Element’s oil and gas technology centre ahead of schedule

Element Materials Technology’s US$ 5 million oil and gas technology centre in Houston has had its roof fitted, meaning that construction is ahead of schedule for its official open date in July 2014.

The laboratory, sitting on a 5.3 acre site adjacent to the city’s energy corridor, will offer unparalleled capabilities in fracture mechanics and corrosion testing to service growing demand among Element’s clients.

Element’s technology centre has already received equipment, including an MTS 110 kip dynamic frame, which has enabled the company’s engaged experts to begin round-robin testing with sister sites at oil and gas hubs in Breda and Aberdeen, developing methodologies, standard operating procedures, validating data and certifying results ahead of the centre’s launch. Additional equipment will also be installed prior to the scheduled opening, including two Hastelloy 8 l stirred autoclave systems and three SSR frames for testing to TMO 198 test methods.

Colin Speedie, Element’s Vice President of US Operations, said, “The building of the US’s first such centre of its kind and Element’s largest investment in a single site to date is a momentous undertaking. The team is ahead of schedule in both its construction and preparations, meaning that we can take early delivery of certain test devices so that the centre is advanced in its effort to offer a full suite of ISO-accredited single edge notch tensile (SENT) and crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) tests from the day of opening.”

Officially announced in May 2013, construction work began on the centre in October, when the foundation was laid. An announcement followed that the laboratory is to benefit from a US$ 1 million investment from the state of Texas, in order to contribute to cutting-edge research on the application of high performance polymers for energy applications.

The next major stage in the centre’s construction will be the building of offices and laboratory spaces and the installation of automated fire safety systems. A state-of-the-art machining department is also planned. This will allow for the manufacturing of high precision material specimens within the facility, drastically reducing logistical operations and lead times for customers.

“The completed centre will be the product of Element’s customer-led strategy towards its investment in capability and capacity expansions, so it is gratifying to see the excitement among majors and their supply chain partners at the leap forward in oil and gas materials testing that this laboratory represents,” Speedie commented.

Adapted from press release by Rosalie Starling

Read the article online at: https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/18022014/elements_oil_and_gas_technology_centre_will_be_completed_ahead_of_schedule_90/