J a p a n C o o p e ra t i o n C e n t e r, P e t r o l e u m

NEWS
No.

116 2013 September

Connected by technology, person-to-person

Topicsn The 21st Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposiumn Joint Conference with OAPEC
n Executive Meetings in Saudi Arabia and Omann VIP Invitation Program: Tasweeq
n VIP Invitation Program: OAPECJCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Table of Contents
Special Message from Mr. Andrew Laah Yakubu, Group Managing Director, NNPC......................................................... 3

TopicsThe 21st Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium (Follow-up Report)............................................................................... 4
Joint Conference with OAPEC............................................................................................................................................. 8
Executive Meetings in Saudi Arabia and Oman................................................................................................................ 11
VIP Invitation Program: Mr. Abdulla Al-Abdulmalek, Executive Director-Administration of Tasweeq............................ 14
VIP Invitation Program: H.E. Mr. Abbas Al-Naqi, Secretary General of OAPEC................................................................ 15

Personnel Exchange Programs
FY2012 JCCP Program Seminar......................................................................................................................................... 17
Regular Course on Future Advanced Technology for Petroleum Industry........................................................................ 18
CPJ Seminar on General Process Control for Uzbekistan.................................................................................................. 22
CPO Seminar on Environment-friendly Activities for UAE................................................................................................ 25
CPO Seminar on Practical TPM Activities for Field Operators Held at Saudi Aramco...................................................... 29
Participants’ Voices........................................................................................................................................................... 33
JCCP Regular Courses Completed .................................................................................................................................... 34

Technical Cooperation
Study on the Application of Ground Deformation Monitoring Technologies towards Preserving the Natural
Resources Infrastructure’s Potential in Saudi Arabia.................................................................................................. 38
Feasibility Study for Hydrogen Production (Organic Chemical Hydride Method) and Storage, Transportation,
Utilization in Saudi Arabia........................................................................................................................................... 40
Study on Compositional Analysis of Selected Cuts of Kuwait Heavy Crude Oils and Its Impact on Hydroprocessing..... 42
Study on Removal of Acid Gases from Natural Gas Using Membrane Contactors, Phase II (UAE)................................... 44
Study for Operational Improvement at QP Refinery......................................................................................................... 46
Completion of the Joint Project for Introduction of Produced Water Treatment in Iraq................................................. 48
Energy Conservation Study on CDU Furnace of Dung Quat Refinery in Vietnam............................................................. 50
Preliminary Survey on Hydrogen Liquefaction in Qatar.................................................................................................... 52

Graduates’ Voices .................................................................................................................................................. 54
Announcements
Mr. Sase Participates in Prime Minister Abe’s Economic Mission to the Middle East...................................................... 55
Mr. Sase Participates in an Economic Mission that Accompanied METI Minister Motegi to Abu Dhabi.......................... 55
Nigeria Power and Energy Forum..................................................................................................................................... 56
Personnel Changes............................................................................................................................................................ 57
Please Help Us Update Our Roster.................................................................................................................................... 58
Please Send Us a Message as Alumni............................................................................................................................... 58
Editorial Postscript............................................................................................................................................................ 59

Cover photo
Taken by: Minoru Horike, Training Dept.
Location: Kamikochi (Hodaka Mountains
and Azusa River)

Special Message
Engr. Andrew Laah Yakubu
Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC)
Participant of a regular course on Essential Petroleum Refining for Process
Engineers (TR-9-85) offered in July 1985

I was indeed elated to be invited to speak at the 31st JCCP Symposium held in January 2013. My
visit to JCCP brought back nostalgic memories of the lectures, experience and fun of participating incourse TR-9-85 on Essential Petroleum Refining for Process Engineers from July 3 to August 2, 1985,
more than 28 years ago. As a young engineer, the experience and exposure I gained from the course werequite fascinating, as it broadened my horizon and understanding of the petroleum industry and refining,in particular.
I vividly remember my fruitful interactions with experienced and seasoned refinery operators during
the course. The field trips also offered invaluable insight into the country, the people and Japanese-style
management. There is no doubt the scintillating experience I gained in the course has been of immense
benefit to my career.
Judging by the organization of the symposium, I am convinced that JCCP has, over the years, sustained
and maintained a very high standard of programs, and would like to commend the JCCP management andstaff for keeping faith with the underlying objective of the organization.
The conducive and dynamic learning environment, coupled with dedicated faculties drawn from theindustry, makes JCCP programs top level programs that are worth attending by future industry leaders.
This is indeed a testament to JCCP’s commitment to continuous improvement and drive for excellence.
Looking into the future, I see that JCCP will continue to inculcate knowledge of the industry toparticipants with a view to further bringing harmony amongst producer and consumer countries for the
benefit of all.

Mr. Yakubu’s participation in a JCCP regular course in 1985
(front row, third from left)

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 20133

Topics

The 21st Joint GCC-Japan
Environment Symposium(Follow-up Report)

Members of the symposium

JCCP and Qatar Petroleum (QP) co-hosted the
21st Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium on
February 5 and 6, 2013 in Doha, Qatar, under the themeof “Sustainable Environment, Climate Change andRenewable Energy for Oil and Gas Industry.”
The opening ceremony was held on February 5th,
with opening speeches given by Dr. Ali Hamed Al-Mulla,
Manager of Corporate Environment & Sustainable
Development at QP; H.E. Mr. Kenjiro Monji, Japanese
Ambassador to Qatar; and Mr. Morihiro Yoshida,
Managing Director of JCCP. An audience of more than
160 speakers and participants filled the venue, including
Dr. Takashi Tatsumi, Director and Executive Vice
President of Tokyo Institute of Technology (leader of
the Japanese delegation).
Dr. Al-Mulla formally called the symposium toorder and expressed his pleasure of holding the JointGCC-Japan Environment Symposium in Qatar for thesecond time in cooperation with JCCP. Ambassador
Monji stressed that the symposium theme, “Sustainable
Environment, Climate Change and Renewable Energy
for Oil and Gas Industry,” is an important issue not only
to Japan and the GCC countries, but also to the rest of
the world. He also said he hopes Japan can contribute4• Topics •with its knowledge and experience to the issue herein Qatar, which has just recently hosted a successful
COP18 conference. Mr. Yoshida expressed JCCP’s wish
to contribute to reducing CO2 emissions and addressing
environmental issues through training and technicalcooperation, and then thanked H.E. Dr. Mohammed bin
Saleh Al-Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, and QP
for their strong support of the symposium.
Following the opening ceremony, Dr. Tatsumi gave akeynote speech on “Tackling Challenges to Sustainable
Energy and Environment.” He said that historicallyeconomic growth and energy consumption are closely

Dr. Takashi Tatsumi, leader of the Japanese delegation

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Symposium audiencecorrelated, it is necessary to develop more efficientenergy production and energy utilization technologies in
the future. To achieve these goals, he stressed the needfor drastic changes in people’s consciousness towardindustrial structure and energy conservation. Dr. Tatsumi
also lectured that worldwide increases in energy demand
will be countered in the short term by saving energy andstoring/reusing CO2 while also utilizing nuclear powerand biomass. In the long term, photovoltaic power will
be a core source of renewable energy.
Following the keynote speech, a total of 23 technicalpapers were presented by experts from the GCC
countries and Japan, divided into three presentation
sessions and a forum. Session 1 featured “Carbon
Capture & Storage, Alternative Energy Applications,”
Session 2 “Oil and Gas Industry Environmental Issue,”and Session 3 “Protection of the Marine Environment,
Wastewater Treatment.”
The panelists of Session 1 included two Japanese
speakers. Mr. Soichi Ogawa (Deputy General Manager,
Global Business Support Division, Solar Frontier K.K.)
gave a presentation titled “CIS Technology Contribution
to the Middle East Energy Business,” and Mr.
Mitsunori Shimura (Deputy Executive General Manager,
Technology Development Unit, Chiyoda Corporation)a presentation titled “Development of Large-scale H2
Storage and Transportation Technology with Liquid
Organic Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC).”
Session 2 included presentations by two Japanese
speakers. Mr. Hidemitsu Saito (Manager, Global
Technical Cooperation Group, Overseas Business
Division, JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation) spoke
about “Technologies for Volatile Organic Compounds(VOC) Recovery in Petroleum Industry and JX’s
Activities in Middle East Area,” and Mr. Toshiyasu
Morita (Assistant Group Manager, Environment& New Energy Technology Development, Cosmo

Engineering Co., Ltd.) about “Technical Support forEnvironmental Improvement of the Refineries in Middle
East Countries.”
In Session 3 held on the February 6th, Mr. Rajeev
Supekar (Sales Director, Infrastructure Business Division,
International Sales and Marketing Unit, Toyo Engineering
Corporation) discussed “Improvement of Industrial
Wastewater Treatment and Enhancement of Water
Recycle with Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) Applicationin the Existing Refinery and Petrochemical Facilities.”
In addition to the presentation sessions, a forum that
focused specifically on environmental issues in refineries
was held as a new initiative in the symposium. With the aimof achieving cross-cutting discussions on environmental
issues among refineries in the GCC countries, members
from GCC and Japanese refineries gave presentations
under the theme of “Best Environmental Practices in
Refineries,” with Dr. Al-Mulla presiding over the forum.
In addition to active exchanges of views, presentations
were given on environmental initiatives related torefinery operations, including a presentation by Mr.
Hiroaki Mimura (Instrumentation & Control Engineer,
Technology & Engineering Center, Idemitsu Kosan
Co., Ltd.) on “Importance of Alarm Management for
Preventing Accidents which Lead to Environmental
Pollution.” Although it was the first undertaking of its
kind, the forum provided a unique opportunity for lively
discussions based on presentations given by each speakeron air pollution countermeasures, wastewater treatment,
waste processing and other such environmental issues,and proved to be a productive forum for active exchanges
of information on environmental issues in refineries.
The sessions and forum held over the courseof the two-day event introduced Japan’s advanced
environmental technologies and the serious approaches
to environmental issues made by the GCC countries,

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Forum

• Topics •5and provided an ideal platform for GCC environmental
experts to share and exchange knowledge on a wide
range of environmental issues.
After the forum, Dr. Al-Mulla closed the symposiumby summarizing the two days of discussions andexpressing his gratitude to all symposium participants,
JCCP and QP personnel.
It is also worth noting that a press conference washeld after Dr. Tatsumi’s keynote speech on the first day.
Dr. Al-Mulla and Mr. Yoshida responded to questions
from the press, mainly about the significance of holding
the environment symposium in Qatar and prospects
for cooperation between Qatar and Japan in the energy
sector. News of the press conference and symposium was
extensively reported in seven local newspapers on thefollowing day (three English-language newspapers andfour Arabic newspapers), and contributed to increasing
public recognition of JCCP’s presence in Qatar.
In the meantime, preceding the opening of thesymposium, the Japanese delegation was given the honorof visiting with H.E. Dr. Al-Sada, Minister of Energy& Industry and Chairman & Managing Director of QP.
On February 4th, Dr. Tatsumi, Mr. Yoshida, Mr. Junichi

Local newspaper article

Kasuya, General Manager of the JCCP Riyadh Office,and Mr. Yukiteru Watanabe, Deputy General Managerof the Technical Cooperation Department at JCCP, madea courtesy visit to the Minister.
Taking the opportunity of this newsletter, JCCP would
like to express its deepest appreciation to everyone who
cooperated in the successful implementation of thesymposium.
<by Sadao Wada, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

FY2012 Joint GCC-Japan Environment Symposium Program
Opening Ceremony
KeynoteSpeechJapan

CountryProf. Dr. Takashi Tatsumi
Executive Vice President for Research, Tokyo Institute of Technology“Tackling Challenges of Sustainable Energy and Environment”

Title

Speaker/Organization

Session 1: Carbon Capture & Storage, Alternative Energy Applications
Session Chair:Dr. Muhammad Hassan Al-Malack (KFUPM/Saudi Arabia)
Session Co-chair: Dr. Ali H. Al-Marzouqi (UAEU/UAE)		
Mr. Sadao Wada (JCCP/Japan)

61

Saudi Arabia CO2 Capture and Sequestration: Overview
of Research Efforts Supporting Sustainable
Environment in Saudi Arabia

Mr. Abdulwahab Zaki Ali M. Abdullah
King Fahd University of Petroleum &Minerals

2

Japan

Potential Contribution of Solar Frontier’s CIS
Technology to the Middle East Energy Business

Mr. Soichi Ogawa
Solar Frontier K.K.

3

Oman

Renewable Energy Application in Oil & Gas Industry

Dr. Ali Al-Alawai
Petroleum Development Oman

• Topics •JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

4

Qatar

Assessment of Solar and Wind Energy Potential in
Qatar

Dr. Pitta Govinda Rao
Qatar Petroleum

5

Japan

Development of Large-scale H2 Storage andTransportation Technology with Liquid Organic
Hydrogen Carrier (LOHC)Mr. Mitsunori Shimura
Chiyoda Corporation

6

KuwaitApplication of Renewable Energy in the Petroleum
IndustryDr. Mamun Halabi & Dr. Ayman Al-Qattan
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research

7

Qatar

Qatar Carbonates and Carbon Storage ResearchCentre: Status Update after Three Years ofFundamental Research

Dr. Jurgen Foeken
Qatar Petroleum

Session 2: Oil and Gas Industry Environmental Issues
Session Chair:Dr. Mohammad Albeldawi (QP/Qatar)
Session Co-chair: Dr. Ayman Al-Qattan (KISR/Kuwait)		
Mr. Hiroaki Mimura (Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd./Japan)
1

Qatar

Oryx GTL Experience in Flaring Reduction:
Challenges & Opportunities

Mr. Mansoor Al-Marri
Oryx GTL

2

Japan

Technologies for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Mr. Hidemitsu Saito
Recovery in Petroleum Industry and JX’s Activities in JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation
the Middle East Region

3

Japan

Technical Support for Environmental Improvementof the Refineries in Middle East

4

UAE

Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) — A Measure Dr. Rezaul Kabir Chowdhuryof Climate Change Adaptation
UAE University

5

Saudi Arabia Sustainable Energy and Environment Objectives,
Challenges, the Needs and the Road Map

6

Qatar

Mr. Toshiyasu Morita
Cosmo Engineering Co., Ltd.

Dr. Alaadin A. BukhariKing Fahd University of Petroleum &Minerals

Flare Mitigation Efforts in QP’s NGL Complex and Its Mr. Abdulla Al-Qahtani
Contribution to Qatar’s Sustainable Development
Qatar Petroleum

Session 3: Protection of the Marine Environment, Wastewater Treatment
Session Chair:
Mr. Hamed Al Rumhi (ORPIC/Oman)
Session Co-chair: Mr. Mohamed Al Amei (TAKREER/UAE)		
Mr. Toshiyasu Morita (Cosmo Engineering Co., Ltd./Japan)
1

Japan

Improvement of Industrial Wastewater Treatment
and Enhancement of Water Recycling withZLD Application in the Existing Refinery andPetrochemical Facilities

Mr. Rajeev Supekar
Toyo Engineering Corporation

2

UAE

Modeling Bioremediation of Oil Spills in
Contaminated Groundwater Aquifers Using Slowreleasing Oxygen Sources

Dr. Mohamed Mostafa
UAE University

3

Qatar

Application of Geospatial Analyses in Environmental Mr. Rob Ross
Planning, Sea-level Modeling and Geosciences
Qatar Petroleum
Research

4

Qatar

Evaluation of Environmental Performance andImpact Study on Marine Life around the QP
Offshore Facility­— North Field Alpha

Mr. Sajjan Khan
Qatar Petroleum

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Topics •7

Forum:Best Environmental Practices in Refineries
Session Chair:
Dr. Ali Hamed Al-Mulla (QP/Qatar)
Session Co-chair: Mr. Jun Nishimura (JCCP/Japan)

1

Japan

Importance of Alarm Management for Preventing
Accidents which Lead to Environmental Pollution

Mr. Hiroaki Mimura
Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.

2

KuwaitAir Emission Management—KNPC Experience

Mr. Abhay Kumar Kashyap
Kuwait National Petroleum Co.

3

BahrainManagement of Hazardous Waste—BAPCO
Approach

Mr. Ijaz Ashraf & Mr. Abdulla Al Ansari
The Bahrain Petroleum Co.

4

Qatar

QP Refinery Waste Water Treatment Challenges and Mr. Nadeem Shakir
the Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) Initiative
QP Refinery

5

UAE

BeAAT [Central Environment Protection Facilities] An Mr. Jassim Jawas
Overview of BeAAT Plant
TAKREER

6

Oman

Solutions for the Re-use of Spent Catalyst fromRFCC

Mr. Hamed Al Rumhi
Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum
Industries Co.

TopicsJoint Conference with OAPECJCCP and the Organization of Arab Petroleum
Exporting Countries (OAPEC) co-hosted a conference
themed “Options for Heavy Crude Oil Refining in ArabCountries” from February 12 to 14, 2013, with theattendance of H.E. Eng. Osama Mohamed Kamal Abdel
Hamid, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resourcesof Egypt, and H.E. Mr. Norihiro Okuda, Ambassador ofJapan to Egypt. Approximately 160 people participatedin the conference held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Cairo,
Egypt.
At the opening ceremony, speeches were given by
the two above-mentioned guests of honor, and also by
H.E. Mr. Abbas Al-Naqi, Secretary General of OAPEC,
and Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP.

