Experience and key skill set
Steven is a Chartered Process Engineer with over twenty five years’ experience in the field of process and environmental engineering. Steven has developed a wide range of experience, both technically and practically, primarily in the oil & gas industry in fluid separation, produced water treatment, waste water treatment, water injection and environmental engineering.
Steven has a wide range of project management experience, having managed several joint industry funded R&D projects, as well as numerous smaller client projects. He was previously employed as Operations Director for an Orkney based engineering consultancy company, with responsibility for 25 members of staff. In recent years he has also provided project management and site agent support to civil engineering projects in the waste water treatment and marine renewable energy sectors in Scotland.
His principal area of expertise is in waste water and effluent treatment where he has built up wide ranging technical experience with numerous effluent treatment systems. This has included pilot/full scale system testing at client sites, commissioning, performance evaluation and troubleshooting.
He has also gained experience in a wide range of other areas including participation in HAZOP meetings/HAZOP close out, HAZID, ENVID, preparation of Basis of Design documents, datasheet preparation, preparation of equipment operating procedures, emissions calculations, P&ID preparation and updates, tender preparation and review, environmental legislation, Best Available Techniques reviews.
Steven has an Honours degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Edinburgh and is a Chartered Engineer. He has presented several technical papers and acted as chair at a number of conferences over the last twenty five years.
Specific Experience
Shell UK Ltd - Produced Water Best Available Techniques (BAT) Assessments, 2014/15
Project comprised preparation of produced water BAT assessments for 10 Shell operated installations, assessing the produced water treatment facilities against the requirements of Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practice (BEP).
TAQA Bratani Ltd - Produced Water BAT Assessment, 2014/15
Project comprised preparation of produced water BAT assessments for Taqa operated installation, assessing the produced water treatment facilities against the requirements of Best Available Techniques (BAT) and Best Environmental Practice (BEP).
Reinertsen AS - Centrifuge Installation Design, 2013/14
Provided design support in the client’s Norwegian office for installation of a centrifuge for produced water treatment on an offshore installation.
Tullow Oil - Produced Water System Design Onshore Kenya, 2014
Provided design support for the upgrade of existing produced water treatment facilities for an onshore field development in Kenya.
BG Group, Produced Water System Upgrade, Offshore Trinidad, 2014
Provided design support for the upgrade of existing produced water treatment facilities for an onshore field development in Kenya
BP Azerbaijan - Sand Handling System Operating Procedure Preparation 2013
Scope of work was concerned with preparation of a new operating procedure for a modified sand handling system on the East Azeri platform. The procedure was written following the BP SOP for operating procedure preparation.
Shell UK Ltd - Induced Gas Flotation Unit Upgrade & Redesign, 2013
Project comprised determining the best option for upgrade of a flotation unit. Study work involved comparing benefits of dissolved gas flotation and mechanically induced flotation upgrades, within the confines of available vessel space. A predictive model was also developed to predict unit performance on the basis of gas concentration, bubble size and inlet flowrate.
Chevron - Gendala & Gehem Field Development, Water Treatment System Review, 2013
Independent study review of the FEED design for the proposed water treatment facilities for the Gendala and Gehem developments. The study report presented an independent review of the design proposed by the selected FEED engineering contractor.
BG Group - Liquid & Gas Phase Contaminants Tool Box, 2012
A desk top study based on identifying and detailing on-line and offline analytical methods and removal technologies for the analysis and removal of certain contaminants in hydrocarbon streams. The driver behind the project was to identify where gaps exist for the analysis and removal of certain contaminants in hydrocarbon streams. Such contaminants can impact on product quality and hence price so it is important that there is capability to both analyse and remove them.
BP - Forties Pipeline System (FPS) HAZOP, 2012
Review of the BP FPS operating procedures to implement changes required following completion of a major HAZOP on the FPS pipeline system.
Nexen Buzzard - Water Treatment Package Commissioning, 2011
Lead engineer for the commissioning of the produced water treatment facilities on Buzzard, including the desanding cyclones, deoiling hydrocyclones, degasser and CFU package. The commissioning work included the produced water treatment facilities dedicated to both the main production separators and test separator.
