LONDON, UK – July 10, 2015 – Element has significantly added to its global metallic testing capabilities for the Oil & Gas sector and is now able to offer cyclic straining and aging testing for the qualification of metallic materials for those projects that involve installation by high plastic strain (pipeline reeling) or strain-based design.
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½’s locations in Houston (USA), Aberdeen (UK) and Breda (NL) are now able to provide cyclic straining and aging capabilities for both parent pipe and girth weld materials. This allows for a more thorough evaluation of those materials that will be subjected to conditions of high plastic strain using mechanical tests such as Single-Edge Notched Tensile (SENT) geometry fracture toughness testing and parent material tensile testing. As a result, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ can conduct straining and aging for materials up to loads of 1000kN, delivering industry-leading levels of service for all of ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½’s clients in the Oil & Gas sector.
This new capability complements ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½’s existing expertise in fracture toughness and tensile testing, and allows more representative data to be generated. The data generated by these tests is used as part of an overall Engineering Critical Assessment (ECA) to derive an alternative weld flaw acceptance criteria that replaces traditional workmanship criteria for pipeline girth welds. Used as part of an integrated testing and ECA service, the new capability reduces project turnaround times, and allows clients to obtain the most accurate data for ECA’s input parameters, giving them increased confidence in the end result of the ECA.
Rod Martin, ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½’s Executive Vice President, Oil & Gas, comments: “The challenges in the sector to create more resilient offshore pipelines must be matched by the ability of testing partners to characterize materials more accurately. We are delighted that our Engaged Experts have developed this new capability to test materials at industry-leading levels.
“Adding further sophisticated testing techniques allows our global platform to deliver a more comprehensive service in metallic materials testing for offshore pipeline clients. As a significant step towards our goal of becoming the best and most trusted testing partner in the sector, the addition of this capability was ultimately motivated by the needs of our clients for an end-to-end service comprising both testing and analysis.”
About ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½
ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½ is a company with a global presence; its laboratories are staffed by experts specializing in materials testing, product qualification testing and failure analysis for the Aerospace, Oil & Gas and Transportation and Industrials sectors. ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½’s team of 1,800 scientists, engineers and technicians work in 51 laboratories located throughout the U.S. and Europe. For a complete list of Accreditations & Approvals and more information, please visit www.element.com.
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“"As a significant step towards our goal of becoming the best and most trusted testing partner in the sector, the addition of this capability was ultimately motivated by the needs of our clients for an end-to-end service comprising both testing and analysis.””
Rod Martin
Executive Vice President, Oil & Gas