MIMT Annual Report 2009 Centre for Research-based Innovation CMR-10-A RA-01

Transcription

1 MIMT Annual Report 2009 Centre for Research-based Innovation CMR-10-A RA-01

2 CMR- lo-al 1000S002-RA-Ol Document Info Author(s) Erling Kolltveit Lars Egil Helseth (UoB) Classifieation Open (A) Title Report title Extraet This public report summarises the third year of The Michelsen Centre for Research-based Innovation in Measurement Science and Technology (MIMT). The status is reported according to the guidelines and deliverables described in (1 J. This report is compulsory according to paragraph 7.4 in the agreement (7) between the Research Council of Norway and the host institution Christian Michelsen Research AS which states that an annual report for the preceding year is due April 1 every year (April 10, 2010 due to the Eastern holiday). The report or a PowerPoint summmary wil be published on the internet site of MIMT Project Info Client Clients ref. Research Council of Norway (RCN) /130 CMR Projeet No. CMR Projeet Name The Michelsen Centre for Industrial Measurement Science and Technology - SPI Revision Rev. Date Author Cheeked bv Approved by Reason for revision EK, LEH EK,LEH Doeument ereated OL EK, LEH EK, LEH Submission to RCN 8~l1J2~Lkt

3 Table of Contents 1... Summary Vision / Goal Vision Goal Research Plan / Strategy The MIMT Profile New Thematic Structure Scientific and Technological Basis Priority between Application Areas Organisation Organisational Structure Persons and Personnel Partners Partner Cooperation within MIMT Recruitment of Partners / Associate Partners Partner search Establishment of Associate Partnership Innovation Activities, Results Flow Measurement Fluid Quality: Velocity-of-Sound Cell for Ultrasonic Natural Gas Quality Measurements Fluid Quality: Epsilon multiphase flow metering Spin-offs Downhole Instrumentation High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) & Harsh Conditions: Acoustic Downhole Camera Spin-offs Monitoring Gas Detection: CO 2 Sensor Fish Welfare and Quality Spin-offs Joint Pilot Test Gas Detection / Fish Welfare and Quality: CO 2 detection for Online Welfare Monitoring Seabed Reservoir Monitoring: Sensors and Instrumentation for EM Resistivity Mapping Seabed Reservoir Monitoring: Seismic Sensor Coupling

4 Emerging Technologies Nanotechnology Optics Development of Courses and Handbooks Participation in Funding Applications International Cooperation Strategy Various Actions and Initiatives EU cooperation European Micro Nano Broker Platform EU 7 th Frame Programme Recruitment PhDs / Postdocs MSc and BSc students Professor II Positions at UoB Background Fish Welfare & Quality - Dr Alfredo Colosimo Gas Detection / Fish Welfare & Quality - Dr Ingunn Skjelvan Fish Welfare & Quality / Flow Measurement / Downhole Instrumentation - Dr Audun Pedersen Nanotechnology - Dr Gianangelo Bracco Professorship in Experimental Acoustics Bergen School of Measurement Communication / Dissemination Scientific Publishing MIMT Seminars / Workshops / Guest Lectures Exhibitions Dissemination Cooperation Other Centres Contacts and cooperation UiTø KMB Sensor technology for oil and gas CRI Application MarMed References

5 1 Summary This open report summarises the third year of the Michelsen Centre for Industrial Measurement Science and Technology (MIMT), a Centre of Research-based Innovation (CRI) granted by the Research Council of Norway (RCN). The content is mainly according to the structure of RCN s success criteria for CRIs [5]: Summary Vision / Goal Research Plan / Strategy Organisation o Organisational Structure o Partners o Partner Cooperation within MIMT Innovation Activities, Results International Cooperation Recruitment Communication / Dissemination Details concerning personnel, accounts, and publications in 2009 can be found in [16]. A number of actions and priorities were made in 2009 based on: The Action Plan approved by the Board and General Assembly in December 2008 [1] The RCN feedback after the annual Site Visits in 2008 [1] and 2009 [2] RCN s success criteria for CRIs [5] The status is registered according to the guidelines and deliverables described in the Action Plan [1], resulting in the development over the year 2009 as summarised in Table 1-1 below: Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, Table 1-1: Comparison between status for 27 deliverables (as defined in [1]) on January 1, 2009, and December 31, Green: Delivered or on schedule. Yellow: Initiated. Red: Not initiated. Status for individual deliverables is reported in subsequent sections. MIMT has during 2009 significantly increased the number of deliverables being on track or already achieved. The progress is expected to continue in 2010 as the implication of decisions in 2009 will evolve. The overall goal is to implement the vision as described in the original application [3] along RCN s success criteria for CRIs [5]. 5