BP Azerbaijan - Produced Water & Sand Handling Review, 2010
This study was part of a large scope to examine produced water and sand handling practices at the BP Azeri assets in the Caspian. The BP platforms in the Caspian have major issues with sand production. The study examined current sand handling practices and how these could be modified to improve sand handling and disposal. Part of the study also focused on the management of suspended solids and how these could be minimised in the produced water to meet the required injection water specification.
Chevron - Sand Technology Review, 2008
Desk top study which reviewed commercially available sand removal and treatment technology and on-line sand detection technology.
Swift Energy - Produced Water Analysis for Lake Washington PWRI Assessment, 2008
An offshore visit was carried out to a number of Swift Energy platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. On-line sampling analysis was carried out for both oil in water and suspended solids with a view to optimising topsides treatment to improve water quality for reinjection purposes.
Exxon; Hibernia - Holistic Review of Topsides Separation & PWT Facilities, 2007
This study was aimed at optimising the topsides separation and produced water treatment equipment performance on the Hibernia platform off Newfoundland. A two week visit to Hibernia was initially carried out after which the findings of the offshore visit were examined in more detail as part of a larger desktop review. As a result of the study work recommendations, the average concentration of oil discharged to sea in the produced water was reduced from an average of 30 mg/l top 20 mg/l.
CNR International - Ninian Central Seawater Lift Pump Failure Review, 2006
Offshore visit to review potential reasons for failure of a seawater lift pump on the Ninian Central platform. Scope included examining control practices relative to recommended operating procedures.
CNR International - Murchison Sand Removal Facilities BOD Preparation, 2005
Responsible for preparing a BOD document for the installation of new sand handling facilities on the Murchison platform. This was based on retrofitting of the existing conventional jetting facilities with cyclonic based sand removal equipment.
Opus Plus Ltd, Operations Director – January 2000 to May 2005
Overall personnel and financial responsibility for operation of an onshore test facility located on Flotta in Orkney, designed to provide realistic trial conditions for the evaluation of waste water treatment technologies. Site management responsibility for a total of 25 members of staff on site.
Environment & Resource Technology Ltd, Engineering Director – June 1995 to December 2000
Overall responsibility for process engineering and consultancy budget, as well as site manager responsibility for the facility.
Orkney Water Test Centre Ltd, Lead Projects Engineer – September 1988 to June 1995
Responsible for managing various projects on effluent treatment technologies up to a typical value of £500,000. Duties included hands on trialling of equipment, data gathering, data interpretation, project management and reporting to client, where required, visits to client site for equipment optimisation and evaluation.
Civils Works & Renewables
Tulloch Civil Engineering Ltd (TCEL) August 2005-January 2007
Provision of Site Agent and project management support for the construction of a specialist tidal energy test facility (operated by EMEC Ltd) in Orkney. Responsible for managing site safety, day to day aspects of the construction and liaison with the main contractor.
Tulloch Civil Engineering Ltd October 2005-December 2005,
Provided local support to TCEL to facilitate completion of snagging issues for the Stromness Waste Water Treatment Works.
Tulloch Civil Engineering Ltd August-September 2007
Provision of Site Agent support to TCEL for construction of the new Finstown Waste Water Treatment Works in Orkney.
Tulloch Prime Contracting Ltd March 2007-December 2007
Responsible for preparing the Operating & Maintenance Manuals for the new tidal energy test facilities on Eday in Orkney. This comprised collating all the material associated with the pre- construction & consenting activities, the civil construction works and the electrical installation works in to a set of formatted and indexed manuals for handover to the client.
European Marine Energy Centre Ltd (EMEC) September 08-September 10
Project Manager acting on behalf of EMEC for the upgrade works carried out at Billia Croo. The role involved liaising with Rok Prime Contracting Ltd the Principal
Synergie Scotland Ltd
Responsible for delivering the project, Highlands & Islands Enterprise the funding body.
European Marine Energy Centre Ltd (EMEC) September 09-March 11
Project Manager acting on behalf of EMEC for the new subsea marine cable works carried out at both Billia Croo and Fall of Warness. This project and a parallel project on the establishment of new nursery sites was funded by DECC to a total of £8 million. The role assumed overall responsibility for managing the installation of one new 4 km subsea cable at Billia Croo and two new 2.7 km cables at Fall of Warness Eday.