The following is an excerpt.
«The allocation of research funding is worth its weight in gold to the company. It provides predictability», according to entrepreneur Jens Kristian Holmen.
«The project has a total budget of 12.5 MNOK», Jens Kristian Holmen tells the newspaper Drammens Tidende(+). Holmen is a former PhD candidate at SIMLab. He founded Enodo AS two years ago, together with Joakim Johnsen. Johnsen also earned his The two own 30 percent each of the company, while NTNU Technology Transfer owns the other shares.
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Now, the small company has joined forces with two of the international petroleum sector’s heavyweights: Equinor and Baker Hughes. The first is the Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company operating in 36 countries. American Baker Hughes Company is one of the world’s largest oil field services companies, with operations in over 120 countries.
Impact on savings and security
The aim of the innovation project is to develop a methodology that makes it possible to evaluate the structural integrity of PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride ) pressure liners in flexible risers. According to the Research Council of Norway, the knowledge from the project can have an impact on factors such as material savings, higher security on the Norwegian shelf and reduced costs for energy companies. Also, the expertise from the project can be transferred to other business sectors. Examples: offshore wind and CO2 transport related to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
Both Jens Kristian Holmen (photo) and Joakim Johnsen are graduates from NTNU’s Department of Structural engineering. Holmen earned his PhD in ballistics, while Johnsen´s topic was polymers. Enodo AS offers advanced material modelling and finite element simulations. The company specialise in simulations of deformation, failure, and fracture in aluminium and steel.
«For example, we can calculate loads on pipes that go from the seabed up to oil platforms», Holmen explains to Drammens Tidende.
Keep R&D activity up
Thus, they can assess how great a danger there is, for example, for crack formations and predict the lifespan of the pipes. To know if, and when, they need to change pipes, is of great economic importance for the oil companies. In addition, this knowledge can increase the safety of oil production.
The allocation of research funding is part of the Norwegian Government and the Research Council’s effort to mobilise the industry for more research and innovation. This year, 1 090 MNK in total is allocated to innovation projects in several industries.
– It has been important for the Research Council to put funds into action quickly to keep R&D activity up through the crisis. There is great potential for green change and new business opportunities in the projects. It has never been more critical to keep up, says Anne Kjersti Fahlvik, area director for business development and innovation in the Research Council in a press release.
