The installation and operation of assets in any environment carries uncertainty. As engineers we want to assess and allow for that and as far as we can to quantify it.

High-quality appropriate testing is an excellent way to demonstrate performance and reduce uncertainty. By applying seasoned engineering expertise allied to technical and practical skills underwritten by international class consultancy we have set our objective as nothing less than a new standard for bespoke and custom testing.

Sited close to the ROSEN offices in Newcastle, our new test facility at Brunswick offers bespoke and empirical testing capabilities, custom delivered against what may be unique or unusual client requirements.
 
The objectives at Brunswick are to reduce risk, maintain integrity and extend the service life of valuable assets operating across a range of environments.

Laboratory facilities and bespoke test rigs serve to identify the weakness or otherwise of assets and to evaluate their resistance to a range of degradation mechanisms and their effects over time in the harshest environments. The aim is to build trust in existing assets and confidence in new products and adaptations.
 
We can meet any requirement a client may have to plot and predict the performance, durability and behaviour of their products, including examination of failed components to verify cause of failure – a vital facet of product quality control.

The operational benefits of such knowledge are understood in our industry and the savings in downtime, servicing and maintenance schedules are all essential in a cost-aware and safety-conscious environment, anywhere in the world.
 
ROSEN is a trusted partner in the global oil and gas industry and in associated and supporting industries. This new facility and the people who manage it will build on that trust. We believe this is a unique service.
 


Breakdown of services:


Under Pressure
The new facility offers testing services for specialist applications which include pneumatic pressure testing and flow testing up to 10bar. At the other end of the scale, low pressure can be applied down to as little as 25mbar.
Hydrostatic strength/proof testing and burst tests up to 60bar or pressure cycling at as much as 120bar will validate or establish the working performance parameters of submitted vessels.
Cyclic pressure testing will reveal fatigue and cracking data which can be reported upon operationally to offer predictive analyses in the field.

Carry that Weight
Mechanical testing for specialist applications at the site include vibration testing, with agitation applied over time, three point bending of pipe and vessels and testing for tensile strength.
Tests are routinely run for crushing and impact forces, replicating what may happen on site and in the field.
Reports and data gathered help assess the possible consequences of mechanical forces - and failure - on vessels when in situ.
The team can modify any equipment to suit whatever comes through the door.

Heat of the Moment
Sealed units can operate at continuous air temperatures from -20°C to +50°C and are large enough - typically standard container size - to house a majority of units to be tested.
Anything too large for our standard housings becomes a bespoke project to which we apply our considerable ingenuity. Part of the facility’s purpose is to manage non-standard challenges.
Due in late 2017, a large heated water bath system will be available to support component and full scale submerged pressure testing up to 90 degree Celsius.

The Acid Test
We can recreate exposure to challenging environments in many ways. Units can be put to accelerated ageing tests in simulated salt fog spray, under enhanced ultra-violet light and in condensation and freezer chambers.
Coating thicknesses and dry film thickness can be analysed for deterioration under these conditions and adhesion and abrasion testing conducted. We can report on coating defects with metallography testing under microscopic examination. We also subject  surfaces to grit/bristle blasting and to polishing wheels, reporting results using the standard Vickers Hardness test.

Welding Engineering
No testing facility can ignore welding engineering in an oil and gas context. The testing station is committed to welding procedure validation and testing of welding processes, individual welds and to welding best practice.
Extensive space has been recently allocated for three weld bays and, accessing the welding engineering expertise in the larger ROSEN group we will offer testing of any proposed welding process under laboratory conditions from Q4 2017.
These work in conjunction with the existing metallographic laboratory on site to determine best practice and best outcome. The laboratory can conduct investigations on metals and welds at a microscopic level.

Outbound/Inbound
The team at ROSEN have many years’ experience in the industry and where necessary will travel to any installations for on-site testing of valves, pipeline and other mechanisms if transport is impossible.
As for on-site access, the new facility is located near the A1 and has vehicular access for the largest road-carried loads. Newcastle International airport is only a few miles away and of course, Newcastle is one of the UK’s oldest and biggest ports.