6 This report is compulsory according to paragraph 7.4 in the agreement [7] between the Research Council of Norway and the host institution Christian Michelsen Research AS where it is stated that an annual report for the preceding year is due April 1 every year (April 10 in 2010 due to the Eastern holiday). This report or a PowerPoint summary will be published on the internet site of MIMT 6

7 2 Vision / Goal 2.1 Vision The Michelsen Centre for Industrial Measurement Science and Technology (MIMT) is an interdisciplinary resource centre for petroleum, fisheries and environmental monitoring. It is developing into a key player in the expansion of the industrial partners' technologies, and participates actively in the development of innovative solutions. MIMT exploits technological synergies between petroleum, fisheries and the environment that will lead to better economic performance and better use of natural resources as well as mutual understanding in environmentally sensitive areas. 2.2 Goal MIMT shall enable the already strong scientific and industrial groups at international level in the Bergen region to work together within advanced measurement science and technology in the development of innovative solutions within the petroleum, fisheries and environmental sectors. MIMT shall focus on innovations for the following main application areas [3][4]: Oil & gas o Fiscal flow measurement o Multiphase flow measurement o Process monitoring and fluid analysis o Reservoir monitoring Fisheries & aquaculture o Measurement of fish catches, products and quality and marine instrumentation for environmentally friendly and efficient fishing and fish farming Environmental monitoring o Oceanographic and meteorological instrumentation, including online monitoring in polar and deep sea areas and monitoring of water and air quality o Environmental pollution management 7

8 3 Research Plan / Strategy 3.1 The MIMT Profile The MIMT vision and goal as depicted in section 2 above are closely related to the co-existence and synergy of the three focus areas. Innovation and building of competencies across the borders are important parts of this together with a strong research basis and international contacts. The main actions taken in 2009 in order to strengthen the MIMT profile are summarised below, details can be found in the subsequent sections: 1. MIMT has in 2009 held or co-arranged 13 workshops, seminars, and guest lectures (see section 8.2 and Table 8-2 for detailed list) with a total attendance of almost 500 persons. These activities have been interdisciplinary, involving participants from several different projects, thus allowing different projects to communicate across their boundaries. This is quantified in the 29 presentations given from MIMT activities. In addition to the MIMT contributions, both international and national collaborators have contributed, amongst them 6 of the Visiting Researchers [16] (1 Norwegian, 5 international) and two of the international Professor II holders (see section 7.3). 2. MIMT participates with 30% of the funding for a new professorship at UoB-IFT in experimental acoustics (see section 7.4). A cross-disciplinary orientation within the focus areas of MIMT and collaboration between research and industry are stressed in the employment process. 3. MIMT coordinates its international strategy with UoB s international network and long-term strategy for research exchange and personnel mobility It has been decided to establish up to 6 Professor II positions at UoB funded by MIMT, allowing more direct collaboration and synergy within the core activities of MIMT as well as strengthening of MIMT s international profile. Three of these positions were filled in October 2009, one by an international candidate (see section 7.3 for more details). The fourth position will be filled by a second international researcher in February 2010 while a third international candidate is under evaluation for the fifth Professor II position. Eight foreign researchers (and one Norwegian) have visited MIMT [16]. Three UoB employees have represented MIMT [16] abroad as visiting researchers. In addition to financial support of such research collaborations, MIMT also provides a technology focus for the exchange, and therefore an extra dimension not available in singular projects. Associate Professor Bjørn Tore Hjertaker will in the entire year of 2010 visit Victoria University of Melbourne to do research on emerging optics technologies. 8

