Petronate offers a reliable and structured network of E&P experts each having first-hand experience and international recognition in excess of 20 years. All consulting services and training programs are organized by Petronate to guarantee highest standards and state-of-the-art technology.
Our Team
WERNER (Ph.D.)
Senior Exploration Geophysicist
+30 years experience of worldwide petroleum geology as Interpretation Geophysicist and Exploration Manager. Advisor level and fully versed with most of the technologies and for accurate seismic interpretation, depth conversion, log correlation, mapping and well planning.
Specific Skills
Seismic interpretation experience with Petrel, Kingdom, GeoTeric, Paleoscan, Kingdom, Charisma and Landmark, in-depth evaluation knowledge of gravity and magnetic data, block evaluation, basin studies, prospect generation and data room evaluations in extensional and compressional tectonic regimes. As consultant he has worked for Falkland Oil & Gas, Repsol, GdF Suez/ Engie, Nippon and Wintershall.
Specific Skills
Seismic interpretation experience with Petrel, Kingdom, GeoTeric, Paleoscan, Kingdom, Charisma and Landmark, in-depth evaluation knowledge of gravity and magnetic data, block evaluation, basin studies, prospect generation and data room evaluations in extensional and compressional tectonic regimes. As consultant he has worked for Falkland Oil & Gas, Repsol, GdF Suez/ Engie, Nippon and Wintershall.
New ideas evolve from experience!
RAY
Senior Petrophysicist
+30 years worldwide experience in the oil industry, with 10 years wellsite experience both on and offshore. Held several senior technical lead roles in petrophysics and MD of Geostart Ltd. Experience of many play types, with extensive experience evaluating data from Central Graben, Viking Graben, Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea and WOS wells.
Specific Skills
High expertise in Petrophysics, data acquisition, data management, well operations, well planning, pore pressure evaluation and modelling. Good soft skills effective team building and mentoring. As a consultant he has worked 25 years on long term placements with Amoco, BP, Dong Energy, Hess, Nexen and Talisman.
Specific Skills
High expertise in Petrophysics, data acquisition, data management, well operations, well planning, pore pressure evaluation and modelling. Good soft skills effective team building and mentoring. As a consultant he has worked 25 years on long term placements with Amoco, BP, Dong Energy, Hess, Nexen and Talisman.
Sound decision making from integrated data evaluation approach!
DIRK (Ph.D.)
Petroleum Systems Specialist
+30 years of diversified E&P experience having solid knowledge of sedimentology and structural geology of siliciclastic and carbonate rocks. Worked 20 years at Shell Research and developed methods to determine present-day & paleo in-situ stresses as well as methods to predict open or closed fractures and faults.
Specific Skills
Application of structural geology and geomechanics, appraisal and field development. As a consultant he has worked in Albania, Algeria, Denmark, England, France, Indonesia, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway and Scotland.
Specific Skills
Application of structural geology and geomechanics, appraisal and field development. As a consultant he has worked in Albania, Algeria, Denmark, England, France, Indonesia, Italy, Kuwait, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway and Scotland.
Your faults are my problem!
TOBIAS (Ph.D.)
Geomechanics Specialist
+25 years of international experience and MD of GeoMecon GmbH representing a geomechanics team with 140 years of experience. Dedicated to apply scientific and engineering developments and to conduct R&D projects. Developed strongcompetence for advanced geosystem analysis as basic rock mechanics lab servises.
Specific Skills
Wellbore stability and mud window determination, green field stress tensor modeling, fully coupled THM numerical simulation of reservoir performance, induced seismicity potential analysis, subsidence prediction, hydraulic fracture extension analysis, cap rock integrity, determination of key rock mechanics and hydraulic properties, audit for German and British Authorities.
Specific Skills
Wellbore stability and mud window determination, green field stress tensor modeling, fully coupled THM numerical simulation of reservoir performance, induced seismicity potential analysis, subsidence prediction, hydraulic fracture extension analysis, cap rock integrity, determination of key rock mechanics and hydraulic properties, audit for German and British Authorities.
In life there are no problems, only solutions!
