Technical Specialist: Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (KTP Associate) (619536)

FTE: 1.0 (37 hours per week)

Term: Fixed for 30 months

Closing Date: 11 October 2024

The Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering in partnership with National Oilwell Varco (NOV) UK Limited (https://www.nov.com/) are seeking to appoint a KTP Associate to develop and manage a calibration system for advanced Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) of complex geometry parts. The post will be predominantly based at NOV’s site in Forfar, Angus with visits to the University of Strathclyde campus and NOV Montrose.

NOV is a worldwide provider of equipment and components used in oil and gas drilling and production operations, oilfield services, and supply chain integration services to the upstream oil and gas industry. The company operates in more than 500 locations across six continents through three reporting segments: Rig Technologies, Wellbore Technologies, and Completion & Production Solutions.

The NOV team in Forfar is responsible for the standardisation of non-destructive evaluation (NDE) procedures for the oilwell drilling equipment across the globe. Conventional calibration practiced by NOV can be unreliable, as the testing equipment may travel thousands of miles overseas after the initial calibration. The rigours of the journey can alter the characteristics of the calibration equipment and thus make comparison to equipment in the field unreliable. NOV's oilwell drilling components are often metres in span and extremely heavy, which makes it practically impossible to have standard reference blocks of the same size as the original equipment. Therefore, the company is seeking to recruit a candidate with background and expertise in PAUT NDE to develop permanent capacity to design, manufacture, and use sensitivity pieces for in-field inspection of equipment using PAUT equipment. Introducing portable, down-scaled sensitivity pieces for calibration use in the field will transform the reliability of NDE processes and safety of the components in operation, minimising the risks of failure and shutdown. The accuracy of manufactured sensitivity piece is critical: the defects/discontinuities must be reliable and consistent with the piece of equipment targeted for calibration.

The project is part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme that aims to help businesses to innovate and grow by working with UK universities. Successful Knowledge Transfer Partnership projects are funded by UK Research and Innovation through Innovate UK and are part of the government’s Industrial Strategy. To find out how KTP works and the vital role you will play if you successfully secure a KTP Associate position please visit: www.ktpws.org.uk

The objective of this project is to conduct PAUT studies through modelling and experiments on a range of NOV’s complex components to develop a phased array ultrasound testing procedure for such components. This will include the design, manufacturing and validation of bespoke sensitivity and calibration pieces. The main goal is to embed the knowledge and experience of inspection procedure design and development within the company. **Continued, see Further Particulars**

Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Dr Ehsan Mohseni, Electronic & Electrical Engineering (ehsan.mohseni@strath.ac.uk).

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