Saudi Aramco inaugurated last year the first phase of a new R&D Centre, a state-of-the-art facility equipped to perform key scientific research and testing programmes.
It was designed to reinforce Saudi Aramco's leading position in cost-saving petroleum developments through innovative new technologies and, by the end of last year, more than 550 active research and technology projects were under way at the centre.
Last year, Saudi Aramco's Intellectual Assets Management (IAM) team developed 15 patent applications and filed two, thereby advancing the company's policy of protecting proprietary assets and creating opportunities to increase future revenues.
The R&D centre is expected to employ up to 350 engineering scientists during the first two phases of development. The centre follows the completion in the year 2000 of Phase 1 of the company's Lab Research & Development Centre (LR&DC) in Dhahran.
The LR&DC is a 12,000 sq m research facility which offers high bay space to house large-scale simulation systems such as a catalyst pilot plant and sanding and formation damage equipment.
It also provides the opportunity to expand and upgrade research equipment to support exploration, production and refining operations.
Saudi Aramco says that its scientists and researchers often develop additional value through patentable discoveries as they work to meet the challenges associated with the company's complex operations.
The company's IAM team manages and protects company-developed assets and commercially exploits those developed by company technology and research.
This initiative, which started in 2000, centralises the processing of patents and copyrights so that intellectual properties can be licensed and developed for marketing. This in turn has great potential to increase future revenues and generate significant cost savings, according to the company.
Saudi Aramco works continuously through R&D to meet the highest standards of quality for its products.
The Ras Tanura Laboratory (RTL), for example, operates and supervises on-line analyser quality control around the clock for all Ras Tanura plants, Ras Tanura Terminal's tank farms, Ju'aymah Gas Plant and all Eastern Distribution bulk plants, performing an average of 37,000 tests per month.
It is also responsible for calibrating and certifying all Saudi Aramco laboratory and plant testing thermometers, hydrometers, and centrifugal tubes.
The 4,500 sq m RTL is connected to an advanced computer system - the Laboratory Information Management System - linking it to all refinery plants and related administrative divisions.
Among the most important pieces of RTL equipment are octane engines, which measure gasoline-combustion efficiency; gas chromatographs, used to determine the components of samples; and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer analysers, which determine the percentage of metals in various types of water used in refining operations and for drinking.
RTL also operates a miniature fractionation tower. It is used to study crude oil distillation and help determine the product quantity and quality - which benefits marketing and planning.