1. Summary of Opening Speeches
H.E. Eng. Osama Mohamed Kamal Abdel Hamid:
It gives me pleasure to join you in participatingin the opening ceremony of the OAPEC-JCCP joint
conference, and extend my appreciation to all who
have offered their cooperation in preparing for thisevent. The theme of the conference is highly relevantto the oil refining industry, which has large bearing
8• Topics •on the development of each country and its economic
growth. Technical development in the industry plays
a positive role in optimizing the use of resources andin strengthening competitive production in response
to global demand while also giving consideration toenvironmental protection. Therefore, the forthcoming
period requires our utmost concerted efforts in theareas of technology transfer, absorption, adaptationand development of advanced technology. OAPEC
is expected to play a role in stimulating cooperationand development and promoting scientific research in
Arab oil-producing countries. I wish all participants the
success of this conference.
H.E. Mr. Norihiro Okuda:
It is indeed a great honor and privilege to be invited
to deliver a speech today, and wish to thank all parties
concerned for their organization of this conference andfor selecting a highly timely and important theme. The
fact that fossil fuels have been and will remain absolutely
indispensable to human lives is demonstrated by thesteady increase of its demand in recent years, but there
will come a time when production will not be able tokeep up with demand in some countries. This is why

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

(From the left)
H.E. Mr. Abbas Al-Naqi, Secretary General of OAPEC;
H.E. Eng. Osama Mohamed Kamal Abdel Hamid, Minister of Petroleum
and Mineral Resources of Egypt;
H.E. Mr. Norihiro Okuda, Ambassador of Japan to Egypt;
Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP;
Dr. Samir M. Elkareish, Director of the Technology Dept. at OAPEC

heavy crude oil, which had not been effectively utilized
until recently, is now garnering attention. Crude oilwill stabilize the world’s supply-demand balance andgenerate revenue in oil-producing countries, but manytechnical issues related to heavy oil refining need to be
overcome in order for this to happen. Hence, this is whatmakes this conference timely and beneficial. Japan has
outstanding experience and technologies in the field,
and is one of the best partners to oil-producing countries
aspiring to expand the utilization of heavy oil.
H.E. Mr. Abbas Al-Naqi:
I am deeply honored to welcome you all to thisconference co-hosted by JCCP and OAPEC with support
from the Egyptian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral
Resources. Please allow me to express our sincere thanks
and appreciation to H.E. Eng. Osama Mohamed Kamal
Hamid for his support of the conference and for lending
his presence today, and would also like to extend my

Conference in session

gratitude to members of Egyptian General Petroleum
Corporation (EGPC), who provided their efforts toimplementation of the conference, and to H.E. Mr. Amr
Abdul-Halim, representative of Egypt in OAPEC, who
supported the organizing committee.
This conference is being held for the second time incooperation between OAPEC and JCCP, one of the mostimportant technical centers in Japan’s oil downstream
sector, and has become one of OAPEC’s principal annual
events. The oil refining industry is facing an increaseof global demand to pursue high-quality oil products
while satisfying environmental standards, and stands
at the starting line to a global-level challenge. Heavy
crude oil requires special processing technologies to
upgrade, due to its high viscosity and impurity content,
and thus the industry is researching achievable solutions
for overcoming this difficulty. The Arab countries
possess large reserves of medium and heavy oil crudes
containing large percentages of impurities. For thisreason, OAPEC countries are endeavoring to renovate
their existing refineries, launch new projects to transformcheap heavy crude oil into high value light products,
and avoid losses from selling at low prices. I wish thisconference every success.
Mr. Morihiro Yoshida:
It is my great honor to be here in Cairo to attend
this joint conference between OAPEC and JCCP
under the patronage of the Minister of Petroleum andMineral Resources of Egypt. JCCP was founded in 1981

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Topics •9with a mission to promote mutual understanding andrelationships between oil-producing countries and Japanthrough personal exchanges and technical cooperation.
With support from the Japanese government, JCCP has
so far received more than 20,000 participants to training
courses, has sent some 5,000 experts to oil-producing
countries, and has implemented 240 or so technicalcooperation projects mainly in this Arab region.
OAPEC and JCCP have engaged in a cooperative
relationship since 2010, when a Letter of Intent (LOI)
to establish the relationship was exchanged in Tunis
between H.E. Mr. Amr Mohammed Moussa, Secretary
General of the Arab League, and H.E. Mr. Akihiro Ohata,
Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry. Thissecond joint conference is being held in line with the
LOI, with the participation of five Japanese presenters.
We hope to somehow contribute to the OAPEC member
countries the broad range of expertise and advanced
technologies Japan has developed in diverse fields
including the oil downstream sector. Lastly, I wish to
thank the secretariat of OAPEC, the Egyptian Ministryof Petroleum and Mineral Resources, EGPC and Middle
East Oil Refinery (MIDOR) for their effort in thissuccessful joint conference.

3. Technical Sessions
The technical sessions that took place on the
12th and 13th featured 17 speakers, including five
Japanese speakers, divided into four tracks. After eachpresentation, an active Q&A ensued, indicating theaudience’s strong interest in the topics presented.
The names and titles of presentations by the Japanese
speakers (commissioned speakers) are as follows(random order).
(1)

Mr. Isao Mochida (Professor, Kyushu
University)“Characterization and reactivity of atmosphericresidue in HDM and HDS”

(2)

Mr. Toshimasa Takanohashi (Leader, Advanced
Fuels Group, Energy Technology ResearchInstitute, National Institute of Advanced
Industrial Science and Technology)“Upgrading of Heavy Oil by Solvent-induced
Relaxation of Asphaltene Aggregates”(3)

Mr. Hidenori Oe (General Manager of Facilities
Engineering Dept., Arabian Oil Company)“Application of EUREKA Thermal Cracking
Process for Heavy Crude Oil Upgrader”(4)

Mr. Hirobumi Wada (Principal Process
Engineer, JGC Corporation)“Selection of Bottom Upgrading Process”(5)

Mr. Shigetaka Fujii (Engineering Consultant,Refinery, Petrochemical & New Energy Process
Engineering Unit, Chiyoda Corporation)“Introduction of Slurry Phase Hydrocracking(SPH) Process”

2. Background and Objectives of
Cooperative Projects with OAPEC
JCCP’s relationship with OAPEC had its beginnings
in May 2009, when the OAPEC Secretariat approached
JCCP with an enquiry about a possible scheme of mutual
cooperation. After a series of discussions, the two sides
signed an LOI in 2010 as verification of their intent toestablish a cooperative relationship. Since then, JCCP
has been actively strengthening its cooperative ties withthe multinational institution while also establishingfriendly relationships with its member countries throughtechnical exchanges and exchanges of experts based onJapan’s knowledge and experience in the oil downstream
sector.
(OAPEC member countries (10): Kuwait, Saudi Arabia,
Libya, UAE, Bahrain, Qatar, Algeria, Iraq, Syria, Egypt)

10 • Topics •On the 14th, the conference members completed
their agenda with a visit to MIDOR’s refinery facilities
in Alexandria.
<by Hironao Naganuma, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Topics

Executive Meetings
in Saudi Arabia and Oman
Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP,
visited JCCP counterpart organizations in Saudi Arabia
and Oman from May 17 to 23, 2013 to propose requests
for presentations at the 32nd JCCP International
Symposium and to hold policy dialogues regarding JCCP
activities. He was accompanied by Akio Yamanaka,
Executive Councilor at JCCP; Junichi Kasuya, General
Manager of the JCCP Riyadh Office; and Jun Nishimura,
General Manager of the JCCP Middle East Office.

1. Saudi Arabia(1) International Energy Forum (IEF)
Headquarters (May 18)
The JCCP delegation visited IEF Headquarters in
Riyadh and met with Dr. Aldo Flores-Quiroga, Secretary
General, to give a broad outline of next year’s JCCP
International Symposium and to request a keynote
speech from him at the symposium. Dr. Flores-Quiroga
said he takes keen interest in Japan, and wishes to accept
the offer if his schedule could be accordingly arranged. Inturn, he requested JCCP’s participation in IEF activities,
such as by implementing workshops and training
programs at IEF Headquarters based on JCCP’s vast
experience in providing training. The delegation thus
agreed to examine potential schemes for cooperation
with IEF in the future.

At IEF: Dr. Aldo Flores-Quiroga, Secretary General(second from right)(2) Petro Rabigh (May 19)
JCCP receives Saudi Arabian participants to its
training courses not only from Saudi Aramco, but also
from Petro Rabigh, albeit in small numbers, but thiswas JCCP’s first visit to the company. The delegation
met with Mr. Salem A. Al Baddad, Assistant Supervisor
and received requests for the acceptance of larger
numbers of participants from Petro Rabigh and for the
implementation of an expert dispatch program or special
course on corrosion and corrosion prevention. The
delegation gave word that they will take these requests
back to JCCP for consideration.

At Petro Rabigh(3) King Abdulla University of Science andTechnology (KAUST) (May 19)
The JCCP delegation next visited KAUST as apotential counterpart for technical cooperation projects.
Dr. Kazuhiro Takanabe, Associate Professor at theuniversity, provided a general overview of the present
state of the university and took the delegation on a tourof the campus. KAUST is a graduate university that
opened in 2009. It is the first co-ed university in Saudi
Arabia, and currently has approximately 700 students.
Tuition is free. With plans to increase enrolment to the
2,000 level in the future, the university is outfitted with acore laboratory and the world’s leading-edge laboratory
equipment for use by all departments. The faculty ispresently composed of around 100 members, but is

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Topics • 11

planned to be augmented in the future to 200. Students
come from around the world, with Asian students
comprising the largest majority of 33%. Most are from
China and India, with none from Japan (one student
is scheduled to enroll in September). Saudi Arabian
students make up 20% of the total student population,
but measures are being taken to increase that percentage
to around 50% in the future. The campus and residential
community face the Red Sea, and boast an impressive
environment complete with welfare and recreation
facilities (medical fees are free).
Saudi Aramco contributed funding for establishmentof the university, and is strengthening its relationshipwith the university as one of its largest sponsors.
JCCP should perhaps also explore specific means forcooperation with the university.
(4) Jeddah Refinery, Saudi Aramco (May 20)
At the Jeddah Refinery, the JCCP delegation met with
Mr. Abdullah A. Al-Deraibi, Manager, and Mr. Ahmed
A. Rajab, Superintendent, and exchanged views on
training needs and other issues regarding training. Mr.
Al-Deraibi participated in a JCCP course in 1989, andgives high marks to JCCP’s training program, comparedto Western training programs. He noted that his strongest
concern is to address the urgent issue of preventing andminimizing human error in the operation departments,
so the delegation offered to consider a special courseon the issue.
During the delegation’s meeting with Mr. Al-Deraibi,
Mr. Omar S. Bazuhair, Executive Director, Refining& NGL Fractionation, who happened to be visiting
the refinery from the head office of Saudi Aramco,
dropped by. He thanked JCCP for its assistance in thearea of human resource development, and asked for its
continued support.

(5) Japanese Embassy in Saudi Arabia (May 18)
The JCCP delegation paid a call on H.E. Mr. Jiro
Kodera, Ambassador, to explain JCCP’s plan to hold a
JCCP alumni meeting in Saudi Arabia as an overseas
network project for this fiscal year, and to request
the Ambassador’s attendance if the plan is realized.
Ambassador Kodera, in turn, provided suggestions andinvaluable advice for holding such a meeting in Saudi
Arabia.

2. Oman(1) Omani Ministry of Oil and Gas (May 21)
The JCCP delegation paid a courtesy call on Dr.
Mohammed Hamed Saif Al Rumhy, Minister of Oil andGas. It was the first time in five years for the minister
and Mr. Sase to meet with each other. Dr. Al Rumhy
expressed strong interest in recent affairs in Japan,
and asked about the political and economic situationsin Japan under the Abe administration. He also talked
about his life at Waseda University back when he studiedin Japan and contributed to the friendly atmosphere of
the meeting, but had firm policies in regard to student
exchange programs.

At the Omani Ministry of Oil and Gas:
Dr. Mohammed Hamed Saif Al Rumhy, Minister (center)

At Jeddah Refinery:
Mr. Ahmed A. Rajab, Superintendent (center)12 • Topics •(2) Oman Refineries and Petroleum Industries
Company (ORPIC) (May 21)
The JCCP delegation next visited ORPIC’s Mina
Al Fahal Refinery and met with Mr. Musab Al Muhrqi,
CEO. Mr. Al Muhrqi demonstrated good knowledge
about JCCP, and expressed his appreciation of JCCP
training programs and technical cooperation projects. He
also discussed training needs in the petrochemical sector.
The delegation requested Mr. Al Muhrqi’s participation

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

met with H.E. Mr. George Hisaeda, Ambassador, andreported on the status of JCCP activities in Oman, as
well as on Minister Al Rumhy’s request for an exchange
study program, among other matters. The Ambassador,
for his part, provided enlightening information about
Oman, such as the status of education and training thatis sought in Oman to help the younger generation findemployment.

3. Summary

At ORPIC: Mr. Musab Al Muhrqi, CEO (center)in next year’s JCCP International Symposium as apanelist, and Mr. Al Muhrqi said he would like to accept
the offer if his schedule permits, as it would be his first
visit to Japan.
(3) Japanese Embassy in Oman (May 21)
At the Japanese Embassy in Oman, the delegation

The visits to the two countries yielded positive results
concerning the participation of key figures in next year’s
JCCP International Symposium. Moreover, throughpolicy dialogues, JCCP received a strong request foruniquely Japanese training from the manager of Jeddah
Refinery himself, and a request for training on new
subjects from the CEO of ORPIC. Given the dynamicchanges taking place throughout the oil industry,
the delegation keenly felt the need to hold executive
meetings on a regular basis, and to reflect the invaluable
opinions obtained through such meetings to actual
operations and activities.
<by Akio Yamanaka, Councilor, Administration Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Topics • 13

Topics

VIP Invitation Program
Mr. Abdulla Al-Abdulmalek,
Executive Director-Administration of
Tasweeq, Visits Japan
Mr. Abdulla Al-Abdulmalek, Executive DirectorAdministration, and Dr. Majid Ibrahim, Head of Learning& Development, from Qatar International Petroleum
Marketing Company Ltd. (Tasweeq) visited Japan
from May 16 to 22, 2013 in response to an invitation
extended to them by JCCP under the VIP Invitation
Program, which is implemented with the objective ofstrengthening relationships with oil-producing countries.

1. Overview of Tasweeq and Backgroundto the Invitation
Tasweeq was incorporated in 2007 as a wholly-owned
company of the Government of Qatar. In addition to
being responsible for the export marketing of regulated
products, including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG),
refined products, condensates and sulfur, it also markets
non-regulated products such as crude oil and GTL
entitlements on behalf of Qatar Petroleum (QP) underan agency agreement. As a major sales contact in Qatar,
Tasweeq is an important business partner to Japan’s oil
industry. JCCP has thus established close ties with thecompany to date, through training programs held at theinitiative of both JCCP and member companies.
To further strengthen Japan’s ties with the crude oil andoil marketing company in one of the most important oilproducing countries, JCCP invited Mr. Al-Abdulmalek,
the overall person in charge of training matters at
Tasweeq, to visit Japan and deepen his understanding of
the oil situation in an oil-consuming country.

2. Visits to METI and Japanese Companies
During their stay in Japan, the two executives
from Tasweeq made visits to the Agency for Natural
Resources and Energy in the Ministry of Economy, Tradeand Industry; JX Nippon Oil & Energy Staging Terminal
Corporation; Central Japan International Airport Co.,
Ltd.; Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.; Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd.;and Astomos Energy Corporation.
14 • Topics •Mr. Abdulla Al-Abdulmalek, Executive Director-Administration(center); H.E. Mr. Yousef Mohamed Bilal, Ambassador (second
from right); and Dr. Majid Ibrahim, Head of Learning &Development (left)

At the Petroleum Refining and Reserve Division at
the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, METI,
they met with Mr. Ken Watanabe, Manager, and received
a brief overview of the oil refining industry in Japanand its oil stockpiling policy. At the Kiire Terminal of
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Staging Terminal Corporation
and Central Japan International Airport, they received
a tour of the facilities. At Idemitsu Kosan, they gained
an understanding of the company’s overseas businessexpansion strategy, and at Cosmo Oil, they received
a brief lecture on crude oil procurement. They also
exchanged views on the training program that is being
planned between these two companies and Tasweeq.
Lastly, at Astomos Energy, they learned about the LPG
situation in Japan and the company’s LPG marketing
activities in and outside of Japan.
In addition to the above-mentioned visits, JCCP
arranged to have Mr. Al-Abdulmalek give a presentation
on his last day in Japan, to give a corporate outline
of Tasweeq, including an introduction of its in-housepersonnel development program, and provide a forum forexchange with JCCP member companies. The presentation
was held at JCCP Headquarters, and was attended by alarge number of guests that included members from the

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Agency for Natural Resources and Energy and JCCP
member companies, and JCCP staff members.
Mr. Al-Abdulmalek also took the occasion of his visit
to Japan to meet with H.E. Mr. Yousef Mohamed Bilal,
Ambassador of Qatar to Japan.

