Australian Gas Technology Conference

Brian Palmer, President & CEO, Measurement & Control

GE Oil & Gas

Measurement & Control is a global technology leader in non-destructive testing, condition monitoring, turbine control systems, advanced sensors, and measurement and control solutions. Through cutting edge solutions, they help customers address key business challenges and deliver healthcare for their most valuable assets.

Brian was born in London, England. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, GA in 1981. After joining Boston-based engineering firm C. T. Main, Brian spent the next several years in Iraq as a design and construction engineer for the Baghdad South Power Station.

In 1985, Brian joined GE Energy as a Project Engineer in Boston and accepted increasingly responsible roles globally in Energy, including Plant Manager - Cardinal Cogen, Mgr., Marketing and NPI for Energy Services Technology, Energy’s Warranty Leader, and Manager, Americas Projects. In 1998, Brian relocated from Schenectady, NY to Atlanta, GA as General Manager, Global Power Plant Installations.

In late 2001, Brian and his family moved to Northern Nevada, where he was appointed President, Bently Nevada. In 2002, he was named General Manager, Optimization & Control. Brian was appointed a GE Officer in March 2007. In April 2010 our Optimization & Control business merged with GE’s Sensing & Inspection business to create the Measurement & Control Solutions business, and Brian was appointed the Vice President of this newly combined GE business. In 2011, Measurement & Control added Dresser Wayne to its portfolio. Brian relocated to the Boston area in 2011, where Measurement & Control is now headquartered.

Brian and his wife Peggy have six children. He is an avid sailor and enjoys skiing, golfing and scuba diving.

Dr Irene Ioannakis, GE Skills Development Centre Director

GE Oil & Gas

Irene was appointed to the new role of Director, Skills Development Centre, for GE Oil and Gas, in March 2013.

Irene began her career as a teacher and university lecturer. Most recently she was the Chief Executive Officer of Ioannakis and Associates, a training and development consultancy. Through Ioannakis and Associates, Irene specialised in training and development and human resources management, and has been successful in building quality on-going relationships and establishing working partnerships that have benefited stakeholders.

Prior to this, Irene was the Managing Director and Executive General Manager responsible for expanding the Caterpillar Institute (now the WesTrac Institute), a Registered Training Organisation (RTO), specialising in the heavy vehicle mechanical trade area. The RTO now operates in WA, NSW and the ACT. During this phase of her career, Irene was promoted to Executive General Manager - Human Resources responsible for HR; payroll; industrial relations; workers' compensation and injury management; occupation safety and health (OSH); and training.

Prior to this Irene was the Director - Safety, Education and Training (SET) and Acting Chief Executive Officer at the Chamber of Minerals and Energy of Western Australia.

Irene has 30 years' experience in the disciplines of vocational education and training (VET), secondary and tertiary education and human resources management. Her industry experience spans a broad range of areas including: automotive, mining, resources, metals and engineering, hospitality, furnishing, plumbing and painting, and building and construction.

Irene has travelled extensively through the USA, New Zealand, Singapore and China researching and benchmarking training and education programs and institutions.

Irene is a member of the Training Accreditation Council (TAC), a member of the Polytechnic West Governing Council and a fellow of the Australian Institute of Management (AIM).

She is enthusiastic, energetic and committed to the provision of quality services and products.

She enjoys working within a team, and more importantly, being instrumental in the coaching and mentoring of a team.

Skills Development in Australia and New Zealand

GE Oil & Gas provides world-class training and development to its people.

The opening of the GE Oil & Gas Skills Development Centre in November 2012, showcases one important example of how GE Oil & Gas is investing to grow the skills of people across the oil and gas industry.

The custom-built complex enables staff and the staff of GE's customers to participate in tailored training programs to help increase the productivity of their workforce.

Importantly, the programs now being offered locally would otherwise have only been available offshore.

Trainees gain valuable, transferable technical skills as well as leadership and workplace safety training.

