Master of Engineering: Work Experience Report - KOC Internship

This work experience report details a Master of Engineering (Petroleum Engineering) student's internship at the Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). The student, Fatemah ALHAMAD, worked across various departments within the engineering division, including operations, maintenance, technical services, a...Read More

Work Experience Report
Student Name:- Fatemah ALHAMAD
STUDENT ID :- 10485419
COURSE STUDY :- MASTER OF ENGINEERING ( PETROLEUM
ENGINEERING )

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Executive Summary
During my internship, I was attached at the Kuwait Oil and gas company where I worked
under different departments in the engineering department in order to get a hold of how the
theories taught in class are applied in industry. This practicum report details a summary of the
company and its profile as well as the departments where I was attached and how the
knowledge gained will be helpful in making me a good engineer in the field. It also
summarizes my personal experience and the reflections gained from my stay at the company,
with special attention on how the experience will help me to develop the Engineers Australia
Competencies.

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Table of Contents
Background about the company.................................................................................................3
Personal Experience...................................................................................................................3
Lessons& benefits learnt............................................................................................................5
Final reflection...........................................................................................................................6

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Background about the company
The Kuwait oil company began its operations in 1934 coinciding with the
British rule of Raj in India. During this epoch, many engineers were
transferred from India to Kuwait to work in Kuwait Oil Company which
was known to manufacture oil and in the company’s subsidiary known as
the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation. The company is parastatal located in
the Ahmadi governorate in Kuwait. The company prides itself in being
offering services such as on-shore and off-shore surveys, exploration
operations, test wells drilling , and the development of oil production
fields. It also produces products such as crude and natural gas from its
exploration endeavors. The workforce of the company is diverse as there
are different departments under which an individual can work for. Some of
the departments that I got to interact with during my practicum at the
exports section of the company included the departments of operations,
maintenance, technical services, t oil movement & measurement,
maintenance support & reliability as well as the HSE ( Health, Safety and
Environment ) departments. .
Personal Experience
From 11/12/2016 – 18/12/2016
During this period I was assigned the tasks of a senior process engineer,
where I stayed for many weeks and gained plenty of experience from. For
instance, during the first week, I met the engineers that worked in the
operations department and learnt the organizational culture and work
ethic of these engineers who are all specialties of different disciplines. The
operations team is in charge of ensuring that the planning and operations
run smoothly and are effectively executed. This team is also responsible
for the geophysical activities that are carried out during the exploration of
the hydrocarbons that make up oil and natural gas both onshore and
offshore Kuwait. The department is also solely in charge of receiving crude
oil from all the subsidiaries of the Kuwait Oil Company a their Gulf Centre

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on a 24 hour basis and ensuring that the process is also smoothly run and
operated during the operation time. The team also ought to ensure that
the crude is then taken to the central mixing manifold after which it is
temporarily stored in Tank Farms before being supplied to:
o Export ships via 5 loading terminals.
o The 3 KNPC ( Kuwait National Petroleum Company) refineries;
and
o Ministry of Electricity and water power stations.
In the loading facilities, there are two loading piers that are owned,
operated and maintained by KNPC (Kuwait National Petroleum Company)
and a marine operations pier that is run by the by KOC. When the crude
oil received ready for supply shipping, it is let to in the tanks for the
process of water separation to be carried out where the water
accumulated at the bottom of the tanks is drained out then the remaining
content in the tanks is allocated prior to export ships for supply to
refineries. It is then passed through the metering facilities, where it is
measured and verified by the systems to ensure it meets the Kuwait Oil
Company requirements. The operations engineers also conduct lab
analyses of the crude oil at all stages from the initial receipt from the
production areas to when its ready for shipping or transfer to refineries
within Kuwait. Working in this department was a specifically enjoyable
learning experience for me.
From 19/12/2016 to 20/12/2016 I moved to the water section of the
department to learnthe water distribution system to other places in
Kuwait. I established that the fresh and brackish water received from
Ministry of electricity and water and from Abdaliyah area, and then it is
stored in the South Tank Farm water storage tanks after it has been
chemically treated. It is then supplied to the Ahmadi Residential Area
which has a fresh and brackish water distribution system and the Burgan
and Magwa Gathering Centers which are only supplied with brackish
water. In addition, water system also supplies a given volume to the

