Oil & Gas

Assessments of national facilities dedicated to neutron beams in the U.S. and U.K. found that they produce social and economic benefits worth at least double the investment. Canada, with its multipurpose neutron source model, is realizing a return on investment in its neutron facilities of at least 3 times.

The Canadian energy sector has developed standard practices to ensure that oil and gas pipelines remain safe as they age. For the past decade, these standard practices have been influenced by a team of researchers, including one University of Alberta professor and his industrial partners, who use neutron beams to better understand stress and corrosion in pipeline steel.

Stress data obtained at the CNBC will be useful to the industry in making hundred thousand-dollar decisions about how to manage pipelines that have sustained mechanical damage, for example, as a result of a backhoe digging in the wrong place.

One University of Calgary geoscientist is demonstrating how to use neutron beams to determine the manner in which the pores in shale deposits store oil and gas—knowledge that could be used to select the best extraction method for maximizing oil and natural gas production, as well as to reduce emissions by helping researchers to better understand how excess carbon dioxide could be stored in shale.

Stress data from the CNBC are helping Schlumberger develop more reliable fluid ends. Replacing fluid ends is a multi-million dollar expense for the fracking industry.

The CNBC data provided strong evidence that the pipe was likely subjected to tension over time while in service, and that the fracture was not due to faulty pipe.