Use of standard samples for qualification inspections of testing laboratory for analysis safety of meat and meat products

This article provides insights into qualification testing, interlaboratory comparative testing, and qualification testing programs in testing laboratories that analyze the safety of meat and meat products. Samples with codes OK-MB- 21 were used as a model for interlaboratory comparisons. The uniformity and stability of the CC code was assessed in accordance with GOST R 50779.60-2017 “Statistical methods. Application in proficiency testing through interlaboratory testing ”. Seven laboratories participated in the proficiency testing program. The test preparation procedure was described and the test results determined whether each sample tested was satisfactory or questionable. Participants with unsatisfactory results are encouraged to identify the causes of the alarms, take corrective actions and document them, and identify and eliminate the causes of the unsatisfactory results.

Remote Activated Completion Technology Enhances Operational Efficiency of Offshore Wells in Middle East

To access a larger amount of pay zone, well trajectories are becoming longer and more complex, creating greater challenges for running completion liners. A liner shoe is a casing accessory tool that aids in the running of completion liners in long wells by allowing auto-filling of the liner and enabling pumping through the bottom of the liner. Upon reaching planned liner depth, the liner shoe is closed to allow for pressure testing and subsequent completion operations. Conventional methods used to close a liner shoe involve well intervention to set plugs or by dropping a ball, and there are inherent costs and risks associated with these operations. This paper presents the development and deployment of a remotely activated electronic liner shoe (ELS) for offshore applications that enables interventionless closing of the liner shoe, thereby improving operational efficiency, and reducing potential operational issues that could occur while closing the liner shoe conventionally. The ELS allows the operator to precisely control when the liner shoe closes – either based on pre-programmed pressure signals, a timer, or a combination of the two. A major operator in the Middle East required an ELS to be developed and qualified specifically for their offshore well conditions. A new technology qualification program was devised in collaboration with the operator to qualify both the electronic and mechanical functionalities of the tool. This paper documents the methods and results of the extensive qualification test program. The development and qualification process were successfully completed within 10 months at research and development facilities in Norway. Following qualification testing, the ELS was first deployed for the operator in an offshore well in Q4 of 2019. Operational considerations in programming the remote functionality of the tool is presented in this paper. After a successful field trial, the ELS has been run in more than 15 offshore wells and has become the standard option in the operator's completion program.

Seismic testing of a static power static transfer switch

This test report documents seismic qualification testing of a Static Power Static Transfer Switch (STS). The STS is a mission-critical unit that will be installed at Eareckson Air Station (EAS), on the island of Shemya, Alaska. Two units were built, one of which was tested on the ERDC-CERL shake table on 10 November 2020, and the other delivered to EAS for installation. This report presents details on the STS configuration, seismic tests conducted, and the performance of the unit. The unit passed the final seismic test and can now confidently be installed at the EAS.

An Industry First: Concept Selection, Material Testing, and Modelling Process for a Successful Managed Pressure Open Hole Gravel Pack Project

One of the major technical challenges to this project was placing horizontal open hole gravel packs (HzOHGP) within the narrow pore pressure to frac-gradient (PPFG) margin in the target reservoirs. This paper addresses the steps taken to overcome this challenge. To maximize the use of the narrow PPFG margin, the project combined a managed pressure drilling (MPD) system with low gravel placement pump rates made possible by an ultra-light-weight proppant (ULWP). Of the MPD systems available, the Controlled Mud Level (CML) system was selected over the Surface Back Pressure (SBP) system for several reasons. It enabled conventional gravel pack pumping operations and equipment and it accommodated the brine weight needed to inhibit the shales. A series of lab tests showed that the completion fluid density required to inhibit the reservoir shale reactivity was only possible using CML. An overall evaluation of CML showed that it was most suitable and offered the greatest flexibility for the gravel pack job design. The special ceramic ULWP had to be qualified and tested. The qualification testing ranged from standard API and compatibility tests to full scale flow loop testing. The flow loop tests were needed to measure the ULWP transport velocity for the target wellbore geometry. Understanding the transport velocity is critical for gravel pack design and job execution planning. Once MPD and ceramic ULWP were selected, the gravel pack placement operations were simulated to demonstrate that their features increased the likelihood of successfully gravel packing in the target reservoirs. Small PPFG margins decrease the probability of success of placing a HzOHGP. In the target formations, the pressure margin is insufficient to safely execute HzOHGP conventionally; instead, the project combined MPD and the low pump rates facilitated by using ULWP to control circulating pressures to stay inside the narrow margin and place the gravel packs. The integration of CML and ULWP into in a gravel pack operation to control circulating pressures has never been done. The concept and its successful field implementation are industry firsts.

Qualification of Barrier Fluidless, Sealless Seawater Canned Motor Pumps

The oil and gas industry continues to push toward subsea pumping technologies that minimize required support systems and increase system reliability. Canned motor technology has been applied successfully in other applications to achieve similar objectives including driving a subsea twin-screw pump. Applied subsea, canned motors eliminate the need for any barrier fluids within the motor, the myriad of systems and complexities necessary to store and replenish these fluids, and the mechanical shaft seals required to prevent the leaking and/or contamination of these fluids within the motors. As a direct adaptation of proven applications, see Figure 1, subsea water treatment is ideal for canned motor technology. Therefore, a development has been initiated and environment qualification testing of the first truly barrier fluidless, sealless subsea pump solution is complete. This purpose of the paper is to highlight the novel elements of this technology, review the system configuration, and document the system performance in accordance with the TRL 4 qualification initiative.

