Systems Engineering Beyond NASA

Systems Engineering Applications in Houston Energy Industries

GoalTranslate NASA Systems Engineering into terms

understandable in the Houston Energy IndustryBroaden perspective of Systems Engineering

beyond NASAFacilitate long term build up of NASA Systems

Engineering by understanding terms and identifying the right resources to bring on board

About Philip12 years of engineering projects at NASA

6 years as a PE/PM for ISS CHeCS health/medical hardware with Wyle Labs

6 years SE&I for Constellation EVA with ESCG Trade studies/analyses, requirements, verifications

4 months unemployment Interviewed and hired on as a Cost Estimator for

Centurion Pipeline subsidiary of Occidental Petroleum

Actually working PMO project management process improvement

Disclaimer“Expertise” comes from career transition efforts

and 3 months industry experience

Technical Overview

Systems of Interest

Upstream

Midstream

Downstream

Upstream Involved in removing oil from the ground/ocean

Drilling, extracting

Projects include: Product/Technology Development

Horizontal Directional Drilling Hydraulic Fracturing “Fracking” “Christmas Trees” Pumps, valves, control systems

Building new systems for oil production “Capital Projects”

Upgrade/improvement/maintenance of existing facilities “Operations Projects”

Houston companies FMC Technologies, Halliburton, Technip, Occidental, Shell,

Chevron, etc.

MidstreamMoving oil/gas from drilling sites to

production/refineries Pipeline companies Trucking/train transport

Less engineering, more transport/logistics

Projects: Less technical, more land and legal – broader big

picture to integrate the system Build up of new facilities/capabilities – “Capital” Improvement of pipeline infrastructure – “Operations”

Houston companies: Centurion Pipeline, Kinder Morgan, Spectra Energy,

Plains All American, Magellan

DownstreamChemical and petroleum refining

Projects include:High-pressure “turn-around” or “shut down” projects

Time is money, project must be very well understood and choreographed

Development of modular refinery equipment - Ventech

Capital and operational projects

Typically the Houston ship channel refineries in Pasadena, Texas City, etc.Lyondell Bassell, Dow Chemical, Valero, Marathon

Organizational Overview

Project Life Cycle

Feasibility and Scope

Start Project

Requirements Design Fabrication Verification and Acceptance

Feasibility, Scope, and Cost Estimating

Start Project

Scope, Requirements, Design

Construction Commission and Handover to Operations

NASA AEROSPACE

OIL/GAS/CHEMICAL

NASA/GOV’T

OWNER/OPERATOR

CONTRACTOR

EPC, HARDWARE/SERVICE PROVIDER

Owner OperatorSimilar to NASA-gov’t role as “customer” to

contactor work force

Big names like Exxon, BP, Chevron, Shell, etc.

Provides the business case/rationale for a project

Systems Engineering roles: Develop business case into a technical project scopeAssess feasibility and trade-offs of project

Part of “FEED” – Front End Engineering Development

EPC’sEngineering, Procurement, and Construction

Engineering support contractors

Utilized in all sectors of oil/gas/chemical

Picks up at Project StartContinued FEED effort of requirements/design

developmentOversight of construction through commissioning

Typically Project Manager/Project Engineer roles

Employers: S&B Engineering, Jacobs, Worley-Parsons, Bechtel, Mustang

Products/Service ProvidersThey may follow their own product development

life cycle

May also integrate with life cycle of EPC and/or Owner/Operator

Companies like FMC Technologies, Halliburton, Ventech, GE

Roles/Responsibilities

Terminology DifferenceNASA Systems Engineering – Cradle to Grave technical

project development life cycle

Systems Engineer in oil/gas – the engineer who is a specialist in a certain type of petroleum production system Typically an 15-20 year engineer Not typical for a NASA systems engr to transition into this

role

FEED – Front-end engineering development The conceptual, requirements, and early design phase of a

project Common terminology in oil/gas/chemical

Project EngineerNASA systems engineer = project engineer

Technical leadership/coordination of a project

5-15 years engineering experience

Also known as:Reservoir engineer – upstream drilling projects Improvement engineer – downstream facility

upgrade projectsFacility engineer – treats a facility as a project,

slightly different than NASA facility engineer

Project ManagerNASA systems engineering +

cost/schedule/administrative duties

Typically more experienced 10-20 year engineers

Utilized in all sectors

Some very technical, others more managerial

Also called:Product Managers Project Coordinators – often a career predecessor to

becoming a PM

Safety, Environment, and Health

A subset of NASA-systems engineering, but a HUGE deal in oil/gas

Needs a grasp of the big picture of a project and how it impacts safety, environment, and healthOften a big enough task to warrant a dedicated

engineering team to take on these tasksTechnical, diplomatic, and coordination-oriented

Project ControlsThe business end of Systems Engineering

Historically a job for “business majors” but some places are looking for more technical/systems acumen to be able to do “controls” related tasks

Tend to be hands-on, going out to facilities/job sites to interface with team members

Common Job Titles:Project SchedulerCost EstimatorCost Engineer

Continuing EducationProject Management Institute (PMI): Project

Management Professional (PMP) certification is HUGE! Very similar in nature to CSEP

Six Sigma green/black belt also very marketable

Wrap UpTechnical

Systems Engineering in Oil/Gas projectsProduct/technology developmentWell-orchestrated construction

BusinessOwner Operator vs EPCDifferent phases of SE&I life cycleSimilar dynamic to JSC community

Roles/responsibilitiesActual job titles with SE&I applications

Wrap-UpNASA systems engineering from an outside

perspective

An opportunity to connect dots between NASA and industry

Questions?

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