£1.24-million sponsorship awarded as drilling contractors venture into deeper waters in search of energy
05/11/2010
The Lloyd's Register Educational Trust (The LRET) has awarded a consortium of three prestigious universities more than £1.2 million to jointly conduct research into deepwater engineering and hydrodynamics.
£1.24-million sponsorship awarded as drilling contractors venture into deeper waters in search of energy
The Lloyd's Register Educational Trust (The LRET) has awarded a consortium of three prestigious universities more than £1.2 million to jointly conduct research into deepwater engineering and hydrodynamics.
The 5-year sponsorship, which is expected to support safer and 'greener' drilling practises at deep-sea oil-and-gas fields, was awarded to the University College London (UCL), in the UK, Shanghai Jiaotong University and Harbin Engineering University, both in China.
They will establish the Joint LRET Centre and are expected to liaise closely with other LRET-funded research centres at the National University of Singapore, the University of Western Australia and the University of Aberdeen, deepening the global collaborative research network funded by The LRET.
"The search for new hydrocarbon fields is pushing drilling contractors into deeper and deeper water, sometimes in excess of 2km. This has lead to the development of many new types of floating structures, the potential performances of which under extremely hostile ocean conditions need to be closely assessed," said LRET Director Michael Franklin. "This sponsorship is expected to engender a greater understanding of the environment in which deepwater structures operate and it is very much in line with our mission to support a global network of research centres which ultimately will share their findings with society at large."
The universities were chosen for their historic commitments to engineering and research, and all have been previous recipients of funding from The LRET, mainly through academic scholarships.
The Department of Mechanical Engineering at UCL has a strong tradition of ocean engineering and naval architecture. In the 1970s and 80s, the university hosted the London Centre for Marine Technology, where much of the research that supported the development of the oil and gas fields in the North Sea took place.
Shanghai Jiaotong is one China's oldest and most prestigious universities. Its School of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Civil Engineering is the alma mater of many of the country's top maritime executives, while Harbin Engineering specialises in merchant shipping and ocean exploration.
"UCL is renowned for the world-class expertise of its staff. This joint sponsorship will allow us to apply that expertise towards understanding the new engineering-related challenges facing the offshore industry," said UCL's Prof Wu Guoxiong, who will chair the Joint LRET Centre. "Ultimately, we believe this research will help the offshore community to operate more safely, more efficiently and in a manner which is less damaging to the environment."
Some of the research projects to be undertaken include and analyses of: the risks associated with the interaction between internal waves and structures; deep ocean currents and the way they influence the loading effects on structures; vortex-induced vibrations; vortex-induced motion; the impact of severe waves and 'green-water' on FPSOs; and deep-water float-over installation methods.
The LRET is a wholly independent charity created by the Lloyd's Register Group, its sole benefactor. In declaring its annual results last month, the Group said it would donate another £10 million to the LRET in the 2010/11 fiscal year.
Ends
Notes to editors
The Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust (The LRET) is an independent charity that was established in 2004. Its principal purpose is to support advances in transportation, science, engineering and technology education, training and research worldwide for the benefit of all. It also funds work that enhances the safety of life and property at sea, on land and in the air. The LRET focuses on four categories:
pre-university education: through appropriate organisations (but not individual schools), promotes careers in science, engineering and technology to young people, their parents and teachers
university education: provides funding for undergraduate and post-graduate scholarships and awards at selected universities and colleges (does not fund students directly)
vocational training and professional development: supports professional institutions, educational and training establishments working with people of all ages.
research: funds existing or new centres of excellence at institutes and universities.
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Lloyd’s Register Educational Trust (Reg. No. 1111853) is a charity registered in England and Wales.
Registered Office: 71 Fenchurch Street, London, EC3M 4BS, United Kingdom.