Optimizing Sour Qualification Testing – Determination and Verification of H₂S Solubility from H₂S/N₂ Gas Mixtures up to 20,000 psig at 70 °F

Traditionally, the H<sub>2</sub>S partial pressure (P<sub>H2S</sub>) of the gas/hydrocarbon phase has been used as the primary sour severity metric for material qualification and selection under ANSI/NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 guidelines. While the P<sub>H2S</sub> is appropriate for characterizing low total pressure systems, the strict, or ideal, Henry’s Law approach leads to over estimation of the dissolved H<sub>2</sub>S concentration (C<sub>H2S</sub>) for high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) wells by up to ~20 times at 70 °F (21 °C). Alternatively, the Ensemble Henry’s Law equation corrects for the non-ideal phase behavior of H<sub>2</sub>S at HPHT conditions and avoids over-estimation of C<sub>H2S</sub>. Given the industry’s reliance on using thermodynamic models to evaluate sour HPHT systems, an investigation was initiated to determine the accuracy of these model calculations. An empirical program was undertaken to verify C<sub>H2S </sub>predictions for the H<sub>2</sub>S-N<sub>2</sub>-H<sub>2</sub>O system. Multiple 2.7-L C-276 lined autoclaves were charged with a fixed inventory of H<sub>2</sub>S in N<sub>2</sub> at multiple total pressure steps, with increasing N<sub>2</sub> pressure, between 30 and 20,000 psig (3 and 1,380 bar) at 70 ± 5 °F (21 ± 3 °C). Per total pressure step, H<sub>2</sub>S levels in both the liquid and gas phases were measured using common H<sub>2</sub>S sampling techniques (H<sub>2</sub>S-specific colorimetric tubes and iodometric titration, respectively), following ANSI/NACE TM0177-2016 guidelines. The results were used to calculate total pressure corrected (apparent) H<sub>2</sub>S solubility coefficients (<sup>A</sup>k<sub>H2S</sub>). Very good agreement was observed between empirically and computationally derived <sup>A</sup>k<sub>H2S</sub> values. Key words: ANSI/NACE TM0177-2016, ANSI/NACE TM0284-2016, Sour testing, Ensemble Henry’s Law, Ionic-equation of state (EOS) frameworks, H2S solubility, Iodometric titration.

Development and application of load profiles for thermal qualification testing of receptacle automotive connectors

Receptacle contacts often are a weak spot of the reliability in electronic systems. During the application phase of the lifecycle, especially in the automotive wiring harness, connectors experience severe loads such as temperature changes. During qualification testing, accelerated tests simulate these thermal stresses. Yet, only the damage mechanisms relevant for service life must be triggered. However, the increasing complexity of electronic components and wiring harnesses demands a continuous adaptation of test strategies. Therefore, this study develops and applies application-oriented load profiles for thermal qualification testing of connectors. Experiments include load profiles inspired by seasonal changes and daily car usage. The tests are carried out on a relative movement test bench as well as in a thermal cycling testing chamber. Contact resistance progression curves, the surface roughness of the contacts, and the area of the stressed contact zones assist in evaluating the effectiveness of the load profiles. All contacts tested during relative movement experiments show no change in contact resistance. The thermal cycling load profile however results in a significant rise in contact resistance. Additionally, the roughness values show varying damages on the contacts due to the different load profiles.

Quantitative Evaluation of SRS Similarity for Aerospace Testing Applications

The similarity between a shock response spectrum (SRS) and a target shock specification is essential in evaluating the success of a qualification test of a space component. Qualification testing facilities often utilize shock response databases for rapid testing. Traditionally, the comparison of two shocks (SRS) depends on visual evaluation, which is, at best, subjective. This paper compares five different quantitative methods for evaluating shock response similarity. This work aims to find the most suitable metric for retrieving an SRS from a pyroshock database. The five methods are the SRS difference, mean acceleration difference, average SRS ratio, dimensionless SRS coefficients, and mean square goodness-of-fit method. None of the similarity metrics account for the sign of the deviation between the target SRS and database SRS, making it challenging to satisfy the criteria for a good shock test. We propose a metric (the weighted distance) for retrieving the most similar SRS to a target SRS specification from a shock database in this work. The weighted distance outperforms the mean square goodness-of-fit and other metrics in database SRS retrieval for rapid qualification testing.

Battery Stress Factor Ranking for Accelerated Degradation Test Planning Using Machine Learning

Lithium-ion batteries power numerous systems from consumer electronics to electric vehicles, and thus undergo qualification testing for degradation assessment prior to deployment. Qualification testing involves repeated charge–discharge operation of the batteries, which can take more than three months if subjected to 500 cycles at a C-rate of 0.5C. Accelerated degradation testing can be used to reduce extensive test time, but its application requires a careful selection of stress factors. To address this challenge, this study identifies and ranks stress factors in terms of their effects on battery degradation (capacity fade) using half-fractional design of experiments and machine learning. Two case studies are presented involving 96 lithium-ion batteries from two different manufacturers, tested under five different stress factors. Results show that neither the individual (main) effects nor the two-way interaction effects of charge C-rate and depth of discharge rank in the top three significant stress factors for the capacity fade in lithium-ion batteries, while temperature in the form of either individual or interaction effect provides the maximum acceleration.