THOMAS (Ph.D.)
Principal Reservoir Engineer
+25 years within the upstream oil & gas industry; Thomas is a recognized thought leader in petroleum engineering, innovative and forefront of technology development throughout his career. At PetroSA he’s been the Technical Manager managing all subsurface operations and national oil & gas reserves.
Specific Skills
Reservoir modelling & simulation (black-oil, EOS and geothermal), expert Petrel/Eclipse suite user & RUBIS ambassador, IOR & EOR specialist, full-field studies & management, PVT/fluid sampling & modelling, exploration assessment & prospect generation, data room evaluation & business development, on-site supervisor. As consultant he has worked for ADX Energy, Dong Energy, Erdwerk, Gazprom, Mærsk Oil, OMV and recently for INEOS Norge.
Specific Skills
Reservoir modelling & simulation (black-oil, EOS and geothermal), expert Petrel/Eclipse suite user & RUBIS ambassador, IOR & EOR specialist, full-field studies & management, PVT/fluid sampling & modelling, exploration assessment & prospect generation, data room evaluation & business development, on-site supervisor. As consultant he has worked for ADX Energy, Dong Energy, Erdwerk, Gazprom, Mærsk Oil, OMV and recently for INEOS Norge.
Everything is possible!
GERD (Ph.D.)
RE Advisor & Mentor
+30 years of diversified experience and advisor in reservoir engineering, simulation and enhanced oil recovery. He worked for Deutsche Texaco/ RWE-DEA and Veba Oil & Gas. The last 15 years he’s been the Managing Director of EIROC Consulting.
Specific Skills
Reservoir engineering & simulation (E100 & E300), EOR specialist. As consultant he has worked for Bayerngas, Erdöl Erdgas Gommern, GdF Suez/Engie, Maersk Oil, PetroCanada, PetroSA, Ruhrgas and Wintershall.
Specific Skills
Reservoir engineering & simulation (E100 & E300), EOR specialist. As consultant he has worked for Bayerngas, Erdöl Erdgas Gommern, GdF Suez/Engie, Maersk Oil, PetroCanada, PetroSA, Ruhrgas and Wintershall.
A day without laughter is a day wasted!
BILL
Principal Well Test Engineer
+25 years of experience working on the development and operations of well fields through the integration of geological, well testing and production data in conceptual and numerical flow models. He has held senior technical lead and management positions and has worked on-/ offshore in Denmark, Norway and the UK.
Specific Skills
Well test expert & advisor (design, supervision & analysis), production data analysis, quantifying well & reservoir performance, characterizing reservoir flow systems & developing fit-for-purpose flow models, operations & management of oil & gas fields and gas storage, data room evaluation & business development. He has worked for DONG Energy, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland and in consulting.
Specific Skills
Well test expert & advisor (design, supervision & analysis), production data analysis, quantifying well & reservoir performance, characterizing reservoir flow systems & developing fit-for-purpose flow models, operations & management of oil & gas fields and gas storage, data room evaluation & business development. He has worked for DONG Energy, the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland and in consulting.
Data-driven understanding and technical solutions!
MOHAMED
Principal Production Technologist
+30 years within the upstream oil & gas industry; advisor level and fully versed in field development, integrated subsurface studies, well & reservoir management incl. HPHT fields. He has held Senior PT, petroleum engineering & subsurface manager positions. His experience covers onshore operations in Canada, Egypt, Russia & Trinidad as well as offshore operations in Denmark, Egypt, North Sea, Trinidad & Tobago and Tunisia.
Specific Skills
Well performance analysis, well stimulation, completion design & stress analysis, artificial lift, flow assurance, sand control, hydraulic fracturing & field development feasibility, concept selection & execution. As consultant he has worked for Wintershall and Dong Energy.
Specific Skills
Well performance analysis, well stimulation, completion design & stress analysis, artificial lift, flow assurance, sand control, hydraulic fracturing & field development feasibility, concept selection & execution. As consultant he has worked for Wintershall and Dong Energy.
Keep it simple – back to basics!