This session will outline GEs commitment to training and skilling its customers - both internal and external. Similarly, it will highlight why it is critical to tap into our most precious resource - our people.

Pilbara Fabrication & Services Common Use Facility

In March 2012, Cabinet approved a $5 million funding allocation from the State Government's Royalties for Regions fund to the Department of Commerce in order to undertake feasibility and planning studies for the proposed PFSCUF. This entails undertaking four major studies to prepare a business case for presentation to the State Government by late 2013.

The proposed PFSCUF will enable economic development and industry diversification in the region. It will build on local industry strengths by presenting opportunities for the growth of new value-add industry sectors.

The proposed PFSCUF’s objective is to provide common use infrastructure that will enable local industry to maximise economic opportunities in the North-West region. Suppliers of services and equipment to the following sectors require the facilities in the proposed PFSCUF to participate in major projects: marine, oil and gas, mining, housing, construction, defence, paramilitary, emergency response, training and education related to Research & Development (R&D).

John O'Hare, General Manager

Marine & Defence, Oil & Gas, Australian Marine Complex, Department of Commerce

John is the General Manager, Marine & Defence, Oil & Gas, Australian Marine Complex, in the Western Australian Government's Department of Commerce.

He is responsible for delivery of Government resources and services to the Western Australian oil & gas, marine and defence industry sectors. His team is responsible for working with industry to attract major oil & gas, marine, defence and resource projects to Western Australia, particularly the Australian Marine Complex (AMC) in Henderson.

John chairs the AMC Business Development Committee responsible for identifying business opportunities in the oil & gas, marine, defence and resource industry sectors for the AMC. He also chaired the Project Reference Group which was responsible for the delivery of the Government's $174 million Stage 2 infrastructure investment in the AMC. His team also provides strategic planning and infrastructure funding for current and future development of the AMC.

He is a graduate of the University of Western Australia and Edith Cowan University.

The economic and productivity effects of noise in industrial and offshore environments and simple techniques to remedy it.

Quiet Acoustics are the engineers and local manufacturer of the worlds most versatile fibre free noise control panel, used in applications globally from the latest US silent warships to oil and gas jackup rig construction, power generation enclosures and silent mine camp accommodation. This structural aluminium honeycomb sandwich panel mimics and cancels noise, and is rapidly replacing the need for damaging mineral fibres in the oil & gas and offshore sector.

Dr Haywood uses audio and visual demonstrations to involve the audience in better understanding the effects of low frequency noise exposure on heart rate, mental concentration, and fatigue of workers, showing how noise exposure effects workers far more broadly than ear damage alone, and plays a significant part in fatigue management, productivity, and accident incidence on site.

The presentation concludes with real life examples of where the simple technology is being used to control noise exposure, giving the audience an idea of the flexibility and adaptation of the technology relating to their world.

Dr Michael Haywood, Director

Quiet Acoustics

Dr Michael Haywood graduated from University of Western Australia with a PhD in Engineering and degrees in Management and Investment Finance.

Dr Haywood is the Co-Founder of Quiet Acoustics Pty Ltd, an acoustic noise control panel supply group providing highly certified, lightweight, structural, non-fibrous panel technology to OEMs in the Oil & Gas, Mining, Industrial, Marine, Commercial and Accommodation sectors. The panels passively cancel noise, responsible for a range of health, safety, economic and social issues. www.quietacoustics.com.au

Dr Haywood is the Co-Founder of FIFObids, a live, constantly updating market of available skilled workers in Australia across all trades and professions. FIFObids flips the traditional employment market by enabling companies to quickly search and employ the best skills without advertising, and since its inception, has reduced the cost of critical labour by 12%. www.fifobids.com.au

Dr Haywood is the Co-Founder of Inovas, formerly Industrial Composite Contractors Pty Ltd (ICC), a composite technology based asset integrity and engineering services group in the global Oil & Gas and Mining sector. ICC repair and strengthen process critical steel and concrete assets using a suite of methods which mitigate asset downtime. www.iccgroup.com.au

Dr Haywood is passionate about the mining and resources sector and speaks frequently to industry groups on topics ranging from industrial and commercial noise, technology innovation, and human resourcing.

