The Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering in partnership with National Oilwell Varco (NOV) UK Limited (https://www.nov.com/) are seeking to appoint a Phased Array Ultrasonic Research Engineer to develop and introduce advanced ultrasonic inspection technology across complex NOV components. The post will be predominantly based at NOV’s site in Forfar, Angus, Scotland with visits to the University of Strathclyde campus an NOV Montrose.
NOV is a worldwide provider of equipment and components used in net-zero drilling and production operations, oilfield services, and supply chain integration services to the upstream petrochemical industry. The company operates in more than 500 locations across six continents through three reporting segments: Rig Technologies, Wellbore Technologies, and Completion & Production Solutions.
The NOV team in Forfar is responsible for on-destructive evaluation (NDE) technology and procedures for drilling equipment across the globe. NOV’s components are large, often metres, in span and extremely heavy, which makes it practically impossible to have standard reference blocks of the same size as the original equipment. Therefore, the company is seeking to recruit a Phased Array Ultrasonic Research Engineer to develop innovative calibration pieces and procedures to transform the reliability of NDE processes and improve safety of the components in operation, minimising the risks of failure and shutdown.
The project is part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme that aims to help businesses to innovate and grow by working with UK universities. Successful Knowledge Transfer Partnership projects are funded by UK Research and Innovation through Innovate UK and are part of the government’s Industrial Strategy. To find out how KTP works and the vital role you will play if you successfully secure a KTP Associate position please visit: www.ktpws.org.uk
The position offers the KTP Associate the following benefits:
• opportunity of a permanent position with the company; 70% of host companies make a permanent job offer to their Associate at the end of the project
• a planned programme of training courses, including a £5k personal development budget
• a challenging and rewarding job with real responsibility
• mentoring from experienced industrial and academic supervisors
• the support and resources of the University of Strathclyde
• the possibility of registering for a higher degree with the University
• the potential for good career development with the company at the end of the scheme
• developing and proving expertise in the prospering field of energy
• the opportunity to make important and tangible improvements in an ambitious and dynamic company
• the opportunity to apply your academic knowledge to a real-life challenge
The objective of this project is to conduct phased array ultrasonic studies through modelling and experiments on a range of NOV’s complex components to develop a phased array ultrasound testing procedure for such components. This will include the design, manufacturing and validation of bespoke sensitivity and calibration pieces. The main goal is to embed the knowledge and experience of inspection procedure design and development within the company. The associate will work with NOV and Strathclyde to develop a new ultrasonic inspection procedure and standardise it for selected components while training NOV team to develop this capability for future cases.
To be considered for the role you will be expected to have at least PhD/MSc degree in Electrical, Electronic, Mechanical or Materials Engineering, Physics or equivalent. The successful candidate should have experience in phased array ultrasonic testing and the related equipment. For a full list of role requirements please see the person specification within the Further Particulars.
Informal enquiries about the post can be directed to Dr Ehsan Mohseni, Electronic & Electrical Engineering (ehsan.mohseni@strath.ac.uk).
