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BUSINESS DAY
Wednesday 13 June 2018
INTERVIEW
‘TREXM’s latest technologies will positively impact Nigeria’s oil and gas sector’ Bolu Odusanya is the managing director of TREXM, an international trading and export Management Company, supplying products to oil and gas, and other commercial and industrial sectors. In this interview with Ifeoma Okeke, he speaks on latest innovations the company has deployed to provide best-in-class solutions for its clients. Excerpts. As the managing director of TREXM, what can you tell us about your organization? ur firm, TREXM Oil and Gas Services (TREXM) is deeply dedicated to serving our clients. This customer service orientation underpins the entire ethos of our business. We believe that investing in technology, people and unstinting customer experience is the way to grow the business. TREXM’s mission is to provide top of the range project delivery services using creative solutions driven by professionalism, integrity and tenacity with a keen focus on safety, quality, cost and operations optimization.
operators with the ability to pig and clean their lines while in operation and without the need for a shut down. Other metering technologies require the operator to shut down their operation, remove the meter and then proceed to clean the pipes. This obviously results in loss of productivity and cash for the operators hence they are demotivated in ensuring their pipelines are regularly cleaned and maintained. Due to its high level of accuracy, the ultrasonic technology will go a long way in boosting the Nigeria oil and gas sector and the Africa economy as a whole.
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How successful has this metering technology been in other countries? The LCT meters have been widely deployed in various countries around the world for some of the largest IOCs and National Oil Companies.
What inspired your recent partnership with Baker Hughes, a GE company? Our commitment to best-in-class solutions for our clients is the main driver behind our partnership with Baker Hughes General Electric (BHGE). BHGE has the balance sheet, credibility and track record to aid us in delivering the highest level of quality for our clients. The BHGE suite of products and services meshes well with our core focus areas as TREXM and positions us to best serve our clients extensively. The ultrasonic metering is the latest trend in liquid custody transfer metering, can you shed more light on this technology? The Ultrasonic flow meter has currently outlived legacy being set by both traditional and other state-ofthe-art technologies. It has led to optimization in metering operations. The drive to change to this latest technology is being owed to the ability to carry out multiple functions which includes metering, leak detection and its high level of accuracy in custody transfer. That combined with its drift free performance over time and lower operating expenditure directly impacts operators’ profitability. What distinguishes ultrasonic metering technologies from other mechanical technologies? The ultrasonic flowmeter has no moving parts; no wear or tear is witnessed hence no measurement drift overtime which leads to inaccurate readings. Unlike other mechanical technologies, the ultrasonic flowmeter is independent of viscosity, gives room for advanced diagnostics and can tell you when something is wrong within the system. It also has Bidirectional measurement ability (in case of loading/offloading). Mechanical meters result in pressure drop within the metering system while the ultrasonic causes little or no pressure drop. A typical mechanical flowmeter is sized at ≤12 “ while the ultrasonic can accommodate sizes as
You recently partnered with the U.S embassy commercial desk to host a technology seminar on custody transfer metering, how did this partnership come about? The U.S. Embassy is very focused on assisting the Nigerian market to gain access to the very best technology from US entities such as BHGE as well as to sensitize the Nigerian operators on worldwide best practices. This is the basis for the partnership to help Nigerians understand and gain access to best-in-class technologies for their day to day operations. Bolu Odusanya
high as 48 “. This can be higher based on customer’s request. More importantly, because ultrasonic meters are full bore meters in that they can be installed with existing line sizes, they are ultimately cheaper from a capital expenditure and operating expenditure standpoint. You require less meters to measure your production so you’re spending less money up front, and since the ultrasonic meter has no moving parts, the operator doesn’t lose accuracy over time as there is no mechanical drift The Sentinel LCT-8 is the latest addition to the line of ultrasonic flow meters from BHGE, what improvements have been made to this model? The LCT-8 flowmeter from BHGE has been tagged as “The market’s best high accuracy meter” which has actually proven to be a perfect name. The LCT-8 linearity performance has been improved upon unlike the initial technology that was available. While installing the LCT-8 to guarantee a fully developed flow profile, the necessary piping work has been greatly improved on, Hence the hardware and installation cost of the
LCT-8 has been minimized. How does the LCT-8 guarantee high accuracy in flow metering considering the precarious state of pipelines? Considering the state of our pipelines, the LCT-8 can indicate/identify any loss of product flow from one point to another which could arise
TREXM is working on a number of exciting projects in the future all of which are aimed at providing solutions to the operators in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria to maximize production as well as keeping their cost base low
from leakages or any form of pipeline rupture. Its Pipeline Leak Detection ability is of high integrity. To get the best out of a Leak Detection System it’s highly recommended to connect Sentinel LCT8 to hardware and software system which runs smart computation filtering data and flag alarms only when a leak occurs while providing leak localization that the meter alone cannot achieve. Its low maintenance requirements, low pressure drop and large line size capability is an added advantage as it can be used for larger pipe diameters. In your opinion, how will these ultrasonic technologies positively affect the Nigerian oil and gas sector? The key function of metering operations is to act as a cash register for the oil and gas industry either in upstream, midstream or downstream operations. It therefore becomes important to be able to audit production to the highest accuracy. This is the beauty of the Ultrasonic meter. The LCT 8 meter is the most accurate meter of its kind in the market as such ensures that you’re accounting for your production and attendant cash flow accurately. The LCT meters also provide
What will you say was the overall reception of the seminar? The reception was overwhelming as we had a very large turnout for the seminar. More importantly, the level of engagement was impressive as the attendees really sought to understand the technology as well as the ability to perform in the Nigerian market. The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) representatives were in attendance to provide a first-hand account of their experience with the meter prior to certifying it for use in the Nigerian market. This went a long way in assuaging operators as to the viability for the local market as the regulations have finally adapted to the latest technology available. What future projects are in the works for TREXM? TREXM is working on a number of exciting projects in the future all of which are aimed at providing solutions to the operators in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria to maximize production as well as keeping their cost base low. This will be achieved by our unstinting commitment to Local Content by investing strongly in our people and resources to reduce lead time and maximize service to the operators.