We have two unique facilities available for testing oil and gas, water, process, marine renewable (wave, tidal and offshore wind) to meet energy industry needs. Alongside testing of high-speed marine vehicles (hull forms and appendages) and tidal turbine performance.
The facilities are normally available with a weeks notice with expert technicians on hand to assist with your testing project needs. Facilities are available by the hour and all quotations are confidential.
Ocean systems test laboratory
Our ocean systems test laboratory is specifically designed for model testing at the early stage of marine renewable projects.
The combination of wave and towing capabilities in addition to a team with expertise in hydrodynamics and turbomachinery enable us to cater for the particular needs of the marine renewable energy industry (wave, tidal and offshore wind). In particular we can offer:
- Dynamic response of support structures in wind-wave-current;
- Turbine design and turbine performance assessment;
- A bespoke design towing post capable of conducting resistance and stability tests in calm waters and waves;
- Dynamic response tests of a ship/yacht in a seaway.
Our fully-instrumented horizontal and vertical axis tidal turbine test rigs can be deployed at very short notice on request.
The laboratory has undertaken consultancy with a wide range of clients from small companies to large corporations in experimental marine hydrodynamics.
Process systems engineering laboratory
Cranfield鈥檚 impressive process systems engineering laboratory is equipped with industrial-scale single phase and multiphase flow facilities to study the behaviour of complex flows found in oil and gas production and process plants.
Our patented slug control system to minimise flow and pressure fluctuations in offshore production facilities has proved to extend field life and increase productivity. Field trials of our inferential slug control (ISC) invention in the North Sea and West Africa indicated an increase of 10% in oil production by the elimination of severe slugging through the usage of the inferential slugging control solution.
Subsea separation technology and multiphase flow metering helps oil companies to develop fields in increasingly challenging environments.
Companies we have worked with
- Chevron
- BP
- CALTEC
- Endress & Hauser
- Neftemer
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
- European Union (EU)
- Tidal Energy Ltd
- Sustainable Marine Energy Ltd
- Blue Tidal Energy Ltd
- Schottel GmbH
- Designcraft Ltd
- Protean Wave Technology Ltd
- ORECon Ltd
- Dresser Rand / Peter Brotherhood Ltd
- Tetrafloat Ltd
- Keppel Offshore and Marine
Our testing facilities are suitable for hire and consultancy for all organisations from small-to-medium enterprises through to multinationals.
