A bigger and better research complex was open for business after the inauguration of the Phase II expansion of Saudi Aramco's Research & Development Centre (R&DC)
Construction for the Phase II expansion of Saudi Aramco's R&DC began on August 13, 2002, and it was completed in December 2004.

Staff began moving into the new facilities in July. Contractor was Saudi-owned National Engineering Services & Marketing Co Ltd (NESMA). Phase I of the R&DC project was complete in November 2000 and included a general laboratory and high bay area building, the first section of the gas testing building and a water chilling plant as well as infrastructure for Phase II construction.
'Research and development work is not new to us at Saudi Aramco,' President and CEO Abdallah S Jum'ah said. 'What's new about this project is that it provides a better work environment for the scientists of our company to help unleash their innovation and creativity.'
He added: 'The nature and size of our oilfields and the huge magnitude of our operations as the largest integrated petroleum company in the world, and the operational challenges that we face during the execution of our activities, pose unique challenges and require solutions that cannot be brought in from somewhere else in the world.'
Muhsen F Al Ajmi, the Research and Development Centre Department representative for the project, said, 'Now we have a world-class facility which can accommodate the growing technical needs of our scientists in support of the strategic objectives and goals of the company. All those needs will be met in this facility for many years to come.'
Seamlessly blending with the existing structure along a graceful curving wall of glass, the expansion includes extensive laboratory and high-bay facilities, an administration building, a high-pressure materials study building for autoclave operations, a chemical quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) building and an expansion of the existing Chiller Plant. In addition, the Phase II project includes parking and landscaping.
The expanded centre's 34,500 sq m of space contain pilot plants, workshops, offices, meeting rooms and 210 laboratory modules, which can be combined or separated. This configuration accommodates 330 employees, 75 per cent of whom are Saudis. Saudi Aramco's Engineering and Operations Services business line oversees the centre.
The expansion project included new construction on seven buildings. Buildings 2 and 3 each feature general laboratories with high bay areas accommodating the Research and Technology Division, Downstream Research and Deve-lopment Division, Analytical Support Division, Material Science Research and Development Division and Services Support Division.
The three labs (including the one completed in Phase I), which feature special air handling units custom-designed to meet scientist-defined requirements, house the heart and soul of Saudi Aramco's quest for laboratory-based innovation and invention. It is here that company scientists and technicians research solutions to the challenges unique to Saudi Arabia's vast oil and gas fields as well as broad industry challenges.
A majority of the R&DC's employees go to work in these laboratory facilities.
Building 4 is the Administration Building and houses Research and Development Centre management staff members and other key personnel within the department. Meeting space is also an important component of the building. Saudi Aramco has long recognised the need for teamwork in research, and R&DC scientists routinely collaborate with outside partners as well as home-grown experts in various disciplines within Saudi Aramco. It is here that many of those meetings take place.
Building 5, the High Pressure Materials Study Building, is a showcase facility for Saudi Aramco's commitment to ensuring the reliability and peak performance of company assets in a safe work-place environment. It is here that Saudi Aramco scientists conduct corrosion-related studies using so-called 'sour gases' in a dynamic system.
Every aspect of these critical studies was taken into consideration in the building's design and construction, from the need for control methods and condition monitoring to materials performance issues.
'This building was constructed with the highest standards of safety precautions,' noted Al Ajmi.
In addition to blast-proof chambers and facility-wide sensors that alert staff members should potentially hazardous conditions exist, the building's 24 autoclave chambers also allow scientists and technicians to make changes to the exacting testing conditions inside the autoclaves remotely.
Building 6 is the Chemical Quality Assurance Lab Building (CQAC). This was the first building completed in Phase II construction and works hand-in-hand with the gas testing lab built in Phase I, housing equipment and personnel to perform quality assurance studies for all oilfield chemicals.
Samples of all chemicals are analysed at the CQAC prior to being sent out to the fields to ensure that they meet Saudi Aramco's strict and exact specifications.
The Chiller Plant, the main construction of which was part of Phase I, was expanded as part of Phase II construction, and features a custom-design cooling tower which aids water circulation and heat absorption.
Saudi Aramco Senior Scientist Allan Fox was involved with the R&DC project since 1997, working with other company scientists as well as engineers and contractors to create the company's newest scientific facility.
'This project used some new technology, including electronic review of the construction plans for some parts of the process,' noted Fox. 'Everything was very high-tech.'
One area where high-tech was definitely put to the test was in air quality.
'Having a facility of this size, which requires air that is 100 per cent replaced, was a unique challenge,' noted Fox.
'We are dealing with a huge volume of air that cannot be recirculated due to possible chemical contamination. Because of this, we are constantly pulling new air in, cooling it and then sending it out,' he added.
Due to this need for replaced air, the R&DC has a cooling system with a capacity three times that of other systems in Dhahran.
Another high-tech solution incorporated into the R&DC was a sophisticated early warning system. More than 15,000 data points continually monitor variables including temperature, airflow, air rate and quality. Along with these sensors, heat and smoke detectors are also fed into a main computer within the facility to be monitored and acted upon.
Not only does the system ensure safety and improved reliability, but it also cuts down on unscheduled downtime, thus increasing facility-wide efficiency.
Construction of a new Technical Exchange Centre was added to the expansion project's scope during 2004, and completion was scheduled in the first quarter of 2005.
With the Phase II expansion, the centre is now even better equipped to meet its mandate: To help maintain Saudi Aramco's leading position in the hydrocarbons industry by using innovative applied research to develop cutting-edge technology and processes. Nearly a third of the company's US-issued patents have been awarded to R&D Centre scientists.
Saudi Aramco's sharp emphasis on research and development reflects the company's continuing and far-reaching commitment to meeting future global demands for energy, creating technology-based business ventures and identifying new revenue streams that promote the development of the local economy.
R&DC scientists, across myriad disciplines and often in collaboration with outside partners, are working hard to capture growth opportunities for hydrocarbons, protect future markets for crude oil and generate new businesses.