Energy Capital The Magazine-June 2022-Edition 12

FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPERS, INVESTORS AND INDUSTRIAL USERS JUN 2022, ISSUE 12

Digitalization for

optimization and cost reduction in power generation • Evaluation of gas formations • Carbon America’s first two commercial projects

Storage terminals, guarantors of energy self-sufficiency

What does it take to become a successful female mentor in the oil and gas industries

Energy Capital Magazine

Table of Contents

WOMEN IN INDUSTRY

· What does it take to become a successful female mentor in the oil and gas industries Katerina Jones · How to Solve Data Challenges without Breaking the System or your Budget Susana Nash

OIL&GAS

· Storage terminals, guarantors of energy self-sufficiency

INDUSTRIAL CONSUMERS

· Just-in-time parts Mark Douglass. · Carbon America’s first two commercial projects Brent Lewis

A C A D E M Y Helping capital project teams excel in the 2 most critical factors for success: People communications and relations.

Training | Coaching | People Campaigns™ www.capx.academy

Energy Capital Magazine

POWER

· Digitalization for the optimization of electricity generation and cost reduction · Digitalization for low voltage equipment

CMP

TECHNICAL ISSUES (CONGRESO MEXICANO DEL PETROLEO)

· Gas hydrate formation evaluation · Methodology to visualize areas of opportunity in Chicontepec · Microfacies definition of a producing well in JSK, RMNEt

Contact Information MANAGERS Rubi Alvarado – General Manager Aldo Santillan – Managing Director & Editor in Chief Noe H. Saenz – Editorial Board Chairman DESIGN Gonzalo Rivas – Senior Designer Aleysa Sanchez – Senior Designer EDITORIAL STAFF Elizabeth Garcia – Editorial Analysis EDITORIAL BOARD Christine Spiro – Member (Our Energy Manager) Todd C. Frank – Member (Burns & McDonnell)

Energy Capital The Magazine is published

by Capital Media Group LLC © 2020. All rights reserved. Digitalized and distributed

by Capital Media Group LLC. We accept no responsibility in respect of opinions, products or services obtained through advertisements carried in this magazine. www.energycapitalmedia.com

Opinion

Huge steps to reduce fossil fuels

I

n this sense, electric vehicle General Manager, sales are one of the most Energy Capital Magazine promising areas of the new global energy economy. In 2021, sales duplicated from 2020, achieving a new record Electric cars’ global sales of 6.6 million units, 10% of all showed strong growth cars sold worldwide. This growth in 2022; nevertheless, kept the rhythm throughout the in 2021, they reached first months of 2022. The first quarter of the year reported 2 record numbers. Electric million units sold, 75% over the transportation is one of same period 2021. the most critical steps According to the Global Electric to achieving global Vehicle Outlook annual report of emissions reductions. the International Energy Agency, there are now as many electric cars sold each week globally as were sold in 2012. Back then, numbers reached 120,000 units worldwide.

2021 closed with a circulating existence of 16.5 million vehicles,

By Rubi Alvarado

8

three times more than in 2018.

About half of the sales from last year came from China. However, there was a substantial increase in Europe and North America.

In the short term, soaring prices for some critical minerals essential for battery manufacturing continue as a significant obstacle.

Likewise, supply chain disruption was affected by the attacks of Russia on Ukraine and the Covid-19 lockdowns in some parts of China.

Nevertheless, the success of electric vehicles follows multiple factors. Sustainability policies

are the main pilar. Public funds to support clean public transportation initiatives reached more than $30 billion in 2021 worldwide. There are more countries including internal combustion motors in exchange for electric ones for their 2030 goals.

2

MILLION ELECTRIC VEHICLES WERE SOLD WORLDWIDE IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2022, 75% MORE THAN THE SAME PERIOD IN 2021.

9

Opinion

G7 plans to reduce emissions towards 2050 G7 is responsible for 30% of the global energy demand. Its energy systems generate 25% of the CO2 emissions. The heavy industries of its members produce about 6 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year.

By Aldo Santillan Managing Director and Editor in Chief, Energy Capital Magazine

I

n this sense, the ministers of the G7 highlighted the relevance of the reports of the International Energy Agency. They noted heavy industries emissions and critical energy security and climate issues.

The group represents 40% of the global economy: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union.

Advanced economies representatives recognized multiple aspects of the work of the agency. They mention the most recent report on putting down C02 emissions from heavy industries, which are among the most challenging to reduce. Examples are steel and cement. The G7 is on its path towards net-zero by 2050.

Hence, after a two-day meeting, climate, energy, and environment ministers issued a release listing a wide range of actions.

The objective is to tackle the triple global climate change crisis, biodiversity loss, and pollution. At the same time, they condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and warned of its consequences.

The group held the meeting in Berlin, under German’s presidency. Executive Director Fatih Birol addressed the ministers in two sessions. The first was about the current energy crisis and climate change, and the second was about heavy industry decarbonization.

Thanks to the International Energy Agency report, they identified many vital areas.

They specified efforts to improve energy efficiency. Likewise, they highlighted the need to increase investment in renewables, track methane emissions, and ensure sufficient critical mineral supplies for clean energy technologies.

Ministers also pointed out the relevance of the “timely” 10-Point Plan to Reduce the European Union’s Reliance on Russian Natural Gas. Moreover, noted the 10-Point Plan to

Cut Oil Use. These points were produced in response to the energy market impacts of Russia’s invasion.

During their sessions, ministers outstood the report of the International Energy Agency on Achieving Net Zero Heavy Industry Sectors in G7 Members.

WOMEN IN INDUSTRY Women in the industry

What does it take to become a successful female mentor in the oil and gas industries There are countless articles published talking about the importance and value of mentorship, and we recently saw many of these voices during Women’s History Month in March. Many of these articles strike home at the essence and reasons why mentorship is especially critical for professional women in the workforce.

By Katerina Jones, Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at Fleet Advantage

H

owever, for professional women in a male-dominated

along the way it has been clear to me the importance of finding

industry such as oil and gas, these articles go beyond

opportunities to help other women advance.

simple inspiration. They can be the difference of a short-lived career, or that of an enduring one where

How mentors can support professional growth

you can truly leave a lasting impression on not only women –

According to a recent survey, 56% of American workers

but the industry as a whole.

have had a professional mentor, while 76% believe that mentorship is important1. Previously working in male-dominated

I immigrated to the U.S. when I was 10 years old from the

industries including construction and motorcycle equipment,

Czech Republic, not knowing a word of English. I worked two jobs

I am passionate about helping other women as they pursue

in high school to help my mother make ends meet and worked

careers in oil and gas. I have experienced the difference hard

three jobs while attending college full time on an academic

work and women can make, not only through mentoring to

scholarship. I spent a lot of time in the restaurant industry,

other women, but also by bridging the gap with men in the oil

working on the weekends and holidays, envious of guests on the

and gas industry to help them understand gender differences

other side of the table. It’s true, my sheer determination led me

as well as varying values women can offer their companies.

to where I am now, being a wife, mother and gaining knowledge and experience from many male-dominated industries. But

At the start of my career, I felt the right thing to do was to

Women in industry become “one of the guys”, understanding the language and

opportunities and lift each other up. The professional direction

learning their way of communicating with one another. I was

women receive from other women is essential. Consider the

passionate about my work and projects, intensely focused on

things female professionals need to be successful. Outside

client service, and was certainly growing confidence within the

of professional talent and hard work, sometimes women

industries I worked. But along this journey I began to grow more

need support from others to champion their ideas and goals,

confidence and I realized the importance of stepping outside

which studies continue to show, may not always receive the

this mold and understanding the distinct differences between

same amount of direction and prioritization as those of male

men and women – particularly in the areas of communication.

colleagues.

For me, I was fortunate to work in a company environment where these diverse voices were encouraged – even within a male-dominated industry.