Dr Haywood is a proud member of the Sterling Cooper Collective.

Innovation in Integrity

Annulus vacuum testing of a flexible riser is the primary integrity testing technique for such assets, and represents a proactive approach to assessing the threat of general corrosion and corrosion fatigue.

Previous vacuum testing systems available in Australia have required mobilisation offshore via supply boats due to their large size (~4.5 tonnes in 1 x shipping container). For this reason, vacuum testing jobs equated to long lead times, significant logistics and presented a significant operations cost.

WGIM developed an innovative solution by redesigning the testing approach from first principles and sourcing & applying new test equipment. The Portable Vacuum Testing Package has been built and tested in the field, weighs only 45kg and breaks down into four cases. The equipment has been deployed to Australian assets, hand-carried offshore by helicopter, thus making the test more cost effective, used at increased frequency and thereby increasing the operators understanding of the riser system integrity.

In conclusion, the WGIM system is portable, easily deployed to remote offshore locations globally, fully developed in Australia and field proven.

Mark Stickells, Deputy Director, Energy and Minerals Institute

The University of Western Australia

Mark Stickells has 20 years’ experience in working with innovation and research management in Australia.

As Deputy Director of the UWA Energy and Minerals Institute, Mark supports the Institute's goal to bring together world class research capability across UWA for the benefit of the key industries driving the State’s economy.

Prior to joining UWA, Mark was CEO of the WA:ERA (Western Australian Energy Research Alliance) and led its mission to deliver of technology-based solutions to the global energy industry, exemplified through industry research alliances with Woodside, Chevron and CGGVeritas.

In 2005 he was recognised by the WA business community in 40under40 business leadership awards and he received the WA Chamber of Commerce medal as the top graduate in his Curtin University MBA program.

Barbara Campany, Principal - Stakeholder Engagement and Social Sustainability

GHD

Barbara is an industry specialist with close to 20 years’ experience in developing, implementing, managing and evaluating community and stakeholder engagement strategies.

Her experience has been garnered through high profile, and often controversial resource extraction, water and other major infrastructure projects where communities, stakeholder groups and organisations are divided.

With exceptional facilitation and stakeholder management capability, Barbara’s years of experience have also consolidated her ability to deliver consistent positive results for clients.

Barbara has an excellent rapport with people, is able to empathise with stakeholders and their competing interests and is highly capable of finding common ground in the process towards consensus.

Barbara has worked within government, corporate and consultancy settings across a number of sectors including Energy and Resources, Water, Waste, Linear Infrastructure, Land Contamination and Precinct Development.

Hon Bill Marmion MLA BE MBA Minister for Mines and Petroleum

Housing

Bill Marmion was elected to the Western Australian Parliament in 2008 as the member for Nedlands. Since that time he has served in a range of roles including Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier and Minister for Commerce; Science and Innovation; Housing; Minister Assisting the Treasurer; and Minister for Water and the Environment.

His current portfolios are Mining and Petroleum, and Housing. As Minister for Mining he is committed to ensuring a stable regulatory environment to maintain the expansion of the crucially important resource sector in Western Australia.

The mining a petroleum sector in Western Australia underpins the State’s economy with resources sales valued at $106 billion in 2011/12.

An engineer by profession, Bill has extensive experience working in the public sector for Main Roads and the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Prior to entering Parliament he was a principal of Syme Marmion and Co. which provides strategic planning advice to the private sector and Government.

He lives in his electorate of Nedlands (a suburb of Perth Western Australia) , with his wife Katelyn and five children.