This VIP invitation program provided an ideal
opportunity to deepen mutual understanding among
relevant parties in Japan’s energy sector, JCCP and
Tasweeq.
<by Koichi Io, Operations Dept.>

TopicsVIP Invitation Program
H.E. Mr. Abbas Al-Naqi,
Secretary General of OAPEC, Visits Japan
JCCP invited H.E. Mr. Abbas Al-Naqi, Secretary
General, OAPEC, to Japan, from June 1 to 8, 2013 under
the VIP Invitation Program.
During his stay in Japan, Mr. Al-Naqi actively
visited and gave presentations at various oil-related
institutions and companies in Japan, and also enjoyed theopportunity to exchange views with Mr. Ichiro Takahara,
Director-General, Agency for Natural Resources andEnergy, METI.

1. Background and Significance of the Visit
JCCP’s relationship with OAPEC had its beginnings
in May 2009, when the OAPEC Secretariat approached
JCCP about a possible scheme of mutual cooperation.
After a series of working-level discussions, Mr. AlNaqi and Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Directorof JCCP, in the presence of H.E. Mr. Akihiro Ohata,
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, and H.E.
Mr. Amr Mohammed Moussa, Secretary General, theLeague of Arab States, signed a Letter of Intent (LOI)on December 10, 2010 in Tunis, verifying their intent toestablish a cooperative relationship between OAPEC and
JCCP. Thereafter in March 2011, the two parties signed
a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to formalize
their agreement to enter into a cooperative relationship.
Based on the MOU, OAPEC and JCCP hosted a joint
technical seminar in Cairo, Egypt in 2011 and 2012 as aforum for discussion among OAPEC member countries
and Japanese experts, and also helped translate Japanesestandards for oil refining and stockpiling into Arabic.
The OAPEC Secretariat has direct ties to the cabinet
officials (oil ministers) of member countries. Thus, by
establishing a close, cooperative relationship with the(From the left) Mr. Ichiro Takahara, Director-General,
Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, METI;
H.E. Mr. Abbas Al-Naqi, Secretary General, OAPEC;
Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP;
Mr. Morihiro Yoshida, Managing Director of JCCP

Secretariat, JCCP hopes to also build new connections
with oil-related organizations in OAPEC member
countries.
From the above perspective, inviting the leader of
the OAPEC, that is an international organization of
oil-producing countries and providing deep knowledgeof Japan and Japan’s oil industry accords with JCCP’s
mission to strengthen friendly relationships withgovernment institutions in oil-producing countries
and contribute to securing stable oil supply to Japan.
From the standpoint of OAPEC as well, deepening its
relationship with a major oil consumer that can offer
excellent oil downstream technologies can contribute to
the technological advancement of its member countries.

2. Schedule
Mr. Al-Naqi arrived at JCCP on June 3, and met with
Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director, and Mr. Morihiro

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Topics • 15

Yoshida, Managing Director, to exchange information on
recent oil situations and the circumstances surrounding
the oil industry. He then toured JCCP’s training facilities
after receiving a brief overview of JCCP’s activities andtraining program.
On June 4, Mr. Al-Naqi visited JX Nippon Oil and
Gas Exploration Corporation and JX Nippon Oil &Gas Exploration Technical Services Corporation, anddeepened his understanding of the JX Group’s crude oil
development strategies in a meeting with board members
from the head office.
On the same day, Mr. Al-Naqi gave a presentation
at JCCP Headquarters on “The role of OAPEC member
countries in the global oil and gas market and theirrelationship with Japan in the energy sector” to an
audience of roughly 60 people from the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry, JCCP member companies,
JETRO, Japan Petroleum Institute (JPI), and otherrelevant organizations. An active Q&A session followed
the presentation, which helped to further deepen
understanding and exchanges among the audience.
In his presentation, Mr. Al-Naqi stated that OAPEC’s
role is to promote cooperation among member countries,
and particularly to promote efficient utilization of energy
and joint ventures among the countries. At present,
OAPEC has 10 active members. Together, they accountfor 30% of the world’s crude oil production, 55% of
its reserves, 16% of the world’s production of naturalgas, and 40% of global crude oil exports (all figures asof 2011). Meanwhile, Japan’s dependency on oil forenergy has dropped from 80% in the 1970s to 42%, andinstead, its consumption of natural gas is increasing.
Recognizing this trend, OAPEC wishes to continue its
cooperative relationship with Japan and JCCP based on

oil and natural gas. As large investments are needed toincrease production capacity, there are strong hopes forJapan’s cooperation.
On the last day of his visit, Mr. Al-Naqi visited
the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy, METI
and met with Mr. Ichiro Takahara, Director-General.
As Mr. Al-Naqi previously held an important post in
the Kuwaiti Ministry of Oil, Mr. Takahara thanked
him for Kuwait’s assistance (donation of crude oil) in
the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake. He also
said Japan has increasing expectations of maintaining
and strengthening ties with the OAPEC countries, as
energy security is a priority issue to Japan. In response,
Mr. Al-Naqi described OAPEC’s friendly relationshipwith JCCP, and expressed his wish to also maintain andstrengthen this relationship in the future.
On the same day, Mr. Al-Naqi paid a call on H.E.
Mr. Abdul-Rahman Al-Otaibi, Ambassador of Kuwait toJapan, and debriefed the Ambassador about his visit toJapan and the discussions that took place at the various
institutions and companies he visited.

Mr. Al-Naqi giving a presentation

Mr. Al-Naqi (center)16 • Topics •3. Observations
Mr. Al-Naqi’s visit to Japan and exchanges withvarious Japanese institutions and companies in the oil
industry, including JCCP, provided a highly important
step in deepening mutual understanding between OAPEC
and Japan and building an even closer relationship basedon cooperation. JCCP is pleased that he left Japan witha smile.
<by Hironao Naganuma, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

FY2012 JCCP Program Seminar
The JCCP Program Seminar was held for the second
time this year, over an eight-day period from February
27 to March 6. The seminar invites to Japan managersof human resource departments from oil companies in
oil-producing countries who act as JCCP counterparts,
to personally experience the training program that JCCP
regular course participants attend, and to individually
discuss and exchange views about JCCP activities with
JCCP staff for improvement of future training programs.
The seminar was held twice this fiscal year, inconsideration of the fact that expectations and requestsof JCCP differ among regions and countries. This time,
the seminar was offered to the Middle East and GCC
countries, while the previous seminar held last July wasoffered to other oil-producing countries.

1. Participants
A total of six participants from four Middle East/GCC
oil-producing countries, namely Iraq, Oman, UAE andSaudi Arabia, attended the seminar.

2. Seminar Content(1) Regular course experience
The seminar provided an opportunity for theparticipants to experience the main activities of aregular course (preliminary orientation session, opening
ceremony, administrative guidance, lectures at JCCP,
offsite training, exposure to Japanese culture and history,closing ceremony, etc.) and deepen their understandingof JCCP regular courses.
(2) Lecture on Japanese-style management
methods (Kaizen, Total Productive Management(TPM), etc.)
A lecture was given on Kaizen, TPM, small-group
activities, and other such management practices toprovide deeper understanding of these subjects and elicit
training requests from the participants. Part of an actual
program was also implemented for the experience.
The participants also experienced offsite training byvisiting Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.’s Tokuyama Refineryand observing small-group activities implemented at
the refinery.

Personnel
Exchange

Seminar participants and JCCP staff(3) Presentations by the participants and hearingof requests
The participants each gave a presentation on
the status of human resource development in theirrespective countries and what they expect of JCCP, andmutually exchanged views on the presented topics. Thissession provided an understanding of human resource
development in each country, as well as eliciting generalrequests for future JCCP courses.

3. Summary
As mentioned above, this Program Seminar was held
for JCCP counterparts from Middle East oil-producing
countries, which together account for 90% of Japan’s
crude oil imports. As a result, it not only benefited theparticipants, but also shed light on issues common tocountries in the region.

At Idemitsu Kosan’s Tokuyama Refinery

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 17

JCCP hopes the participants will widely share theirknowledge of JCCP upon returning to their countries

and thereby contribute to increasing the number ofparticipants to JCCP regular courses.
<by Koichi Io, Operations Dept.>

Organization & Country

Name

Position1

Iraq Ministry of Oil / Iraq Mr. Jasim Mohammed Hameed

Expert, Manager of Technical Division, Deputy of
D.G., Technical Division2

Iraq Ministry of Oil / Iraq Mr. Saad Ahmed Abdulkhaleq

Chief of Senior Physicist, Training & Human
Resources Development Dept., Daura Refinery3

Orpic / Oman

Mr. Ali Said Al Mahrouqi

Team Leader, Training Logistics Services, HR
Services Div.

4

Orpic / Oman

Mr. Sultan Mohammed Sulaiman Sr. HR Performance & Development, HR SupportAl-Alawi
Performance & Development Dept.

5

ADNOC / UAE

Mr. Zayed Mohamed Taher
Lahdan Al ShuaibiHead, Reception & Travel Department, Public
Relations-Human Resources

6

Saudi Aramco /Saudi Arabia

Mr. Abdullah A. Al-Mustaneer

Career Counselor, Career Planning & Consultation
Division, Professional Development Department

Regular Course
on Future Advanced Technology
for Petroleum Industry
1. Background and Aim
This course gives priority to the new technologies
those should be applied to the oil industry in the future,and thus differs from other ordinary regular courses.
According to this objective, its main themes wereselected from among future energy technologies, suchas biomass fuel technologies, photovoltaic generation,
carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS), undergroundmethane production, fuel cell vehicles and hydrogenstations. The course was implemented over a period of
18 days, from April 8 to 25, 2013.

2. Course Content
2.1 Training at JCCP
(1) Future Strategies of Japanese Oil Companies
This lecture introduced the characteristics of Japan’s
18 • Personnel Exchange Programs •Personnel
Exchange

oil industry and discussed the various problems facing
Japan today and their impact on the industry. It focusedparticularly on the shrinking oil market, which is due
to such factors as the declining birth rate, the increasing
numbers of fuel-efficient cars, and the transition fromoil-fired to LNG-fired power plants. It also introduced
new business activities initiated by Japan’s major oilcompanies based on information collected from eachcompany’s public website. Their challenges to develop
new technology not only in their core business but also
other business fields have produced various seeds offuture business. Hopefully this session has provided auseful vision of reference to the participants.
(2) Simulation for Optimization of Refinery Unit
Configurations Using a Virtual Refinery
In this lecture, a simulator practice demonstrated
how profit could be changed by refinery configuration.
The participants were asked to examine more profitable

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

operational methods on their own after completion of
the planned simulation, and the top three participants
with the highest scores were awarded. This simulation
workshop was a new approach taken this fiscal year.
(3) Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS)
Technology(Lecturer: Mr. Masaki Iijima, Mitsubishi Heavy
Industries, Ltd.
The topic of this lecture was the development of
improved amine solutions as a means for a more efficient
removal of carbon dioxide, the main substance of global
warming. It focused particularly on providing a goodunderstanding of the characteristics of amine solutions,such as their corrosion resistance and low consumptionof heat energy for regeneration. The carbon dioxide thatis captured could also be used for enhanced oil recovery(EOR) in oil fields.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries has conducted CCS
demonstration tests in 10 locations to date, and has plans
to begin a 500 t/day operation in Qatar in 2014.
(4) Development Status of Fuel Cell Vehicles andHydrogen Infrastructure(Lecturer: Mr. Kazuhiro Kikuchi, JPEC)JPEC provided a lecture that widely covered
the development trend of fuel cell vehicles, related
technologies (pressure vessels, regulations), and theconstruction of hydrogen infrastructures.
The lecture also introduced Toyota Motors’ plan tolaunch fuel cell vehicles in 2015 and a project that isbeing planned for the construction of infrastructure toconnect the Kanto, Chukyo, Osaka and Kitakyushu areas.
(5) Photovoltaic Generation(Lecturers: Mr. Masahiro Kakuwa, Showa Shell
Sekiyu K.K.; Mr. Soichi Ogawa, Toa Oil Co., Ltd.)A lecture was given on photovoltaic generation as animportant fundamental technology to cope with global
warming, centered on Solar Frontier’s system, whichboasts an outstanding track record in and outside ofJapan. Showa Shell Sekiyu began R&D activities in thisfield from an early stage.
The lecture also introduced the installation of aphotovoltaic generation system in a waste treatment
facility (BeAAT) operated by TAKREER in UAE(including ceremony photos) and a 10MW project being
implemented in Saudi Aramco.

(6) World’s Energy Situation(Lecturer: Mr. Mitsuyuki Maeda, Energy &Innovation Institute)
As a comprehensive wrap-up of the course, the lastlecture at JCCP discussed the world’s energy situationand trends in alternative energies. The lecture triggered
many questions from the participants, stemming fromtheir serious concern about the impacts of shale gas
and shale oil, which are recently being produced in the
United States and Canada, on crude oil producers.
2.2 Offsite Training(1) Chugai Technos Corporation, Biofrontier Center
Chugai Technos’ Biofrontier Center provided training
in the following three areas.
1) Methane production in depleted oil fields
An overview was given of the technology for
producing methane by injecting carbon dioxide
in depleted oil fields in the presence of hydrogenproducing bacteria and nutrient salts.
2) Carbon dioxide leakage monitoring at carbon dioxide
capture and storage (CCS) sites
CCS technology is believed to be able to capture
and retain carbon dioxide deep beneath the groundfor long periods of time, but changes in bedrock
conditions could cause the carbon dioxide to leak out
to the ground surface. Thus, a systematic technology
is needed that would allow monitoring of a wide area
at reasonable cost.
3) Treatment of oil-contaminated soil
A technology for treating oil-contaminated soil using
bacteria that live in the root of plants was introduced.
The hands-on experience in the dyeing andmicroscopic observation of aerobic and anaerobic
bacteria was highly evaluated by the participants.
(2) Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd., Research & Development
Center
Cosmo Oil, the only oil company that was visitedin this course, provided training in (1) bioethanol, (2)biomass to liquid (BTL), and (3) catalyst development(diesel fuel deep desulfurization, FCC) in relation to its
research activities as an oil company.
Comments from the participants indicated a strong
interest in bioethanol in Southeast Asia, but also gave theimpression that fermentation of cassava as the primary
raw material is the basic method of production. Second
generation technologies using raw materials that do not

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 19

conflict with food have not attracted Southeast Asia’sinterest.
(3) Toyota Motors Corporation, Commemorative
Museum of Industry and Technology & Toyota HallAt Toyota Motors, where preparations to launchfuel cell vehicles in 2015 to the market are in fullprogress, the participants studied not only the latest
technologies, but also the history of improvements thathave been made in automotive exhaust gas cleanup andfuel efficiency improvement. Since the fact that Toyota
began operations as a manufacturing company of textile
machines is not well known abroad, the participants
seemed surprised and impressed that the company
diversified into a manufacturer of automobiles, which
was a new business area at the time.
(4) Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc., Nanko Power
StationKansai Electric’s Nanko Power Station operates
three 600MW LNG-fired thermal power plants (started
in 1990). Here, the participants received an overview ofthe operations of a facility that was developed and tested
jointly with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. for theremoval of carbon dioxide from exhaust gas.
(5) Osaka Gas Co., Ltd., Energy Technology Center
Today, Osaka Gas uses LNG for city gas, although inthe past town gas had been produced by coal gasification.
The transition from coal gas to LNG took place between
1975 and 1990, and applied research for the effective
utilization of by-product coal as carbon fiber beganaround 1980. This technology reduces nitrogen oxideby activating carbon fiber and creating a hydrophobic
function on its surface. The removal of nitrogen oxide
is energy-free, as it requires only a natural draft, and no
motors are necessary. The Energy Technology Center
was selected as a training site for new business models,as these technologies could also be applied to petroleum
pitch.
(6) Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Kobe Plant
The main theme of training at Kawasaki Heavy
Industries was on combined power generation systems
that use solar power, wind power and an electricity
storage system using batteries, but the lecture also
covered gas turbines, which have energy-efficient andenergy-saving features, and high-efficiency power
generation system, in addition to small hydroelectric
20 • Personnel Exchange Programs •Launching ceremony at Kawasaki Heavy Industries

generation and the eco-town concept (power generationfrom urban waste).
Kawasaki Heavy Industries has adopted a vertical
type of wind vane instead of the more commonly seen
windmill type, and rated output (5kW) is achieved at
wind speeds of 12m and more. The participants went
up to the rooftop of the actual demonstration site to feelthe strength of the wind (there was a northwest wind of
7m/s on this day), and gained straightforward knowledgeof the difficulty of finding areas suitable for wind
power generation close to consuming areas. To mitigate
fluctuations in the output of electricity from photovoltaic
and wind power generation, the demonstration site isalso equipped with a 50kWh storage battery systemcalled Gigacell.
The participants had the good fortune to visit the
Kobe Plant on the day of a ship launching ceremonyand share an inspiring event.
(7) Electric Power Development Co., Ltd.
(J-POWER), Wakamatsu Research Center
At J-POWER’s Wakamatsu Research Center, theparticipants received lectures on the EAGLE Project,which aims to separate carbon dioxide from the coalgasification process, as well as on the use of the biofuel
technology to produce hydrocarbon that corresponds to

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

gas oil from algae, and on the company’s 1MW megasolar power plant (located in Hibikinada).
The lecture on biofuel production explained that thekey to efficient biofuel production lies in reducing energy
input as much as possible. Since light can penetrate up
to depths of roughly 20cm, there is a limit to the depth(thickness) of the fermenter. Regarding photovoltaic
generation, a demonstration showed how power
generation falls sharply when the panels are covered bya cloud. In regard to the removal of carbon dioxide, therelevant facility was introduced as being able to test two
methods: the chemical adsorption method and physicaladsorption method.

be a core technology of a new industry in the future, andengages in demonstration testing of a hydrogen town in
Yahatahigashi Ward in cooperation with the Research
Association of Hydrogen Supply/Utilization Technology(HySUT). At the hydrogen town, the participants learned
about hydrogen stations for fuel cell vehicles that utilizehydrogen generated as a by-product from steel plants,
1kW solid polymer fuel cells for detached houses, andthe operational conditions of 100kW phosphate fuelcells for a museum, and took a demonstration ride toexperience the practical utility of fuel cell vehicles. The
smooth and powerful acceleration and quietness inside
the car attracted all participants.

