GATE was founded in 2000 to provide a level of customer service and staff development that we felt was lacking at established consultancy companies. Since then we have grown to a technical staff of approximately 30 people, approximately 12 of which form our Houston Engineering Group based at Park Ten.

Our project portfolio is centered upon deepwater operations, largely as a result of the increased risks associated with the design, installation and operation of such facilities. We have a varied workload, ranging from new technology development and evaluation, pre-FEED (front-end engineering design) and FEED support, through commissioning and start-up, to troubleshooting of producing and processing problems.

Our Clients: Exxon, Chevron, Shell, BP, BHP Billiton, Anadarko, El Paso, Amarado Hess, Intec Engineering, BR Petrobras, Petronas, Precision Tube Technology, Helis Oil & Gas+, Helix Energy Solutions, Williams, Hydro, Multiphase Solutions, Inc (MSI)

Disciplines:

• Corrosion Engineering
• Materials Selection and Chemical Treatment
• Flow Assurance Support via Chemical Systems Engineering
• Control System Design, Application, and Integration
• Reservoir Engineering
• Systems Engineering
• Project and Interface Management
• Process Design
• Project Management

Rather than attempt to provide a large number of engineers to a project, it is our goal to provide high caliber individuals for discrete high responsibility positions. This requires people that are willing to learn new things, able to transfer existing skills and knowledge to new situations, and who are able to manage and coordinate their activities and the activities of others. As such, a large proportion of our staff have advanced degrees or professional engineer certification.

Systems Engineering:

Although we are also involved in many discrete projects, the principal thrust of the company is in developing a systems engineering approach to field design and operation. The means by which we practice systems engineering is to develop a series of defined deliverables that enables operating procedures to be matured in tandem with facilities concept selection and design. Too often we are left with installations that are designed in isolation and that then require much time, effort and money for us to figure out how to operate them. Our company philosophy is to generate outline operating procedures at the very start of a project and to expand these as the design itself is developed in greater detail. This takes personnel with a broad knowledge of production systems and the challenges involved in designing, constructing, commissioning and operating them.

Even in our smaller projects, such as working discrete process or corrosion issues, taking a larger view of the interactions and intricacies of the system as a whole can enable us to develop an optimized solution that crosses many different disciplines and boundaries. Specialist consultancies, or compartmentalized groups in operating companies or contractors, often do not have the combined knowledge and flexibility to pull together solutions of this type. This is one of the main benefits that we bring to our Clients.