Abqaiq
Encyclopedia
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
: بقيق bgayg), is a Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco , officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia.Saudi Aramco is the world's largest and most valuable privately-held company, with estimates of its value in 2011 to be $7 trillion USD.Saudi Aramco has both the largest proven crude oil reserves,...
camp in the interior of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, located in the desert 60 km southwest of the Dhahran
Dhahran
Dhahran is a city located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, and is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Large oil reserves were first identified in the Dhahran area in 1931, and in 1935 Standard Oil of California drilled the first commercially viable oil well...
-Dammam
Dammam
Dammam is the capital of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, the most oil-rich region in the world. The judicial and administrative bodies of the province and several government departments are located in the city. Dammam is the largest city in the Eastern Province and third largest in Saudi...
-Khobar
Khobar
Khobar is a large city located in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the Persian Gulf. It has a population of 360,000 and forms part of the greater Dammam metropolitan area along with Dhahran, which together have a combined population of over two million...
metropolitan area. The camp was built in the 1940s by ARAMCO (now Saudi Aramco). The Abqaiq compound itself had a population of approximately 1,950 in 2005, though the inclusion of the population outside the compound, brings this number closer to 30,000.
Oil processing
After crude products (oil, natural gasNatural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, water, sand, etc.) are processed by the GOSPs (Gas Oil Separation Plant
Gas Oil Separation Plant
Gas Oil Separation Plant is a type of plant used primarily in the oil industry. The plant processes crude oil from the well head and separates gases and contaminants from the crude for reasons of safety, economy, and environmental protection. This makes the crude economically viable for storage,...
s), the sour oil (containing H2S, hydrogen sulphide) is sent by pipeline to Abqaiq. The Abqaiq site stabilizes the oil, then pumps it to Ras Tanura
Ras Tanura
Ras Tanura is a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located on a peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf...
(where it is exported), or further refined at a domestic refinery. Abqaiq also has NGL (Natural Gas Liquids
Natural gas processing
Natural-gas processing is a complex industrial process designed to clean raw natural gas by separating impurities and various non-methane hydrocarbons and fluids to produce what is known as pipeline quality dry natural gas.-Background:...
) plants that extract natural gas liquids (butane
Butane
Butane is a gas with the formula C4H10 that is an alkane with four carbon atoms. The term may refer to any of two structural isomers, or to a mixture of them: in the IUPAC nomenclature, however, butane refers only to the unbranched n-butane isomer; the other one being called "methylpropane" or...
, propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
, hexane
Hexane
Hexane is a hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C6H14; that is, an alkane with six carbon atoms.The term may refer to any of four other structural isomers with that formula, or to a mixture of them. In the IUPAC nomenclature, however, hexane is the unbranched isomer ; the other four structures...
, etc.) from the oil. These NGL's are stabilized by Abqaiq, then sent to other sites for further separation and purification.
Community and region
The Abqaiq resident's compound (Aramco code: AB) is one of four residential compounds built by Saudi AramcoSaudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco , officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia.Saudi Aramco is the world's largest and most valuable privately-held company, with estimates of its value in 2011 to be $7 trillion USD.Saudi Aramco has both the largest proven crude oil reserves,...
, including Dhahran
Dhahran
Dhahran is a city located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, and is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Large oil reserves were first identified in the Dhahran area in 1931, and in 1935 Standard Oil of California drilled the first commercially viable oil well...
(the main administrative center), Ras Tanura
Ras Tanura
Ras Tanura is a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located on a peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf...
(the main refinery and oil port), and Udhailiyah
Udhailiyah
Udhailiyah [pronounced Ew'd Aleea] is a small oil company compound in the interior of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located in the desert southwest of the Dhahran-Dammam-Khobar metropolitan area. Built by the national oil company Saudi Aramco, Udhailiyah has a population of approximately...
. It is located between the smaller company outpost of Udhailiyah to the south and larger Dhahran to the north.
Abqaiq compound is surrounded by a security fence. Saudi employees also maintain some of their extended families inside the camp. Built originally to house only company employees, the community today is now a multi-ethnic mosaic of Saudis, other Arab nationalities (e.g., Egyptian and Jordanian), Indians, Pakistanis, and a few US and UK expats - with English as the common language. The Abqaiq Elementary and Middle school follow American curricula, and are available to dependents of Saudi Aramco employees. Because the Saudi Aramco School System only goes up to 9th grade, Saudi Aramco pays the tuition for children of employees to attend boarding schools for further education.
A small madinat or town is adjacent to the camp. A local HQ for the criminal police is located there. Though Saudi Aramco employs its own security force to patrol within the compound. An Islamic propagation center is also located in the town.