(8) Kitakyushu Water Plaza
The desalination of seawater by reverse osmosis isa method that is widely used in the Middle East andelsewhere. Especially in the Middle East, however,seawater salinity is high, desalination treatment requiresa large amount of power, and the highly saline seawaterthat is discharged ends up further increasing the seawatersalinity. As a result, there is a real possibility that thesea will become salty like as the Dead Sea and will haveadverse impacts on the eco-system and fishery industry
in the future.
By mixing an equal amount of treated sewage water to
raw water, the necessary power for reverse osmosis could
be reduced (the reverse osmosis system can be operated
at lower pressures), and an energy-saving operation canbe realized. At the same time, wastewater salinity could
also be reduced, so environmental conservation could
be achieved.

3. Summary(9) Kitakyushu Hydrogen Town
Fukuoka Prefecture believes hydrogen energy wouldThis course covered contents not conventionallycovered by regular courses, such as photovoltaic
generation, fuel cells and biofuels, and was widely
appreciated by the participants.
<by Bunsuke Kariya, Training Dept.>

At a hydrogen station in Kitakyushu

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 21

CPJ Seminaron General Process Control
for Uzbekistan
A Customized Program-Japan (CPJ) was implemented
for the first time for a group of engineers fromUzbekistan. The seminar focused on providing generalknowledge of process control, and was held over a periodof 12 days, from March 4 to 15, 2013. Uzbekistan isblessed with mineral resources, including an abundant
production of natural gas (14th largest producer in theworld) and a significant amount of crude oil reserves.
It also enjoys a friendly relationship with Japan. In July
2011, JCCP’s Training Department visited Uzbekistan
and provided a basic outline of JCCP activities. Owing
to this approach, JCCP began to receive increasing
numbers of regular course applications from Uzbekistan,in addition to requests for customized programs in Japan
from Uzbekneftegaz, and thus came to implement this
CPJ seminar.

1. Overview
The seminar was designed to provide overall
knowledge of process control in Japanese oil companies,
and to strengthen the cooperative relationship between
Uzbekneftegaz and JCCP. It also aimed to foster mutual
understanding between engineers from Uzbekistan andthose in Japan’s oil industry by providing a forum forinternational exchange.
The participants were a group of 12 engineers withan average age of 35, from Uzbekneftegaz and its six
affiliates (including the Bukhara, Fergana and Jarkurgan
Refineries).
The course content centered on process control
technologies, but it also widely covered the latest topics
in DCS (distributed control system), modernization ofsystems, information systems and field instrumentation
devices, with hands-on training in part. At the request of
Uzbekneftegaz, all lectures and explanations were given
in Russian, with Japanese-Russian translation.

Personnel
Exchange

Participants and JCCP staff

range of fields, from their basics to practical application.
It also covered process control technologies in refineries,
broadly ranging from field instrumentation devices tocontrol systems and higher information systems.
The program at JCCP Headquarters included not only
lectures, but also demonstrations and practical training
in process responses and control (tuning, etc.) using CAI
and simulators. Hands-on training was also included insome of the programs at offsite training destinations.
Offsite training placed weight on providing knowledgeof quality control and other technologies related to
manufacturing processes in Japan.
(1) Offsite Training (3 companies, 4 locations)
Offsite training was provided at two instrumentationand control instrument manufacturers and a refinery.

2. Course Content
Intended for process control engineers, the course
introduced Japan’s advanced technologies in a wide
22 • Personnel Exchange Programs •Hands-on training in the overhaul of flow instruments

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Hands-on training in DCS

Process control demonstration using a simulator

Training at the manufacturing plants drew questions
from the participants not only about instrumentation andcontrol instruments, but also about diverse subjects, suchas quality control, Kaizen activities, safety activities,
environmental issues, and personnel systems. Similarly
at the refinery visited, questions pertaining to production
management, environmental issues, and refinery-related
issues in general prompted active discussions.
• Oval Corporation, Yokahama Office (March 6)
Lectures on flow instruments in general; tour of the
manufacturing site for calibrators; practical training
in the overhaul of flow instruments• Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Tokuyama Refinery(March 8)
Lectures on refinery computer systems, real-time
operation management systems and advanced control
systems; lecture on application software in actual
operation in an instrument room
• Yokogawa Electric Corporation, Mitaka Head Officeand Komine Factory (March 11 & 12)
Lectures on process control in general, fromAt the plant of an instrumentation device manufacturer

field instrumentation devices to DCS (distributed
control system) and SIS (safety instrumented
system); practical training of a control system in ademonstration room; lecture on analysis instruments;
hands-on training at the production site of analyzers(2) Training at JCCP (3 external lecturers, 1 JCCP
lecturer)
At JCCP Headquarters, training covered a wide
range of subjects, and included a demonstration of thebasics of process control, a lecture on the modernizationof instrumentation systems, a lecture on informationand control systems in refineries, and a lecture andpractical training on an operational assistance system.
The participants displayed strong interest in safety
instrumentation and wireless instrumentation, asked
questions about the introduction framework andadvantages of other systems as well, and made for
an interactive training, just like at the offsite training
destinations.
• External lecturer: Mr. Hisashi Murata (ToyoEngineering Corporation)
Lecture on the modernization of instrumentation inreference to field buses, wireless instrumentation andsafety instrumentation• CAI room at JCCP
Lecture on the basics of process control, namely
process responses and controller PID tuning• CAI room/No. 5 Simulator
External lecturers: Mr. Taisuke Ishida & Ms. Junko
Makise (Yokogawa Electric Corporation)
Practical training in the construction of an operational
assistance system through a demonstration and

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 23

Practical training on process control at a refinery

Process control demonstration using computers

hands-on training using a PC and simulator• External lecturer: Mr. Hiroshi Osaka (Osaka Systems
Planning, Inc.)
General lecture on information and control systems
used in refineries

objective of providing a general understanding ofprocess control was practically achieved. This was madepossible by the participants’ sense of responsibility
that stemmed from their conscious awareness of being
representatives of their countries or companies, andby the outstanding qualities and determination of eachindividual. Their excellent teamwork and sincere attitude
to receiving training were also evident in the way theleader of the group smoothly called everyone together
after completion of the closing ceremony and gatheredreports from everyone.
Based on the experience of this CPJ seminar, JCCP
hopes to implement other training programs in the future
in consultation with Uzbekneftegaz and strengthen ties
between Uzbekistan and Japan.

3. Observations
There were initial concerns about whether thecourse could achieve its intended outcome, for several
reasons: there were only three months from its planningto implementation, all explanations had to go through atranslator, and not all participants were instrumentation/
control specialists. However, judging by the participants’evaluation and impressions, it seems the intended<by Shigeru Matsui, Training Dept.>

24 • Personnel Exchange Programs •JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Personnel
Exchange

CPO Seminar on
Environment-friendly Activities for UAE
A Customized Program-Overseas (CPO) seminar on
Environment-friendly Activities was implemented for
TAKREER, over a period of three days, from February
12 to 14, 2013 at the Sofitel Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

1. Overview
In Abu Dhabi, where environmental consideration
and responses constitute an important policy, a CPO
seminar aimed at the development of new environmentfriendly projects was implemented at the request of
TAKREER. In addition to employees from TAKREER,
personnel from other companies affiliated with the
ADNOC Group attended the seminar. They took
part in an exercise in drafting a new environmental
project for each of the ADNOC Group companies, andgained useful knowledge for promoting environmental
initiatives under their respective leadership. Lectures
covered a broad range of topics, with the cooperationand participation of lecturers from Japanese companies
engaging in business in the Middle East, as well as fromUAE University and Abu Dhabi University. The seminar
was featured in TAKREER’s in-house journal, and wasa successful event that shed light on JCCP training
activities in UAE.

2. Background
The CPO came to be implemented in response to a

Lecturers from Abu Dhabi University

request from TAKREER’s personnel department for aseminar on the environment. Based on the company’s
annual training program, it requested the seminar to focus
on environment-friendly activities. Upon confirming
specific needs of the Environment Department at
TAKREER, JCCP thus designed a program that would
prepare participants for the development of new
projects. The seminar also included an introduction of
JCCP technical cooperation projects, an overview ofenvironmental technologies and projects of Japanesecompanies, and R&D activities at UAE University.
Furthermore, with additional support offered by the
recently established Abu Dhabi University, the seminar
was able to acquire the cooperation of the university’s
professors as lecturers and thereby offer a content-richprogram.

Some of the participants and lecturers

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 25

Group discussion on the development of environment
projects

3. Seminar Content
To respond to the expectations of diverse participants
with different backgrounds and business duties, thefocus of the seminar was placed on hands-on training
in formulating a new, environment-friendly project, asa program that would respond to a wide range of needs.
Before participants with various backgrounds could
each engage in hands-on training in the developmentof a new project, however, lectures needed to covera wide range of technologies and commercial aspects
as a prerequisite. Furthermore, case studies for project
development needed to be prepared, and facilitation
capacities were required to oversee everyone’s projects
concurrently. For these reasons, the seminar was
implemented with the cooperation of experts in diverse
fields, including oil companies, engineering companies,
manufacturers and the academic world.
(1) Session 1: Corporate Environmental Activities<Day 1 morning>
A lecture was first given by Mr. Kubota on acomprehensive history of environmental countermeasures
in Japan, ranging from pollution control measures tothe latest clean energy technologies, to explain thehistorical background to current countermeasures being
implemented in Japan. Mr. Iwamatsu from Idemitsu
Kosan Co., Ltd. then introduced examples of voluntary
and advanced environment-friendly activities ofJapanese oil companies. Following Mr. Iwamatsu, Arii
introduced case examples of wastewater treatment andwaste countermeasures in Japan and global warming
countermeasures for a low-carbon society, fromthe standpoints of private business and government
cooperation. Public-private cooperation was discussed
26 • Personnel Exchange Programs •Workshop on the development of new environment projects

by combining the perspectives of environmental
economics and business, as waste and global warming
countermeasures require cooperation between thegovernment and business world, as well as cooperation
among industries. Mr. Yamazaki from Kawasaki Heavy
Industries, Ltd. then lectured on the latest energy
conservation technologies and introduced his company’senvironmental initiatives. The participants engagedin active Q&A in this session, and learned about theneed to take a broad viewpoint in regard to corporate
environmental activities.
(2) Session 2: Latest Environmental (Water, Air)
Technologies <Day 1 afternoon>
At the request of TAKREER, four professors fromAbu Dhabi University undertook part of the lectures inthis session.
Prof. Abdel Mohsen Onsy Mohamed and Prof. Fares
Howari lectured on Abu Dhabi University’s education
and research activities. They both expressed their wish
to actively cooperate with JCCP’s training program,and agreed to promote information exchanges hereafter.
Dr. Naser Tibi introduced an air-quality monitoring
project being implemented with the Abu Dhabi Ministryof Environment and Water, and Dr. Alena Bartonova
introduced the latest environmental monitoring
technologies and case examples of advanced air-quality
measures in Northern Europe. Such examples ofgovernment cooperation in each country supplemented
the lectures given by Japanese lecturers and enrichedthe content of the session.
(3) Session 3: New Environmental Initiatives<Day 2 morning>
Dr. Muftah El-Naas, a professor at UAE University

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

project development. On the whole, the session was
well received by the participants, as it allowed them to
examine and prepare to develop projects that ADNOC
and TAKREER would likely need to implement in the
future.

Presentation on a new projectin charge of JCCP technical cooperation projects,
introduced wastewater treatment technologies and an
actual JCCP project being implemented in UAE, andgenerated awareness of JCCP technical cooperation
projects to the large audience from the ADNOC Group.
Additionally, Mr. Ozaki from JGC Corporation lectured
on advanced technologies related to air quality with afocus on combustion technology, and Mr. Yamazaki on
the progress of flue-gas desulfurization technologies.
Furthermore, Mr. Bassam Osman from Hitachi Plant
Technologies, Ltd. gave a lecture on the latest wastewater
treatment technologies, and Mr. Iwamatsu introduced
VOC technologies. As these technologies are alreadybeing promoted in the Middle East market by Japanesecompanies, the lectures benefited the participants inacquiring the latest technical trends.
(4) Session 4: Practice in the Development of aLong-term Environment Project Plan
<Day 2 afternoon>
This session provided training in the developmentof an environment project plan from a long-term
perspective.
Firstly, Mr. Osma from Hitachi Plant Technologies,
Ltd. discussed case studies of wastewater treatment,water recycling and solar power projects in UAE witha focus on the process of project development.
Then, each participant drafted a new environment
project that they expect would be needed in UAE
from the long-term perspective, and presented theirplan upon holding a group discussion. Various themes
were examined from the standpoint of developing a
project plan, including countermeasures for flare gas,
waste and wastewater, and carbon management. The
lecturers also participated in the training as facilitatorsand provided guidance to each group on the process of(5) Session 5: Practice in the Development of a
Short-term Environment Project Plan
<Day 3 morning>This session provided training in the developmentof a practical project plan that could be implemented
within a few years.
Mr. Ozaki introduced examples of projects that have
utilized combustion equipment and heat exchangers, anddiscussed case studies. Particular emphasis was placedon maintaining a short-term, practical perspective, sothat the participants could take prompt action after
training. Group discussions yielded emergent and active
insights, as the participants included members not
only from TAKREER, but from other ADNOC Group
companies as well. The presentations by the participants
were also pragmatic and convincing, as they were basedon the participants’ conscious daily awareness of theirrespective issues, and proved to be highly meaningful.

4. Features of the Seminar
The seminar was a new attempt in terms of thefollowing points.
(1) Shift of focus from knowledge to capacitybuilding
The seminar not only included lectures on the latest
environmental technologies, but also allotted ample
time for hands-on practice in building capacities for new
project development and emphasized the importance of
capacity-building. Furthermore, as the lectures focusedon the process of formulating environment projects, theseminar as a whole was highly rated by the participants
as giving them an opportunity to link their respective
issues to the development of a new project.
(2) Expansion of the scope of participants
The participants were a group of approximately
20 members from a variety of fields, who have strong
interest in the environment. They mainly represented
TAKREER, but also represented other ADNOC Group
companies in roughly equal numbers, since the themeof the seminar had general relevance to all companies.

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 27

By expanding the scope of participants, JCCP was able
to effectively promote greater awareness of its activities
among the ADNOC Group companies. An article about
the seminar in TAKREER’s in-house journal also
contributed to increasing recognition of JCCP training
activities in TAKREER.
(3) Cooperation by the Technical Cooperation
Department
A UAE University professor introduced the technicalcooperation project on wastewater that is being
implementing at TAKREER with the cooperationof JCCP’s Technical Cooperation Department, andcontributed to widely promoting awareness of JCCP
technical cooperation projects among participants fromthe ADNOC Group of companies.
(4) Training cooperation with universities in UAE
The seminar was fortunate to receive cooperationfrom UAE University and Abu Dhabi University.
Professors from the universities undertook some of thelectures in the seminar for the participants from ADNOC,
and contributed to enriching the content of the seminar.
JCCP hopes to exchange information on the possibilityof cooperation with universities in UAE in future training
programs as well.
(5) Cooperation with local Japanese companies
Owing to the cooperation of Kawasaki Heavy
Industries, Hitachi Plant Technologies, and otherJapanese companies engaging in business in the Middle
East, the seminar included lectures by resident membersof Japanese companies. As market experts, they based
their lectures on the latest market technologies and fully
satisfied the needs of the participants.

