Saudi Posts: A Year End Review

Posts featuring Saudi Arabia and/or Aramco have been some of the most popular since the Desulfurization Blog (www.desulf.blogspot.com/) began eight years ago.  So, as 2017 gasps its final breaths, here is a list of every post having anything to do with Saudi Arabia.

TIP: If Saudi Arabia, and/or Aramco, is a subject that interests you, set up a Google Scholar alert.  OR … you can follow the Desulfurization Blog!

NOTE: Several posts have highlighted Saudi conferences which have come and gone.  Google® the conferences to see if and when the next one will occur.

Post Title	URL	Description
Google Scholar: Desulfurization at Saudi Aramco	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2011/01/desulfurization-activities-at-saudi.html	Let’s say you’re interested in recent published results of Saudi Aramco’s desulfurization activities. But you’re interested in substance, not news. Here is something you can do to improve your online research results.
Saudi Downstream Conference & Exhibition 2011 … Register NOW!	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2010/12/saudi-downstream-conference-exhibition.html	The Saudi Downstream Conference & Exhibition presents a fantastic opportunity for vendors of desulfurization technologies, not to mention all the other technologies required in the challenging downstream area of the oil and gas business.
Conference Alert & Call for Papers: 24th Annual Saudi–Japan Symposium: Catalysts in Petroleum Refining & Petrochemicals	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2014/12/conference-alert-call-for-papers-24th.html	Details for the 2015 call for papers for the 2015 Annual Saudi–Japan Symposium: Catalysts in Petroleum Refining & Petrochemicals appear at the bottom of this post.  But first, a little background …
Saudi Aramco's International Talent Quest	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2011/01/saudi-aramcos-international-talent.html	Conducting research is important. That’s obvious. Also obvious … we need people to conduct research, and the people who conduct research need to make a living.
Conference Alert: Saudi China Oil Refinery Forum	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2015/03/conference-alert-saudi-china-oil.html	Here is a conference you’ve probably never heard of.  I hadn’t, until, searching for recent technical articles on catalysis in the petroleum industry, I stumbled across a paper delivered at the 2nd Saudi China Oil Refinery Forum 2014 Oct 6-8 Qingdao, China.
Conference Alert: KACST - Oxford Petrochemical Forum	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2015/01/conference-alert-kacst-oxford.html	The 5th KACST-Oxford Petrochemical Forum was held in St. Catherine's College, University of Oxford from the 24th till 27th of August 2015.
Expert Alert: King Saud University Distinguished Scientist Fellowship Program	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2010/04/expert-alert-king-saud-university.html	Despite the bad press that Saudi Arabia gets, the country actually has a number of interesting programs. One of them is the King Saud University Distinguished Scientist Fellowship Program.
Leave It to the Professionals: Aramco’s Professional Development Program	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2014/11/leave-it-to-professionals-aramcos.html	A little known fact, in the West, at least, is that Saudi Aramco has been developing talent for over a decade, using a set of structured programs.  This development effort is producing impressive results.
Getting to Saudi Conferences … Important Stuff to Know	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2015/09/getting-to-saudi-conferences-important.html	If you decide to attend a conference in Saudi Arabia (see previous post: Saudi Conferences), you need to know about getting into the country. The first thing you need to know is … it’s complicated.
Desulfurization of Saudi Arabian crudes by oxidation–extraction method	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2015/11/desulfurization-of-saudi-arabian-crudes.html	An interesting OPEN ACCESS article produced by authors from China and Saudi Arabia is "Desulfurization of Saudi Arabian crudes by oxidation–extraction method."
Saudi Conferences	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2015/08/saudi-conferences.html	Interested in attending a conference in Saudi Arabia? Visit this site: http://10times.com/saudiarabia/conferences
Aramco Ventures	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2016/07/aramco-ventures.html	Saudi Aramco, by some accounts the world’s largest oil company, also invests in startup technology firms.  Aramco Ventures (https://aramcoventures.com/) lists the companies it has invested in.  Most are in the upstream part of the oil industry, but its portfolio includes a number of downstream ventures as well.
Conference Alert: Saudi Japan Symposium	http://desulf.blogspot.com/search?q=Conference+Alert%3A+Saudi+Japan+Symposium	Details for the 2015 call for papers for the 2015 Annual Saudi–Japan Symposium: Catalysts in Petroleum Refining & Petrochemicals appear at the bottom of this post.
Aramco Inaugurates New Research Center	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2014/11/aramco-inaugurates-new-research-center.html	Saudi Aramco, through its Houston affiliate Aramco Services Company, recently announced the opening of a high tech research center in the Houston area.  Located in Park 10 in Katy, Texas, it is the third of three U.S. research centers to have been inaugurated.