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company’s Fire Team in the event of an emergency. On 21/12/2016 I
moved to the crude oil control centre (COCC) where I was tasked with
checking the pipelines, the control room functions, supervised the laboratory systems and
managing the working shifts of the engineers while motivating a team of junior engineers. I
was able to learn the pipeline operations, checking about 15 pipelines and their connections
daily and the controller parameters since the settings were complicated. I simplified the
design of the controller by drawing it then simplifying it so that I could identify and report
the occurrence of any problem or technical fault.
25/12/2016 – 26/12/2016
During this period , KOC allowed me to attend the North Pier Pumping Metering
Skids at the export facility. This enlightened me on the process used to gain Crude Oil
Custody Transfer during Vessel Loadings. I also learnt that crude oil is separated from water
using separation tanks,before the crude is exported or supplied to refineries through ships.
This required me to understand the technical aspects of the process. Between 27/12/2016 and
9/01/2017, I was moved to the maintenance department where experience of Tank
Cleaning, Disludging and Repair is mandatory for the maintenance of the
crude oiland water tanks at North Tank Farm, South Tank Farm and all
KOC field areas. I was also involved in preventive maintenance for all
tanks in the KOC field areas where the installations & pipelines, as well as
the
electrical instruments, firefighting equipment, rotating equipment’s, MAA
(Mina AL Ahmadi ) Sea Island & SPM (Single Point Mooring) facilities, water
section facilities pertaining to fresh & brackish water had to be
maintained. From 10/01/2017 – 22/01/2017 I moved to the technical
services department where I served with the Engineering & Major Projects
Groups to enhance operability & amenability of new projects. This
required that I participate in conducting technical reviews and approving
detailed engineering, projects and vendor documentation & manuals.
From 23/01/2017- 13/02/2017 I moved to the oil movement and measurement
department to offer maintenance support and reliability assistance . This department proved
to be dependent on the operability of the new projects forcing me to conduct technical
reviews and evaluate the documentation. I was able to hone my skills in budget preparation

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and engineering contract follow-up sessions. I also gained experience in the preparation of
the daily stock and in coordination with third party inspection agencies. I also moved to the
Health, Safety and Environment department between 14/02/2017 and 02/03/2017 where I
was able to learn their role in the company and gain some experience in. I was involved in
communicating the HSE policy of the company to the employees and the contractors in order
to ensure the company and its employees are healthy and safe. I also learnt the need to come
up with a risk mitigation action plan for the high and medium risk elements in the company.
This included an evaluation of the preparedness and performance of staff during the
emergency drills like land and the marine oil spills. The team also conducted the training
session and which motivated employees and enhanced an organizational culture that
genuinely cares for the comfort and safety of the staff. There were also training sessions that
were helpful for the employees and the contractors adding upto the positive aspect the
company.
Lessons& benefits learnt
My stay with the company was extremely beneficial because I leant a lot about
conflict resolution within the team and its benefits in an environment of brilliant engineers
who all had differing opinions on the best way to execute a task. The use of the most
effective management theories proved effective as ensuring that every person’s opinion was
clearly communicated and respected by their colleagues. I also learnt that there was a great
need to give each individual a different role and responsibility so that each team member
would contribute in the job. I also managed to improve my confidence and communication
skills during this practicum as I had to do my presentations to my supervisors via call, email,
and Skype. My skills as an engineer were the enhanced as I became better at managing
projects and systematic research methodologies. I was also able to perfect my presentation
skills by impressing the stakeholders in my proposal. I also gained experience in assessment
of oil loss, maintenance inspection, data reconciliation, tax claims, yield reconciliation, cost
reduction, and integration. I also gained plenty of experience regarding Health, safety and
environment policy that were ensured to the employees and the contractors of the company.

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Final reflection
As an engineering student in my third year, I was interested in this practicum because would
give me a wide experience in the technical side of petroleum engineering. This will help me
in achieving both my academic and professional goals as it has given industrial experience
and exposed to the professional environment where I can improve my skills. I was able to
improve my communication and collaboration skills as I lacked confidence due to my lack of
skills. I have gained a number of skills that will serve as strategies and recommendations that
will help me to make positive contributions in the industry where I will work in the future.
The skills gained have helped me to develop the Engineers Australia Competencies. For
instance, my verbal and written English proficiency has greatly improved and my efficiency
to deal with ethical dilemmas has improved. I can also easily practice within the boundaries
of my engineering works competently and using safe and sustainable solutions in order to
provide safety of workers in manufacture, construction and in removal and disposal of plant. I
have also developed basic understanding of the laws and regulations and various other legal
formalities.