Saudi Aramco, BHGE Open Research Center

Saudi Aramco signaled its commitment to cutting edge technology and developing global partnerships with the opening yesterday of a “game-changing” Baker Hughes GE (BHGE) research facility at Dhahran Techno Valley.

The facility will house a number of state-of-the-art technologies, including the first industry 3D printer for metal in Saudi Arabia and a data visualization and automation platform to help simulate and optimize well activity and construction.

The facility is also expected to house a Visualization Lab equipped with a digital learning, visualization 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 in turn enable well planners to run multiple predictive simulations and workflows to optimize the well construction process.

“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 Engineering & Development, Nasir Al Naimi.

Saudi Aramco said it expects the technology and strategic impact of the new center to upgrade the company’s capabilities to project manage, design, manufacture and commission hardware and software (control and condition monitoring industry) 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 said. “In a way, I believe the strength of this relationship comes from a fundamental alignment of the technology roadmaps between Saudi Aramco and BHGE.”

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, which was created to promote a knowledge-based economy in Dhahran and in the Eastern Province. This ecosystem includes KFUPM, national champions such as Saudi Aramco, SABIC and SEC, technology partners and small to medium size enterprises.