Saudi Aramco inaugurates research center in Detroit

The Aramco Research Center-Detroit was inaugurated on Nov. 14 as one of three U.S.-based research and development (R&D) centers aimed at expanding the global research capabilities of Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), the Saudi Arabian oil and gas company based in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.

The new facility located in Novi, Mich., U.S.A., and owned and operated by U.S. subsidiary Aramco Services Company further strengthens the company’s global fuels research program with the goal of promoting the development and adoption of efficient, sustainable and affordable transport solutions for the future.

Aramco’s fuels technology program is focused on reducing the overall environmental impact, cost and complexity of both current and future fuel-engine systems. With a global refining presence, Aramco brings a unique perspective into how fuels can be designed and matched to engines for higher performance and lower emissions. A planned outcome of Aramco’s research is to generate vehicle and fleet demonstrations to showcase the benefits of novel fuel/engine systems.

Fuels technology is a critical area of research for Saudi Aramco “where we are leveraging on our leading position in integrated oil and gas production and refining to invest in innovative solutions that will significantly improve efficiency and lower emissions from the (production) well-head to the (car) wheel,” said Amin H. Nasser, president and CEO, Saudi Aramco, who led the inauguration of the center.

He said Detroit “gives us an ideal platform to bring the talent of Aramco’s researchers together with great collaboration partners in the heart of the U.S. automotive industry.”