5. Consultation with ADNOC
In a consultation with ADNOC’s Environment
Subcommittee regarding training activities, the ADNOC
side expressed its wish to strengthen cooperation with
JCCP, and made the following requests for cooperation.
(1) Given the success of the energy efficiency seminar
held in Abu Dhabi last year, the ADNOC side28 • Personnel Exchange Programs •Meeting with members of the ADNOC Environment
Subcommittee

requests JCCP’s cooperation again this year in
the seminar that is being planned by the ADNOCGroup. The “effective utilization of water” is being
considered as a possible seminar theme.
(2) For the first time, two members from the ADNOC
Environment Subcommittee participated in a regularcourse on development of a new energy efficiency
project” held in Japan. As the two members
had high praise for the course, the Environment
Subcommittee, which is composed of ADNOC
executives, decided it would like to select and send
members from the ADNOC Group to participate in
JCCP regular courses (environmental management
and energy management) in the future on acontinuous basis.
The above-mentioned seminar to which JCCP
cooperation was requested by ADNOC was scheduled
for June 2013 under the theme of effective utilization ofwater resources. As the HSE Department that is mainly
in charge of environmental and safety issues at ADNOC
is a directly managed organization under ADNOC, JCCP
hopes to continue deepening its cooperative relationshipwith the department.
JCCP also renewed its commitment to accurately
assess needs in relevant departments in oil-producing
countries, and to offer customized programs that fully
satisfy those needs.

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013<by Tetsuo Arii, Training Dept.>

Personnel
Exchange

CPO Seminaron Practical TPM Activities
for Field Operators Held at Saudi Aramco

Seminar participants and lecturers

A Customized Program-Overseas (CPO) on TPM
activities for visualization of field operations washeld at Saudi Aramco, intended for machine operatorsand maintenance staff. It took place at the Yanbu
Refinery’s Training Center and at the site of a diesel
fuel hydrodesulfurization unit in Process Area 3, over a
period of 5 days, from March 2 to 6, 2013.

1. Objective and Background
Saudi Aramco and JCCP have implemented a seriesof joint seminars on TPM activities since fiscal 2008.
Held at the Ras Tanura Refinery, Riyadh Refinery, Yanbu
NGL, Jeddah Refinery, and Southern Area Oil Operations(Abqaiq), these seminars comprised classroom lectures
only, and fell short of providing deep understanding of
TPM activities, which are mainly field-oriented. Given
this situation, the recent seminar on TPM activities forvisualization of field operations was designed to mainly
provide practical hands-on training to field managers,
and was held on the refinery floor, at the strong requestof Yanbu Refinery, which is currently considering the
introduction of TPM activities.
The seminar program gave due consideration to thesustainability of TPM activities, as requested by Mr.

Basim A. Zarie, Superintendent, Planning & Training
Division. It also aimed to encourage voluntary activities
by field operators and maintenance staff who undertake
operations and maintenance activities in the refinery.

2. Seminar Content
Lectures were given in the mornings on the first twodays, and hands-on field training was provided in theafternoons to facilitate understanding of issues presented
in the lectures.

Mr. Basim A. Zarie, Superintendent, Planning & Training
Division, giving an opening speech

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 29

Lecturers included Fumihiro Tone from JCCP andthree members from Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd.: Messrs.
Yoshisumi Tamao, Masanori Wada, and Masaaki Desaki.
The group of participants consisted of a total of 22
elite members selected from Saudi Aramco’s various
refineries and departments. From the Yanbu Refinery,
they included one engineer and three techniciansfrom the maintenance department and 11 operatorsfrom the operations department. They also included
one supervisor and one operator from the Ras Tanura
Refinery, one maintenance planning officer from the
Riyadh Refinery, one supervisor from Juaymah NGL,
one maintenance engineer from Yanbu NGL, and two
instructors from the Yanbu Training Center.
On the first day, the seminar began with an opening
speech by Mr. Osama A. Hassan, Supervisor, Planning &Accountability, followed by a detailed explanation of thesignificance and objectives of the seminar by Mr. Zarie.
Mr. Zarie attended a regular course on maintenancein fiscal 2008, and is also well-versed in Japanesestyle management practices, so his support for the
implementation of this seminar was deeply appreciated.
Mr. Tone defined and provided an overall descriptionof TPM in his lecture entitled “Overview of TPM andmaintenance management and safety management
based on TPM activities in the refinery.” In reference
to a case example of a serious accident that occurredin an oil complex in Japan, he explained that TPM
activities came to be introduced as a means for improving
maintenance management following the accident. He
also explained that the success and failure of TPM
activities are predicated on the awareness of the leader,and emphasized the importance of management practices
in oil-related companies in Japan and the role of the
manager in boosting motivation in the workplace. Tone

then introduced representative small-group activities thatform the core of TPM activities, including the tool-box
meeting (TBM), hazard prediction activity, learning fromnear-misses, and the 5S policy, explaining that this policy
is particularly important to achieving visualization.
In the afternoon, the participants engaged in
Workshop Part 1 on extracting and examining problems
in visualization in an actual workplace. Divided into
two groups for pumps and compressors, they assessed
the present state of defects and grime and searched forproblems using a checklist.
On the second day, Messrs. Tamao, Wada and Desaki
from Idemitsu Kosan introduced case examples of TPM
activities implemented in Idemitsu’s refineries. Mr.
Tamao first gave a general outline of TPM activities,
frameworks, and key points for establishing TPM
activities in the refinery. Mr. Desaki then conducted an
exercise in identifying defects using photos of pumps
riddled with defects, to make the point that the spirit ofinitial cleanup—“cleanup equals inspection”—is the firststep in voluntary maintenance activities, which form

Mr. Masanori Wada giving a lecture

Initial cleanup

30 • Personnel Exchange Programs •JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Extracting problems

Hands-on training in visualization

an important pillar of TPM activities. Lastly, Mr. Wada
showed a video of serious accidents that have occurred at
Idemitsu Kosan in the past, to provide an understandingof the importance of visualization, and Mr. Tamao
explained the effects of visualization in an easy-tounderstand manner through photos of workplaces before
and after the implementation of visualization activities.
In the afternoon, the participants engaged in
Workshop Part 2 on extracting and examining problems
in visualization in an actual workplace, and took to
the task of identifying areas for cleanup from among
the problems and concerns they had extracted on theprevious day. For the compressor, they limited the rangeof their task, as it was too large to complete within thetime available.

On the third day, the problems that were extracted
were classified into those related to maintenance andthose related to visualization, and after narrowing themdown to 10 or so visualization problems due to limited
time, the participants discussed their levels of priority,
cleanup method, overall plan, and members to be incharge of each task. In temperatures reaching to 35°C,
they applied themselves to the cleanup with vigor,
actively cleaning oil stains with a solvent and eliminating
dust with an air blower or water hose. Some areas wereready for painting by the same afternoon.
On the fourth day, Mr. Desaki first explained about
the necessary tools for achieving visualization ofgauges and how to use them, and had the participants
engage in hands-on practice in cleaning the gauges.

BeforeAfter

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 31

The participants then moved to the site of theirworkshop for post-cleaning verification, and performed
additional cleaning and painting of needed areas. Certain
considerations were given so that paint colors andremedies to some of the equipment defects conformed
to Saudi Aramco’s regulations. Among the problems
extracted were malfunctions of the vibration indicatorand pressure gauge in regard to the compressors, andmalfunctions of the pressure gauge in regard to pumps,
but because these problems require the judgment andinstruction of a supervisor from a dedicated department
and also require time to address, they were decided tobe left until they could be addressed in future activities.
Lastly, visualization measures were applied to selected
equipment, to visualize the proper range of gauges andmotor rotation direction, for example. After completionof training in the workplace, both groups looked backon their tasks and summarized matters that came to theirattention during the activity and future action plans.
On the fifth and last day of the seminar, theparticipants compiled presentation materials in
preparation for giving a report on the results of theiractivities to the refinery management. They formed
the structure of their presentation in consultation witheach other, and made the necessary corrections to thematerials by having a speaker rehearse the presentation.
Such team efforts could also be said to be a meaningful
result of this seminar.
The closing ceremony was held with the attendanceof Mr. Mustafa M. Almahdi, Yanbu Refinery Manager,
Mr. Zarie, and Mr. Mohammed S. Aidarous, Supervisor,
Training Unit. Mr. Almahdi said the seminar presented
knowledge and skills that would prove highly useful in
upgrading refinery maintenance, and should be put tofull use hereafter. He also articulated his plan to request
JCCP’s cooperation in implementing similar seminars in
the future. Tone expressed his appreciation to the Saudi
Aramco management on behalf of JCCP, and brought
the seminar to a close after presenting the participants
with a completion certificate.

instructions from their supervisors, there was a slight
concern about whether they would be comfortablewith taking voluntary action. The concern, however,
was dispelled once the seminar began. The participants
seemed to enjoy and gain a sense of satisfaction in
engaging in practical, hands-on training in an actual
workplace as in the previous seminar, indicating thatsuch training would also be effective if incorporated inother seminars in the future. In particular, the participants
seemed well aware of the objective of cultivating the“my machine,” “my plant” ownership mindset that isa keyword in TPM activities, and thus seemed to takethe hands-on training with a sense of purpose. Field
activities are necessary for achieving specific results
such as changes in awareness and improving equipment
reliability, and the establishment of systems and schemesthat managers can initiate are particularly important.
The Yanbu Refinery is presently composed of threeareas, two of which have been used for onsite training
in this seminar. The participants applied themselves
to two days of initial cleanup activities, and achieved
the intended results of visualization. At the end of
the seminar following their presentations, most of theparticipants declared their intention to apply the practiceto their respective workplaces, and raised expectations
for future achievement of visualization.
In a meeting held after the seminar, the Training Unit
sought the continued implementation of the seminar next
year. Thus the content, period of implementation, andother particulars of the seminar will be discussed in detailhereafter, with a view to offering an even more practicalseminar that includes onsite training and that could be
attended by all members concerned, from manager-level
employees to field operators and maintenance staff.

3. Observations
Last year (FY2011), a seminar on workplacevisualization activities was held for supervisors and postsupervisors, with the main aim of developing leaders ofvisualization activities.
This year, the seminar was held for operators andmaintenance staff. Because they normally work under
32 • Personnel Exchange Programs •JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

<by Fumihiro Tone, Training Dept.>

Participants’ Voices
Human Resource Management(TR-4-13: May 7 – May 24, 2013)
Mr. Abdulrehman A. Al-Sebaie (Superintendent, Riyadh RefineryOperation, Saudi Aramco)

I am honored and pleased to contribute a message to
JCCP NEWS on behalf of 17 members from 13 great nations.
During the opening ceremony when I introduced myself,
I mentioned that 18 Japanese members from Japan SteelWorks, Ltd. (JSW) conducted inspection and maintenancework on hydrocracker unit reactors at Riyadh Refinery over a
period of 20 days. All refinery employees were amazed at thequality and excellent execution of the critical job. Personally,
I was eager to know the secret to their outstanding work, so
I invited them to my house for dinner. However, wanting toknow even more, I decided to attend this HR course.
Now, after attending this course, I can confidently say that
I know the secret. It is because Japanese-style management
differs from that of other nations. It is based on team andgroup contribution, rather than on individuals. I felt thisfrom all companies we visited, which included JX Nippon,
Uyeno Kosan, Idemitsu Kosan, Cosmo Oil and Shirashima
National Stockpiling Base. We acquired many examples of
HR programs at these companies, but here I shall cite theexample at Idemitsu Kosan.
Idemitsu Kosan was founded by Sazo Idemitsu morethan 100 years ago. It grew from a small store to a large
corporation that now has 8,700 employees, 32 domestic
offices, 34 overseas offices, and 4.5 trillion yen in sales. The
most important factor of this success lies in the founderhimself. He firmly stood by the concept of “respect for humanbeings,” based on the following principles:••••

Human beings are the main actors in economy andsociety, not materials and money.
Discipline and education are important to makeemployees worthy of respect from society.
Human power is gained through total cooperation.
Do not be slave to money.

Did he mention anything about profit? Absolutely not.
That is the secret. Idemitsu’s management style completely
differed from that in Western society, which tends to focus
mainly on achieving profit.
To maximize the benefit of the course, the weekends werespent on gaining exposure to Japanese culture. We had theopportunity to visit many historic places, such as Hiroshima
and a number of shrines and castles, and to have a taste ofvarious Japanese delicacies.
On behalf of the course participants, I would like tothank JCCP management for its outstanding organizationof the course, from the first minutes of arriving at Narita
Airport to the end of the course. We especially appreciatedthe orientation on how to use the public transportation
system, which allowed us to visit many places of interest
independently, and are grateful for the JCCP members’
detailed response to each and every one of our questions.
I can confidently say that the course objective was met
100%, and assure you that we will take all that we learned
back to our countries.
It is rare to have a course that is both practicallymeaningful and enjoyable, but it was achieved in this courseby the outstanding efforts of our three lecturers, Mr. Shoji,
Mr. Okuyama and Mr. Jimbo. They spent day and night
developing the course program, and dedicated their full
attention to our group over the entire duration of the course.
They accompanied us throughout the course, but worked
so seamlessly as a team that we completely gave ourselves
over to enjoying the program without a clue as to who wasin charge of what. This, precisely, was a real demonstrationof Japanese HR management. Can you imagine managing
a group of 20 individuals travelling a total distance ofaround 2,500 kilometers by foot, bus, taxi, train, boat andairplane, and checking in and checking out of 10 hotels, allsmoothly and in an enjoyable atmosphere? I must say they
were amazing.
Thank you, Arigato Gozaimas.

With 18 Japanese members of JSW and my family
at my house in Saudi Arabia

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 33

JCCP Regular Courses Completed

TR-20-12

Quality Management of Refinery Products
February 5 – February 22, 2013

Content:

Quality Management; Quality Control in Japan;
Environmental Strategy of Japanese Oil Companies;
QC in the Refinery; ISO-9000; Clean Fuel in Japan;
Product Planning by LP Model

Site visits:

DKK TOA Corporation; Shimadzu Corporation;
Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Tokuyama Refinery);
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Negishi
Refinery); Yokogawa Electric Corporation;
Tanaka Scientific Limited

Countries:

Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Myanmar, Sudan,
UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

TR-21-12

Advanced Process Control on DCS
February 5 – February 22, 2013

Content:

Basic process control theories with practice using
computer simulator and miniature-plant withapplied to DCS;
Practice of advanced process control theories andoperation support system using DCS;
Application for shutdown sequence system on
DCS and practice of safety instrument system;
Latest DCS related technologies and APC system

Site visits:

Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Mitaka
Headquarters);
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Marifu
Refinery);
Seibu Oil Co., Ltd. (Yamaguchi Refinery)Countries:

TR-22-12<10 countries / 15 participants>

Lecturer: Teruhiko Sasaki<15 countries / 16 participants>

Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan,
Thailand, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

Human Resource Development
February 12 – March 1, 2013

Content:

Petroleum Industry in Japan;
Japanese-style Human Resource Management &Development;
HRM & TPM at Refinery;
Small Group Activity at Refinery;
HRD of Engineering Company;
Training Program Development;
HRD of Oil Company;
Rational Thought & Team Consensus Building

Site visits:

Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Tokuyama Refinery);Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. (Sakai Refinery);JGC Corporation (Yokohama World Operation
Center); Meisei University (Hino Campus);
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Head Office)Countries:

Lecturer: Minoru Horike

Lecturer: Eiji Okuyama<15 countries / 17 participants>

Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Saudi
Arabia, Thailand, Timor-Leste, UAE, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Vietnam

34 • Personnel Exchange Programs •JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

TR-1-13
Content:

Petroleum Marketing
April 8 – April 25, 2013

Lecturer: Masayuki Jimbo

Petroleum Industry in Japan; Refinery Shipping
System of the Petroleum Products;
On-site Observation of the Facilities;
Endless Price War in Retail Market;
Oil Flow to Mass Consumers;
Latest Service Station Facilities;
Integrated Refueling System;
Facilities and Safety Refueling Operation;
Distribution of Petroleum Products;
Facilities and Safety Measures;
New Automobile Fuel;Business Expansion to Non-Oil Field;
Management by Rational Thinking Process;Workshop”Advanced Negotiation”;
Workshop” Financial Accounting”;
Workshop “Procurement”; Workshop” Oil Derivatives”<14 countries / 20 participants>

Site visits:

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Mizushima Refinery);Fujitani Inc. (depot, service stations); San-ai Oil Co., Ltd. (Haneda Airport Branch);
Tatsuno Corporation (Yokohama Plant);
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Head Office)Countries:

Bahrain, Cambodia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iraq, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Thailand, Timor-Leste,
UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

TR-2-13
Content:

