineering Design Philosophy
    (Principles of Operation, Desander Performance Characteristics),
2. Package Description
    (Review of all package components, Major Design & Engineering Features),
3. Equipment Start-up Procedure
    (Initial start-up/commissioning, Normal start-up),
4. Normal Operation Procedure
    (Operating Parameters, System Monitoring, Solids Removal),
5. Shutdown Procedure
    (Temporary Isolation, Prolonged Shutdown),
6. Troubleshooting & Maintenance
    (Routine Maintenance, Liner Removal & Replacement)

At the end of the course, the participants shall be able to understand the importance of sand separation processes and how it can be done effectively during designing, operations and maintenance stages.


Biodata

Mr. Hilmi Isa is Managing Director and Principal Trainer of EDES Technology Sdn Bhd. Hilmi has worked in the oil & gas industry for 20 years specializing in mechanical and process designs for production and processing equipment. Hilmi has worked as Lead Mechanical Engineer for many upstream oil & gas projects, covering wellhead desanders, produced water treatment, sand separation and management, seawater treatment, multiphase production separators, fuel gas treatment, and glycol gas dehydration. Hilmi is also well-versed in the PETRONAS Technical Standards (PTS) and the SHELL DEP Standards. He has also successfully conducted technical training programs for PETRONAS and SHELL engineers and operators. EDES has successfully completed process packages for major clients, such as PETRONAS, SARAWAK SHELL, MURPHY OIL MALAYSIA, SAPURAKENCANA PETROLEUM, TALISMAN, CAMERON MALAYSIA, WOOD GROUP, etc.

Ir. Dr. Eow John Son is Principal Engineer & Trainer with EDES Technology Sdn Bhd. He is also a Professional Engineer (BEM), and a Chartered Engineer (Engineering Council, UK). He obtained his PhD (in electrostatic water-oil separation) from the UK, and has published many technical papers in international journals and conferences. Having spent many years in multinational companies, and having worked in the UK, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia, John is well-versed in the oil & gas processes and production technologies, such as Wellhead Desander, Produced Water Treatment, Sand Separation & Management, Crude Oil Treatment, and Gas Processing for the upstream oil & gas Industry. He has worked from Technical and Commercial Proposal Stage to Detailed Engineering Stage to Commissioning Stage to Production Troubleshooting for oil & gas processes. John has conducted technical training and consultancy work for engineers and operators at Saudi Aramco, PETRONAS, Sarawak SHELL, GAIL India, etc. He is also an Assistant Professor at UniversitiTunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).