Oil & Gas

With processes that span exploration, extraction, refining, transportation, production, and distribution, the oil and gas industry often operates in challenging environments around the world. The safety and reliability of process systems and infrastructure are critical both for the wellbeing of workers and the wider environment in which operations are based.

From drilling platforms through pipelines to the processing and storage facilities, laser processing is used in a range of safety and performance-critical applications. These include:

Texturing of Fluid Flow Surfaces Laser patterning can create hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface behaviours. Many customers have used this technology to optimize the management of liquids within systems, improving measurement times and yields.

The application of laser patterning for fluid flow surfaces is versatile and can be tailored to meet the specific needs of different processes and environments. Whether it's for pipelines, storage tanks, or processing equipment, our technology can be adapted.

Applications:

• Enhancing the efficiency of fluid transport systems.
• Optimizing the performance of measurement and monitoring devices.
• Improving the flow of chemicals and other fluids in processing plants.

Laser Machining of Grooves and Other Features in Rotating Seal and Bearing Surfaces Lasers can be used to create patterns on rotating seals that utilize the gas or fluid itself as a bearing surface. This approach offers substantial operating cost benefits for large oil & gas extraction and processing clients while reducing the need for more complex sealing systems.

Our laser machining technology allows for a high degree of customization, enabling us to tailor the grooves and patterns to meet specific operational requirements. This precision ensures that each component is optimized for its intended application, providing maximum performance benefits.

Applications: The laser machining of grooves and features on rotating seals and bearing surfaces has a wide range of applications, including:

• Enhancing the performance of pumps and compressors.
• Improving the efficiency of turbines and other rotating machinery.
• Optimizing the operation of valves and other fluid control devices.

Production of Down-Hole Sensing Assemblies Optical fibers and associated technology can be packaged into highly ruggedized assemblies for remote sensing of various parameters such as temperature, acoustics, direction, and force.

By integrating multiple sensing capabilities into a single assembly, we enable comprehensive data collection from various parameters simultaneously. This holistic approach to data acquisition allows for a more detailed analysis of well conditions and performance.

Applications: Our down-hole sensing assemblies are widely used in applications such as:

• Monitoring well integrity and stability.
• Detecting and analyzing seismic activities.
• Measuring the efficiency of hydraulic fracturing operations.
• Assessing the performance of down-hole tools and equipment.

Production of Calibration Standards In the rigorous testing environment of Oil & Gas, reference defects in components are often requested to validate on and offline inspection systems such as PIGS (Pipeline Inspection Gauge Systems) and during equipment commissioning. For discrete containers, reference defects ensure in-process inspection is functioning correctly.

Applications: Our calibration standards are used in a variety of applications, including:

• Validating the performance of PIGS in pipeline inspections.
• Testing and commissioning new inspection equipment and systems.
• Ensuring the accuracy of in-process inspections for storage tanks and pressure vessels.

Production of Gas Sensors Our advanced manufacturing techniques enable the creation of gas sensor components with precisely controlled hole diameters and geometries.. These profiles allow certain molecules to leak from the sensor in a controlled manner, providing manufacturers with improved MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) and device lifetimes.

Applications: Our gas sensor component systems are utilized in a variety of applications within the oil and gas industry, including:

• Monitoring air quality in confined spaces and areas with limited ventilation.
• Detecting the presence of hazardous gases to ensure worker safety.
• Measuring gas concentrations in processing plants and storage facilities.

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