Hydrafact provide technical and scientific services to the world’s biggest oil and gas companies.
Hydrafact is a knowledge-based company providing technical and scientific services to the world’s biggest oil and gas companies including technical expertise, lab and field equipment, training and software.
The company now employ around 14 people out of their Edinburgh office, has clients from more than 30 countries and are currently in discussion with potential partners in the Sudan, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
TalentScotland spoke to Professor Bahman Tohidi, Hydrafact’s Managing Director, about the company’s beginnings and how the collaboration between industry and academia in Scotland breeds innovation.
What work is Hydrafact involved with?
We offer consultancy services, software, field equipment and training to some of the world’s biggest oil and gas companies including Total, Shell, BP, Statoil, Chevron, Inpex, Petronas and Petrobras.
We are currently working on our thermodynamic modelling software HydraFLASH to improve the user interface to help make it more attractive to our clients and therefore commercially viable.
HydraCHEK, another of our tools, is a hydrate inhibition monitoring system that measures hydrate inhibitor concentrations in oil and gas production systems.
We also run range of training courses and help our client’s source expertise.
What is the history of the company?
We were established in 2006, born out of the Institute of Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University which specialises in gas hydrates, flow assurance and PVT research activities. Since then we’ve managed to branch out to our own premises in November 2009.
Consultants from the university offer guidance and direct a lot of our work. We have the resources and staff in-house to provide a range of related services. The balance between academia and industry is helping us to expand overseas, to address some very challenging problems.
What are the future plans for the company?
We are in the process of organising an agency agreement for expansion into Malaysia and are actively looking at options in Saudi Arabia. We also have an agreement with a company in Sudan which we’re keen to explore further.
What are the benefits of being based in Scotland?
Being a knowledge-based company with our roots in a world-renowned Scottish University puts us in a great position. People from around the world come to study Petroleum Engineering at Heriot-Watt University and the makeup of our staff reflects that. We have people on our team from Iran, Scotland, Poland, France, China and England. Scotland is also a neutral country and everyone loves the Scots.