1. Arunachalam Kallal-Somasundaram
Arun Kallal +1-832-367-1267
kallalar@gmail.com
Summary
SPE certified Petroleum engineer with well-rounded international/domestic offshore/onshore
experience in all petroleum engineering disciplines, technology, integrated field/production
modeling and asset management. Focus on continued progression through worldwide upstream
engineering function related to global shale gas development, onshore and offshore gas lift
design, installation, optimization, field operation and problem solving. Highly talented in
managing production optimization team, gas lift team, well operations and well trouble shooting
group. Well versed with industry recognized well and field modeling software tools.
Experience
Staff Engineer – Integrated Field Modeling (IFM) Team Lead
April 2007 - October 2015
Production Engineering & Technology; ConocoPhillips Center; Houston
Managed IFM team and provided production optimization support to all BU to ensure maximum
production.
 Completed first ever gas lift application in Rockies business unit (BU) Niobrara
unconventional shale well; helped through Watkins 19-1H well and 4-well pad gas lift
design, witnessed gas lift mandrel pressure testing, gas lift well unloading procedure
development, slick-line coordination, well barrier and pressure isolation procedure,
tubing selection, gas lift compressor startup, well commissioning, on-site supervision
during initial well unloading and lift gas optimization.
 Created a full field China Bohai-Bay integrated production model (IPM). Model was
developed using Weatherford – Resource Optimizer (ReO) software that includes
200plus ESP wells, many subsea trunk lines and pipelines network, FPSO facilities
equipment like HP/LP/LLP separators, heat exchangers, compressor train stages, and
crude export and booster pumps.
 Suggested a new interface development for a semi-automatic routine to update ESP wells
data from Life of the Well Information System (LOWIS) into ReO model, saving
engineers’ time in China BU.
 Achieved efficient lift gas allocation to wells and helped reducing operating cost in
Norway BU. Norway Ekofisk ReO model was upgraded with detailed compressor
models, crude export / booster pump models, closed gas lift loop system to understand
network constraints during lift gas allocation and optimizes entire field production. Also
assisted Norway Ekofisk flow optimization team slugging wells optimization study.

2.  Provided ReO training; many in-house user level 1 day, 3 days and 5days courses to COP
business units’ production engineering teams in Norway, Indonesia and China Bohai Bay
and production engineering academy participants.
 Provided one on one mentoring and technical support to business unit engineers on
production enhancement, lift gas optimization and well trouble shooting.
 Completed Magnolia wells artificial lift options study JIP and Ursa P-04 deep water well
gas lift evaluation.
 Created well models both in WellFlo and SNAP software for gas lift design validation
and understand uncertainties in unconventional shale well inflow performance (IPR).
 Offered various field design improvement suggestions; flow line upsize reducing back
pressure, compressor surge control setting, antifreeze chemical injection pump selection
and dosage, well tubing pressure isolation barrier nipple selection to avoid lock mandrel
wedging issues due to high delta-P across the barrier and CAPEX reduction by
minimizing number of unloading gas lift valves.
 Heavily involved during initial integrated production model (IPM) selection and artificial
lift process for Eagle Ford Shale wells development.
 Represented COP on CORAC Down-hole Gas Compression (DGC) characterization
study JIP and participated in OLGA near well-bore modeling JIP project.
 Participated in many beta testing of ReO and WellFlo version update and suggested
handful of improvement options.
 As a team player, actively participated in “API RP for Dynamic Simulation of Gas lift
Wells” API 11V11 (currently 19G11; but not an active RP) work group and also served
as a member of API 19G gas lift task group.
Production Optimization Engineer
1/ 1/2002 - 4/ 1/2007
Production Engineering; Dubai Petroleum Company; Dubai
Managed offshore gas-lift engineering team and ensured maximum field production. In charge of
slick-line crews and managed proper job prioritization, job assignment and safe execution.
 Successfully lead and completed 3 cement packer recompletion work-over jobs.
 Achieved 2~3% production uplift and saved 15~20% lift gas; responsible for Field wise
lift gas allocation of about 1bcfpd gas-lift gas and optimizing production from 450+ wells
in 4 producing fields using most advanced Weatherford software suite WellFlo and ReO.
 Monitored Water flood optimization; interacted with reservoir and development teams.
Active team player in EOR pilot project, Water Alternating Gas (WAG) well and HP gas
injection well planning and operation teams. Followed-up special data gathering requests
from reservoir engineers. Lead field optimization team and conducted monthly meetings
involving reservoir, production, facilities engineers and field operations personnel.
 Initiated CO2 tracer technology to evaluate gas lift valve leak and tubing leak detection.
 In charge of slick-line crews for field activities dealing with slick-line contract issues,
managed day to day field slick-line requirements, coordinated slick-line fishing
operations and controlled budget cost within +/-10%. Lead many slick-line fishing
operation in the field, which includes one parted e-line fishing job using regular slick-line
and many of them successfully completed.

