CorDEX Instruments to Donate £150,000 of Equipment to University of Aberdeen and Launch New Partnership

CorDEX Instruments (UK) has forged a strategic partnership with the University of Aberdeen, investing £150,000 to provide intrinsically safe and explosion proof technologies for use in research.

The deal will see CorDEX provide equipment and onsite training in the correct use of these groundbreaking oil and gas tools, which are certified for safe use offshore and in explosive environments.

Over the next three years, CorDEX will donate its latest handheld devices to the university. The ToughPIX digital camera and UT5000 Intrinsically Safe Thickness Gauge, which measures pipeline thickness to detect corrosion, are being supplied in the first phase. A student will spend the summer using the UT5000 - the world’s first pipeline tester designed for use offshore – in a research project.

Dr Neill Renton, head of chemical engineering within the Department of Engineering welcomed the new partnership. He said: “CorDEX Instruments’ tools are groundbreaking and we are excited about the prospect of having access to the equipment and also the expertise that the CorDEX team will bring to the department.

“The UT5000 Intrinsically Safe Thickness Gauge is of particular interest as I know first-hand how much of a challenge asset integrity and corrosion testing is for the oil and gas industry. To have access to a tool that can be brought offshore or into a plant at any time without having to wait for a scheduled shutdown has the potential to change the way operators work.

“The cost and time saving on the administration alone is staggering and if you add to that the value of the data the tool records and its ability to build predictive maintenance reports, the impact could be far reaching. It has the potential to improve safety inspections in ageing assets, which supports the Health and Safety Executive’s KP4 inspection standards introduced last year.”

Tony Holliday, CEO of CorDEX Instruments said: “It is incredibly important for us to forge these ties with key academic institutions. The University of Aberdeen is a leading educator of engineers in the UK and we are pleased to be involved in the cutting-edge research taking place there. We feel it is vital for students of this discipline to gain knowledge from current industry practice and we hope to achieve this through the partnership.”

CorDEX aims to give the students a better understanding of the tools available in the workplace and the restrictions required when working within hazardous petrochemical environments.

MSc student Ryan Maurice will be putting the technology to use over the summer as part of his Subsea Engineering degree.

He said: “My dissertation on pipeline corrosion and reliability aims to build a model for corrosion patterns which will be used as part of the university’s overall research on this area, and may even be adopted by industry. It is crucial to have accurate results and the equipment we had before wasn’t very reliable or quick. The UT5000 will not only provide enhanced time efficiency but will also validate the outcomes of my research.

“It is of great benefit as a student to be able to access these kinds of tools so we can be up to date with the latest developments in engineering, which will also stand us in good stead when we start our careers in oil and gas.”

The University of Aberdeen has an extensive Education Partnership Programme so that skills and knowledge can be shared between the academic institution and industry. The relationship with CorDEX means that as well as offering the instruments, software and test rigs, the company will also be involved in training and seminars to add industry perspective to their area of expertise.