Near - Term Prospects for LNG in the Australian Aviation Sector

The use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a transport fuel is currently growing rapidly worldwide. LNG is currently emerging as the preferred fuel in road transport, railway and maritime sectors, essentially because of its relatively low cost. Consequently, an obvious question is why has LNG not yet been adopted in the aviation sector? This presentation sets-out the key aeronautical technology challenges involved with the potential introduction of new passenger aircraft directly fuelled by LNG. It is concluded that, provided that aircraft development and airport ground infrastructure deployment costs are reasonably constrained, LNG fuelled aircraft could offer a significant reduction in airline direct operating cost, as well as offering a 20% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions in line with Air Transport Advisory Group (ATAG) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) targets. The prospect for biomethane plus LNG blends to further reduce carbon emissions is also briefly discussed.

Dr Graham Dorrington, Senior Lecturer

School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering RMIT Melbourne

Dr. Graham Dorrington received his PhD in aerospace engineering in 1989 from Cambridge University, UK. He has been a senior lecturer in the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, RMIT University, since September 2011. In recent years, he has being investigating the feasibility of liquid methane fuelled aircraft, and a RMIT student team under his supervision was selected as a finalist in the international Airbus "Fly Your Ideas" 2013 competition.

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Kym Bills, CEO

WA Energy Research Alliance

Mr Kym Bills has since August 2011 been the CEO of the Western Australian Energy Research Alliance (WA:ERA) comprising the CSIRO, Curtin University and The University of Western Australia. He is also a Board Member of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) and Chair of the Australian Centre for Natural Gas Management (ACNGM).

Kym was Foundation Executive Director of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) for the decade to 30 June 2009. He was Project Director for the National Mine Safety Framework during the intervening period to August 2011. In 2009 Kym Bills and David Agostini were tasked by the Commonwealth and Western Australian Ministers to investigate and review the Varanus Island gas pipeline explosions and associated regulatory frameworks.

In 2006-07 Kym was Chair of the International Transportation Safety Association. He was the Chair of Australia’s National Road Safety Strategy Panel from 1999 to 2008. Kym was an Australian Public Service Division head from 1994 to 1999 after varying other roles. Mr Bills holds six degrees and seven professional fellowships with his initial degrees being a BA (Hons I) from the University of Adelaide and a M.Sc from the University of Oxford.

Research collaboration in WA - Beyond 10 years of WA:ERA

The Western Australian Energy Research Alliance (WA:ERA) was established by the CSIRO, Curtin University and The University of Western Australia as an innovative collaborative joint venture on 18 September 2003. WA:ERA's major industry partners are Chevron and Woodside. A 2005-2009 $20m State Government grant helped build capability for world class R&D and education particularly linked to upstream and midstream LNG.

As WA:ERA's 10 year anniversary approaches, WA:ERA remains one of the more successful R&D collaborations in WA and nationally. In addition to core R&D collaborations such as in gas processing, corrosion and geophysics, current plans include an emerging National Geosequestration Laboratory assisted by $48.4m of Federal capital funding, a Centre for Upstream Petroleum Safety, augmenting expertise in floating systems, and assisting with the establishment of a resources 'precinct' with national reach. WA:ERA will seek to increase its industry R&D collaboration in the next decade for the benefit of its partners, industry, State and nation.

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Professor David White, Shell EMI Chair in Offshore Engineering

University of Western Australia

David White holds the Shell EMI Chair of Offshore Engineering at the University of Western Australia (UWA). He moved to Perth in 2006 after studying engineering at Cambridge University, where he completed Masters and PhD degrees before holding a Lectureship. Since joining UWA he has led research into various aspects of offshore geotechnics, with strong collaborations across pipeline engineering and hydrodynamics. His research blends physical modelling, using UWA's centrifuge and O-tube facilities, with numerical analysis and field observations. He has published more than 175 papers, winning 7 prizes. He was awarded the 2010 Anton Hales Medal by the Australian Academy of Science, the 2011 Western Australia Tall Poppy Science Award and he was named the 2011 Western Australian Early Career Scientist of the Year. His research projects have attracted 4 industry awards including the WA Engineers Australia 2012 award for research and innovation. He is also active in industry practice, serving on ISO committees and acting as a Principal Consultant for the Perth-based company Advanced Geomechanics. David was appointed to the Shell EMI Chair of Offshore Engineering at the start of this year. This Chair is a new initiative aimed at growing UWA's capabilities to address the challenges of offshore engineering, locally and globally.

