Structural Integrity
Management
www.cranfield.ac.uk/energy
Energy
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a wholly postgraduate institution in the UK, with a global
reputation for inspirational teaching and research, industrial-scale facilities and
superior links with industry and commerce.
Working in partnership with key players in the energy sector, Cranfield University
enjoys an outstanding international reputation for the quality of its work, gained
from many years of successful research, providing expert advice and consultancy
on industrial projects both to Government and the private sector organisations.
Our income earned from competitively won research grants and contracts is
consistently in the top five UK universities.
Cranfield is internationally renowned for its expertise in
offshore structural integrity including inspection and
testing. Our team is engaged in a diverse range of
consultancy projects, research, teaching and bespoke
CPD programmes that are supported by industrial scale
facilities on campus.
Your business can benefit from exploiting our unique
knowledge and expertise, and our flexible consultative
approach. You will be working with people who are
passionate about knowledge transfer and improving
the performance of your business. Consultancy
projects can range from use of laboratory facilities to
long-term change projects. Solutions might be based
around improving the competitiveness of your
company, such as improving product designs, quality
or manufacturing processes, reducing costs,
increasing efficiency or developing bespoke
prototypes or analysis software programmes.
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Cranfield University Energy
Our capabilities in this area are:
 Offshore Structural Analysis:
 Failure Analysis
 Fatigue Testing of Materials and Components
 Fracture Mechanics Analysis
 Inspection Reliability Trials
 Engineering Criticality Analysis.
The team conducts internationally leading research
into the fatigue and damage modelling of large marine
structures. This also involves the evaluation of suitable
inspection and monitoring approaches and integrating
results into appropriate fitness-for-service and
Engineering Criticality assessments. Work carried out
uses a combination of experimentally based and
analytical/ numerical approaches.
Energy
Cranfield University
Energy Asset and Integrity Management
An energy asset refers to every structure, component or system employed in an energy installation be it for wind,
tidal or a conventional energy structure such as pipelines or an offshore oil rig. The elements, whilst providing a
source of energy, can wreak havoc on these costly installations – the earth, wind and water can corrode materials
over time, whilst heat can distort structures with the intensity generated in power plants. Minimising maintenance
costs and extending service life is essential for the energy industry not only due to the financial implications, but
other drivers such as safety and loss of performance. Integrity management is therefore a critical activity for both
conventional and renewable energy providers and manufacturers.
Areas of expertise
Fatigue and Fracture Analysis
Structural Reliability Analysis
Methods of assessment to test fitness for purpose and
repair with minimal impact to overall performance.
Providing design optimisation by systematic quantification
of uncertainties and calibrating design standards.
Requalification of Structures
Composite Materials
Extending the service life of installations by improving
structural integrity.
Determine the properties of new materials to optimise
design and manufacturing.standards.
Design of Structures and Components
Corrosion Analysis
Design, analysis and performance assessment of
structures and structural details. Testing and
characterization of new materials. Engineering for
installation, manufacturing and large-scale production.
With a focus on modern materials such as very thick
plates where combined effect of fatigue and corrosion
assessment is required.
Reliability of inspection and monitoring systems; recent years have seen enormous activity in t he development of
Integrity Monitoring equipment and systems. Advances in wireless communication, miniaturisation of electronics,
increased processing and data storage have fuelled this explosion in sensor and system development that
promises to provide high quality mechanical integrity information that will allow optimum use of facilities whilst
improving safety and reliability. Systems based on technology that could in the past only be used under
laboratory conditions are now frequently deployed in the field very often claiming accuracy and reliability
commensurate with laboratory measurements. Monitoring is certainly an exciting prospect and has many
advantages over traditional NDT; there are however, some very fundamental issues that must be resolved to
benefit fully from these new technologies. Not least of these is providing the facilities manager with the
appropriate understanding of the reliability of the inspection and monitoring techniques and how this information
can be integrated into fitness-for-service and criticality assessments.
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Energy Cranfield University
Energy
Cranfield University
Facilities
Structural Integrity Laboratory
The Structural Integrity Laboratory has a range of servo-hydraulic materials and fatigue testing facilities, from 100kN to
2.5MN capacity, as standard test machines or as test rigs built about full or large-scale components. Loading of
specimens and components is possible under unaxial tension-compression, bending and rotating bend arrangements. A
pipe pressure-temperature rig is available and used for testing and verification of composite pipeline repair systems.
A range of inspection/NDT equipment and structural health monitoring systems are used for crack and stress
measurement. The laboratory specialises in the testing of non-standard specimens and components, development
of fatigue design rules, acceptance testing and inspection reliability trials.
Ocean Systems Test Laboratory (Wave-Towing Tank)
The facility was specifically designed for model testing at the early stage of marine renewable projects. The combination
of wave and towing capabilities in addition to a team having expertise in Hydrodynamics and Turbomachinery enable us
to cater for the particular needs of the Marine Renewable Energy Industry (Wave, Tidal and Offshore Wind); In particular,
dynamic response of support structures in wind-wave-current, turbine design and turbine performance assessment. The
towing carriage features a bespoke design towing post capable of conducting resistance and stability tests in calm waters
and waves. Dynamic response tests of a ship/yacht in a seaway can also be undertaken.
The facility has the following characteristics:
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Tank Length: 30.0 m
Tank Height: 1.8 m
Wave height: 280mm peak to trough
Max drag: 200 N
Tidal turbine interaction test rig
Accelerometers/Gyrometers
Load Cells
Full video recording equipment and editing facilities
Fully equipped workshop.
Multi-Component Balances from 30N - 2N.m up to
2500N - 400N.m.
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Tank Width: 1.5 m
Water depth: 1.5 m
Working frequency: 0.10Hz to 1.1Hz
Max payload: 30 kg
Tidal device deployment simulator
Tension/Compression
Ultrasonic and resistive wave gauges
Adaptative towing post for ships and yachts Fully
instrumented horizontal and vertical axis tidal
turbine test rigs (motor and generator modes)
Professional Development Short
courses
In addition to our postgraduate teaching Cranfield offers a variety of CPD and short courses in Energy, with the ability to
tailor courses for industrial clients. Examples of our courses include:
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Advanced Control Systems
Advanced Offshore Inspection & Evaluation
Biofuels Process Technology
Carbon Capture Technologies
Carbon Transport Technologies
Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Concentrating Solar Power (CSP)
Corrosion in the Offshore Environment
Cost Engineering in the Oil and Gas Industry Introduction
Engineering Structural Integrity: Energy and
Power Applications
Environmental Management
Fluid Mechanics & Loading
Fundamental & Practical Offshore Inspection &
Monitoring
Gear Design
Heat Transfer
Industrial Heating Systems
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Materials in the Offshore Environment
Multiphase Flows
Offshore Inspection
Offshore Pipeline Design and Installation
Power Electronics & Machines
Power Generation Systems
Process Measurement Systems
Process Plant Operation
Process Simulation & Design
Production Technology & Chemistry
Pumps & Pumping Systems
Reliability Engineering & Asset Risk Management
Risk and Reliability Engineering
Safety, Risk and Reliability Offshore
Stress Analysis through Finite Element Modelling
Subsea Oil & Gas Exploitations
Testing & Routes to Certification
Thermal Systems Operation & Design
For further information on our cpabailities, facilities and training, please
contact Professor Feargal Brennan at: f.brennan@cranfield.ac.uk
SoE1443
Further information