Element wins Kuwait heavy oil pipe testing project

Element Materials Technology (Element) said it secured a contract with ENGIE Fabricom to undertake pipe induction bend testing for a heavy oil development program in Kuwait.

Element Antwerp, metallics laboratory in Belgium, will conduct mechanical testing (tensile tests, impact tests, hardness tests), alongside metallurgical testing (microscopic examinations) on all sections of ENGIE Fabricom pipe induction bends. Testing at Element Amsterdam laboratory will include oil and gas corrosion testing services such as hydrogen induced cracking (HIC) and sulphite stress cracking (SCC), Element said in a statement.

The laboratories will initially conduct information tests and assess that bending parameters are correct so the customer can use the calibration test results in production. Materials are examined for precipitation of the material microstructure and on parameters such as tensile strength, impact toughness and hardness.

Rod Martin, EVP for Oil & Gas at Element, said: “Our state-of-the-art technology and expertise ensures that customer infrastructure assets are safe and will deploy as expected in the field. The materials science capability at our Antwerp laboratory and sour service corrosion testing in Amsterdam helps our customers to reduce future risk of damage to pipelines and provide assurance on performance and safety.”