Case studies

By rskadmin

Taking the lead in materials engineering design

Larkton director Dr Liane Smith was a pioneer in establishing a rules-based approach to material selection for upstream oil and gas wells, pipelines and facilities. The methodology combined analytical rigour with pragmatic problem simplification and became the de facto material selection standard for the global industry. It has provided the justification for extending asset life and reducing life-cycle costs, contributing significantly to the economic success of many projects across the globe. Dr Smith was appointed a Fellow of NACE International in 2009 for her pioneering approach to materials selection.

Larkton materials and corrosion experts designed the technical basis of the reknowned Electronic Corrosion Engineer (ECE™) software for corrosion resistant alloy selection*. Larkton’s new state-of-the-art Larkton CM software provides updated capability for corrosion analysis and materials selection in the oil and gas production and related industries.

Amongst the extensive reference list of corrosion analysis and materials engineering projects carried out by Larkton experts over several decades are some of the world’s largest and most complex production systems, many of the most demanding well designs, the most extreme corrosion conditions and challenging materials selection problems. It is a testament to the expertise of our staff that we have maintained a failure–free track record whilst also having a reputation for selecting the most cost-effective material for the task. Our reference list is available on request.

*ECE is a trademark of John Wood Group PLC.

By rskadmin

Software design and advanced integrity management of wells

Following the rigorous analysis of the many potential causes of production- and injection-well failure, Dr Liane Smith led the design of the well-integrity management software, which was commercialised as the iWIT™ Well Integrity Toolkit.* This software significantly reduced the risk of developing serious leaks, prolonged well life and formed the basis of a data analytics platform for optimising well productivity.

In 2012, Intetech Ltd (the company Liane founded in 1991 and worked for at the time) was awarded the Queen’s Award for Innovation for developing and globally commercialising iWIT.

IT projects are notoriously difficult to keep to schedule and cost. Our experience in developing world-leading software products and managing software development teams over 20 years gives us a firm basis for advising clients on how to achieve a successful product design and project outcome.

*iWIT is a trademark of John Wood Group PLC.

By rskadmin

The data-enabled economy and the Internet of Things

In 2011, Dr Liane Smith’s sustained contribution in her career to many specialist engineering topics (materials, welding, clad steel, corrosion modelling, carbon sequestration, well integrity, risk management, cost engineering and software design) was recognised by the award of a Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE).

As the UK’s national academy for engineering and technology, the Royal Academy of Engineering brings together the most talented and successful engineers – the Fellows – to advance and promote excellence in engineering for the benefit of society. Their expertise provides independent advice to government and provides leadership for the profession and engineering research.

Dr Smith contributed to several academy reports for the UK government on how the UK can create a “data-enabled” economy through the use of data analytics supported by data science and advanced data connectivity. Larkton clients benefit enormously from the breadth and depth of expertise that Larkton brings in from its industrial and academic contacts.

Connecting data: driving productivity and innovation

Internet of Things