3.  Actively took part in new well planning, well work-over operation and well intervention
teams and committees. Consulted for tubing selection, gas lift equipment selection,
completion equipment and SCSSV selection and peer reviewed final well design.
Prepared new well completion design, gas lift design and production forecast. Reviewed
gas lift mandrel and tubing design of over 200+ work over wells and new drill in a period
of 5 years. Saved 10~15% gas-lift gas by optimizing the wells and field using ReO -
Integrated Field Model during summer months gas shortage.
Supervisor Gas Lift Operations
10/ 1/1997 - 12/31/2001
Fateh Field – Offshore; Dubai Petroleum Company; Dubai
In charge of slick-line crews and managed proper job prioritization, job assignment and safe
execution.
 Reduced number of valve changes 5 ~ 25% by effective valve design and proper valve
selection; gas lift valve performance gradually improved every year from 1998 to 2001.
 Controlled cost and managed slick-line operation effectively under the budget.
 Lead and successfully completed small field projects with additional production
engineering responsibilities and well intervention activities.
 In charge of production optimization, lift gas allocation and gas lift operations of
producing wells and lead the team. Main areas of responsibilities were lift gas allocation,
optimization and trouble shooting, production enhancement, new and work-over well gas
lift design, slick-line planning, scheduling and supervision, assist work over operations
and field implementation, reservoir data gathering, scale squeeze and acid wash
supervision and flowing gradient survey analysis.
 Actively took part incident command system (ICS) operation under operations section
chief (OSC) when fuel gas subsea pipeline ruptured during dredging operation.
Production Specialist
12/24/1985 - 9/30/1997
Fateh Field – Offshore; Dubai Petroleum Company; Dubai
 Responsible for offshore oil field operation, maintained oil production, well testing,
offshore crane operation and maintained platform safety equipment. In charge of
planning, scheduling and job allocation of daily activities to lease operators. Prepared
work permit, JSA, job pack procedure etc.
 Submitted many continuous improvement ideas, most of them approved by council and
implemented. Prepared procedures for well trouble shooting, other critical operations like
well unloading, field start-up plan after major shut down, turn around and black ESD.

4. Assistant Plant Manager – Shift-In-Charge
10/12/1977 - 11/ 1/1985
Briquette & Carbonization Plant; Neyveli Lignite Corporation; Neyveli; India
 Lignite Coal Briquette Plant - Crushing, Drying and Briquette making plant operations
shift in charge.
 Responsible and met most production target and achieved set safety goals during my
shift.
 Managed teams of 40+ production workers and 50+ contractors and various maintenance
crews in three major operating sections.
 Followed through all planned maintenance activities without any safety incidents or
equipment failures.
Skills & Expertise
Production Optimization; Artificial Lift; Gas Lift Operations; Upstream Technology; Field
Development; Petroleum Engineering; Flow Assurance; Oil and Gas Production Facility
Operation; Coal Processing;
Software
Weatherford – WellFlo; ReO (Resource Optimizer); LOWIS (Life Of Well Information
System)
PETEX – PROSPER; GAP;
Schlumberger – PipeSim; OLGA4Wells;
Microsoft – Office;
Education
Annamalai University
BE(Chem), Chemical Engineering, 1970 – 1975
Certifications
Society of Petroleum Engineers
SPE Certified Petroleum Professional (SPEC) (Exam and Experience)