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A
state-of-the-art High Pressure - High Temperature (HP-HT)
test facility is being set up in the Engineering
Department at the University of Aberdeen. This dedicated
facility, due to be commissioned later this year, will
allow manufacturers and users in the oil and gas, petro-chemical,
chemicals, and energy sectors to test materials,
components and equipment under demanding service
conditions. These test capabilities will also be of
interest to other industries including food and drink and
polymer production.
The HP-HT laboratory is backed by a multi-disciplinary
team who can provide advice, training, testing, analysis
and research support for a wide range of materials
including metals, polymers, cements, ceramics, coatings
and rock samples exposed to high pressures and
temperatures.
The new facility will be one of the first of its kind in
the UK, offering dynamic mechanical testing at elevated
pressures and temperature
Specification
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Three HP-HT chambers, 152 mm diameter and 300 mm long,
capable of temperatures up to 250°C and pressures up to
200 Mpa (2000 atm)
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Two of these chambers are equipped with external
mechanical test machines to load specimens inside the
chamber through a dynamic seal
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Tensile, compressive and bending loads up to 100 kN (10
tonnes), displacement ±50 mm
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Low strain rate dynamic loading, frequency up to 1 Hz
and fluctuating load limit to 50 kN
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Rapid decompression from full pressure within 1 minute
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Each chamber is instrumented and a data acquisition
system allows monitoring during testing
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Testing fluids - hydraulic oil or water with 10% soluble
oil preferred
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Testing in corrosive environments is intended in the
future
Typical Applications
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Time-temperature-pressure exposure of metallic or
polymer specimen coupons
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Tensile testing of materials under HP-HT conditions
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Compression testing of materials, particularly polymers,
under HP-HT conditions
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Bend testing of materials e.g. to assess weld and
coating performance under HP-HT conditions
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Dynamic O-ring and seal testing
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Explosive decompression testing
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Exposure of full size instrumentation and small
components to HP-HT conditions
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Coatings performance under HP-HT conditions
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Materials validation and determination of chemical and
structural changes using additional advanced
instrumentation
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Development of novel HP-HT materials
Areas of Expertise
The Scottish Offshore Materials Centre offers a wide range
of expertise to support this new facility and has
extensive testing and characterisation facilities
including:
Analysis and Characterisation:
Thermomechanical analysis
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FT-IR microscopy
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automated differential scanning calorimetry
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optical and electron microscopy
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associated metallographic preparation facilities
Properties:
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tensile/compressive testing
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fatigue testing
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high strain rate impact testing
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finite element modeling
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corrosion testing in a range of environments
Materials Metrology:
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