Riyadh – Mubasher: State-run Saudi Aramco, known formally as Saudi Arabian Oil Co., and Baker Hughes GE (BHGE) opened a “game-changing” research facility at Dhahran Techno Valley.
The facility will house a host of groundbreaking technologies, including the first industry 3D printer for metal in Saudi Arabia and data visualisation, and automation platform to help simulate and optimise well activity and construction, the Saudi oil giant said in a recent statement.
“This centre will be a game-changer in ways that many of us would have considered science fiction’ at the beginning of our careers,” Nasir Al Naimi, Saudi Aramco’s Vice President of Petroleum Engineering and Development, commented.
Saudi Aramco, which is one of the largest companies in the world by revenue, expects the technology and strategic impact of the new centre to significantly upgrade its capabilities to project manage, design, manufacture, and commission hardware and software with the ambition of deploying it globally.
“Saudi Aramco and BHGE have a long history of working together. We appreciate BHGE’s wholehearted commitment to the Kingdom and to supporting Saudi Aramco in its operations,” Al Naimi added.
Al Naimi pointed out that the new facility is expected to comprise a Visualisation Lab equipped with a digital learning, visualisation and automation platform able to absorb data from multiple sources to create a digital twin of the planned well and its surrounding ecosystem.
This will enable well planners to run multiple predictive simulations and workflows to optimise the good construction process.
It is worth noting that the Dhahran Techno Valley Holding Company (DTVC), a wholly owned subsidiary of the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), is a key driver of the Dhahran Techno Valley Ecosystem.
It was established to promote a knowledge-based economy in Dhahran and in the Eastern Province.