Future Advanced Technology for Petroleum Industry
April 8 – April 25, 2013
New Business Strategy of Japanese Oil Industry;
Underground Microbial Carbon Recycling;
Workshop for the Refinery Equipment Optimization
Using Virtual Refinery;
Research Activities at Cosmo Oil;
Carbon Capture and Storage;
Hydrogen Infrastructure; Solar Power Generation;
Role of Car Manufacturer in Environmental
Protection;
Carbon Capture Technology in Power Company;
Utilization of Heavy Fraction as Activated Carbon;
Combined Renewable Energy System;
Biofuel Production & Mega Solar;
Energy Saving Type Sea Water Desalination;
Hydrogen Filling Station & Fuel Cell Vehicle;
World Energy Situation

Lecturer: Bunsuke Kariya<11 countries / 14 participants>

Site visits:

Chugai Technos Corporation; Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. (Central Research Laboratory);
Toyota Motor Corporation; Kansai Electric Power Co., Inc.; Osaka Gas Co., Ltd.;
Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.; Electric Power Development Company;
Kitakyushu Water Plaza; Kitakyushu Hydrogen Town

Countries:

Bahrain, Ecuador, Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Qatar, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 35

TR-3-13

DCS Fundamentals and Applications
April 8 – April 25, 2013

Content:

Petroleum Industry in Japan;
Outline of Distributed Control System (DCS);
Latest DCS; Process Control Theory;
Hands-on Training of Process Control;
Engineering Practice on DCS;
Advanced Process Control; Process Optimization;
Fieldbus Engineering;
Modernization of Instrumentation

Site visits:

Azbil Corporation (Shonan Factory);
Emerson Japan, Ltd. (Mizushima Solutions Center);
Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Tokuyama Refinery);Yokogawa Electric Corporation (Mitaka Headquarters)

Countries:

TR-4-13

Human Resource Management
May 7 – May 24, 2013
Petroleum Industry in Japan; Japanese-style Human
Resource Management & Development;
HRM of Oil Company; HRM & TPM at Refinery;
Small Group Activity at Refinery;
HRM of Transportation Company;
Energy Security by Japanese National Oil Stockpiling
Base; Rational Thought & Team Consensus Building

Site visits:

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Negishi
Refinery); Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. (Aichi Refinery);Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. (Sakai Refinery);
JOGMEC (Shirashima Oil Stockpiling Base); Shin
Shin Toitsu Aikido Kai (Headquarters)

TR-5-13<10 countries / 15 participants>

Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Malaysia, Nigeria, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen

Content:

Countries:

Lecturer: Kazuhiro Suzuki

Lecturer: Taro Shoji<13 countries / 17 participants>

Indonesia, Iraq, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan,
Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Timor-Leste, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

Upgrading Processes of Heavy Oil
May 7 – May 24, 2013

Lecturer: Takaaki Yuasa

Content:

Outline of Upgrading of Heavy Oil;
Hydrotreating and Hydrocracking Catalyst;
Thermal Cracking Process; IGCC Technology and
Selection of Heavy Oil Upgrading Process;
FCC & Resid-FCC Process Technology;
Hydrotreating and Hydrodesulfurization Process
Technology; FCC Catalyst Reaction Theory;
Thermal Cracking (Delayed Coker, Flexi Coker)
Unit and FCC Unit; Operation and Troubleshooting
and Decreasing Effect in Heavy Oil Production;<10 countries / 15 participants>
Developed HDS & FCC Catalyst and its Theory;
Process and Characteristics of RFCC and VRHDS
Unit; Evaluation Technology and its Results for HDS Catalyst & FCC Catalyst;
Process Simulator Practice of FCC Startup;
Linear Programming and Production Planning for Refinery

Site visits:

JGC Catalysts & Chemicals Ltd. (Kitakyushu Operation Center);
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Marifu Refinery);Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd. (Aichi Refinery); Toa Oil Co. Ltd. (Keihin Refinery)Countries:

Indonesia, Iraq, Kuwait, Myanmar, Qatar, Sudan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

36 • Personnel Exchange Programs •JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

TR-6-13

Petroleum Distribution
May 28 – June 14, 2013

Lecturer: Kazuo Kojima

Content:

Petroleum Industry in Japan; Management by
Rational Thinking Process; Jet Fuel Facilities &Refueling to Airplane at Airport; Petrol Dispensing
Pump Manufacturing; Transportation of Oil
Products; Shipping System & Maintenance at
Refinery; Production & Maintenance of Pipelines;
Stockpiling, Loading & Unloading at Oil Terminal;
Distribution System at the Head Office of Oil
Company; World Energy Situation & Challenges

Site visits:<16 countries / 22 participants>
San-ai Oil Co., Ltd. (Haneda Branch Office);
Tatsuno Corporation (Yokohama Plant);
Uyeno Kosan Ltd. (Kawasaki Field Office); Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. (Yokkaichi Refinery);JFE Steel Corporation (West Works);
JX Nippon Oil & Energy Staging Terminal Corporation (Kiire Base);
Cosmo Oil Co., Ltd. (Head Office)Countries:

Bahrain, Brazil, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Thailand, UAE, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

TR-7-13

Maintenance Management
May 28 – June 14, 2013

Lecturer: Hiromitsu Saito

Content:

Petroleum Industry in Japan;
Maintenance Management in Japanese Refineries;
Maintenance Activities in Japanese Refineries;
Manufacture and Inspection Technologies for
Turbine and Boiler; Manufacture Technology andMaterial Characteristics of Stainless Steel Tubes &Pipes; Maintenance Management & Technology asContractor; Reliability Management in the Refinery,
Trouble Experiences and Countermeasures;
Project Management, Maintenance Management,
Risk & Reliability Management, Inspection<11 countries / 15 participants>
Management System; Safety and Reliability ofAged Plants; Plant Life Cycle Engineering;
Project Management Activities in a Japanese Refinery and Maintenance Management by TPM

Site visits:

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works);
Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corporation (Steel Tube Works);
Sankyu Inc. (Maintenance Centre); Toa Oil Co., Ltd. (Keihin Refinery);JGC Corporation (Yokohama Headquarters)

Countries:

Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE,
Vietnam

TR-8-13
Content:

Site visits:
Countries:

Refinery Management
May 29 – June 12, 2013

Lecturer: Tetsuji Kubota

Overview of the Oil Industry in Japan;
Project Management / EPC Business / Plant Safety
Design, Risk Management;
An Example of Maintenance Management / Carbon
Management / Energy Management;
Safety Management / Environmental Management /Production Planning Management /Human Resource
Management / Refinery Efficiency Improvement;
Rational Thinking Management; Case Study<12 countries / 17 participants>
JGC Corporation (Yokohama World Operation
Center); JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corporation (Mizushima Refinery)
Cambodia, Indonesia, Kuwait, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Qatar, Sudan, Thailand, UAE,
Uzbekistan, Vietnam

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Personnel Exchange Programs • 37

TechnicalCooperation

Study on the Application of
Ground Deformation Monitoring
Technologies towards Preserving the
Natural Resources Infrastructure’s Potential
in Saudi Arabia

KACST-JCCP 1st Joint International Workshop for the Earth’s Surface and Subsurface 4D Monitoring

JCCP and King Abdulaziz City for Science &Technology (KACST) implemented a study on
Application of Ground Deformation Monitoring
Technologies towards Preserving the Natural Resources
Infrastructure’s Potential in Saudi Arabia over a periodof four years, from fiscal 2009 to 2012.

1. Background
In Saudi Arabia’s oil fields, ground subsidence
is occurring as a result of changes in the subsurface
structure brought about by many years of crude oil
production and injection of seawater, thereby raisingconcerns about the impact of ground subsidence andinduced earthquakes on refineries, pipelines and otheroil facilities.
In response to this situation, the study was implemented
to preserve the potential of oil-related infrastructuresin Saudi Arabia by detecting any impact of groundsubsidence and induced earthquakes in advance. Morespecifically, the study aimed to examine the feasibilityof risk management using induced earthquake analysis
38 • Technical Cooperation •technology and active earthquake exploration technology
to monitor changes in the subsurface structure.

2. Overview
1) Implementation period: April 1, 2009 – March 31,
2013 (four years)2) Overseas counterpart: King Abdulaziz City for
Science and Technology (KACST)
3) Participating companies: NTT Data CCS Corporation
4) Activities: The following activities were implemented
through a joint effort between JCCP and KACST
based on the main theme of establishing grounddeformation monitoring technologies by applying
the ACROSS continuous seismic monitoring system(accurately controlled routine-operated signal
system) and analysis technology. Developed in Japan,
the ACROSS system uses accurate sinusoidal waves
to monitor seismic motion, and has been applied tovarious studies in the earth sciences field.
• Analysis of induced earthquakes• Development of seismic analysis tools

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Installation and operation of seismometers• Training in seismic analysis• Installation and operation of the ACROSS system
and analysis of the data obtained• Monitoring of ground deformation in oil fields• Technical examination of the integrated analysis
of ground subsidence and seismic analysis

3. Observations
In the study, the ACROSS seismic source wasapplied to geophysical exploration, and a test was
performed to monitor ground deformation using its highreproducibility. Additionally, an air injection test was
performed in Awaji Island, in which the location of air
spaces and their movement were successfully assessedby injecting air into the strata. Furthermore, a monitoring
test was performed at a water pumping field in Saudi
Arabia, with results indicating that time-lapse changes
in the locations of the water table could be monitored
over time.
In January 2012, KACST and JCCP held the 1st
Joint International Workshop for the Earth’s Surface

and Subsurface 4D Monitoring at KACST in Riyadh.
Attended by experts related to surface and subsurface
deformation monitoring and resource exploration and as
many as 300 visitors, the workshop captured the strong
attention of geophysics experts to the ACROSS system
and its analysis method.
The ground deformation monitoring technologies
deliver an extremely high level of reproducibility, andare suited to hourly monitoring of subsurface changes
in such places as oil and natural gas reservoirs and CO2
underground storage. For this reason, the technologies
are also garnering strong attention for their potential
to contribute to carbon capture and storage (CCS),
which has become a focus of widespread attention asa core technology for environmental conservation, bymonitoring storage conditions before CO2 generated
from oilfield-produced gas and oil refining facilities
could be stored in underground sealed layers. A
demonstration test of the results of the study will belaunched as a new project next fiscal year.
JCCP hopes to further deepen ties between Saudi
Arabia and Japan in the future through technicalcooperation such as this study.
<by Toshifumi Amemiya, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Ground deformation monitoring technologies
Integrated ground deformation monitoring in oil fields
Monitor grounddeformation

Assess impacts
on oil facilities

Assessment of conditions on ground surface

InSAR technology
Monitor occurrence of
induced earthquakes(Preserve oil facility capacities)
Study of ground deformation locations

DD (double-difference) method
Monitor changes inunderground structure

Study of ground deformation causes
Applicable

Monitoring for captureand storage of CO2 fromassociated gases andrefinery facilities

Forecast earthquakes and ground deformation,and take preventive action
Source: NTT Data CCS Corporation

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Technical Cooperation • 39

TechnicalCooperation

Feasibility Studyfor Hydrogen Production(Organic Chemical Hydride Method)and Storage, Transportation, Utilizationin Saudi Arabia
JCCP and Saudi Aramco jointly implemented the
Feasibility Study for Hydrogen Production (Organic
Chemical Hydride Method) and Storage, Transportation,
Utilization in Saudi Arabia over a period of two years,
from fiscal 2011 to 2012.

1. Background
Combating global warming through CO2 reduction is
an important issue in Japan. As a measure for addressing
this issue, policies are being implemented to promote
the dissemination of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that do
not release CO2.
Japan has succeeded in developing andcommercializing a technology for long-distance masstransportation of hydrogen for the first time in the world.
It is garnering particular attention for its organic chemical
hydride method, which adds hydrogen to aromatics toconvert it to a saturated ring compound (organic chemical
hydride) so that the hydrogen can be transported in liquidstate at ordinary temperatures and pressures. Since thismethod utilizes existing infrastructure and know-how
for the storage and distribution of oil products, it has thepotential to become a promising energy transportation
method in the near future.
Meanwhile, in oil-producing countries, various
sources of hydrogen are available, including hydrogenproduced from fossil resources such as naphtha andnatural gas, hydrogen generated from associated gasesthat have been used as fuel up to now and by-producthydrogen from refineries. When using these hydrogensources, the CO2 generated in the process of producing
hydrogen from fossil materials could be efficiently
treated by carbon capture and storage (CCS) andenhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies.
By utilizing clean hydrogen as a new energy product,
Japan could make a significant contribution to preventing
global warming, as well as expand energy options in
40 • Technical Cooperation •With members of Saudi Aramcosociety after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
By the same token, oil-producing countries could
engage in the export of new energy products that
contribute to global warming prevention, and could
also deepen cooperative relationships with Japan, as therealization of hydrogen production from solar energy
and other alternative energy sources in the future would
allow them to export energy using the same infrastructure
on a permanent basis.

2. Overview
1) Implementation period: April 1, 2011 – March 31,
2013 (two years)2) Overseas counterpart: Saudi Aramco3) Participating companies: Chiyoda Corporation
4) Activities: The following studies were conducted to
examine the business feasibility of efficient hydrogenproduction in oil-producing countries, the organic
chemical hydride production process, and hydrogen
supply to Japan.
(1) Study on the hydrogen production process(hydrogen production using fossil fuels andrenewable energy sources)(2) Study on business feasibility related to thehydrogen storage and transportation technology

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

based on the organic chemical hydride method(3) Study on the utilization of hydrogen(large plants, hydrogen stations)(4) Conceptual design of a plant (case study)

3. Observations
Through this study, Japan’s advanced technologies
in the relevant field were introduced, the potentials

of hydrogen as a new energy source were jointly
examined by the parties involved, and the feasibility ofcommercializing the relevant technologies was verified.
In this respect, the study had significant meaning, andhas helped strengthen the relationship of trust between
members of Saudi Aramco and JCCP.
JCCP hopes to further deepen ties between Saudi
Arabia and Japan in the future through technicalcooperation such as this study.
<by Toshifumi Amemiya, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Organic hydride supply chain

Source: Chiyoda Corporation

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Technical Cooperation • 41

TechnicalCooperation

Study on Compositional Analysis
of Selected Cuts of Kuwait Heavy Crude Oils
and Its Impact on Hydroprocessing
Over a period of three years, from fiscal 2010 to2012, JCCP and Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research(KISR) implemented the Study on Compositional
Analysis of Selected Cuts of Kuwait Heavy Crude Oils
and Its Impact on Hydroprocessing in Kuwait.

1. Background
Kuwait meets its domestic demand for oil products
by mixing crude oil for export with heavy crude oil andprocessing them at three refineries in the country. The
country also exports surplus oil products such as diesel
fuel. Furthermore, to maintain a steady revenue fromcrude oil, it needs to process new heavy crude oils suchas Lower Fars crude oil and Eocene crude oil within
the country and maintain its export of relatively light
Kuwait Export crude oil (KEC). Toward this end, Kuwait
National Petroleum Company (KNPC) is promoting two
projects simultaneously—a new refinery project and aclean fuel project at its existing refineries.
Under this situation, KNPC has strongly requested
KISR to conduct a study on the development ofdesulfurization catalysts and the evaluation of catalyst
performance for diesel fuel and heavy oils. Thus,
KISR requested JCCP’s technical cooperation, andcommenced a study with the participation of Nippon
Mining Research & Technology Co. Ltd. (now JX
Nippon Research Institute, Ltd.) and Kyushu University.

Presentation of the results of the study to KNPC

42 • Technical Cooperation •Invited engineers

2. Overview
1) Implementation period: April 1, 2010 – March 31,
2013 (three years)2) Overseas counterpart: KISR
3) Participating companies: JX Nippon ResearchInstitute, Ltd., Kyushu University
4) Activities: This study was implemented withemphasis on the following three objectives.
(1) To evaluate the reaction characteristics ofthe feedstock for diesel fuel produced fromheavy and ultra-heavy crude oils, and heavy
oil by compositional analysis before and after
desulfurization reaction in a hydrodesulfurization
unit.
(2) To examine ideas concerning the directionof improvement for the development of new
high-performance catalysts, with a focus on
demetallization catalysts for the desulfurizationof heavy oil feedstock. Also, to propose
outstanding combinations of commercial
catalysts and to select and provide a catalyst for
use in a pilot test based on that knowledge.
(3) To propose test conditions for the pilot test
apparatus at KISR, and to examine and propose
improvements for operations, the collection ofsamples and analysis items, as necessary.
First, four types of crude oil, including crude oil for

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

nickel, which influence desulfurization. The result
showed that desulfurization is more difficult thandemetallization.
The pilot tests conducted at KISR included anevaluation of the reaction characteristics of the bottom
oil of four types of crude oils in fiscal 2011 and anevaluation and test of catalyst life conducted using thebottom oil of the heaviest Lower Fars crude oil in fiscal
2012. The results of these tests indicated practically thesame trend as the results of tests conducted in Japan, andindicated the successful transfer of relevant technologies.
Test apparatus at Kyushu University

Test apparatus at KISR

export, heavy crude oil, Lower Fars crude oil and Eocene
crude oil, were transported from Kuwait to Japan, tosecure feedstock oils for the test to be conducted in Japanon the distillation of diesel fuel fractions (260 – 340°C
fractions, 340 – 350°C fractions, 350 – 360°C fractions)and bottom oil (fractions above 360°C). Using thesefeedstock oils, a reaction test was performed by using
an autoclave at Kyushu University, and a reactivity
analysis was performed of desulfurization characteristics
according to the different types of crude oil.
The desulfurization reactivity of diesel fuel fractions
is largely influenced by the difference in type of crudeoil, but it was found that the sulfur content of 260 –
340°C fractions could drop below 10 ppm regardlessof crude oil type. It was also found that there are many
impediments to reducing the sulfur content of two
fractions of heavy cuts of Lower Fars crude oil andEocene crude oil to below 10 ppm (340 – 350°C fractions
and 350 – 360°C fractions).
With respect to bottom oil, a microanalysis andstructural analysis was performed of vanadium and3. Presentation at the Kuwait-Japan Joint
Symposium
In fiscal 2011, KISR presented the results of the above
study at the 13th Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium held at
KISR on January 17 and 18, 2012 as an interim reportmeeting for the study. KISR and Kyushu University
each gave a presentation, with KISR giving a generaldescription of the study, and Kyushu University
introducing the results of advanced structural analysis
and an evaluation of reactions in the autoclave test unit.
The presentation by Kyushu University invited manyquestions and comments, and inspired deep interest inmolecular structures, such as of carbons, sulfur andmetals inside crude oil and in the comparison with thereaction results. Moreover, it elicited a request fromKISR for research on the reactions of heavy fractionsin atmospheric residue and the deterioration of catalyst
after mid-operation of the desulfurization unit.