The right mentorship goes beyond emotional support and advice. It can be imperative in helping growing female leaders understand and successfully navigate the political

Other women are not so lucky. Many do not have the fortune I’ve had with supportive senior management. This is where

minefields that every organization encounters, male dominated or otherwise.

mentorship becomes so critically important.

Best practices for finding mentors I know this because I’ve seen it first-hand, through my

Finding mentors can be challenging for professional women,

involvement with oil and gas associations and organizations

particularly younger women. Mentors, like portfolios, should

where I’ve had the luxury of meeting hundreds of other

be very diversified. You should seek mentors with similar

professional women. Learning from these women has been

interests, and with dissimilar interests. Mentorship should not

instrumental in furthering my own professional career, as

just be a popularity club. You should seek mentors of various

well as shaping the type of mentor I’ve now become to

age groups, as long as they have sincere wisdom to share.

other professional women – of all career levels – inside my own very organization. I’ve also made it a priority to focus on nominating women colleagues for industry awards and speaking engagements inside my organization so they can shine under their own spotlight, and it was also

You should also choose mentors who

ACCORDING TO A RECENT SURVEY, 56% OF AMERICAN WORKERS HAVE HAD A PROFESSIONAL MENTOR, WHILE 76% BELIEVE THAT MENTORSHIP IS IMPORTANT1.

can support you in difficult times, but also challenge you and push you to be even better than you ever expect to be.

Mentors are special people who have the ability to see potential, and help you reach that potential even when there are difficult situations to navigate.

important that I encourage them to attend the Women’s Forums from various associations for additional growth opportunities.

With this insight, professional women of all ages can have a better understanding of what to look for in a mentor, and how to grow their professional relationship to achieve great

It's ok to not be ‘just one of the guys’

potential – in oil and gas or any other industry.

I wanted to become a strong female mentor who could demonstrate to others how to be successful without having to just be one of the guys. It has been important to be strong and show how to make it okay to be female, even feminine, in the industry and serve as a leading example to others.

It is important for women to mentor other women, provide

About The Author: Katerina Jones is Vice President, Marketing and Business Development at Fleet Advantage, a leading innovator in truck fleet business analytics, equipment financing and life cycle cost management. For more information visit www.FleetAdvantage. com.

1: Professional Mentors Important to Employees, Study Finds - businessnewsdaily.com

Women in Industry

How to Solve Data Challenges without Breaking the System or your Budget

BY: SUSAN NASH, PH.D. hen all the due diligence was completed, and two large independent oil and gas producers, Four Horsemen and Mastodon, merged into a single company, Cahokia Energy, the leadership and shareholder activists were elated. Prices of West Texas Intermediate and natural gas were projected to be stable for the next year, and new gas gathering and pipelines were now in place, with state of the art methane detection and intervention technologies, compliant with the strictest of local and interstate regulations. Operations had been strategically “right-sized” and the producing properties, consisting of 450,000 net acres spanning 5 states and two countries, would be centrally managed from Cahokia’s new

W

SUSAN NASH DIRECTOR OF INNOVATION AND EMERGING SCIENCE / TECHNOLOGY IN THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PETROLEUM GEOLOGISTS (AAPG

Women in Industry

headquarters in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The vision of the company was to be a lean company, centrally managed, with as many remote and “smart” operations as possible to optimize efficiency, eliminate workplace accidents, detect and eliminate emissions, and to build a workforce of dynamic, collaborative professionals who could work remotely and perform tasks at any time from any place.

Analysts loved Cahokia. The vision aligned perfectly with the times, and when the company announced their decarbonization plan as well, the institutional investors cheered.

Inside Cahokia Energy, something else was brewing. A sense of impending doom could be sensed in the tones of emails and in the voices of team members in web meetings.

All the properties and operations were stuck in little silos, which were not operating well at all because of the reorganization and the notion that one asset team could manage a bundle of silos of similar properties (for example, black oil producing stacked pays in Oklahoma and Texas).

The problem was that the wells, accounting systems, operational systems, lease records, and more were in data systems that were not uniform. Even worse, the methods used to classify and organize data were completely different in each former company.

It was an enormous problem and it was not one that IT could solve on its own because they needed domain expertise to know how to classify, clean, harmonize and merge data sets. Further, they needed to know what kinds of reports, maps, and analytics needed to be performed on the data.

After missing production and drilling targets, battling unexpected emissions, and three workplace accidents, Allison Melias, VP of Strategy, texted her counterparts in Operations, Subsurface Assessment, Logistics, and Finance. “We’ve got to do something. We can’t access information we need, and when we do, no one trusts it. Can we meet with IT and develop a solution?”

After meeting with IT, it was clear that there would need to be an investment in a data reconfiguration. Part of it would require capital expense to set up the new systems.

Another part would require ongoing operations budget expenses for “pay as you go” apps, storage, and operations-related programming.

After several meetings, the team was able to identify specific challenges, and then to list at least two possible solutions.

Allison was worried. “We know what we have does not work. But what if we break the system completely and are totally down?

We can’t afford that.”

Matias, VP of finance asked the question on everyone’s mind. “How much is this going to

Women in Industry

cost? Our budget is very disciplined, and we don’t have the ability to take on an expensive (and slow!) IT project.

Carter, VP of IT, put everyone’s minds at ease. “We’re lucky. There are new types of solutions that can be developed if we work closely with the different subject matter expert leads. They use AI and can be set up to work on laptops, tablets, or phones with dashboards and interactive interfaces. After you set up the system, you can pay as you go. No annual subscriptions or fees.”

Allison was excited. “Let’s see how it works!”

Over the next few weeks, the teams met, and they finalize the clear path forward, starting with identifying the challenges, and then listing out two or three possible solutions.

and maintain version control and duplicates in case of errors Challenge: making the data fit for multiple uses with multiple user groups Solutions: Identify the users and their needs; program apps to work with the common data lakehouse and also subsets that are shared. Tie with a dashboard and report-building capabilities.

Challenge: securely sharing and working with data (internal asset teams vs. partners) Solutions: In addition to making it possible for those with the proper permissions to access data, incorporate messaging and usertagging so that collaboration is integrated into the system

Challenge: diverse data collections (geology, production, seismic, legal, accounting) Solutions: Standardize and classify the data, then merge into a single data lake (or data lakehouse, that allows both structured and unstructured data) that allows quick retrieval of all related data; develop algorithm, then perform analysis in a way in which you pay only for the data that has been processed

Challenge: Coordinating constantly changing requirements for operations (equipment, midstream, remote operations, “smart” systems, supply chain) Solutions: This is a wonderful time to discuss the fact that all data should be both geotagged and time-stamped so that geospatial analytics are possible, as well as real-time tracking and monitoring. Sensors can be expensive, so piggyback as much as possible on users’ multi-use smartphones and already existing networks (fiber, sensors, etc.).

Challenge: data cleaning and data integrity Solutions: Work with domain experts to identify the most common errors in the data sets, and most common duplicates. Build algorithms and start to clean. Start with test sets before applying to the entire set,

Challenge: Inputting information into a shareable database; generating reports Solutions: Explore both bulk and individual input / output systems, which could include timed data collection from sensors, or manual inputs from users. For optimum performance,

Women in Industry

sure that they are accurate at least once per month. Alternatively, an app can be written to detect when it seems that the device is out of calibration. Key point: data correction done as soon as possible and at the time / point of origin keeps bad data from entering and contaminating the entire lake.