Australian R&D in offshore engineering for economic gas projects, locally and globally

This presentation will highlight local research and development work that is creating safe and economic solutions for gas project infrastructure. Western Australian research activity and our research facilities have historically been focused on local challenges, such as the unusual geotechnical and metocean conditions found on the North West Shelf. However, the strength of this research has been recognised internationally. Perth has world-leading expertise in the areas of foundations, anchoring and pipeline on-bottom stability, through university-industry partnerships. Research outcomes that are guiding the mooring of FLNG facilities, the stabilisation of pipelines and the characterisation of seabed conditions and hazards will be shown. This research work, using UWA's geotechnical centrifuge and O-tube facilities, has not only influenced the design of the NWS gas projects, but is permeating international design codes and is being applied worldwide. Perth's growing status as a centre of excellence for both local and global project support is enhanced by our local university-based research capabilities.

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Ashley Challenor, Managing Director

Cetra Technologies

Ashley Challenor was born and raised in Perth Western Australia.
After completing his degree in Civil Engineering at UWA, Ashley worked overseas for ten years including 2 years in SE Asia in oil exploration, 5 years in England and 2 years in Portugal, both in petrochemical construction.

On returning to Perth Ashley completed his MBA also at UWA and had his first taste of cold insulation when he was the Project Director for the installati on of the insulation of Woodsides NWS LNG trains one and two before relocating to Malaysia and another LNG project, MLNG Dua on the island of Kalimantan at Bintulu.

Ashley then became a Shareholder and Director of a local pipe support manufacturer and moved to Jakarta to start up a joint venture manufacturing company there. The main products produced in Indonesia were cryogenic pipe supports.

Ashley then completed a stint in the Renewable Energy branch of Western Power and managed the construction of the award winning Narrogin Integrated Wood Processing Plant.

After completing the Narrogin IWP project Ashley formed Cetra Technologies Pty Ltd with partner Steve King.

Cetra licensed its cryogenic pipe support technology to global pipe support manufacturer LISEGA AG and Ashley spent two years in Germany and China setting up the factories and transferring the technology.

In the meantime Ashley and Steve worked on developing CetrafoamTM, a moulded single layer low density rigid foam insulation specifically designed for cryogenic LNG applications.

Cetra licenced CetrafoamTM to WA based Matrix Composites and Engineering in March 2010.

CetrafoamTM was a runner up in the Woodside Oil and Gas Category of the 2010 WA Innovator of the Year Awards and Cetra was awarded Innovator of the Year for CetrafoamTM at the 2012 Australian Oil and Gas conference held in Perth.

CetrafoamTM Innovations in Cryogenic Insulation

Conventional rigid foam insulations are effective but difficult, labour intensive and time consuming to install.

Cutting the pipe insulation sections from blocks is very wasteful of material and disposal of the waste is environmentally unfriendly.

Innovations achieved with CetrafoamTM moulded cryogenic insulation include:
• No cutting waste - Insulation sections are moulded to the exact shape required
• No dust - The moulded sections have a tough dust free solid surface whichis not friable.
• Single layer - CetrafoamTM has a low tensile modulus and remains flexible at cryogenic temperature
• No contraction joints - CetrafoamTM has a high compressive strength and a low coefficient of thermal contraction
• Easy to install - Smooth solid moulded surface ideal for adhering tapes and foil vapour barriers
• Tough and durable - Solid skin reinforced with fibreglass mesh resists transport and handling damage
• Thermally efficient - CetrafoamTM moulded single layer insulation has less joints.

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Michael Schoch, General Manager for Production

Shell Australia

Michael Schoch joined Shell in 1986, and has since undertaken a variety of commercial and operational roles in Australia, central and eastern Europe and China.

