Saudi Aramco consolidates technology drive with Baker Hughes General Electric research partnership
Opening of a “game changing” Baker Hughes GE research facility at Dhahran Techno Valley.
Saudi Aramco today signaled the company's commitment to cutting edge technology and developing global partnerships with the opening of a “game changing” Baker Hughes GE research facility at Dhahran Techno Valley.
“This center will be a game changer in ways that many of us would have considered 'science fiction' at the beginning of our careers,” said Saudi Aramco's Vice President of Petroleum & Drilling, Mr. Nasir Al Naimi, welcoming invited guests and a high level BHGE management delegation led by CEO Lorenzo Simonelli to the Dhahran Techno Valley.
“Saudi Aramco and Baker Hughes/GE have a long history of working together. We appreciate your wholehearted commitment to the Kingdom and to supporting Saudi Aramco in its operations,” he said. “In a way, I believe the strength of this relationship comes from a fundamental alignment of the technology roadmaps between Saudi Aramco and Baker Hughes/GE.”
The state of the art research facility will house a host of groundbreaking technologies, including an Additive Manufacturing Center which is the first industry 3D printer for metal in Kingdom. Elsewhere the Sour Lab is the first ever service sector fully equipped H2S lab in Saudi Arabia with a focus on chemicals and materials exposed to 100% of H2S saturation at HPHT conditions.
The facility will also house a Visualization Lab deploying a digital learning, visualization and automation platform able to ingest data from multiple sources to create a digital twin of the planned well and its surrounding ecosystem. This will in turn enable well planners to run multiple predictive simulations and workflows to optimize the well construction process.
The technology and strategic impact of new center will significantly upgrade capabilities to project manage, design, manufacture and commission the hardware and software (control & condition monitoring industry) with the ambition to export globally.