After reviewing the key challenges and the solutions, the team started to look at specific solution providers. That was another challenge, because it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between solution build in quality-testing of data at the input providers, and people need to be able to point to avoid input errors. communicate well, and then coordinate well. Allison listened to the recording of the team meeting as she walked her dog, Challenge: Higher-order analytics for Charley. As she did so, she contemplated decision-making, including visualization, simulations, smart alert systems, and more the complexities of the merger and the Solutions: Avoid the temptation to create condition of the new company, Cahokia a vast array of complex Resources. With a clear identification charts, graphs, and other RECOMMENDED PRODUCTS kinds of infographs. Keep of challenges, FOR GETTING STARTED: the charts clear, consistent, needs, and PETRABYTES OPERATIONS AND and simple so that they are solutions, as well COORDINATION SOLUTIONS, AWS tools for analysis, and also as a team that DATA HARMONIZATION SOLUTIONS, for helping tell the story of communicated DATABRICKS DATA LAKEHOUSE what the numbers mean. well and trusted SOLUTIONS FOR STRUCTURED If the smart alert systems each other, Allison AND UNSTRUCTURED DATA. felt very confident. are indicating emergency situations, make sure to She couldn’t wait have geospatial information for the next step. available, and in the case of monitors / sensors, She smiled. Sensing her relief, Charley coordinate as many imaging sensors as looked back at her and let out a happy bark.

He liked it when Allison was content. Plus, possible (IR, photogrammetry, etc.). Be sure to data cleanse and correct in the case of this new practice of listening to recordings drone data, and for arrays of static sensors of meetings while she took him on a walk and monitors, be sure to test them and make suited him very well.

Oil&gas Towards energy sovereignty

Storage terminals, guarantors of energy self-sufficiency Mexico faces one of the most well-known paradoxes in the international oil industry.

It is one of the main producers of crude oil in the world; however, it is also one of the largest importers of fuels.

By Efraín Mariano

B

efore the pandemic, that is, in March 2020, fuel imports averaged 600,000 barrels per day in Mexico. Of that amount, Pemex acquired 68% of purchases abroad.

Currently, Pemex still continues to acquire 68% of the country's total fuel from abroad, although the amount is around 300,000 barrels, down from levels close to 500,000 barrels in pre-pandemic periods.

Since its arrival, the current federal administration has made it clear that its economic policy is focused on rescuing the country's energy sovereignty and strengthening fuel self-sufficiency.

The federal government seeks to reduce imports of automotive fuels in order to reduce the country's energy dependence. For this, it has implemented a rehabilitation plan for the six Pemex refineries.

“When we arrived, on December 1, 2018, we found 32% utilization of the National Refining System. We are currently at almost 50% utilization of the SNR

and by 2024 we will be leaving utilization at 86%.

With this we will be complying with energy selfsufficiency in Mexico,” said the head of the Energy Secretariat, Rocío Nahle, on December 28, 2021.

In the three years of the present administration, Pemex has invested more than 33,581 million pesos in the reconfiguration and modernization of the six refineries in the country.

Last year the volume of crude oil processed in Pemex's six-refinery system increased 20.6% to 712,000 barrels per day, equivalent to 121,000 barrels per day more than the previous year. This platform allowed the state company to raise its percentage of refining capacity use to 43.4%, from the historical low of 36% in 2020.

In the first quarter of 2022, Pemex increased refining activity by 10% to 822,000 barrels per day, its highest level since the second quarter of 2017. At the beginning of the year, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador assured that the country's

Oil&gas

CURRENTLY, THE STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION TERMINALS OF PEMEX LOGÍSTICA HAVE ONE WITH AN OPERATING CAPACITY OF 11,971,619 BARRELS. 76% IS TRANSPORTED BY PIPELINE.

refining goal was to reach 1,200,000 barrels per day by 2023. Additionally, he estimated that the refining process could reach a level of 1,500,000 barrels in 2024, with the support of the new refinery in Dos Bocas -which will begin refining fuels in December 2022-- and with the recent acquisition of the Deer Park refinery in Houston.

current geopolitical situation is raising concerns of prolonged energy shortages.

Mexico has a fuel storage capacity of three days.

The ideal level should be at least 20 days. The United States and Canada have a margin of maneuver of three and two months, respectively.

Currently, Pemex Logística has 80 Storage and Distribution Terminals (TAD), both land and sea.

Storage infrastructure, a pending assignment In the words of experts, this infrastructure is Sector analysts estimate that in order to achieve insufficient to guarantee the country's supply. energy self-sufficiency, storage infrastructure Specialists consider that the country requires at must be modernized and expanded to maintain a least 160 storage terminals to shield Mexico's guaranteed and continuous supply. energy security.

Although the federal administration's commitment Experts insist that, regardless of the recent is focused on rescuing the country's energy changes in the regulation of the energy sector, that sovereignty and strengthening fuel self-sufficiency, Mexico needs storage infrastructure for hydrocarbons Pemex currently still buys about and oil products.

40% of the fuel consumed in From the perspective of the country. At the end of last Roberto Díaz de León, the year, the parastatal still made outgoing president of Onexpo STORAGE AND DISTRIBUTION purchases of 360,000 barrels Nacional, there is a lag in TERMINALS (TAD) OPERATES of fuel per day. investment in storage; which PEMEX LOGÍSTICA. This figure represents a risk could be solved with joint for the internal security of the and planned work between country, since any variation in the flow can cause individuals and the State. a partial or total shortage, such as the one that “There is a very fine line between sovereignty and occurred in several states in the west and center energy security. Neither the market, nor the State of the country at the beginning of 2019. can do it alone. Only joint work will allow energy One only has to take a look at Europe, where the security”, he highlights.

80

Oil&gas

90 STORAGE TANKS WERE BUILT AT THE NEW DOS BOCAS REFINERY.

Infrastructure projects in the port of Altamira, in Tamaulipas. Works are Currently, Mexico's need to increase the storage expected to be completed by mid-2023. The facility of hydrocarbons is intensifying as much or equal to will have a capacity of 1.1 million barrels. the rebound in gasoline prices --to record highs-- in Likewise, Valero and Grupo México are building a international markets. hydrocarbon storage terminal in the municipality The rebound in fuel prices is associated with of San Francisco de Los Romo, Aguascalientes. expectations of an increase in gasoline demand, at The new infrastructure includes an investment a time when supply is tight and there is speculation of 800 million pesos and will benefit the supply of shortages. of fuel throughout the region.

In this context, a country with Simultaneously, Grupo Mexico sufficient refining capacity is building these two terminals in MEXICO HAS THE the states of Jalisco and Nuevo and storage infrastructure CAPACITY TO STORAGE is guaranteed its self-supply León with a total investment of OF LIQUID HYDROCARBONS and, consequently, its energy 230 million dollars. Both would FROM 3 TO 5 DAYS enter service this year. sovereignty.

However, Mexico is not in a The Monterrey terminal will position to guarantee either of these two premises. store 450,000 barrels, with the option to increase It does not have enough storage terminals and capacity to 560,000 barrels; while the Guadalajara expectations for new or additional terminals are low. terminal will store 900,000 barrels, with the option According to several studies, to develop at least of expanding it to 1.35 million barrels.

60 hydrocarbon logistics, transportation, distribution One of the most important projects that was and storage projects in the coming years, at least recently completed was the maritime reception 250,000 million pesos are required. and storage terminal in the port city of Veracruz, Currently, the companies Valero and Grupo México which required an investment of 300 million dollars. are developing several storage terminals in Mexico. It was built by IEnova, a subsidiary of Sempra. It Valero began in September 2021 the construction entered into operations at the end of 2020. Its of this 180 million storage and distribution terminal storage capacity reaches 2.0 million barrels.

Oil&gas

EXPERTS SUGGEST THAT MEXICO SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST 240 STORAGE TERMINALS, WHICH PROVIDE AT LEAST 10 TO 15 DAYS OF SUPPLY CAPACITY.

Projects awaiting green light Additionally, there are seven storage projects that are in the initial stages; of which, four are located in the port of Tuxpan, Veracruz.

The Caoba project in Tuxpan, headed by Sierra Oil and Gas, TC Energía México and Grupo México, which contemplates an investment of 800 million dollars. The prospect includes the connection to the Tuxpan-Tula refined products pipeline to connect the Gulf Coast with the distribution pole in Tula.