9 4. MIMT has taken the initiative to a new nanotechnology strategy involving industrial partners. Previously the strategic programme for development of nanoscience at UoB, Nano UoB (see ) has mainly involved academic staff and institutions. Significant funding has been allocated from UoB, RCN and private idealistic supporters to build new world-class research facilities at UoB within the Nano UoB programme. MIMT has taken crucial steps towards inviting industrial partners to participate in using these facilities as well as the competence of UoB staff to develop new technology and measurement systems based on nanoscience (see section 5.4.1). One of the filled Professor II positions discussed above is allocated to nanotechnology. 5. MIMT has decided on a new thematic structure lending itself more towards cross-disciplinary and encouraging the establishment of more generic activities. An extensive list of new generic activities in parallel with or based on the existing activities within MIMT is proposed to the industrial partners (see section 3.2 for details). 6. A joint pilot test focussed on CO 2 sensor technology for monitoring of CO 2 levels in water involving running MIMT activities within two different focus areas was started in 2009 with the intention of expanding it in 2010 (see section for details). Two industrial partners and two UoB departments collaborate in addition to CMR. The experiences from this joint activity will be valuable for future initiatives. The initiatives listed above have a technological and scientific value in themselves. In addition, they are components of improving MIMT s branding and external profiling according to MIMT s vision as summarised in section 2.1 above. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 Strategy for profiling / branding of MIMT Cross-disciplinary profile, internationalisation, and communication / dissemination 3.2 New Thematic Structure The Board and the General Assembly approved in Q a new thematic structure better suited to enhance the interdisciplinary synergy of MIMT. An overview of the new structure with its new programs is given in Table 3-1 below together with the relevance for MIMT s three focus (application) areas: 9

10 Area Flow Measurement Program Fluid quality Transducer Technology & Signal processing Application Areas Fish.& Aquacult Oil & Gas Env. Mon. Downhole HPHT & Harsh Conditions Monitoring Emergi ng Techn. Gas detection Fish welfare and quality Seabed Reservoir Monitoring Nanotechnology Optics Table 3-1: New thematic structure prepared and decided in 2009, to be fully implemented in See section 5 for the individual activities within each program area. In order to increase the new thematic structure s support of MIMT s profile (see section 3.1 above), 13 proposals for new, generic activities were established by the help of a reference group (se section 4.1 below) prior to distribution to the industrial partners for feedback and evaluation. Close to 50% of the proposals were based on input during MIMT meetings in The feedback from the industrial partners on the individual proposals is expected early in MIMT s industrial partners will have the major vote in deciding which new activities that will be launched. The new thematic structure allows for close integration of the new activities with the existing ones. This will also be an opportunity to initiate a gradual renewal of the pool of MIMT activities over the next 1-3 years. An example of successful generic activity is the joint CO2 pilot test presented in section below. Cooperation across the borders will be encouraged; a first step will be to hold common workshops as a part of the cross-disciplinary efforts. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, activities within generic measurement technology with at least two industrial partners in each Joint CO 2 -Pilot Test (section 5.3.4) 13 proposals established for industry evaluation in Scientific and Technological Basis The synergy of the MIMT projects are based on the common scientific and technological foundation and competencies that form the core of MIMT. The coupling between the activities and the fundamental sensor technologies (acoustics and electromagnetism) is illustrated in Figure 3-1 below: 10

11 HPHT & Harsh Conditions ACOUSTICS Seabed Reservoir Monitoring Solids Multiphase Gas Fish Welfare and Quality Fluid Quality Transducer Technology ELECTROMAGNETISM Emerging Technologies Gas Detection Figure 3-1: The relations between the activities and the scientific foundation (acoustics / electromagnetism). See section 5 for details on the individual activities The individual projects with participants from the different partners tap into a scientific and technological knowledge represented by the scientific personnel involved in MIMT. 3.4 Priority between Application Areas The initially proposed distribution among the three industrial sectors was 60% oil and gas, 20% fisheries and aquaculture and 20% environmental monitoring [3][4]. This was expected to change depending on how MIMT developed and expanded over the years. The budget distribution on an annual basis is shown in Figure 3-2 below together with the 2010 budget: 11