Michael has extensive commercial experience on Australian LNG projects, especially the North West Shelf Project, which he worked on for more than seven years, both representing the venture and on behalf of Shell. Michael has also worked in a commercial capacity on the Sunrise Project and the Gorgon Project. In China, he worked on the ‘West to East’ gas pipeline project.

Michael is now General Manager - Production for Shell Australia and is preparing for the operation of the world’s first Floating LNG project – Prelude FLNG – which is located in the Browse Basin, off the coast of Western Australia.

Michael studied Economics at Murdoch University, graduating with an Honours Degree in 1985.

GM Production at Shell

Michael Schoch, General Manager for Production in Shell Australia, will deliver an update on the Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Project - the first project of its kind in the world - which is under construction in various locations across the globe. Michael will then look to the history of FLNG technology, and how Shell bought it to life after decades of development, plus the future of the technology globally.

Professor Michael Johns, Winthrop Professor

Centre for Energy, University of Western Australia

Winthrop Prof. Michael Johns is the Chair of Chemical and Process Engineering in the School of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering at the University of Western Australia (UWA). Along with Winthrop Prof. Eric May, Chevron Chair in Gas Process Engineering and 2012 Malcolm McIntosh Physical Scientist of the Year, he co-leads the Fluid Science Division of the Centre for Energy – this consists of three academics, eight research fellows and twelve PhD students and has wide industry links. Previously (up to March 2011) he was a tenured University Reader in Engineering Colloids at the University of Cambridge, UK, from where he was awarded a PhD in Chemical Engineering in 1999. His personal research interests focus predominately on magnetic resonance (MR) techniques, both as a well logging tool and in the laboratory. Increasingly these focus on gas and oil industry, as well as CO2 sequestration, applications. At the University of Cambridge he helped establish the Magnetic Resonance Research Centre (MRRC), the world’s largest non-medical MR group focussed on engineering applications. At UWA he has established a unique collection of bench-top, mobile MR hardware able to characterise rock cores, core floods, oilfield emulsions, condensate and wet gas flows. He is/has received gas/oil industry research funding from Schlumberger, Bp, Chevron and ExxonMobil. He has published 118 peer-reviewed publications in international journals and has 1284 citations to date.

Natural Gas Characterisation Research at the University of Western Australia

Using four exemplar research projects, an overview of natural gas research conducted in the University of Western Australia's Fluid Science Group of the Centre for Energy will be presented. Highlighting capability, we will specifically outline progress with respect to:
• Accurate dispersion measurements facilitating effective evaluation of Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR) processes in which extracted CO2 is re-injected into producing gas reservoirs, enabling both CO2 sequestration and improved gas recovery.
• High pressure visual auto-clave measurements of natural gas hydrate formation in under-inhibited systems, which instruct optimum hydrate plugging avoidance.
• Examples of novel high pressure, low temperature measurement of various natural gas thermodynamic and physical properties, as required by process simulations.
• Fully automated novel magnetic resonance based measurements of platform discharge water contamination levels and micro-structure.

Perth as a Global Energy Hub

Over the past 30 years, Perth has been transformed from what might be described as a 'branch office economy' to a hub in the world energy economy. Drawing on work undertaken in collaboration with the Committee for Perth, this presentation traces this transformation, focusing on the ways in which it has reshaped the city's corporate structure, labour market, knowledge economy and even social fabric. The presentation also raises questions about how Perth can maintain and even enhance its competitive position within the global resources economy.

Professor Matthew Tonts, Head

School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, University of Western Australia

Matthew Tonts is Professor of Economic Geography at The University of Western Australia, and Head of the School of Earth and Environment. His interests cover economic development, labour markets and regional competitiveness in Australia, China, North America, Africa and Europe. He also lead's the Committee for Perth-UWA joint research project – Factbase – which aims to uncover the economic, social and policy dynamics shaping Perth and its future.