• INDUSTRY OUTLOOK •
Ongoing Challenges and Demands
Mousa R. Al-Harbi is an Engineering Consultant and Valves Committee Chairman for Saudi Aramco. In this interview, he shares his experience of ongoing challenges and demands faced by end users in valve applications.
• By Laura Wang, Valve World Asia
Career Journey in Valve Engineering at Saudi Aramco
Although this is our first interview with Mousa R. Al-Harbi, he is no stranger to Valve World. His team’ s technical articles have been featured multiple times in Valve World global, Americas, and Asia publications.
Since joining Saudi Aramco straight out of university, Mousa’ s experience has encompassed mechanical engineering, plant operations in Gas Oil Separation Plants( GOSPs), upstream oil and gas processes, project management in facility construction, valve specialization, and standards development, among others.
Upon graduating with a degree in Mechanical Engineering at Milwaukee School of Engineering in the United States, he promptly joined Saudi Aramco as a plant engineer in GOSPs. His responsibilities encompassed a wide range of plant equipment, working closely with plant operators and gaining a deep understanding of the process side, which was crucial for equipment operation.
As GOSPs are the first plants to handle upstream oil & gas fields, he was also responsible for well services and operations, giving him exposure to the entire upstream process, including valve operation and maintenance.
Three years later, he joined the project team to build a new facility, experiencing all design phases, from conceptual design to construction completion and commissioning. He also oversaw the field network, working extensively with various valve types.
This diverse experience led him to focus more on valves. Subsequently, he moved to central engineering within the Consulting Services Department( CSD), as part of the valve team, serving the entire company and joint venture facilities.
Their task involved developing and maintaining standard requirements, as well as supporting operations and projects. Given the rapid evolution of the valve industry, he underwent numerous developmental assignments.
Currently, Mousa is the chairman of the Valve Committee, which continuously reviews specifications and standards to ensure sound and practical governance.
Typical Valve Problems and Solutions
The cost of valve failure can be enormous, given their critical role in diverting or isolating fluids and as essential safety components. Plant and personnel safety relies heavily on valve reliability and integrity, making any signs of failure a matter of immediate concern.
For Mousa and the team, when a valve fails, the top priority is to conduct online troubleshooting to minimize plant or unit shutdowns to preserve operational continuity.
“ To address these issues effectively, we have established special guidelines for assessing valve failures and have
22 Valve World Americas | June 2026 | www. valve-world-americas. com