12 Adm. Centre Building Act. Environmental mon. Fisheries Oil & gas knok (actual) 2008 (actual) 2009 (actual) 2010 (budget) Year Figure 3-2: Distribution of funding between the three main application areas. Actual numbers from [9][10][11]. Projects are categorised in Table 3-1. The actual distribution in 2009 between oil and gas, fisheries and aquaculture, and environmental monitoring was 47%, 11%, and 12%, respectively. The development in (and 2010 budget) reflects the increasing awareness of environmental monitoring and fisheries in both academia and industry in the years that have passed. The decrease in the absolute size of the oil and gas activities is of minor significance thanks to the fact that the total budget in 2009 was 20% larger than in 2008 which was the first full year of MIMT. There was in 2009 for the first time allocated significant resources (20%) to centre-building activities. These initiatives are intended to emphasize the synergy and networking effects of MIMT and are expected to benefit all three application areas by developing more generic innovation activities of interest of as many partners and application areas as possible (see sections 3.1 and 3.2 above). 12

13 4 Organisation MIMT is a joint venture between Christian Michelsen Research AS (CMR), the University of Bergen (UoB) and eight other partners of the Centre, as specified in Section 4.3 below. The activities within MIMT are regulated by the contract between the Research Council of Norway and CMR [7], and agreements between CMR and each of the other partners of MIMT [8]. 4.1 Organisational Structure CMR is the host institution and administratively responsible institution for the Centre. CMR and UoB have considerable overlap in their roles in the Centre. UoB is however the main responsible for long-term research and education/ training, whereas CMR's main responsibility is industrial research and development. Some changes to the organisational and thematic structure (the latter is discussed in section 3.2 above) were made in This is reflected in Figure 4-1 below: General Assembly (CRI Meeting) Board Manager (CMR) Deputy Manager (UoB) Reference Group Emerging Techn. Monitoring Downhole Flow Measurement Research Partners: CMR UoB BUC Ind. Partners: AADI CGGVeritas FMC Technologies MMC Tendos Roxar Seawell Statoil Optical Technologies Nano Technology Sea Bed Reservior Monitoring Fish Welfare and Quality Gas Detection HPH and Harsh Conditions Transducer Technology Fluid Quality Figure 4-1: The organisational and thematic structure after modifications during 2009 Reference Group A reference group was established with participation from the research partners and from industrial partners on a case-to-case basis. The main contribution in 2009 was the new thematic structure and the establishment of proposals for new, generic activities described in section 3.2 above. Thematic structure A new thematic structure was approved by the Board and General Assembly in 2009 (see section 3.2 above). This document reports the activities in

14 according to this new structure. The details in the actual partner participation in each program area will be clarified in first part of Persons and Personnel 2009 Kjell-Eivind Frøysa (CMR) ended his service as part-time Manager of the Michelsen Centre by January 31, 2009 and returned to his regular full-time engagement as Department Manager at CMR. Erling Kolltveit started as full-time MIMT Manager February 2, 2009 which also was the date he was employed at CMR with formal status as Department Manager. Professor Per Lunde (Department of Physics and Technology at UoB, 20% at CMR) ended his obligation as Deputy Manager by June 30, 2009, handing this responsibility to Professor Lars Egil Helseth (Department of Physics and Technology at UoB). The board of the Michelsen Centre was in 2009 as follows: Arvid Nøttvedt, CMR (chairman of the board) Geir Anton Johansen, UoB (co-chairman) Eivind Dykesteen, Roxar Helge Minken, AADI Skule Smørgrav, FMC Technologies Arne Ulrik Bindingsbø, Statoil This board was re-elected at the General Assembly on November 25, Partners The partner structure has not changed in 2009 as described by Table 4-1 below: Research partners Christian Michelsen Research AS Host Dep. of Physics and Technology (IFT) University of Bergen Geophysical Institute (GFI) Dep. of Biology (BIO) Dep. of Chemistry (KI) Bergen University College Engineering Faculty Industrial partners Aandera Data Instruments (AADI) Environmental monitoring CGGVeritas Oil & Gas FMC Technologies Oil & Gas MMC Tendos Fisheries & Aquaculture Roxar Oil & Gas Seawell Oil & Gas Statoil Oil & Gas Table 4-1: Partner structure

