Page 120: of Offshore Engineer Magazine (Sep/Oct 2015)

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People

Spotlight business risk to try new technologies. As well as the well clean-up system, there

Making an impact were other projects like on-line compres- before being posted to Oklahoma, where sor water washing and injection rate

Elaine Maslin speaks with new he specialized in process engineering control devices, which were pretty novel

Oil & Gas Innovation Centre and worked on a new project in Egypt’s at that time,” Lamza says. “To try these (OGIC) COO Ernie Lamza about

Western Desert. things offshore was very enlightened

Working on the Houston-based design of Hamilton. My view is the operators his early career, his new role team, he was responsible for 2-3 pack- nowadays are less willing to take that and the part technology has to ages of equipment and then few out to approach.”

Egypt for the project start-up. But, when Which is where OGIC comes in, to link play in the oil and gas industry. the lead engineer had to return to the US, companies with challenges in innova- eing left in charge of an oilfeld Lamza became responsible for the start- tion and development with Scottish

B start-up in Egypt’s Western Desert up of the project Universities. “Within at age 26 could be a daunting task. It on-site. OGIC, we are trying to was – but, it was also a brilliant learn- “I had arrived help companies man- ing opportunity, says Ernie Lamza, who a week before the age the risks of taking is now COO at the less than one-year scheduled start-up, technologies offshore,” old Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC) but delays meant Lamza says. “The expertise based in Aberdeen. the actual start was within Scottish universi-

Lamza, who had previously been work- closer and closer to ties is well-placed to move ing on a ConocoPhillips’ North Slope his departure date. technologies forward, project from their Oklahoma engineering Finally, we started advancing their technol- center, went on to deploy new tech- up the day before he ogy readiness level to meet nologies in the North Sea with Hamilton left and he worked industry demand.”

Brothers, manage Penspen’s worldwide on through the night OGIC’s objectives engineering and project management handing back to me are aligned with Sir business and, most recently, support the next morning. Ian Wood’s Maximising

Dutch foating production specialist SBM We walked to the Economic Recovery rec-

Ernie Lamza

Offshore’s research and development airstrip together, ommendations and the program. having a fnal handover and with last Technology Leadership Board’s goals of

Technology development is now his minute advice, said goodbye, and then stimulating well activity, encouraging core focus and it’s an area in which I took over. There were a few exciting small feld development and improving he sees a defnite need, particularly in moments, but as a 26-year-old in the asset integrity. today’s cash-strapped, low oil price envi- desert, it was brilliant – being given such Aside from connecting companies to ronment. “Innovation should be at the responsibility, learning on the job, seeing world-class Scottish researchers, OGIC forefront of everybody’s mind because a project through start-up safely to frst has also placed two pieces of cutting- of the role it can play in maximizing production.” edge equipment in the universities economic recovery in the UKCS,” says After returning to the UK, working on using money from the Scottish Funding

Lamza, who joined OGIC in February. a range of modifcation projects he went Council, a rock deformation apparatus “At OGIC, launched in November last into contracting, working for Matthew- and a computed tomography scanner, year, we work to make the innovation Hall Engineering, later acquired by to allow industry and researchers to process easier and provide funding for AMEC, before joining Hamilton Oil, later apply new techniques to target increased qualifying projects.” bought by BHP. The company was “lean recovery of oil and gas from reservoirs.

Lamza, from the Scottish Borders, and mean,” he says, but also willing to And, OGIC has priority should any studied chemical engineering at Heriot- innovate. Lamza was Hamilton’s only of its projects need access. So far four

Watt University. Upon graduation in process engineer in Aberdeen at the time, OGIC projects have been approved with 1982, despite the downturn at the time, tasked with projects including topsides another 10-12 close to sanction and 24 he secured a job with ConocoPhillips clean-up of hydraulically fractured gas more under consideration. In a short supporting the frm’s North Sea opera- wells. period of time, OGIC is already making tions brownfeld engineering projects, “Hamilton was willing to take a bit of an impact.

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