Oil and Gas - Research & Development

As with our work in the cable industry, SEtech has been at the forefront on trenching research for pipeline ands umbilical's including burial performance predictions and equipment development. .

Some of the projects undertaken are listed below.

Water Jet Trenching, 2000
Small scale laboratory testing to investigate water jet trenching of soft clays. The work was undertaken for SEtech as part of an MEng project at Newcastle University.

Axial Friction of Pipelines, 2000
Investigation of axial friction properties of coated pipelines. The work was sponsored by a main installation contractor and undertaken at Newcastle University.

Upheaval Buckling Parameters for Pipelines, 2001
Centrifuge testing to determine site specific upheaval buckling parameters for a pipeline in the North Sea. The work was undertaken at Dundee University on behalf of a main installation contractor.

Removal of Drill Cuttings, 2001
Preparation of large scale test beds at EEST marine testing site at Blyth, Northumberland as part of the UKOOA Joint Industry Project on the removal and disposal of drill cuttings.

Rock Cutting Theory, 2003
Review of theoretical aspects of rock cutting as part of trencher development. The work was carried out on behalf of a subsea trenching equipment manufacturer.

Stiff Clay Cutting, 2005
Review of jet cutting theories in stiff clay as part of trencher development. The work was carried out on behalf of a subsea trenching equipment manufacturer.

Upheaval Buckling Parameters of Rock Dump, 2006
A series of full scale pipeline pull out tests were performed at Newcastle University to investigate the upheaval buckling resistance provided by rock dump. The work was undertaken on behalf of a leading oil and gas operator.