Imperial signs research deal in Qatar
Kunal Wagle reports on the recent agreement between Imperial College London, Qatar University and Qatar Shell Research and Technology Centre
On Tuesday 2nd June, Imperial College London signed an agreement with Qatar University (QU) and the Qatar Shell Research and Technology Centre (QSTRC) that covered corrosion prevention in wet sour gas pipelines.
The signing took place at Qatar University. The deal was signed by representatives from QU and QSTRC, as well as Mary Ryan, Professor of Materials Science and Technology at Imperial College London.
Imperial’s research on the subject will hope to increase the lifetime of pipelines in Qatar. Qatar has recently faced the technical challenge of dealing with the corrosion of pipelines that transport sour oil and gas. The research will make use of state of the art analytical techniques.
As part of the agreement, Qatar University will use its Centre for Advanced Materials to develop the capability to study pipeline corrosion. The university already provides assistance to the local industries in oil, gas and processing.
Speaking about the signing, Dr Hassan Al-Derham, who is the Vice President for Research at QU, said “At Qatar University, apart from providing education, we enhance social change and continuous economic development of the country and the world at large through research and partnership with industrial operators.
“This agreement with Qatar Shell which is focused on understanding scaling and corrosion in sour gas pipelines, aligns with QU’s research priorities and is integral to Qatar’s vision of becoming a knowledge-based society where research plays a vital role in resolving emerging issues, especially concerning the oil and gas industry, the country’s main source of revenue for development.”
Youssif Saleh, the General Manager of QSRTC, said, “In line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, Qatar Shell is committed to identifying research collaborations that address real challenges impacting our business, that bring together coalitions involving key local research institutions, and which offer the opportunity for direct applicability for the benefit of the State of Qatar.
“Shell is proud of the investments that we make in innovation and research, but we’re also delighted that we can support Qatar’s ambition to develop research capacity in the country.”
Prof Ryan said “We are excited about this new research program to develop fundamental understanding of complex multi-scale systems in order to address real world technical challenges. We look forward to working with QU and QSRTC to develop a new approach towards delivering robust, innovative solutions to pipeline integrity issues facing the oil and gas industry in Qatar.”