Another project includes the Oil Product Storage Terminal (former Sirius Tuxpan-Hidalgo Terminal System) in Tuxpan, owned by Catán Energía, Basic Engineering and Inelectra. The estimated budget is 825 million dollars and should be ready in 2024.

The Tuxpan gasoline terminal, owned by Enermex Logística y Terminales, includes a storage infrastructure for 350,000 barrels. There is no specific budget estimate, but it is included in Enermex's project portfolio of 500 million dollars.

Additionally, the Glencore-owned Tuxpan fuel storage terminal would complete the four projects at that port. The prospect contemplates the construction of a 1.5-million-barrel-oil storage terminal to import oil to Mexico.

The Manzanillo refinery terminal project is located in Colima. It is owned by TP Terminals and the concessionaire is Sempra. It contemplates a budget of 320 million dollars. Plan up to 2.3 million barrels storage capacity.

The Sirius Lázaro Cárdenas Maritime Terminal will be located in Michoacán. It estimates a budget of 120 million dollars and is owned by Sirius. This hydrocarbon storage project would be ready between 2023 and 2024.

The Guadalajara Gasoline Terminal will be located in Jalisco. It is also owned by Enermex Logística y Terminales. This project involves the construction of a gasoline terminal with a capacity of 600,000 barrels.

INDUSTRIAL CONSUMERS Welding and cutting solutions

Just-intime parts Lincoln Electric is the only Company in the U.S. and probably in the world that could have met Chevron’s challenge of supplying its 3D printed parts in only a month, with the required quality.

LINCOLN ELECTRIC 3D PRINTED METAL PART. ©THE LINCOLN ELECTRIC COMPANY, CLEVELAND, OH USA.

By Norma Martinez

Expert in arc welding and cutting solutions Lincoln Electric has been in business 125 years ago, in Cleveland, Ohio. It is the global market leader in arc welding and cutting solutions. The Company has a global presence with 56 manufacturing locations in 19 countries; and a network of distributors and sales in over 160 countries. Lincoln is publicly traded and had sales of $3.2 billion in 2021.

Because of Lincoln’s expertise in arc welding, robotic automation, and controls, the Company has the technology pieces necessary for 3D printing large metal parts. It began developing its robotic 3D printing technology over a decade ago, culminating in launching our Additive Solutions business in early 2019.

A 3D printing factory Lincoln is known for supplying arc welding equipment, consumables, and automation for customers to fabricate parts. However, the Additive Solutions business model is atypical for Lincoln. It is a 3D printing factory that uses Lincoln’s equipment, consumables, and automation to supply printed or printed and finished components

MARK DOUGLASS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, ADDITIVE SOLUTIONS LINCOLN ELECTRIC

Industry consumers for customers. As far we know, we have the world’s largest

they want manufacturing and emails us the CAD file. Next, the

3D metal printing factory for large parts, large meaning parts

Company uses its proprietary 3D printing software SculptPrint

that are measured in feet and meters, weighing hundreds or

OS to 1) determine how many layers are needed to make the

thousands of pounds. The Company currently operates 24/7

part and then “slicing” the CAD into the appropriate layers,

with 18 systems and counting that have a building envelope

2) determine in what order the welds should be deposited,

of approximately 4 feet by 5 feet by almost 7 feet tall.

and with what process settings and 3) to program the robot systems out on the factory floor.

Making big parts in less time First, additive manufacturing is 3D printing. 3D metal printing

While it sounds straightforward, determining the proper

is a computer-controlled process that creates metal parts

number of layers, the weld deposition path within each layer,

based on 3D computer models. Think of it as growing apart

and programming the robot so that it effectively deposits

according to a 3D computer model, or CAD model, fusing

metal is complex. The software must consider part geometry

layer after layer until the part is complete.

and features, the metal alloys, and support structures, if necessary, to produce high-quality parts.

Arc welding is a process where a highly controlled arc of electricity melts a metal wire to fuse or join pieces of metal

An atypical robotic programming solution

together. In its case, Lincoln Electric uses its robotic arc

First, Lincoln is not depositing welds in straight lines with

welding systems to deposit layers of welded metal. But in

fixed parts as the traditional technologies do. The part is

its 3D printing process, instead of using robotic arc welding

constantly evolving as it adds a material, necessitating

for joining metal plates or pipes, they are melting hundreds

compensation in the robot program so that it doesn’t crash

or even thousands of welds together in something akin to

into the part. Second, most of the time, the weld paths are

free form welding. You’ll often hear arc welding-based printing

not straight. They are complex paths within layers that often

referred to as Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing or WAAM.

vary in size and geometry during the build process.

If we think of the steps in 3D metal printing, it starts in the

And third, for more complex geometries, Lincoln´s solution

digital world. A customer creates a CAD model of the part

might be moving and rotating the part during welding to

AS FAR WE KNOW, WE HAVE THE WORLD’S LARGEST 3D METAL PRINTING FACTORY FOR LARGE PARTS; LARGE MEANING PARTS THAT ARE MEASURED IN FEET AND METERS, WEIGHING HUNDREDS OR THOUSANDS OF POUNDS. MARK DOUGLASS BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, ADDITIVE SOLUTIONS LINCOLN ELECTRIC

LINCOLN ELECTRIC ADDITIVE SOLUTIONS DELIVER LARGE FORMAT METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PARTS FOR AEROSPACE, AUTOMOTIVE AND HEAVY FABRICATION.

LINCOLN ELECTRIC 3D PRINTED METAL PART. ©THE LINCOLN ELECTRIC COMPANY, CLEVELAND, OH USA.

create the desired profile so that gravity doesn’t pull the weld

production, Lincoln has more than enough wire manufacturing

away before it solidifies and so that we don’t have to print

capacity to support its business with the most significant

so-called support structures. If a part has an overhang, like

welding wire manufacturing production in North America. And

a flange, support metal is necessary unless you can rotate

the consistently high quality of its wire is essential; good

the piece. Think of it as a lattice or scaffolding to hold the

wire reduces problems during printing and scrap.

metal in place for future layers, so they have something to fuse to.

Moreover, the Company has machine capacity. With 18 systems and more on the way, it can begin printing on one

Finally, having a robust automation system with proper controls

or several systems for multiple part orders. As they can

is essential because WAAM involves stacking hundreds or

start right away, they can 3D print parts that are hundreds

even thousands of welds.This process is accomplished by

or thousands of pounds in weeks. Traditional manufacturing

Lincoln Electric using 6-axis robots, often with multi-axis

methods print them and even have their raw material or

positioners. It coordinates all of this motion while free-form

casting molds designed. In addition, the Company does not

welding isn’t trivial. In addition, the Company developed

use tooling or molds to design and manufacture. The time to

controls and feedback for maintaining layer height and

design a mold can take weeks, and then the manufacturing

bead profile so that it prints everything where it needs to

of the pattern or mold adds additional time.

be according to the CAD model.

Short supply chains Reducing times

Supply chains are short through on-shoring. The U.S. lost

After receiving the CAD model, Lincoln usually prints within

significant casting and forging production capacity over

a day or two. How is the Company able to start so quickly?

the past several decades, so with many if not most of the

First is the software. The Company spent years developing

castings coming from overseas, obviously, that stretches

SculptPrint to be fast and efficient, incorporating its welding

supply chains. With production in the U.S., there’s a significant

know-how. Second, having wire on hand for immediate

reduction in transportation time.

Industry consumers

CUT LEAD TIME FROM MONTHS TO WEEKS.

