May Long Weekend

Well, since we can't spend May long skiing at Sunshine one day and swimming in the pond the next, I thought I'd take the opportunity to introduce you to who "Thomas Energy Consulting" is.

For those that don't know me, my name is Kalcy Thomas. I live in central AB, between Red Deer and Rocky Mountain House. I have a beautiful wife of 14 years, and 4 amazing children. We like spending as much time as possible in the great outdoors, taking in all kinds of activities. Life has changed a bit with the covid social distancing, but at the same time, due to our rural living we luckily haven't been affected as much as many people have.

I have been around the oilpatch my entire life, and it kind of just came as second nature. When I was young and my dad was operating, I remember visiting leases and compressor sites with him as he did his rounds. As I got older, he worked his way up through the operations ranks and into consulting. In my teen years, he spent his time as a construction supervisor on pipeline and facility construction. It came naturally to me to be drawn into the "patch". I spent my summers in high school always involved in the oilfield in one capacity or another. I spent time spraying weeds, building pipelines, helping welders & pipefitters, swamping for truckers, and everything in between. I always found it interesting and wanted to have a better understanding of where the hydrocarbon came from, and how we got it through to a usable product. When I was 19, after spending a year working at Wayne Pidhirney Welding based out of Leslieville AB, I decided I wanted to learn more. I enrolled at the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) and took the 2 year Petroleum Engineering Technologist program. It was very beneficial in giving me a baseline understanding of all facets of the oilfield. Once I graduated, I got a job in optimization right away. I worked for Integrated Production Services (IPS) shooting fluid levels, conducting dynamometer tests, measuring surface casing vent flows, along with many other things. I really enjoyed the work, but being situated at Grande Prairie, I eventually got sick of the travel home to see my girlfriend (now wife.) When an operating position came up close to home with Apache, I jumped at the opportunity. I spent a few years at Apache and enjoyed my time learning the dynamics of how wells behave. One thing I pride myself on to this day is my ability to understand how wells function. I remember numerous times over the years when coworkers would give up on a well that had loaded up, and before calling in any services I would take a crack at it. They were always amazed when I just seemed to be able to get wells to come around.

After settling into a groove after a few years at Apache, I decided it was time to gain some more knowledge, and I decided to get back into the optimization world. This time the company I started with, Advanced NDP, concentrated on gas optimization rather than oil. I learned so much about critical velocities, tubing/casing diameters, flow regimes, etc. & how they applied to things like plunger lift, gas lift, and annular flow control. This work has always seemed so interesting to me.

After a few years providing services to various producers across AB, I was approached by one of them to become their first Optimization Technologist. I started with NAL Resources in the fall of 2005 and spent 13 years there learning many different things. I was very fortunate to be able to be stationed remotely in the field and still fulfill the roles that typically would be located in the head office in Calgary.

Over my time with NAL, I spent time as an Optimization Technologist, Production Engineer, and Well Servicing Coordinator. I looked after designing, installing, operating and repairing every type of artificial lift out there. I managed multimillion $$ budgets every year and consistently came in under budget. NAL always supported my proactive approach, and I designed many processes over my time there to ensure equipment lasted as long as possible. In my Well Servicing Coordinator time, I directed up to 5 wellsite supervisors at any given time, and we never had any injuries or incidences. My ideology is that safety is always first, with efficiency and economics being the next most important things.

About a year and a half ago, I decided I wanted to start my own company and go contracting. I moved on from NAL and went back to operating again. I currently subcontract for Tyco Industries and operate wells and facilities for Sitka Exploration. I also provide optimization services and wellsite supervision.

As with most people in most industries, during the covid pandemic, we have slowed down. This is what brings me to advertise my services and offering my expertise.

I feel it is a win-win situation. I know companies have unfortunately had to down-size, so if I can provide periodic services rather than them having to hire anyone full time, it will save some overhead expenses for them. And in my favor, some extra hours would help me make ends meet for my family.

So, if you have any need for technical assistance and/or supervision, please get in touch. I would love to discuss how I can help you!

Thanks, Kalcy