Kuwait-Japan Joint Symposium

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Technical Cooperation • 43

4. Observations
In this study, which focused on four types of crude
oil in Kuwait, the reaction conditions and desulfurization
catalysts were sought for ultra-deep desulfurizationof diesel fuel fractions, the molecular structureof desulfurization-resistant chemical species was
revealed, and suggestions were offered for operational
improvement of the hydrodesulfurization unit and otherfacilities. With respect to the bottom oil fractions of thefour types of crude oil, as well, the characteristics ofdemetallization/desulfurization reactions were sought, astructural analysis and reaction analysis were performedon feedstock oil and product oil at the molecularlevel, and suggestions were offered for operational
improvement in the refinery.
It is hoped that these results will contribute to KISR’s
new refinery project and clean fuel project at existingrefineries, and to ultimately strengthening ties between
Kuwait and Japan.
<by Hiroaki Hara, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Technical
Cooperation

Study on Removal of Acid Gases fromNatural Gas using Membrane Contactors,
Phase II (UAE)The study on Removal of Acid Gases from NaturalGas using Membrane Contactors was implemented by
JCCP with the participation of JX Nippon ResearchInstitute, Ltd., and with subsidy from the Ministry of
Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) for technicalcooperation projects in oil-producing countries. In
cooperation with United Arab Emirates University as
JCCP’s counterpart, it was implemented over a periodof five years, from fiscal 2008 to 2012.

1. Background
UAE is experiencing a surge in economic growth
mainly in the oil and gas industries, but accompanying
this growth are heightening concerns about global
warming and environmental pollution issues. To
address this situation and to conserve the environment,
UAE University strongly requested a study on acid gas
treatment, in close recognition of the needs of the Abu
Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Group, which
essentially controls the oil and gas industries in UAE.
The University also proposed this study to the ADNOCGroup, and captured the interest and support of ADNOC
and Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Co., Ltd. (ADGAS).
As the sole comprehensive national university in
UAE, UAE University also serves as a research and44 • Technical Cooperation •education institution for the country’s oil industry. Thus,
it is an important counterpart to JCCP in strengthening
UAE-Japan relations.
In light of the above-mentioned situations,
implementing this study based on Japan’s vast expertisein environmental countermeasure technologies in theoil industry sector has significant meaning in JCCP’sefforts to strengthen the friendly relationship between
the two countries.
Against this background, this study specificallyfocused on examining improvement measures for acidgas treatment, using ADGAS’s Das Island LNG Plant
as a model.

2. Overview
In Phase I of the study, which was implemented fromfiscal 2005 to 2007, a test system and mathematicalmodel for a CO 2/CH 4 two-component sample gas
were developed in a university laboratory (mainly forordinary temperatures and pressure, and partially forhigh pressures), to verify the potentials of membrane
contactors in the acid gas removal process.
Based on the results of Phase I, Phase II initially
focused on establishing a test system and mathematicalmodel for high temperatures and pressures similar to

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Participants of the Scientific Council Meeting

operational conditions in the workplace, for an H2S/CH4
two-component sample gas and a CO2/H2S/CH4 threecomponent sample gas. Then, the applicability ofmembrane contactors as a new process for acid gas
removal was demonstrated at the laboratory level, andthe implementation of a continuous treatment test was
examined using actual gas at the Das Island LNG Plant.
(1) Acid gas removal test: A simulation test was
performed in a university laboratory, envisaging
the continuous treatment test to be performed
at ADGAS’s LNG plant using actual gas, todemonstrate the feasibility of the test. Using ahollow fiber membrane processing machine,
polymeric hollow fiber membranes were produced
under various conditions to achieve high-efficiency
gas separation.
(2) Development of a mathematical model: Again
envisaging the continuous treatment test to be
performed at ADGAS’s LNG plant using actual
gas, the high-temperature, high-pressure membrane
contactor CO2/H2S/CH4 absorption model was
modified, and a simulation was performed tovalidate the model using test data.
(3) Examination of field test equipment: Safetymeasures for the field test equipment were
examined, a preliminary design was produced,
and the quantity survey was reviewed, once again
envisaging the continuous treatment test to be
performed at ADGAS’s LNG plant using actual gas.
The results of the study can be summarized asfollows.
(1) The production technology and characteristic

evaluation technology for polymeric hollow fiber
membranes were transferred to the UAE side.
(2) Hollow fiber membranes that could withstandpressures as high as 50 bar were successfully
produced, and an acid gas removal test was
successfully completed at a gas temperature of
50°C and an absorbent temperature of 100°C, which
resemble actual conditions at the ADGAS plant,
using an eight-component gas mixture and a threecomponent adsorbent. (World first)(3) A complex and precise mathematical model foracid gas removal using membrane contactors wasdeveloped in consideration of physical, thermal andmomentum balances, and a numerical solution was
successfully achieved from the model. (World first)
The predicted values derived from the model closely
corresponded to the test data, and were able to be
used in the simulation performed in the field test.
(4) The continuous treatment test to be performed at
the ADGAS plant using actual gas was examined,
the preliminary design, including safety measures
for field test equipment, was completed, and a
preliminary estimate of the manufacturing cost offield test equipment was prepared. The field test
equipment was unable to be produced in this study,
but ADGAS has shown an interest in implementing
the field test.

3. Observations (Summary)This study on acid gas treatment by membrane
separation was implemented with the aim of improving
ADGAS’s Das Island LNG Plant, which provides large
supplies of LNG to Japan. It was completed successfully

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Technical Cooperation • 45

with highly significant results, owing to the extensive
efforts of many people, including Dr. Mohamed AlMarzouqi, chief researcher, other researchers at UAE
University, and laboratory assistants.
The results of the study have been reported every
six months at the Scientific Council Meeting held
regularly for evaluation by Dr. Gharib Aly, Professor
Emeritus at Lund University, who is also an advisor
for JCCP. After evaluation, the results have also been
disclosed to members of UAE University, ADGAS
engineers and other parties concerned, as appropriate,
and were presented at the Joint GCC-Japan Environment
Symposium hosted by JCCP in fiscal 2011. On theJapanese side, the study received research guidance fromDr. Masaaki Teramoto, Professor Emeritus at Kyoto
Institute of Technology, and Dr. Hideto Matsuyama,
Professor at the Department of Chemical Science andEngineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe
University.
It is hoped that technical exchanges that have been

A Scientific Council Meeting held at UAE University

held among members from UAE University, ADGAS,JX Nippon Research Institute and other organizations
concerned in the increasingly important environment
sector and the results that have been obtained through thisstudy have helped to promote even greater cooperation
between UAE and oil-related organizations in Japan.
<by Masahiko Shibata, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

Technical
Cooperation

Study for Operation Improvement
at QP Refinery
JCCP implemented the “Study for Operation
Improvement at QP Refinery” in fiscal 2012 with Qatar
Petroleum’s Mesaieed Refinery as its counterpart andCosmo Engineering Co., Ltd. as a participating partnerfrom Japan, and successfully brought the study to a close

Members from the Mesaieed Refinery and Cosmo Engineering
Co., Ltd.: Mr. Salim (third from left)

46 • Technical Cooperation •after making constructive improvement proposals.

1. Background
QP’s Mesaieed Refinery is comprised of three main
systems, namely Refinery 1, Refinery 2, and a condensaterefinery. The first group of crude oil atmosphericdistillation units (Refinery 1) was constructed in 1974
with a 10,000 b/d capacity. The second group of crude
oil atmospheric distillation units (Refinery 2) wasconstructed in 1984 with a 70,000 b/d capacity, alongwith other downstream facilities. Furthermore, export/
import facilities were installed in 1989, a group of
condensate distillation units (condensate refinery) wasconstructed in 2001, and various enhancements havebeen made for greater efficiency thereafter.
Against this background, JCCP has continuously
implemented a number of technical cooperation projects
with the Mesaieed Refinery as its counterpart, since
fiscal 2004. They have included a study on flare gas

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

in the oil industry. The study not only contributed
to improving operations in the refinery, but also has
successfully transferred Japan’s oil refining technologies
and experience in operational improvement to Qatar
Petroleum.

3. Summary

Final report meeting

reduction technologies, a study on LPG recovery, a study
for operation improvement, and technical support forcorrosion/fouling problem. Based on the relationshipof trust that these projects have fostered, JCCP agreed
to implement the following project in fiscal 2012 inresponse to a strong request from its Qatari counterpart.

2. Overview
At the Mesaieed Refinery, LPG and naphtha fractions
from the atmospheric distillation column are distilled
into total naphtha, and the total naphtha is processed ina naphtha hydroprocessing unit. There were concerns,
however, about unwashed naphtha falling into the sloptank during start-up and shut-down of the unit or during
a malfunction, because unwashed naphtha contains
flammable gas (LPG), which could swell and damage
the floating roof in the slop tank or cause a large amountof hydrocarbon vapor to be released into the atmosphere.
Thus, measures for operation improvement were sought.
Additionally, in the polymer gasoline unit, not only isgasoline produced from light olefins from the residual oil
fluid catalytic cracking unit, but LPG is also generated
as a by-product, and the remaining offgas is used as fuelgas in the refinery. Again, there were concerns of thefractions of the by-product LPG flowing into the offgas
and reducing the yield of by-product LPG fractions,so operation improvement was desired as a means for
improving LPG yield.
Under this situation, a study was implemented toprovide support for operational improvement at the
Mesaieed Refinery based on Japan’s experience andaccumulated technologies for operation improvement

In regard to the operational improvement of
atmospheric distillation units, the majority of refineries
in Japan have a unit that separates flammable gas
fractions from distilled naphtha (stabilizer), so it would
be unusual for them to experience the type of problem
that the Mesaieed Refinery is facing. Therefore, toaddress the problem at the Mesaieed Refinery, the statusof actual operations was investigated and operating data
was collected with the cooperation of the refinery, andthe collected operating data was analyzed. Based on the
results of the above, the following proposals were madebased on thorough consultation and discussion.
• Proposal for addressing the issue through an
improvement of operational procedures• Proposal for addressing the issue through adiversion of part of the equipment• Proposal for addressing the issue by installing a
new unit (two examples)
In addition to the above, an explanation was also
given of the actual startup procedure for atmosphericdistillation systems in Japanese refineries.
In regard to the issue of improving the yield of
by-product LPG from the polymer gasoline unit, theinitial request from the Mesaieed Refinery was toinvestigate the lack of capacity of the by-product LPG
separation system. However, as a result of examining
operating status with the cooperation of the refinery,
it was judged that the hydrogenation system upstreamof the by-product LPG separation system would alsoneed to be examined, so a final report was preparedthat included the hydrogenation system in the scopeof the study. The fact that the final report meeting washeld with the attendance of concerned parties fromvarious departments in the refinery, and that active,
cross-departmental discussions sprang up on the spot
after the report, indicated that the proposals were of highrelevance and benefit to the Mesaieed Refinery.
<by Masatoshi Yokotsuka, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Technical Cooperation • 47

TechnicalCooperation

Completion of the Joint Projectfor Introduction of Produced Water
Treatment in Iraq

Fiscal year-end reporting meeting for four projects under the Special Cooperation Program for Iraq

On March 4, 2013, a fiscal year-end presentation
meeting on projects implemented by JCCP and thePetroleum Research & Development Center (PRDC)
of the Ministry of Oil-Iraq was held in Istanbul. After areporting of the results of the joint study on “TechnicalSupport of Introduction of Produced Water Treatment
for South Oil Company (SOC) in Iraq,” the front-end
engineering design (FEED) for a practical-level water
treatment facility was handed over to PRDC and SOC,
from participating companies on the JCCP side, namely
the Water Use Promotion Center and Swing Corporation.

it as wastewater, and JCCP responded to this need byproviding technical support for produced water treatment
based on Japan’s wastewater treatment technologies.
In December 2009, JCCP and the Ministry of Oil-Iraq
reconfirmed the importance of resuming and stimulating
greater exchanges with a reconstructed Iraq throughtraining activities and technical cooperation projects,
and signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) tothat effect. In line with the MOA, JCCP launched a
special cooperation program for Iraq in fiscal 2010, andimplemented two projects that address priority issues of<Background and Overview of the
Project>
1. Background
In Iraq, water that is produced in the crude oil
production process is released and treated in an
evaporation pond at present, but as a measure forenvironmental conservation, government policy is slated
to prohibit the release of produced water into evaporation
ponds from 2014. In anticipation of this policy, SOC
sought to reutilize produced water in the water-flooding
process in the production of crude oil, instead of treating48 • Technical Cooperation •The pilot plant that has been transferred from Japan toNorth Rumaila Field DS-1

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

FEED presentation and project completion ceremony

the oil ministry—this project and technical support forasphalt production technology—as preliminary surveys
for the implementation of a technical cooperation
project. Thereafter, the project commenced in full infiscal 2011 as a joint undertaking by JCCP and theMinistry of Oil-Iraq, following the signing of a project
implementation agreement.

2. Overview
The joint project was implemented at SOC over a
period of two years, from April 1, 2011 to March 31,
2013, with the participation of the Water Use Promotion
Center and Swing Corporation. Its objectives were to
draft a system for produced water treatment, and to
implement and propose to the Iraqi side a front-end
engineering design (FEED) for a practical-level water
treatment facility.
In the first year of the project, a pilot plant was built
in Swing Corporation’s Fujisawa Office, and pilot tests
using simulated produced water were performed with theparticipation of two engineers from Iraq. After verifying
the plant’s treatment performance and transferring
operational technologies to the Iraqi engineers, the plant

was moved to a crude oil production plant operated by
SOC in the North Rumaila oil field (North Rumaila
Field DS-1).
In the second and final year, the Iraqi side performed
a pilot test of the plant using produced water from
North Rumaila Field DS-1, and confirmed its treatment
potential. Based on the results of the test, the Japaneseside produced and provided the FEED for the actual
facility to the Iraqi side.
In the coming years, if everything goes smoothly,
SOC will prepare a tender document for the water
treatment facility based on the FEED provided by theJapanese side and the technologies it has acquired, callfor bids, and select a contractor or vendor. Constructionof the facility will begin thereafter.

3. Summary
In addition to the produced water treatment projectdescribed above, three other projects were also
implemented under the Special Cooperation Program for
Iraq, i.e. the study on “Development of asphalt industry
and finding new applications in Iraq” (extended for ayear; slated for completion in FY2013); “Technology
cooperation for lubricating oil production” (undertaken
as a joint project from FY2013); and the “Study ontechnical support of introduction of produced water
treatment for NOC” (completed as a preliminary survey
project). All projects have received high praise from the
Ministry of Oil-Iraq for their contribution to addressing
technical issues in Iraq.
It is also worth noting that the Water Use Promotion
Center and Swing Corporation have again joined
hands with the Ministry of Oil in implementing a
new, preliminary survey project: “Study on technicalsupport of introduction of formation water treatment
for refineries in the southern region of Iraq,” slated tocommence within this fiscal year.
<by Hironao Naganuma, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Technical Cooperation • 49

TechnicalCooperation

Energy Conservation Studyon CDU Furnace of Dung Quat Refinery
in Vietnam

Members of the final reporting meeting held at the Dung Quat Refinery

In fiscal 2012, JCCP implemented the Energy
Conservation Study on CDU Furnace of Dung Quat
Refinery under the Special Cooperation Program for
Vietnam, with Vietnam Petroleum Institute (VPI), a
subsidiary of Petrovietnam, as its counterpart, andIdemitsu Engineering Co., Ltd. as a participatingcompany from Japan.