Design enhancements in a few ways First, additive manufacturing provides freedom to design features that would not be possible if the component was machined from billet or cast. For example, designing hollow structures for lightweighting or conformal cooling channels improves heat transfer. Second, additive allows the freedom to design shapes or geometries that extend component lifetimes. For example, in fatigue-critical applications, stress concentration factors are reduced substantially with some imagination and employment of well-known engineering principles. Third, it places the suitable material in the right area. The solid material is deposited on the inside for durability,

manufacturing. It has one customer tasked with speeding

while the outside can be corrosion-resistant.

its tooling deliveries so they can make their composite parts sooner. The two tools were about 6 feet tall and more than

Additive Solutions for saving time

3,000 pounds. After final machining, assembly, and quality

The Lincoln manufacturing operations have replacement

checks from Lincoln’s Baker Industries facility in Detroit, the

parts with notoriously long lead times, mainly with global

Company delivered the finished tools more than 30% faster.

supply chain issues. They are currently 3D printing an 8,000lb component for one of their Stick electrode machines. Its

Just-in-time parts for Chevron USA

print time will take roughly two months, and its wire has

During a recent routine maintenance shutdown, extended lead

higher strength, a double win. Also, printing near net shape

times and supply chain delays on traditionally manufactured

ultimately reduces the machining time. Obtaining a billet of

parts challenged Chevron’s planned restart schedule. Chevron

steel large enough for machining would take 5 to 6 months.

was looking at deliveries a few months out, which was unacceptable. Chevron approached to explore how Lincoln

Also, the Company can often produce Aerospace lay-up molds

Electric’s Additive Solutions could get their operations back

used to manufacture composite parts faster than traditional

up sooner. It required being able to 3D print a total of 8 nickel alloy parts that averaged approximately three ft. in length and over 500 lbs. in as fast a time as possible.

Chevron quickly realized Lincoln had the capacity, experience, and nickel wire available to get them their large parts promptly.

Lincoln is the only Company in the U.S. and probably in the world that could have met the challenge of supplying these 3D printed parts in only a month, with the required quality testing. And not only that, Lincoln was able to accommodate some last-minute design tweaks by the Chevron engineers that improved performance and made installation easier.

Industrial Consumers

Brent Lewis, CEO of Carbon America

Carbon America’s first two commercial projects Carbon America recently announced two agreements to develop carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects at two Colorado ethanol production facilities. Bren Lewis, CEO of Carbon America tells us a bit more about these projects, the challenges ahead and what is next for the company.

BY: ANA PAULA FERRER We are really excited about these projects! The first ones we are announcing to the world,” said the CEO. Moreover, he explained that they are going to be capturing about 350 thousand tons of carbon dioxide every year, “from two ethanol plants in eastern Colorado.” These plants are Sterling Ethanol, LLC and Yuma Ethanol, LLC where the company will finance build and operate the CCS systems.

With these new agreements, Carbon America will be able to capture BRENT LEWIS, CEO OF CARBON AMERICA

and store 95% of the carbon dioxide emissions per year from the fermentation process. Likewise, it will help reduce statewide emissions by 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050 from 2005 levels.

CARBON AMERICA WILL BE ABLE TO CAPTURE AND STORE 95% OF THE CARBON DIOXIDE EMISSIONS PER YEAR FROM THE FERMENTATION PROCESS. LIKEWISE, IT WILL HELP REDUCE STATEWIDE EMISSIONS BY 50% BY 2030 AND 90% BY 2050 FROM 2005 LEVELS.

Carbon Sequestration Carbon sequestration is the last part of the carbon capture and sequestration process. Brent explains that what they do is almost like the oil & gas business but in reverse; “you have drilling wells and extraction wells for hydrocarbons like oil and gas. It is similar to what we are doing with carbon dioxide but in reverse.” They use injection wells to push the liquid phase carbon dioxide deep into bellow the earth where they stay permanently and it is not released into the atmosphere.

Industrial Consumers

“THESE FIRST TWO PROJECTS WILL BE INJECTING CARBON DIOXIDE AND REMOVING CO2 FROM THE ENVIRONMENT BY 2024.

SO THAT’S GOING TO GIVE US A LOT OF LESSONS IN TERMS ON HOW TO DO THIS, HOW TO DO IT QUICKLY, HOW TO DO IT SAFELY, HOW TO DO IT AT THE LOWEST COST WE COULD POSSIBLY DO THAT,”

Benefits

CO2 a year. We need to be able to create fairer policy, lower

When asked about the benefits of these projects, the CEO

costs and enhance revenue models to be able to really

answered that, he thinks there is a lot of benefits. Number

tackle the sector.”

one, their company is purposed built to be missionary and to capture and sequester as much carbon dioxide as possible;

The next steps

so, this allows them to move quickly.

The CEO mentioned that they are also developing other projects in parallel with the CCS ethanol plants. “We are very

“These first two projects will be injecting carbon dioxide

excited to release news on those when the time is right.”

and removing CO2 from the environment by 2024. So that’s going to give us a lot of lessons in terms on how to do this,

Among the pipeline of opportunities that they are working

how to do it quickly, how to do it safely, how

on is cement, power and steel. Moreover,

to do it at the lowest cost we could possibly

Brent commented that he hopes to be

do that,” mentioned Brent.

The challenges On the project level, Brent explains that they are following pretty disciplined approach to the development of the carbon capture and sequestration projects. “The challenges in front of us, I think are identifiable, quantifiable

350

THOUSAND TONS OF CARBON DIOXIDE IS THE QUANTITY THAT THEY WILL BE CAPTURING EVERY YEAR

working on projects that will be capturing and sequestering millions of tons of CO2 a year and be able to announce projects like that this year and the next one.

In addition, Brent explained that they are developing a cryogenic carbon capture technology. Their projects do not rely on

and addressable. I think broadly speaking

that technology but the CEO believes that

the challenges for carbon capture and

it could be low-cost capture technology

sequestration as an effective tool to help address climate

for capturing carbon dioxide in power plants and other

change is the need to really drive down costs and scale up

large distributers.

the entire sector.”

About Carbon America Additionally, the CEO gave as an example in the ethanol

Carbon America is a carbon capture and sequestration

plants where they are capturing 250 thousand tons of CO2

company. They develop built-on and operate carbon capture

a year in Colorado. “That is about 75 thousand vehicles or

sequestration projects in the United States. The company

the equivalent of carbon emission of 75 thousand vehicles.

offers a one-step solution to this, and they take responsibility

Cold fire power plants could be 5 million, 7 million tons of

for every aspect of the project.

POWER Energy transition

Digitalization for the optimization of electricity generation and cost reduction The electrical industry is undergoing a significant change. With the energy transition, it is increasingly common to hear about digitization, which is transforming the way in which electricity is produced, distributed, and consumed.

By Ana Paula Ferrer

D

igital is a word that we have become accustomed to hearing in recent years. And is that, with the need to find efficient and clean alternatives to generate energy;

digitization appears as one of the best options.

WITH THE NEED TO FIND EFFICIENT AND CLEAN ALTERNATIVES TO GENERATE ENERGY, DIGITIZATION APPEARS AS ONE OF THE BEST OPTIONS

Power By digitizing, the computer is able to store and process data.

Smart networks

This means that the probability of errors is minimized since

In the electricity industry, smart grids are playing a very

the system is capable of detecting any potential failure or

important role. According to the International Energy Agency,

finding them faster. So, digitalization is shown not only as

IEA; These networks are capable of collecting and coordinating

a more sustainable way of carrying out processes but also

data from generators, system operators, end-users, and

as a more efficient and, therefore,

electricity market stakeholders. In this

economical and safe way.

way, energy systems can be operated in

Digitization works as follows: the first step is data collection, which can be obtained through sensors, meters, and interfaces. The second step is the analysis of said data

IMPROVEMENTS TO SERVERS, STORAGE DEVICES, NETWORK SWITCHES, AND DATA CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE HAVE HELPED INCREASE ENERGY EFFICIENCY

a more efficient way; minimizing costs and environmental impacts, as well as maximizing the reliability, resilience, and stability of said systems.

Advances in energy efficiency

which is done through algorithms,

With the quarantine imposed due to

Artificial Intelligence, and digital

COVID-19, the use of video streaming,

simulations. Finally, comes the action, which is carried out

video conferences, online gaming, and social networks

through automation, controls, 3D printers, or interfaces.

increased. According to a study carried out by the IEA, this caused global internet traffic to increase by more than 40%.

