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BP gives $1M to UAA for corrosion lab
Petroleum News
BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. has given a $1 million gift to the University of Alaska Anchorage School of Engineering. UAA said in a Feb. 6 press release that the money will be used to establish the BP Asset Integrity and Corrosion Lab, scheduled to open this fall.
The lab will be the first of its kind in Alaska and will enable the UAA mechanical engineering program to expand its corrosion engineering curriculum and offer hands-on experience to engineering students.
“Not only will this generous gift from BP expand UAA’s areas of academic excellence in the School of Engineering, it will create a stream of well-trained corrosion engineers who are knowledgeable about Alaska’s energy and environmental issues,” UAA Chancellor Tom Case said in a statement.
UAA said the creation of the lab and expansion of the corrosion engineering program will create new advanced training opportunities for engineering students at UAA. The university noted that as North Slope infrastructure enters its fourth decade, the need for homegrown engineers with corrosion experience has never been higher. In addition to the oil and gas industry, UAA said the new lab will benefit other industries, including aviation, military, shipping, fisheries and water/wastewater utilities. The lab’s fuel cell and deep-cycle battery testing and research will also expand the renewable energy capabilities for rural Alaska villages.
“This is an important investment, one that will train qualified Alaskan engineers to fill positions in our industry and others while also creating a sustainable training, testing and research facility for the university,” said BP Exploration (Alaska) President John Mingé in a statement. “In the past decade BP has donated $28 million, both cash and in-kind, to the University of Alaska. BP remains committed to workforce development and Alaska hire.”
CO2 corrosion experiments UAA mechanical engineering assistant professor Matt Cullin said in a statement that among other capabilities, the new lab will allow for CO2 corrosion experiments. “This is especially important since CO2 corrosion is a very serious concern on Alaska’s North Slope,” Cullin said. “We’ll be able to measure corrosion rates and test inhibitor effectiveness right here in Alaska, which has had to be done largely Outside, until now.” Cullin said that the quick turnaround of these experiments will result in more efficient management of Alaska’s energy infrastructure.
The BP Asset and Integrity Lab’s additional capabilities include chemical analysis of liquid and metal samples, ground/wastewater samples and liquid fuels derived from biomass, and the ability to perform fundamental electrochemical experiments.
The lab will create opportunities for faculty and graduate research, in addition to independently commissioned research that will provide a sustainable stream of income to the lab. Also unique to the lab is that it will be one of the few corrosion labs nationwide to enable undergraduates to conduct research.
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