TOM
Principal Production Engineer
+20 years of experience in the upstream oil & gas in various engineering and offshore supervision roles with both service companies and E&P operators – small, medium and super-major - in Alaska, Lower48, UKCS and DKCS.
Specific Skills
Production chemistry & flow assurance, materials selection & testing, AFE and OPEX preparation, sand & erosion management, well performance modelling, well integrity, offshore supervisor. As consultant he has worked for Tuscan Energy, ENGIE UK, Endeavour International and Dong Energy.
Specific Skills
Production chemistry & flow assurance, materials selection & testing, AFE and OPEX preparation, sand & erosion management, well performance modelling, well integrity, offshore supervisor. As consultant he has worked for Tuscan Energy, ENGIE UK, Endeavour International and Dong Energy.
Do it right, and you'll only do it once!
STUART
Principal Production Technologist
+30 years of international experience in the upstream oil & gas industry. 17 years employed by international operators including work in technical managerial roles; consultant and MD of Moon Production Technology GmbH since 2002. He has worked primarily in Europe, North Africa, Middle East and the Russian Federation/CIS States.
Specific Skills
Artificial lift (expert in ESPs & gas lift), well & field production optimization – including nodal analysis & integrated asset modelling, full-life cycle artificial lift planning & operations procedures, operations support, workover & well interventions, well testing. As consultant he has worked for BP, OMV, RWE‐DEA, Petro‐Canada, TNK‐BP, Total and Wintershall.
Specific Skills
Artificial lift (expert in ESPs & gas lift), well & field production optimization – including nodal analysis & integrated asset modelling, full-life cycle artificial lift planning & operations procedures, operations support, workover & well interventions, well testing. As consultant he has worked for BP, OMV, RWE‐DEA, Petro‐Canada, TNK‐BP, Total and Wintershall.
Quality pays for itself – many times over!
Dr. Thomas Franzen
Founder & CEO
Thomas is a graduate of the Technical University of Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany, where he received an MSc in Petroleum Engineering in 1992. After graduation, Thomas launched his career in Germany as reservoir & production engineer working on-site where he appropriated lots of basic knowledge and developed first leadership skills. Inspired by international E&P activities he moved on to Venezuela dealing with heavy oil in the Orinoco Belt performing EOR studies. Post Thomas served 5 years of engineering work for Libyan assets, whereof he spent 4 years in Tripoli.
Being an active supporter and life-time member of the Society of Petroleum Engineer (SPE) eventually led to become the Technical Manager: Operations of the South African NOC PetroSA. Promoting his academic career, he moved to Germany early 2009 and researched EOR/EGR improvement on applied Multiphase Pump Technology (MPT) as R&D Manager at the Institute of Technology Berlin.
Parallel to his Ph.D. program Thomas founded Petronate in 2011 and since doing consultancy business for various E&P companies worldwide. As Non-Executive Director advising the SP Offshore Group and as Vice President ‘Studies & Planning’ been in charge for Kuwait Energy Iraq in 2017/2018.
Being an active supporter and life-time member of the Society of Petroleum Engineer (SPE) eventually led to become the Technical Manager: Operations of the South African NOC PetroSA. Promoting his academic career, he moved to Germany early 2009 and researched EOR/EGR improvement on applied Multiphase Pump Technology (MPT) as R&D Manager at the Institute of Technology Berlin.
Parallel to his Ph.D. program Thomas founded Petronate in 2011 and since doing consultancy business for various E&P companies worldwide. As Non-Executive Director advising the SP Offshore Group and as Vice President ‘Studies & Planning’ been in charge for Kuwait Energy Iraq in 2017/2018.
Toni Niederberger
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Toni started his career at the municipal administration in S-Chanf, well located in the Canton Graubünden in Switzerland. He worked several years in the fields of trustee, accountancy / controlling and human resources. Later he continued as accounting officer and parallel successfully graduated in fiduciary & management consultancy as Trustee Specialist “Master in Advanced Studies (MAS)”. Since 2011 he has been serving for long-term customers at Niederberger Treuhand AG and joined the Petronate board early 2018.