Connect projects to each receive $125,000 in funding
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and The University of Texas at San
Antonio (UTSA) announced two new research projects through the
Connecting through Research Partnerships (Connect) Program. Each project
will receive $125,000 in funding. One project will research a new
technique to mitigate cracking and corrosion in piping and related
equipment used by the oil and gas industry and the other will
investigate the development of a traffic management system that will be
powered using sustainable thermal energy.
The risks to safety and the environment associated with material failure
for deep sea drilling and oil transmission pipelines are enormous.
Material failure caused by corrosion is a significant risk identified by
the oil and gas industry. SwRI and UTSA will collaborate to identify
changes in solution chemistry and oxide film composition that cause
localized corrosion and cracking. The team will use Raman Spectroscopy
and electrochemical corrosion measurements to evaluate and address
critical corrosion pathways that can be mitigated by selecting
appropriate inhibitors or advanced materials.
James Dante, manager of the SwRI Environmental Performance of Materials
Section, will collaborate with Dr. Brendy C. Rincon Troconis, an
assistant professor in the UTSA Department of Mechanical Engineering, on
“Effects of Triazine-Based H2S Scavenger Byproducts on the
Film Composition and Cracking of Carbon Steel in Oilfield Applications.”
“SwRI is a recognized leader in the corrosion community with extensive
expertise in the oil and gas industry,” Dante said. “SwRI is using this
expertise and well developed testing infrastructure to work
collaboratively with UTSA to bring new methods of assessing the
mechanisms of corrosion in harsh oil and gas environments.”
For the second project, SwRI and UTSA propose developing a novel traffic
system that would harvest ambient energy as a power source for sensors
that would detect traffic and activate signage. Texas road fatalities in
rural areas reached a record high in 2016, about 2.4 times greater than
fatality rates in urban areas. A potential cause may be the lack of
signals at intersections.
SwRI’s Dr. Jerome Helffrich, an Institute scientist in the Applied
Physics Division, and UTSA’s Dr. Samer Dessouky, an associate professor
in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, will
collaborate on “Promoting Sustainability and Safety for Texas Rural
Roadways through Self-Powered Sensing and Detection Systems.”
“We are excited about collaborating with UTSA to improve Texas
roadways,” Helffrich said. “Our work endeavors to combine SwRI expertise
in sensors and electronics with UTSA expertise in electronics, highway
construction and management. We plan to develop a traffic sensor that is
cheaper and less complex than those typically used. This sensor-based
system can be implemented in rural areas where costs have discouraged
the use of traffic control systems. This idea, if successful, will bring
high-tech sensors and warning signage to dangerous intersections in
rural areas to reduce crashes, fatalities and operational costs.”
The Connect program enhances scientific collaboration between SwRI and
UTSA and increases their research funding base. Since 2010, the joint
SwRI-UTSA Connect Program has funded 13 projects.
“These chosen projects also fit within our developing Smart Cities and
Sustainable Communities/Critical Infrastructure research portfolio and
will benefit all citizens of Texas and beyond. Open collaboration within
our network of research institutions here in San Antonio is key in
developing practical solutions to address critical often aging resources
and assets,” added Dr. Bernard Arulanandam, Interim Vice President for
Research, UTSA.
“The Connect projects that were selected this year deal with two
important infrastructure assets, roads and pipelines,” said SwRI
Executive Vice President and COO Walt Downing. “UTSA faculty and
graduate students working together with SwRI scientists and engineers
will develop innovative technologies to increase public safety.”
https://www.swri.org/press-release/swri-utsa-jointly-invest-corrosion-energy-projects
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171109006238/en/
Copyright Business Wire 2017
Source: Business Wire
(November 9, 2017 - 1:19 PM EST)
News by QuoteMedia
www.quotemedia.com