“Smart”

Since 2010, the number of Internet users worldwide has

It seems that digitization cannot exist without one feature:

doubled while global Internet traffic has multiplied by 12. The

“Smart” or “intelligent” devices and instruments. These

same study reveals that, thanks to rapid improvements in

devices are those that have the ability to process and

energy efficiency, the increase in energy demand has been

store data; connect to networks and the internet, as well

limited to data centers and data transmission networks.

as interact with its user and with other devices. These

Each of these represents ~1% of global electricity use.

smart devices are the key to success in achieving the energy transition. They allow the connection between the

Furthermore, the electricity used in 2020 by global data

physical, such as a generator; to the digital, which would

centers was 200-250 TWh, or about 1% of the global final

be the part of data processing, artificial intelligence, etc.

electricity demand. This excludes the energy used in the same year by cryptocurrency mining which was ~100 TWh. Improvements to servers, storage devices, network switches, and data center infrastructure have helped increase energy efficiency. Also, the high and growing proportion of services served by hyper-scale centers and in the cloud have notably helped to achieve this efficiency.

Essential companies are increasingly using digital technologies. In turn, they know the importance of transforming and adapting to digitization as quickly as possible. As well as creating digital devices and transformers, offering software to analyze data and different solutions

MORE THAN 40% WAS WHAT INCREASED GLOBAL INTERNET TRAFFIC DURING 2020

that will help other companies to achieve this transition

transformation. It does this through the most comprehensive

efficiently.

operational analytics portfolio in the industry. It also features the MTConnect® controller that provides access to the

Schneider Electric

fast implementation, ease of use, and scalability of the

Schneider Electric offers digital solutions for its customers.

Movicon.NExT™ automation platform.

Among the products it presents is EcoStruxure Augmented Operator Advisor. This solution provides the user with data

Endress + Hauser

in real-time through augmented reality.

Endress + Hauser is one of the pioneers of digitization. It

They also offer EcoStruxure Profit Advisor, a proprietary

has products like Netilion, and its IIot cloud-based industrial

IIoT solution that empowers staff to drive operational

ecosystem. It is designed for processes in industrial

profitability. Another solution is EcoStruxture Maintenance

process engineering. It also has a wide range of software

Advisor, which enables customers to view and

that helps with data management. It allows

analyze risks and hazardous events to their

you to monitor quantities, trends, and alert

assets across the enterprise in real-time.

Emerson Electric

CUT LEAD TIME FROM MONTHS TO WEEKS.

indicators for what you have available in stock so that you can optimize your inventories and supply chain.

The Emerson Electric company has DeltaV™ Simulation Cloud that unlocks access to

Rockwell Automation

replicas of the control system anytime, anywhere. They

On the other hand, Rockwell Automation offers Scalable

also offer the Movicon.NExT™ 4.1.333 automation platform;

Production Management, which streamlines the application

which is highly flexible, scalable, and intuitive and meets

of processes on the shop floor and enables visibility across

requirements from simple IIoT projects to complete plant

the enterprise. These solutions can reduce inventory costs,

monitoring and control.

improve quality and respond to market pressures.

Plantweb is an Emerson digital ecosystem that drives digital

Similarly, the company offers FactoryTalk® InnovationSuite,

Power a comprehensive portfolio that brings enterprise edge

BY DIGITIZING, THE COMPUTER IS ABLE TO STORE AND PROCESS DATA

analytics, machine learning, IIoT, and augmented reality to industrial operations. This suite simplifies the way your company handles data and makes it easier to access, understand and use information.

Yokogawa Siemens

The Yokogawa company also participates in offering IA2IA,

Siemens offers a complete 3D plant module and equipment

Industrial Automation to Industrial Autonomy. This is a

design solutions for the energy and utility industry. Its 3D

maturity model to establish where companies are today

CAD solutions are a fully integrated and intuitive package with

and where they need to be in the future.

extensive and specialized world-class features. Likewise, it offers the CAE Simulation tool that allows engineers

Similarly, they offer Yokogawa Cloud, an industrial

to see the future, anticipating the consequences of any

transformation and IoT platform that accelerates the

design change in the actual performance of the products.

development and deployment of industrial cloud applications.

The platform supports data ingestion, processing, and

LINCOLN ELECTRIC ADDITIVE SOLUTIONS DELIVER LARGE FORMAT METAL ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PARTS FOR AEROSPACE, AUTOMOTIVE AND HEAVY FABRICATION.

curation from multiple sources, provides industry-specific algorithms and models, and integrates across applications to support insightful decision-making and advanced levels of automation and autonomy.

ABB ABB has ABB Ability™, where they offer digital solutions for safer, smarter, and more sustainable electrification. ABB

200-250 TWH WAS THE AMOUNT OF ELECTRICITY USED BY GLOBAL DATA CENTERS IN 2020

AbilityTM Energy and Asset Manager is among the solutions offered, which integrates energy and asset management in a single multi-site digital platform. This solution allows users to create the digital twin of their assets and monitor the behavior of their facilities' energy distribution system in a customizable and ultra-intuitive web environment.

Hitachi Energy Finally, Hitachi Energy also has several different solutions to achieve digital transformation. One of them is its GrideMotionTM Fleet, a scalable, modular, and fully customizable solution for public and private intelligent transport charging electric vehicles.

It also features a virtual power plant, which is a digital solution that supports a more flexible and efficient power grid that can meet the growing demand for sustainable electric power from the millions of residents in Shenzhen, China.

Power

A step towards industry 4.0

Digitalization for low voltage equipment Low voltage is of great significance when it comes to everyday activities. The digitalization of low voltage equipment is a necessity in order to increase efficiency, accessibility, ecology, security and meet with the industry 4.0 demands.

BY: ANA PAULA FERRER hen we talk about low voltage, we talk about the amount of voltage used in factories that utilize automation as well as the most basic things like bringing electrical energy to homes and offices. Low voltage supply is equal to or less than 600 volts.

W

The industrial transformation is a reality that with each day that passes becomes more relevant and urgent to modernize equipment in each sector. Additionally, the critical environmental situation, mixed with the COVID-19 pandemic which forced us to reinvent the way we work and interact with each other on a worldwide scale, became key elements for the fast arrival of the industry 4.0. With it comes the necessity for companies to adapt as quickly as possible and that primarily means the digitalization of equipment.

Advantages The digitalization of low voltage equipment means higher energy efficiency. This new technology enables predictive maintenance which makes it easier to predict if an element of the equipment will fail, and how to fix it. Also, you can do this just in time to prevent failure.

Moreover, there is the possibility to implement changes with the digital twin of the equipment, this helps to practice that change and make tests to see if it works. All of these advantages get summed up in cost-effective equipment.

In an article published by Schneider Electric, they mention the connection of the low voltage distribution network. This connection helps the user to have a coordinated system. Moreover, it enhances economic efficiency, reliability, and effective response to disturbances.

Likewise, the access to data and management of

Power the equipment facilitates everything from maintenance to preventing failures. This data and control of the equipment is all found right at your fingertips whether it be your smartphone or tablet.

Disadvantages Nevertheless, the transition to digitalization and digitalization come with some big challenges to face. Digitalization means network connection and communication with other servers as well as other people.

Cybersecurity comes as a significant must for all the equipment.

Automation companies’ solutions In addition, the world is more and more dependable on electricity but it is more demanding since it is crucial for consumers to have an efficient source of electricity.

Automation companies acknowledge the challenge and importance of enabling digital low voltage equipment solutions. Most of them offer a number of joined solutions such as their own software, digital twin, and cloud-based service among others.

Siemens Siemens offers SENTRON powermanager. This tool is a power monitoring system that monitors the electrical infrastructure and makes energy data visible. SENTRON has comprehensive basic features that process and export data for energy reports. SENTRON is designed for quick installation and intuitive operation.