Abqaiq has an 18-hole golf course with the oiled-sand fairways and "greens" made up of very fine sand that has been rolled flat (commonly referred to as "browns"). The compound also includes two swimming pools, tennis courts, a BMX track, several playgrounds, a youth center, a game room and a library, all of which are maintained by Saudi Aramco, and are free for employees and their dependents to use.
Climate
Abqaiq's weather is 10 C (50 F) on winter nights to 50 C (122 F) in summer daytime. On rare occasions, Abqaiq has reached freezing temperatures (0 C or below) during the winter. Highest recorded temperature is 51.7C and it was recorded in August 1956, while the lowest of -1C was recorded in January 1964. There are only around 50 to 70 mm (a few inches) of rain each year. Dust storms are a regular occurrence.Airport
It is served by King Fahd International AirportKing Fahd International Airport
King Fahd International Airport is located 20 kilometers northwest of Dammam, Saudi Arabia. It is the largest airport in the world in terms of land area . The airport's basic infrastructure was complete by the end of 1990, which allowed the Allied forces engaged in the first Gulf War in early...
which is 90 km (55.9 mi) away from the city, new road is being planned at the present time to shorten this distance to 70 km (43.5 mi). There is a small airfield in Abqaiq (Abqaiq Airport
Abqaiq Airport
Abqaiq Airport is a small airstrip located 6 km west to the center of Abqaiq city, 60 km southwest of Dammam in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia...
) just few kilometers away from the city however it is owned by Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco , officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia.Saudi Aramco is the world's largest and most valuable privately-held company, with estimates of its value in 2011 to be $7 trillion USD.Saudi Aramco has both the largest proven crude oil reserves,...
thus cannot be used for commercial air traffic.
Terrorism and security
Bqaiq was the site of a terrorist attack attempt by Al Qaeda on February 24, 2006 to attack the oil processing facility. The news of attack pushed oil prices up by $2. The damage, however, was immediately contained by Saudi Aramco. According to Khalid R. al-Rodhan of Center for Strategic and International StudiesCenter for Strategic and International Studies
The Center for Strategic and International Studies is a bipartisan Washington, D.C., foreign policy think tank. The center was founded in 1962 by Admiral Arleigh Burke and Ambassador David Manker Abshire, originally as part of Georgetown University...
, "even if some of the facilities were destroyed, Saudi Aramco has claimed that it has backup and redundant facilities to produce at near capacity." In a report about the incident, he concludes that "the attack against Abqaiq should not be seen as a turning point in either Saudi stability or the global energy market. Rather, it is evidence that al-Qaeda and other extremists groups will stop at nothing to disturb the global economy and international peace. It also signals that al-Qaeda is changing tactics to attack an area that will garner most attention and inflict most damage on the Saudi leadership, the U.S., and the international community."
However, a moderate to severe attack on Abqaiq would slow production from an average of 6.8 Moilbbl a day to 1 Moilbbl. As mentioned earlier, the chief purpose of Abqaiq is to remove hydrogen sulfide from crude oil and reduce the vapor pressure, making the crude safe to be shipped in tankers. Abqaiq is the world's largest facility for this stabilization.
See also
- Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia
- Saudi AramcoSaudi AramcoSaudi Aramco , officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia.Saudi Aramco is the world's largest and most valuable privately-held company, with estimates of its value in 2011 to be $7 trillion USD.Saudi Aramco has both the largest proven crude oil reserves,...
- Aramco expats
- DhahranDhahranDhahran is a city located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, and is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Large oil reserves were first identified in the Dhahran area in 1931, and in 1935 Standard Oil of California drilled the first commercially viable oil well...
- Ras TanuraRas TanuraRas Tanura is a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located on a peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf...
- UdhailiyahUdhailiyahUdhailiyah [pronounced Ew'd Aleea] is a small oil company compound in the interior of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located in the desert southwest of the Dhahran-Dammam-Khobar metropolitan area. Built by the national oil company Saudi Aramco, Udhailiyah has a population of approximately...
- Integration ObjectsIntegration ObjectsIntegration Objects is a software development firm that was created in 2002. The company is a systems integrator and solutions provider for knowledge management, automation and plant process management and decision support applications....
External links
- Aramco Services - Photo tour and info about Bqaiq (and other Aramco communities) under "communities" link
- Aramco-Brats.com - Abqaiq - City-specific images and documents
- Article: "Saudi Aramco Abqaiq Plant partners with Integration Objects to optimize plant operations" in the Oil&Gas Financial Journal