INDUSTRY PROVIDERS
Bespoke 3D models and training systems and incorporating the best foreign technology have been crucial to helping steer the world’s most enterprising firms toward Ecuador’s largest reserves.
Kevin Gray DIRECTOR, BLACK REIVER CONSULTING
BLACK REIVER CONSULTING is an independent training provider and management consultancy for the oilfield industry. We work closely with oilfield related businesses and oilfield training organizations to develop competency profiling systems and bespoke training programs for employees in the upstream sector. We also offer associated management services to oilfield drilling, engineering, as well as the medical sector. I was last in Ecuador five years ago, when the oil industry was experiencing a severe downturn. Now it is easy to feel the enthusiasm in the country and the desire to create a world-class sector, especially when it comes to improving the level of training for industry operators and applying world beating technology locally. After more than 30 years working internationally in the oil sector, I can corroborate the usefulness of quality training in the development of the country’s oil sector. I have been an independent consultant for the last eight years, travelling around the world and bringing bespoke training programs to locations where it is important to understand the real local challenges rather than seeking to simply deliver a catalog course that perhaps addresses the situation in the US or UK. In Ecuador, there is a battle between the need to protect the globally protected virgin Amazon rainforest and the real need to deliver economic growth and allow the people of Ecuador to directly benefit from the resources that this fantastic country holds.
Alonso Espinoza GENERAL MANAGER, DANIELCOM EQUIPMENT SERVICES (DES)
DANIELCOM EQUIPMENT SERVICES started in 1995, selling and distributing global brands in the Ecuadorian market. Later, to increase the added value of our products, we decided to design and manufacture ready-to-install packaged systems, and our first chemical skid package was born. These are systems that were purchased in the US at the time, but with engineering and technology, we managed to start producing them in Ecuador. From that moment, our portfolio of product and services started growing. Since 2016, we are not only in the manufacturing skids business, but have also entered construction and infrastructure. We also have ongoing projects in the field, from pipeline expansions to electromechanical installations. The idea is to continue serving our customers in a broader way. Instead of looking for several companies, people can just come to us and find all the solutions in one place. We have two partner companies: Falcon Electric Supply, in charge of all the electrical and automation areas, and Minga, which provides field services. We also have a production facility in Shushufindi, which is our base of operations to service projects in the field. From there we have passed to a fourth phase where we are manufacturing equipment on our own. In 2018, we acquired the rights to manufacture chemical dosing pumps and dampeners, Linc 86. So far, we have had some sales to Kuwait, Canada, and the US, but the idea is to expand to Latin America and then grow overseas.
Edwin Pineda PRESIDENT, BEST ENERGY
THE COMPANY WAS INCORPORATED IN
2010, and since then it has been providing consultancy services in the mining and oil sectors of the economy. We have developed many alliances with several companies operating in Ecuador in order to bring internationally renowned technology here. During this time, we have also formed a team with multiple professionals from different areas of expertise to offer a comprehensive service. In a nutshell, we build 3D models that attempt to represent the geological characteristics of reservoirs. We also measure, through our technologies, the current status of the reserves and depict different scenarios to decide on the best system to extract those resources. We evaluate numerous areas, ranging from how many wells have to be drilled to the number of drills needed to determine the best way to proceed. Specifically speaking about mature fields, we try to make the most out of those wells. Our goal is to maximize the production of barrels per day, though we have to be careful because these structures can end up damaging the structure of the well. Operating a well that has been drilling for a decade is different from operating one that has been drilling for two years. Our main service is helping to maximize the resources within the wells. What we do is calculate the level of reserves in fields from recent auctions by calculating different scenarios and then forwarding the data to investors so they can evaluate its economic prospects.