Moreover, this SIEMENS tool enables predictive maintenance based on condition monitoring. SENTRON has direct data transfer to the cloud, 7KN Powercenter 3000 IoT data platform, and the powermind cloud-based app. With all the recollected data, it is easier to make an effective predictive maintenance.

Finally, the company offers cybersecurity for low voltage power distribution. SIEMENS has a security characteristic that only its software can be installed and operated on a given IoT device; it uses only signed firmware in its communication-capable products.

THE INDUSTRIAL TRANSFORMATION IS A REALITY THAT WITH EACH DAY THAT PASSES BECOMES MORE RELEVANT AND URGENT TO MODERNIZE EQUIPMENT IN EACH SECTOR

Power

ABB ABB offers ABB Ability™ Low Voltage Switchgear Digital. This incorporates intelligent devices and sensors with a data interface. It offers a modular, scalable and flexible platform that applies to NeoGear, MNS and MNS iS; ABB’s switchgear products that have a digital option.

In addition, ABB offers ABB Ability™ Condition Monitoring for electrical systems (CMES). This is a monitoring platform that enables switchgear operators and plant maintenance managers to monitor and manage electrical distribution systems. They can do this via smartphone, tablet, or computer in real time. Moreover, it offers cloud connectivity.

With the platform and ABB Low Voltage Switchgear Digital, it is easier to collect data.

Also, it enables continuous operation, increased service productivity and better lifecycle and performance management.

Emerson Emerson offers Plantweb™ a very complete set of solutions with transformational technologies, software, and services. This portfolio is made up of Plantweb™ Optics, Plantweb™ Insight First, Plantweb™ Optics uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and industry expertise to optimize operational performance.

This tool enables the detection of abnormal behavior of processes and assets, identification of root causes of multifaceted problems as well as prediction of future performance.

Second, Plantweb™ Insight provides data analytics software with better visibility into the health of the facility’s key assets. It digitally transforms sensor data into actionable

information for improved decision making. Third, the Digital Twin Solutions enables operator training and advanced testing of equipment and processes through dynamic simulation. Emerson offers a portfolio of digital twin solutions. Using these solutions can help reduce the cost and risk of improving operations while making them safer.

Finally, AMS Device Manager provides plant-wide visibility into the data, health, and key analytics of intelligent field devices. This tool offers an application that allows predictive maintenance, real-time online access, and connectivity to a wide range of devices among many other things.

Rockwell automation With Allen-Bradley's PowerFlex® family of VFDs, Rockwell Automation offers a broad range of control modes, features, options, packaging, global voltages, and power ratings. These smart devices deliver crucial information to help identify if there is a problem.

The PowerFlex® AC Drives help monitor the health of the motor and deliver information to keep up with maintenance and improve the performance. This also helps the life length of the equipment. Rockwell Automation offers Architecture Low-voltage AC Drives and Compact Low-voltage AC Drives.

Schneider Electric Schneider Electric offers EcoStruxure Power. This is the company’s IoT-enabled, plug-and-play, open, interoperable architecture, and platform. It digitizes and simplifies medium and low voltage electrical distribution systems. Furthermore, it offers data analytics, cloud, cybersecurity, and IoT. Likewise, with EcoStruxure Power companies are able to collect real-time data, make predictive

Power traceable and its results can be documented in compliance with relevant standards and norms. maintenance and reduce the risk of failure.

Finally, it is also included Heartbeat Monitoring.

Additionally, Schneider Electric has adopted This tool detects when the measuring device is suffering from corrosion. a “defense in depth” Once it is detected, strategy to prevent or THE DIGITALIZATION OF LOW minimize cyberattacks.

Heartbeat Monitoring VOLTAGE EQUIPMENT MEANS These solutions have converts this data into HIGHER ENERGY EFFICIENCY three interwoven levels easily understandable of innovation at their core. information providing process and device insights First are the connected products with native and systematic connectivity as well as monitoring of the situation. to the IoT. Yokogawa Second, is the edge control for actionable intelligence; here enters the electrical power Yokogawa also offers a wide range of solutions.

They provide cybersecurity to minimize risk based management system (EOMS) which is the brains of a digital power system, providing data. on defense in depth strategy. They also offer The third and final level involves apps, analytics, software solutions to help analyze data as well as Yokogawa Cloud. This cloud solution is an industrial and services. These cloud-based analytics tools help the user to discover additional insights. It transformation and Internet of Things platform. It supports the ingestion, processing, and curation also helps to solve issues before they become of data. problems that can impact the system.

So, as we can see digitalization of low voltage Endress + Hauser equipment is a reality. Most automation companies Endress + Hauser offers Heartbeat Technology. are foreseeing this change and are offering state-ofthe-art equipment, software, apps, and cybersecurity It consists of diagnostics, verification, and monitoring functions. Customers can increase to help the industry have a smooth as well as quick their plant performance and boost reliability, and transition towards digital transformation. safety levels, reduce the verification efforts Moreover, last year the company announced the acquisition of all the outstanding shares of PXiSE and process insights.

Energy Solutions LLC. PXiSE is a developer software Heartbeat diagnostics allows outstanding diagnostic coverage with clear diagnostic that enables utilities and other grid operators to messages when an error occurs or upset process deliver reliable and stable power. It started based on conditions. The user is immediately informed the idea that real-time data from the grid combined with artificial intelligence could be leveraged to about suitable countermeasures to bring its help utilities manage the increasing number of measuring point back to its intended state.

Moreover, with Heartbeat Verification, the distributed energy resources. functionality of a measuring device can be With this new acquisition, Yokogawa will build on evaluated at any time. This verification is its capabilities in the monitoring and control of power generation facilities. Also, it will assist customers in the power transmission and distribution sectors.

CMP

Gas hydrate formation evaluation BY: EFRAIN MARIANO

E

Similarly, in the ice-hydrate-vapor region, the Munck

valuation of gas hydrate formation conditions

et al. (1988) model was slightly better than that of

through theoretical and empirical methods.

Van der Waals and Platteeuw (1958) in predicting

The study addressed the evaluation of gas

pressure.

hydrate formation conditions through theoretical and empirical methods.

The relative errors with Munck et al. (1988) were less than 10% in all cases; with the Van der Waals

During the study, theoretical and empirical methods

and Platteeuw (1958) model, errors of the same

for determining gas hydrate formation conditions

order were obtained, except in the case of iso-butane,

were investigated. They were also implemented in a

where it was 30%.

computational tool to evaluate them with experimental data published in the literature.

Taking into account binary, ternary and multicomponent systems in the water-hydrate-

Based on previous results and considering only the water-hydrate-vapor region, the average relative

vapor region, the relative errors of all models were less than 2%.

errors of the Munck et al. (1988); Van der Waals and Platteeuw (1958) models were less than 5% in the

The models of de Van der Waals and Platteeuw

prediction of the equilibrium pressure for methane,

(1958) and Munck et al. (1988) can be calibrated by

ethane and propane.

modifying their experimental parameters.

Also, the relative errors of the empirical methods

To incorporate the effect of inhibitors, correlations

in the water-hydrate-vapor region were larger than

were coupled to the theoretical models to calculate

those of the theoretical models.

the water activity coefficient; this will be detailed in a later work.

For methane, the errors of the correlations were between 10 and 15%; for ethane, they were more

The work was presented by Engineers Ana Karen

than 20% with the Katz (1945) and Bahadori and

Miguel Ramírez and Iván Guerrero Sarabia at the

Vuthaluru (2009) correlations.

recent edition of the Congreso Mexicano del Petróleo (CMP).