The Desulfurization Blog: The Top 11 Posts

I dunno about you … but I am glad this year is almost over.

The Desulfurization Blog (http://www.desulf.blogspot.com/), designed to help you maximize your online research effectiveness, began in 2009.  As this year grinds to a close, I thought it would be useful to all y’all to take a look at the most popular posts since we began this enterprise.

Accordingly, here are the titles and URLs of the TOP 11 since 2009.

TIP: Google® the conferences listed below for information on dates and places for the upcoming conferences.

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POST TITLE	URL	Description
Murray Gray, Specializing in Canada Oil Sands Research	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2009/05/murray-gray-specializing-in-canada-oil.html	If you are interested in oil sands research, take a moment to browse through the material on this site.
Google Scholar: Desulfurization at Saudi Aramco	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2011/01/desulfurization-activities-at-saudi.html	Here is something you can do to improve your online research results.
UPDATE: Encyclopaedia of Hydrocarbons	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2013/04/update-encyclopaedia-of-hydrocarbons.html	One of the wonderful things about the Web is that it is in a constant state of flux.  One of the exasperating things about the Web is … that it is in a constant state of flux.
What’s New with Vacuum Resid Hydrocracking	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2012/10/whats-new-with-vacuum-resid.html	My 2009 post about ChevronTexaco’s Vacuum Resid Slurry Hydrocracking (VRSH) has been so popular that I decided to search for more current news on the process.
In Search of Expertise (Part 1) - JOT	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2013/05/in-search-of-expertise-part-1-jot.html	There are commercial databases containing the names and specialties of experts in every field you can imagine.  However, they do charge for this information. If you do not have access to such a database, you might want to begin to compile a list of your own.
Saudi Downstream Conference & Exhibition 2011 … Register NOW!	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2010/12/saudi-downstream-conference-exhibition.html	The Saudi Downstream Conference & Exhibition 2011 presents a fantastic opportunity for vendors of desulfurization technologies, not to mention all the other technologies required in the challenging downstream area of the oil and gas business.
TIAX (Part 4) – First Contact	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2014/05/tiax-part-4-first-contact.html	A previous post resulted in an ordered list of a few of the researchers associated with TIAX LLC.  Now suppose that you wanted to contact one or two of the names on the list.  Here is one way to find email addresses of people associated with a particular company.
The neck bone connected to the head bone	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-neck-bone-connected-to-head-bone.html	Everything is connected to everything else.  Take the following article, for example …
Expert Quest	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2009/09/expert-quest.html	Conferences are sometimes a rich source of expertise ... Case in point ... the Catalytic Performance and Reactor Management Summit:
Conference Alert: IHS Energy CERA Week	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2015/02/conference-alert-ihs-energy-cera-week.html	We focus on an upcoming conference, IHS Energy CERA Week, which features a raft of high level speakers focusing on the economics of energy.  They focus on the broad array of energy sources, from conventional hydrocarbons to wind and solar and nuclear.  What they say may guide you in the direction your research will take.
Free Journal Alert: MOL Scientific Magazine	http://desulf.blogspot.com/2013/04/free-journal-alert-mol-scientific.html	An EXCELLENT free technical publication is produced by MOL Group (http://www.moltempodiesel.hu/en/ ).  MOL Group is a leading integrated Central and East European oil and gas corporation with an extensive international presence.

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That guy – How to leverage your time

Data mining is a big deal. But unless you are a data mining robot, i.e. if you are a mere human, the bigger challenge is to figure out is how to stay on  top of new developments while still getting four hours of sleep each night.

TIP #1: Let the other guy do it. Follow a company that employs a large research team.

Example: aramco

Instead of setting up alerts to follow specific topics like desulfurization, dibenzothiophene, etc., set up alerts to follow organizations that follow desulfurization, dibenzothiophene, etc., like Saudi Aramco.

This is especially useful if you are focused on research that is poised to produce actual real world results, rather than on basic research. Not that you should not pursue basic research … in fact, you should, if you can find someone to pay for it. After all, without basic research, what would real world research have to work with?

TIP #2: This works even if you are a member of the organization producing the results. It is another way to avoid the silo effect, wherein a coworker IN YOUR OWN UNIT has produced research results that would interest you IF ONLY YOU HAD KNOWN ABOUT THEM.

TIP #3: Set up Google Scholar and ScienceDirect alerts to follow Aramco, exxonmobil, chevron, or any other organization that is pursuing practical research on topics you are interested in.

TIP #4: Don’t get fancy.  Do a simple search.

For example, if you want to follow Saudi Aramco, create a simple alert searching for ARAMCO. Then browse the periodic results. Ignore the irrelevant ones, and focus on those that seem interesting.

Have fun! Save time!