19 November, 2024
Polymers-based materials are leading most technological developments and are significant in many industries and applications. ICPC-2024 is the fourth event of the “International Conference on Polymers and Composites.” It aims to provide an exclusive opportunity to discover and debate the latest innovations in polymers and composite materials, synthesis, fabrication, and characterization.
At this conference, Prof. Lubineau will discuss “Opportunities for collaboration in Composites with KSA: ENERCOMP: a hub for non-metallic composite inspection.”
The increasing importance of non-metallic materials in energy applications in the Middle East in recent years has been unprecedented. Non-metallic composites are strategic for the region for three main reasons. First, such technologies leverage the strength of Saudi Arabia as a major player in the petrochemical industry. Second, this composite industry has strong localization potential to help develop Saudi’s industry. Third, non-metallic composites are becoming an enabling component of future energy production, storage and transportation systems. In the renewable energy sector, advanced materials are essential. In the more traditional O&G sector, they pave the way for new infrastructures free of metallic corrosion, saving costs and ensuring more sustainable operations. As a consequence, the markets for pipelines, civil engineering structures, and marine and subsea structures are naturally very broad.
KAUST and ARAMCO signed an agreement to create ENERCOMP, the first technology consortium at KAUST. ENERCOMP aims to enable further penetration of composite materials in the energy sector. Its mission is to develop innovative integrity management solutions through collaborations with industry and academia by translating research into deployable technologies.
While the performance of these materials is excellent, they are relatively new. Therefore, there is a need to gain more experience in how they are operated on a daily basis, how we inspect and control them, understanding their evolution and aging, and developing tools and protocols for monitoring such infrastructures. This is the mission of ENERCOMP, which has set short and medium-term objectives. This talk will highlight this consortium and open doors for collaborations with the audience in the broad area of non-metallics and their composites.