CMP

Methodology to visualize areas of opportunity in Chicontepec BY: EFRAIN MARIANO

T

from the U-20 sandstone because of its good strength.

he work sought to show the methodology developed with

The procedure: collect and validate information mentioned above,

the purpose of visualizing the best opportunities (locations

from the analogous wells (1 to 3 spacings) chosen according to

and/or major repairs) that allow the recovery of the remaining

the facies maps. Also, perform the production distribution (φh)

hydrocarbon reserve in Chicontepec.

and group the sandstones as a consequence of the uncertainty

The above, based on the existing relationship between the

that may exist in the geological interpretation (seismic resolution)

distribution of geological facies and the accumulated oil production;

and with the growth in height of the hydraulic fractures. o Identify

in technical studies carried out by previous generations, as well

units of higher potential.

as through the grouping of flow units. Also considering an optimal spacing between wells in order to avoid interference problems.

Facies (s) that have a potential ultimate recovery (EUR) per

Additionally, according to the facies maps, locate untested areas (≥ 0.16 km2 ); respecting a spacing of at least 450 m, based on the nearest wells.

well of at least 40 Mb, according to the analogs. 2. Facies (s)

With the use of the developed methodology it is possible to

whose distribution in area is considerable (≥ 1.0 km2 ). The unit

visualize opportunities for increasing the production of the Asset.

of interest must have some pre-fracture test(s) that has (have)

Likewise, looking for opportunities in the best geological facies,

reached a pseudo-radial flow geometry; permeability has been

which have a considerable area distribution, a good storage capacity;

estimated and the initial or current pore

allows estimating a porous volume. This

gradient is ≥ 0.44 psi/ft . 4. The proposed

ensures that conditions close to the initial

area must be at least 450 m. away from its

one can be found.

neighboring wells. 5. Finally, the average

On the other hand, in areas of good

storage capacity (φh) of the unit of interest

potential (permeability > 10 md), the

in the analogous wells must be ≥ 1.0 (frac

suggested distance (at least 450 m from

* m).

its nearest neighbor) must be maintained

The area under study was located in the Tampico Misantla Basin in the southern part of the Sierra Madre

to ensure the success of the proposal (Qoi and Final Recovery).

Oriental; east-central Mexico. The Paleochannel or Paleocanal

The success of Well 15 in Chicontepec, according to its initial oil

has 29 fields. It was discovered in 1935 and began production

expenditure and cumulative production, was due to several factors.

in 1952. In addition, it has an average length of ~ 123 km and a

First, it was producing in a channel type facies of considerable

width of ~ 25 km (Busch, 1992). Therefore, an estimated area of

area; the estimated permeability through the fall off test and the

4,243 km2 is estimated.

increment test was 4 - 7 md. Likewise, its drainage area was ~

In the 1960s, improvements in hydraulic fracturing technologies

65 acres and its initial pressure to saturation pressure ratio was

encouraged reconsideration of the reservoir's potential. In addition,

>1.5xPb. However, its final oil recovery factor was 3 - 5 % because

artificial production systems have assisted recovery at Chicontepec.

of the high Rp. Engineers Alfredo Eduardo Cardenas Abarca and

Most of the wells in the Chicontepec formation produce from more

Guillermo Moreno Luna presented the work at the recent edition

than one flow unit; in this particular case, the wells produced only

of the Congreso Mexicano del Petróleo (CMP).

CMP Oil&Gas

Optimization of an extra-heavy oil field The study presented the development of a technological test for the optimization of the production of an extraheavy oil field.

BY: EFRAIN MARIANO

C

omprehensive System which is fed by data from

temperature of 22°C at the entrance of the TR.

the Pemex databases, wireless signals in real-time

Likewise, there is a lack of measurement of the BN and

and well measurements; viewing information and

BM wells in general. Additionally, there are acts of vandalism

analysis models on workstations via the Web; without the need to install new programs or upgrades, or replace existing corporate systems.

in the field.

To optimize wells, it is recommended to install an alarm and notification system. Alarms and their parameters must be

During the study, the WEB System was implemented,

defined for each type of SAP. The frequency of notification,

under the concept of a Unified Center for decision-making

indicates the anomaly and criticality. Interested staff is

(collaborative environment). Likewise, Predictive Models -

copied into emails automatically.

Prescriptive and Self-generated, automatically and in real-time.

Likewise, an operational weekly programming platform and

Likewise, real-time operational analytics were used, with a

reporting system must be implemented. Work meetings based

backup strategy to maintain the operating system. Additionally,

on the diagnosis of the system to define the optimizations

Weekly Operational Support was applied, and an operational

and load it to follow up by the users. A weekly report of

recommendations report was generated automatically.

recommendations for well optimization. In addition, a weekly

The general characteristics of the field: Cyclic Steam Injection, and to date, an average of 10 – 12 cycles/well has

report of a ranking of actions to be taken on the wells is prioritized by the associated increase in production.

been injected. Current distance: 100 – 200 meters. Current

During the study, it was proved that the integral system

production: 8,000 barrels of oil per day. Also, maximum output

generates an automatic programming and prioritization of

of 32,000 barrels in April 2014 and a Pneumatic Pumping-

recommendations. The system generated a 16% increase

Mechanical Pumping System (20%/80%).

in production.

Wells face operational complexity. There is an information

Likewise, several models were generated to evaluate the

collection every seven days in the mechanical pumping

performance of the SAPs, improving the workflow. Similarly,

systems. There is deferred production due to stoppages

the integration of the data acquired during the technological

due to failures in the BM equipment. Likewise, a decrease

test with the existing corporate databases was possible. The

in temperature generates a low level which decreases the

system calculates and classifies in real-time the deferred

filling of the pump.

production of the BM and BN system, minimizing the impact.

Meanwhile, in pneumatic pumping, there is a lack of

Engineer Luis Humberto Venegas Olazarán presented

instrumentation to measure and regulate the VGI. Inefficient

the work in the recent edition of the Mexican Petroleum

BN system due to temperature decrease. The BN gas has a

Congress (CMP).

CMP Oil&Gas

Microfacies definition of a producing well in JSK, RMNEt The study's objective was to determine the type of microfacies analyzed using information from 2 cores of a producing well in a JSK reservoir of the RMNE.

BY: EFRAIN MARIANO

of core samples (35 thin slices analyzed). Interpretation

Likewise, show the sedimentological and stratigraphic

and calibration of the lithological data with the gamma-

analysis carried out on cores 1 and 2 of the Upper and Lower

ray log. Likewise, Interpretation of microfacies. Atlas of

Kimmeridgian age, respectively; indicating the quality of the

microfacies. Paleoenvironmental correlation and Integration

rock in the deposit and its paleoenvironmental interpretation.

to the sedimentary model.

Additionally, the sedimentary model is made through the

Similarly, based on the textural characteristics of the wells,

practice of high-resolution sedimentology studies, which

microfacies associated with internal ramp environments

consists of microfacies analysis. The model integrates

were identified.

lithological, paleontological and geophysical well log data from the Upper Jurassic.

Likewise, the study area is within the RMNE; which includes the Marine Zone of Campeche, which is within an approximate area of 5 km2.

Likewise, the upper zone of the Kimmeridgian was interpreted as a post-bench facies or protected bench zone; where the circulation of water is restricted and shows various energy changes.

Additionally, the rock quality in this hole is Good. Also,

In the study field, nine microfacies have been reported that

the Lower Kimmeridgian (N2) was interpreted as tidal flat

exclusively include internal ramp deposits; which comprise

facies. Likewise, the interpretation of microfacies allows

the zone of tidal flats (shallow subtidal-intertidal) to the

the geological characterization of the JSK deposits, which

lagoon and restricted bank areas.

are considered complex due to their heterogeneity in the

Likewise, the development of carbonates in the study field

study area.

is influenced by regional tectonic activity and the movement

Engineers Diana Irene Salguero Olvera, Juan Antonio Balleza

of salt; which favored the conditions of high energy and

Correa, and Erick A. Denogean González presented the work

shallowing for its generation.

at the recent edition of the Mexican Petroleum Congress

The Methodology: Macroscopic description of Nuclei 1 and 2, sampling for thin sections. Microscopic description

(CMP).

47