1. Background and Objective
Vietnam is garnering expectations for even greater
growth in the future, not only because it is rich in natural
resources such as crude oil, but also because it has
displayed a continuous trend of high economic growth
in recent years. At the same time, however, the country isdependent on imports for most of its industrial products,
and while it is an oil-producing country, it imports mostof its oil products, as well as faces chronic electricity
shortages, among other energy issues.
Binh Son Refining & Petrochemical Co., Ltd. (BSR),
an affiliate of Petrovietnam, commenced operations of
the Dung Quat Refinery in 2009, and took a large step
toward the domestic production of oil products. As thecountry’s first refinery, the Dung Quat Refinery has
had its initial problems, but it overcame them and now
50 • Technical Cooperation •enjoys stable operations. Under this situation, its nextchallenge is said to lie in promoting energy conservation.
However, the country is ill-prepared to formulate energy
conservation measures on its own, as there are few
human resources in Vietnam who possess the necessary
skills and experience in oil engineering. JCCP thus
decided to investigate whether Japan could contributeto the effective utilization of energy in Vietnam bytransferring the Japanese oil industry’s engineering skills
and experience to local engineers. The study focused on
analyzing the present status of energy consumption of
the crude distillation unit (CDU) furnace at the Dung
Quat Refinery, examining potential energy conservation
technologies suited to the facility, and on calculating
the cost required for facility renovation, to evaluate
cost performance if BSR were to actually renovate thefacility.
For this study, an investigative team was organizedwith the inclusion of Vietnamese engineers, and theseries of examinations were jointly pursued by Japaneseand Vietnamese members, so that Japan’s vast experience
in introducing energy-saving measures to furnaces, andthe process of examination toward their introduction,
could be transferred to the Vietnamese side.

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

2. Overview
The study mainly comprised the following three
activities.
(1) Analysis of thermal efficiency of the CDU
furnaceFirst, the operating data of an actual CDU furnace
was obtained, including its crude oil throughput, fueluse and furnace temperature, and its present operating
performance was examined in terms of heat exchange
efficiency and other relevant factors. By comparing thisdata to that of Japanese refineries, it was possible toidentify areas for improvement.
(2) Examination and economic evaluation offacility renovation for efficiency improvement
As a result of examining energy conservation
measures for the CDU furnace based on the areas for
improvement that were identified, the following two
measures were selected as the most appropriate fromamong various improvement technologies employed inJapanese refineries.
• Introduction of an optimum combustible air control
system based on oxygen content in exhaust gas as anindicator• Installation of a combustible preheater for recoveryof heat from exhaust gas
A basic design was formulated for the introduction
and installation of the above two measures to the CDU
furnace at the Dung Quat Refinery, and the cost of
introduction and energy conservation effects were
estimated and compared. The result indicated that bothmeasures are effective measures with short payback
periods, and that they are worthy of further consideration.
(3) Technical transfer of the process of examining
energy conservation measures through aninvitation seminar
By discussing issues in (1) and (2) above jointlywith VPI, the process of examining energy conservation
measures for the furnace, and specific matters forconsideration at each stage of the process, were able tobe transferred to VPI.
At the same time, engineers from VPI were invited
to attend a seminar, which featured intensive lectures

and an exercise in applying the actual results of furnace
renovation measures. The seminar provided practicalknowledge to the engineers and promoted exchanges
between oil engineers from both countries.

3. Observations and Summary
The study analyzed the present efficiency of the
CDU furnace and examined renovation measures for
efficiency improvement, and thereby clarified the costeffectiveness of a renovation for energy conservation.
The conclusion derived from the study was thata renovation toward energy conservation of thefurnace would be an effective measure with a shortpayback period, and that it is a measure worthy offurther consideration. Furthermore, other potential key
issues were also brought to light and presented to VPI
toward the next stage in the renovation of the furnace,
including the impacts of changes in operating conditions
accompanying the renovation to other existing facilities
and the valuation of such impacts, and ancillary
construction work that would arise in conjunction withthe renovation.
Moreover, through the study, energy conservation
technologies were transferred to Vietnamese engineers,
and a stronger partnership was established between
relevant parties in the two countries.
With their newly acquired knowledge, VPI engineers
are expected to be capable of examining and implementing
facility improvement measures on their own, and of
ultimately contributing to the further development ofoil refining technologies in Vietnam.
<by Masahiko Shibata, Technical Cooperation Dept.

Reporting of the results of the study
to the Dung Quat Refinery

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Technical Cooperation • 51

Preliminary Survey on Hydrogen
Liquefaction in Qatar
During fiscal 2012, JCCP and Qatar Petroleum (QP)
implemented a preliminary survey on liquefied hydrogenproduction in Ras Laffan, Qatar.

1. Background
Qatar is home to the North Field Gas Reserves, which
has the world’s largest reserve of natural gas, and is an
important energy supplier to Japan. As a worldwide
increase in demand for natural gas is expected in the
future, the reserves are garnering stronger attention thanever before. To secure a stable energy supply, Japan
should also maintain a close relationship with Qatar.
Meanwhile, natural gas is considered the ultimate
clean energy source, and efforts are being made in Japanand around the world to use natural gas to producehydrogen. Many refineries have already begun to usehydrogen in large amounts for desulfurization and othersuch processes, but in the future, demand for hydrogenis also expected to increase for use in power generation
and as automotive fuel. Although hydrogen can beproduced from various energy sources, using reformed
natural gas is a proven method and is considered thebest suited to producing large amounts of hydrogen.
In this regard, natural gas-rich Qatar is a hydrogen
supplier of great potential. Japan, for its part, boasts animpressive worldwide performance record in storing
and transporting large amounts of hydrogen, and leads

the world in liquefaction technology, particularly in theindustrial gas and aerospace sectors.
This study was thus implemented based on thethinking that if Japan’s world-class hydrogen liquefaction
and storage technologies could be used to transporthydrogen produced in Qatar to Japan, it could contributeto increasing the added value of natural gas in Qatar, andto creating a low-carbon and hydrogen society in Japan.

2. Overview
Implemented with the participation of Kawasaki
Heavy Industries, Ltd., this study examined the statusof hydrogen production in Qatar and the feasibilityof its transportation to Japan, by obtaining relevant
information from QP, JCCP’s counterpart in this study.
It also examined the feasibility of hydrogen production,liquefaction and transportation operations in Middle East
oil-producing countries around Qatar.
More specifically, as by-product hydrogen is
generated from facilities such as natural gas andethylene plants that are currently in operation, thestudy examined the feasibility of relying on by-producthydrogen as a source of hydrogen generation, in termsof supply amounts and cost, and surveyed the present
utilization status of by-product hydrogen, in particular.
A preliminary study was also made of hydrogen storage
and transportation technologies in Qatar.

Rendering of a liquefied hydrogen tanker(provided by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd.)52 • Technical Cooperation •Technical
Cooperation

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

3. Observations
Through examinations in this study, there were
found to be various issues to using by-product hydrogengenerated from such sources as natural gas and ethylene
plants in Qatar. It was thus considered too soon yet topress forward with a hydrogen liquefaction project in
Qatar, and the study was decided to be brought to an end
for the time being at the close of fiscal 2012.
However, the study had great meaning in terms of
the fact that Japan’s advanced technologies in the natural
gas liquefaction field were introduced to Qatar, and that
networks and relationships of trust were established with
relevant parties in Qatar.
It is hoped that diverse forms of technical cooperation
will continue to be implemented to further deepen ties
between Japan and Qatar.

Conference with QP members (September 2012)<by Toshifumi Amemiya, Technical Cooperation Dept.>

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Technical Cooperation • 53

Graduates’ Voices
Mr. Abdullah M. Niaz
Project Executive Engineer, Engineering Dept., Project Unit,
Petro Rabigh, Saudi Arabia
Graduate of a regular course on Maintenance Management(January 2001)

It is always a pleasure to me to receive a copy of
JCCP NEWS.
I wish to express my deepest appreciation to all JCCP
staff for their time and effort in keeping in touch withlarge numbers of JCCP alumni. I understand that morethan 20,000 people have participated in JCCP training
courses during the past 20 years. This is not an easy feat,so it is particularly worth noting that Mr. Hiroaki Kudo,
the training lecturer who was in charge of the course I
attended 11 years ago, still continues to send me email
messages. I would also like to thank Mr. Kazumasa
Nakazawa for his patience in dealing with us both during
the course and during his visit to Rabigh.
The 21 days I spent in Japan are unforgettable andremain firmly in my memory. I distinctly remember
the moment the plane landed at Narita Airport in thesnow, members of the JCCP staff welcoming us at the
airport gate, the city tour of Tokyo we received before

54 • Graduates’ Voices •training began, the welcome extended to us by Mr.
Koichi Kujirai on the first day of training, and the visits
made to Japanese cities and refineries to gain hands-on
knowledge. The JCCP staff had indeed organized an
excellent training program. It has been 11 years since I
participated in a JCCP course, but I have never forgotten
the JCCP staff, the enjoyable JCCP experience andthe respectful kindness of the Japanese people. I pay
my deepest respect to your hospitality and sincerity
throughout and long after the training period, and also
admire your politeness in all situations. These excellent
Japanese attitudes are impressed on my mind. Frankly
speaking, I miss the friends I made in Japan. I often longto see them again while glancing at old photos.
I wish to end my message by wishing all JCCP staff
future success, and look forward to hearing from you
again.
I wish you all the best.

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Mr. Sase Participates in Prime Minister Abe’s
Economic Mission to the Middle East
Date: April 30 – May 2, 2013
Destinations: Saudi Arabia (Jeddah), UAE (Abu Dhabi,
Dubai)
Description:
Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP,
participated in Prime Minister Abe’s economic mission
to Saudi Arabia and UAE.
His event-filled agenda included, in Saudi Arabia,
a conference of the economic mission with the Prime
Minister in Saudi Arabia; in Abu Dhabi, UAE, a dinner
hosted by H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed
Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, and the UAEJapan Economic Forum; and in Dubai, a luncheon hosted
by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
Vice President, Prime Minister of UAE.
The joint statement issued with the two countriesemphasized anew the importance of cooperation in
the energy sector. The joint statement made with thegovernment of UAE, was particularly meaningful

to JCCP, as it mentioned JCCP’s cooperation for theestablishment of the refining research center.

(From the left) Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP;
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe;Mr. Koji Hori, General Manager, Administration Dept.;
Mr. Junichi Kasuya, General Manager, Riyadh Office

Mr. Sase Participates in an Economic Mission that
Accompanied METI Minister Motegi to Abu Dhabi
Date: February 10, 2013
Destination: UAE (Abu Dhabi)
Description:
Mr. Masataka Sase, Executive Director of JCCP,
joined members from other Japanese organizations
and companies in accompanying H.E. Mr. Toshimitsu
Motegi, Minister of METI (Ministry of Economy,
Trade and Industry), on his visit to Abu Dhabi, UAE on
February 10 following his visit to Saudi Arabia.
In the presence of Minister Motegi and His Excellency
Abdulla Nasser Al-Suwaidi, Director General, ADNOC(Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), ADNOC andrelevant Japanese organizations signed a cooperationagreement. Also, in the presence of Minister Motegi
and His Excellency Nasser Ahmed Khalifa Alsowaidi,
Chairman of the Department of Economic Development
in Abu Dhabi, a signing ceremony was held for anagreement on Japan-Abu Dhabi industrial cooperationin the education and medical sectors. The entourage
also attended a luncheon hosted by the Departmentof Economic Development and a dinner hosted by theJapanese Embassy in UAE.
Mr. Motegi’s recent visit to UAE was the first visit
by a METI minister following former Trade Minister
Yukio Edano’s visit in October 2011. The Abu Dhabi
side thus expressed strong expectations of Japan, andconfirmed the cooperative relationship between the twocountries in broad-ranging areas including oil, personnel
exchanges and medicine.

H.E. Mr. Abdulla Nasser Al-Suwaidi, Director General,
ADNOC (left);
H.E. Mr. Toshimitsu Motegi, Minister, METI (right)(from the METI website)

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Announcements • 55

Nigeria Power and Energy Forum
The Nigeria Power and Energy Forum was heldin Tokyo on April 25, 2013 under the sponsorship ofthe Embassy of Nigeria in Japan. Mr. Masataka Sase,
Executive Director of JCCP, participated in the forum
as a panelist and introduced JCCP’s operations andactivities. He explained JCCP’s advantage in providing
cooperation for human resource development, in linewith the theme of the forum, “Partnering to Develop the
Nigerian Oil & Gas Sector,” while also noting that JCCP
has received as many as 800 Nigerian participants to its
regular courses, and that Mr. Andrew Laah Yakubu, thepresent Group Managing Director of Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), is himself a JCCP
alumnus of 1985.

56 • Announcements •JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Personnel Changes
Outgoing Personnel
Councilor,
Administration
Dept.

Hisayoshi TANDA

Outgoing Personnel

Incoming Personnel

Kenichi MOROTA

Masami FUNAYAMA

Training Dept.

Kazuo KOJIMATaro SHOJI

Eiji TSUKAMOTO

Outgoing Personnel

Incoming Personnel

Takeyoshi HAISHIMA

Yukio NOBAYASHI

Hiraoki HARA

Tsuyoshi OTA

Technical
Cooperation
Dept.

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Announcements • 57

Announcement

Please Help Us Update Our Roster
Thank you for reading JCCP NEWS as always.
JCCP has reached a significant milestone in its history and celebrated 30 years of operations in 2011.
In commemorating this achievement, we extended our deepest appreciation to you all for your support andcooperation in our activities.
All of you who have participated in a JCCP training program in the past (graduates) are a precious asset to
JCCP. We therefore wish to take this occasion to confirm your current addresses and update our roster of former
participants so that we may reconnect and maintain contact with you into the future.
Our current roster mostly shows information that you provided at the time you participated in a JCCP training
program, and could be outdated by now. If there have been any changes in your affiliation (position), email address,
or any other contact information, we ask that you provide the latest information on the attached form and return theform to JCCP’s Planning & Public Relations Group. Those of you who return the form to us are entitled to receive
the latest issues of JCCP NEWS and announcements and invitations to exhibitions and reunions.
Also, if you know of anyone who is a former participant but is not receiving copies of JCCP NEWS, or anyone
who wishes to update his/her contact information, we would appreciate it if you would forward this message andthe attached form to that person.

Please Send Us a Message as Alumni
Future issues of JCCP NEWS will feature a new section for messages from alumni. Please send us the latest
news about what you are up to or photos that you wish to share with others. The Planning & Public Relations
Group looks forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for your cooperation.
Akio Yamanaka, General Manager, Planning & Coordination
Masumi Kitahara (Ms.), Manager, Planning & Public Relations

58 • Announcements •JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

Thank you for reading JCCP NEWS.
If you have any comments or feedback about this newsletter,
please free to contact us by e-mail.
Your feedback is appreciated.
Planning & Public Relations Group, Administration Department
E-mail: planning@jccp.or.jp

Editorial Postscript
Thank you for reading JCCP NEWS No. 116.
For this issue, we received messages from three JCCP alumni: Mr. Andrew Laah Yakubu, Group Managing
Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), who participated in a regular course in 1985; Mr.
Abdulrehman A. Al-Sebaie from Saudi Aramco, who shared his impressions of a regular course he completed in
May 2013; and Mr. Abdullah M. Niaz from Petro Rabigh, who wrote about his JCCP experience in 2001. The
timing of their participation ranges over a period of 20 to 30 years, but they share the same deep impression that
the Japanese people are courteous and hospitable. This certainly makes us proud to be Japanese.
The active endeavors of JCCP alumni have great meaning to JCCP’s operations, and our network of past
participants, we believe, has direct bearing on future human resource development programs, technical cooperation
projects, international conferences, and VIP invitations. We would also like to ask for your continued support of
JCCP.
Masumi Kitahara
JCCP News Editor
Planning & Public Relations Group

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013

• Announcements • 59

Japan Cooperation Center, Petroleum (JCCP)
Headquarters
Sunshine 60 Building 58F, 3-1-1 Higashi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-6058, Japan• Administration Department• Operations Department• Training Department• Technical Cooperation Department

TEL. +81-3-5396-6000
TEL. +81-3-5396-6001
TEL. +81-3-5396-6909
TEL. +81-3-5396-8021

Overseas Offices• Middle East Office#904, Al-Ghaith Office Tower, Hamdan St.,
P.O. Box 51828, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E.
TEL. +971-2-627-4410 FAX. +971-2-626-2166

URL: http://www.jccp.or.jp

60

FAX. +81-3-5396-6006
FAX. +81-3-5396-6006
FAX. +81-3-5396-6006
FAX. +81-3-5396-8015• Riyadh Office
Al Oula Building, 5th Floor, Flat No.508
Al Mohamadiya, King Fahd Road
P.O. Box 61356, Riyadh 11565, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
TEL. +966-1-207-9540 FAX. +966-1-207-9539

E-mail: webmaster@jccp.or.jp

JCCP NEWS No. 116 September 2013