Kazakhstan Focussed Optimization Event

I've never been to Kazakhstan before.  Aktau sits on the Caspian Sea, but it is not much of a resort town.  The area around it is desert and the city was once the site of a nuclear reactor used to create plutonium for the USSR.  It now is one of the hubs for oilfield work in Kazakhstan, and there was chatter that the place has radioactive dust.  


Luckily, I was there when the weather was pleasant.  The temperatures can range from -30 to 40C (-22 to 104F). 


Kazakhstan is the 9th largest country in the world, and it is very, very empty.

The field we reviewed produces a waxy crude of about 50API gravity.  That is some nice crude!  The wells flowed naturally but the field desparately needs water injection for pressure support and due to the low productivity, needs ESPs for artifical lift.  The small plant runs well but staff numbers and operating costs are very high.  It was an unusual use of an optimization event to check assumptions and plans already agreed.  Largely thanks to Paul, in addition, we provided opportunities to save OPEX and CAPEX and uncovered some safety and integrity gaps, for example pig launchers without proper safety interlocks and materials not rated for high pressure CO2 service.  We identified 20% gains in production immediately at no cost, but additional gains up to 40% can only come later, once the major projects are in place.


Paul and I got to ride in a Mi-8-T.  

Mi-8-T

Wikipedia says the Mi-8-T is the world's most produced helicopter, but I can say that the one we flew in vibrated like no helicopter I've been in.  It was such a level of vibration that my skin would itch in whatever areas would reach harmonic vibration with the machine.  I had to brace myself carefully, not touching certain parts of the seat in order to stay sane for the hour flight. The helicopter did save us from a 14 hour, round trip ordeal on gravel roads to the field and back, so it was fully worth the temporary irritations.

Paul 'relaxing' during the flight.