Visualization and imagination lead to the discovery of oil in a gas-bearing structure in Bangladesh by Engr Abul KM Shamsuddin in December 1986.

A Presentation by:

Engr. Abul K. M. Shamsuddin; 

Bangladesh Petroleum & Mining Consultant;

Former Managing Director; Pashchimanchal Gas Co Ltd [PGCL]; PETROBANGLA.

SPIRITUAL TOOLS USED BY ENGR ABUL KM SHAMSUDDIN IN FINDING OIL IN GAS STRUCTURE IN SYLHET GAS FIELDS, SYLHET, BANGLADESH, IN 1986.

• INHALATION, EXHALATION & RELAXATION
• VISUALIZATION & IMAGINATION
• INTENTION & INTUTION
• MEDITATION
• REPEATITION OF THE EXERCISE.

Discovery of Oil in a Gas bearing formation-1

• I was working as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sylhet Gas Fields Limited (SGFL), a natural gas producing company of Bangladesh Oil, Gas & Mineral Corporation (BOGMC – also known as Petrobangla) during 1983-87. The Gas Fields of SGFL are located in Sylhet district in the north-eastern region of Bangladesh. The gas from SGFL goes to Natural Gas Fertilizer Factory (NGFF) at Fenchuganj, Power Plant, Paper Mills and other industrial, commercial and domestic customers.
• There was a shortage of gas supply to NGFF. To meet the demand of gas requirement of the fertilizer factory (NGFF), Sylhet Gas Fields (SGFL) decided to drill a new gas well in the Gas Fields. 
• The relevant national and international experts of PETROBANGLA and SGFL consisting of geologists, petroleum & mining engineers, geo-physicists, drillers, chemists and other technical people sat together and discussed and reviewed the field and seismic data to pin-point the location of the new well in the Gas Bearing Formation of Sylhet Gas Fields (SGFL). 
• Thus a location of a new well was finalized and the project “Drilling of Sylhet Gas Well # 7” was conceived. The Gas Well # 7 was named because previously 6-Gas Wells were drilled in the Sylhet Gas Basin. A fund was available from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to meet the cost of the project. Being the CEO of SGFL, I was made the Project Director (PD) of this new project by Petrobangla.

Discovery of Oil in a Gas bearing formation [Left Bangladesh for USA in August 1986]

• Project commencement and completion period was from February 1986 to December 1986. Drilling of Sylhet Gas Well # 7 started sometime in June 1986. I was supervising the project work as Project Director till August 1986. At this stage, I left Sylhet for USA, to undertake a training course on “Petroleum Management” at Arthur D Little Management & Educational Institute (ADLMEI) at Cambridge, Boston, Massachusetts.  I handed over the charges of the project to my next man and left Sylhet for USA.
• My training course was financed by Asian Development Bank (ADB), the financier of the Project “Drilling Sylhet Gas Well # 7.” Duration of the training course in USA was for 16 weeks ending 21 November 1986. 
• An oil company produces 1000 barrels of oil and markets it to an oil marketing company through transmission pipe line for a period of 20 years. It is required to make the financial & economic analysis of the project and find out the profit/loss of oil to the selling company.
• I made the project profile considering the following:
• At the last leg of the course, I was given an exercise, to make a project profile, and to present that before the Educational Board as a partial requirement of the training courses. My exercise was like this: 
• Since I did not have cost data of oil-well, oil-field and working experience of oil field – I used the cost data of Sylhet Gas Well # 7, and my experiences at Sylhet Gas Fields and as well as my working experiences with Drilling of Sylhet Gas Well # 7 to make the project profile.

What I have Imagined to make the Project Profile

• I imagined myself as CEO of Sylhet Oil Fields Limited in stead of Sylhet Gas Fields Limited.
• I imagined drilling of a new oil well # 7 in Sylhet Oil Fields in stead of gas well # 7 in Sylhet Gas Fields. 
• I imagined producing 1000 barrels of oil from Sylhet oil well # 7 in stead of producing natural gas from Sylhet Gas Well # 7.
• I imagined transmitting that oil to Eastern Refinery, an oil refinery at Chittagong, port city of Bangladesh for marketing in lieu of supplying gas to NGFF. 

Practicing & Repeating the Presentation

• I made the financial & economic analysis of the exercise taking investment and operating cost of “Drilling of Sylhet Gas Well # 7”.
• To make the presentation of my paper, I made slides in the transparent sheets to present through overhead projector. 
• I practiced the presentation by projecting the slides in the screen several times in order to make perfection of my presentation before the Educational Board.   

Completing Course in USA & Back to Bangladesh to Resume Duties at Sylhet Gas Fields in Nov 1986

• On the basis of above, I presented the project profile before the Board and got a good grade. Finally, on successful completion of the training course on “Petroleum Management” at ADLMEI, Cambridge, Boston, USA, I returned to Bangladesh and resumed my duties at Sylhet as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sylhet Gas Fields Ltd and Project Director of Drilling of Sylhet Gas Well # 7 on 30 November 1986. 

Unexpected Discovery – Oil in Gas Structure

•  The drilling of Sylhet well # 7 was progressing well and was on schedule. We were heading towards our target depth. Finally we reached the target depth on December 24, 1986. 
• But we struck “OIL” in stead of “GAS.” 
• It was unbelievable. 

Well Flow Tests Confirmed Striking Oil in Gas Structure

• We were drilling for gas to supply it to NGFF. 
• We were drilling in the Gas Bearing Formation. 
• The location of the well was selected by the relevant experts.  
• The site engineers, site geologists, drillers, technicians were stunned, seeing striking oil in a gas structure. 
• An oil flow test was carried out for a couple of hours. After conducting all well-testing formalities, site engineers and supervisors confirmed detecting oil in the gas well. 

First Oil Discovery in Bangladesh [President of Bangladesh Declared on 24 Dec 1986]

• Thus the first oil discovery in Bangladesh was made. The President of Bangladesh, Mr. H. M. Ershad flew to Sylhet Gas Fields from Dhaka and declared “Discovery of Oil in Bangladesh” on December 24, 1986.
• Oil was producing at the rate of 500 barrels per day from Sylhet Gas Fields and was transported to Eastern Refinery at Chittagong, Bangladesh for refining. The oil was produced for five years and it was transported to Eastern Refinery at Chittagong for five years.  

Visualization, Imagination, Repetition, Intention of Engr AKM Shamsuddin Results Discovery of Oil in Gas Structure

• This was the 7th well drilled in the gas bearing formation of Sylhet Gas Fields. I believe that finding oil was due to my visualization and imagination of flowing oil in Sylhet well # 7 and repetitions of the exercise for perfection of my presentation at ADLMEI, Cambridge, Boston, MA, USA during 15-20 November, 1986. 
• While practicing my presentation, I was thinking about how nice it will be if we produce oil in Sylhet Gas Well # 7. 
• Actually this was my intention. 
• I imagined and visualized, in Nov 1986, oil transmission to Oil Refinery at Chittagong for marketing. The crude oil produced at Sylhet Gas Well # 7 was transported to Eastern refinery, Chittagong for refining from Feb 1987.
• I used visualization and imagination in a very detailed, descriptive, precise and perfect manner. 
• So, it was due to my intention, visualization, imagination, and repetition of the events that oil was discovered in a gas bearing formation at Sylhet, Bangladesh in December 1986.