15 4.4 Partner Cooperation within MIMT Partner participation in 7 running innovation activities The partners of the 7 running innovation activities are detailed in section 5 for the individual activities within each program area. The widening of the MIMT synergy is examplified in the CO 2 pilot test presented in section while the full effect of the new thematic structure and the proposed new, generic activities is expected to become clearly visible in Centre-building activities The partner cooperation within MIMT has been strengthened by the centrebuilding activities summarised in section 3.1 above. The proposal of the activities was welcomed and encouraged by the MIMT partners, resulting in the implementation of a range of activities. The activities that got up in speed in 2009 were experienced by the partners as a valuable vitalisation of the MIMT synergy and allowing more communication and dialogue between the partners. The full effect of the decisions made in 2009 will be visible during Personnel Mobility There were in all reported 17 man-days of personnel mobility in 2009 [16], not counting work meetings, MIMT workshops, seminars, meetings of the Board or the General Assembly, or guest lectures. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, occasions of physical personnel mobility between partners 2 occasions (17 man days) BUC collaboration Three BSc students from BUC [16] finished in 2009 highly productive projects related to the MIMT activity described in section 5.1.2, providing valuable improvement of a measurement set-up. Three new BSc students from BUC started in January 2010 on new student projects related to MIMT activities within optics. BUC will host a PhD student from January 2010 with external funding, and collaboration based on the student s work in communications will be the basis for cooperation in A joint workshop between MIMT and Centre for Wireless Innovation Norway was held at BUC. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 Collaboration with BUC MIMT workshop 2009 at BUC MIMT contribution BUC R&D day 3 BSc projects integrated with MIMT activities Plans for 2010 MIMT visibility at UoB Five MIMT workshops or guest lectures were held at UoB in 2009 all announced with the MIMT graphical profile. Three Professor IIs funded by MIMT and with a MIMT scope started, up to three more will be established in

16 Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 Visibility of MIMT on UoB 5 MIMT workshops / guest lectures held at UoB s premises 3 MIMT Professor IIs started 2010: 3 more Professor IIs to be employed 4.5 Recruitment of Partners / Associate Partners Partner search The Board and General Assembly agreed in late 2009 to actively pursue candidates for partnership in MIMT according to the procedure described in [8]. A list over primary candidates is in progress Establishment of Associate Partnership The Board and General Assembly agreed in late 2009 to introduce an associated partnership in MIMT and to actively pursue candidates for associated partnership in MIMT. This arrangement builds on [8] and has two versions [14]: Associated Industrial Partnership Associated Stake Holder (public non-commercial organisation or association) An associated partnership represent a lower threshold for entering MIMT and will be especially interesting for small and medium-sized enterprises who may not have the same capability for allocating in-kind resources to MIMT. The associated membership will still provide access to MIMT s technological network, closed seminars, and general competencies as well as assistance in establishing funding applications. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, new MIMT partners Partner funding increased by MNOK 2,9 Active partner search decided Associated partnership arrangement established. Active search in

17 5 Innovation Activities, Results All innovation activities reported for 2009 have been running since the establishment of MIMT with the exception of the joint CO 2 pilot test reported in and the spin-offs reported under each program area. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 Significant contributions to 10 new innovative solutions with partners In progress In progress 5.1 Flow Measurement Fluid Quality: Velocity-of-Sound Cell for Ultrasonic Natural Gas Quality Measurements Background The relative importance of natural gas is increasing for Norway according to the changing weight between gas and oil production in the North Sea. Accurate and cost-efficient metering of natural gas and its quality are of increasing interest at sales points, for ownership allocation, and in fuel and flare gas metering stations. This project addresses development of a velocity of sound (VOS) cell for quality measurement of natural gas using ultrasonic flow meters (USM) and was continued in Active use of VOS in fiscal flow metering provides a potential for quality measurement of natural gas in metering stations. Several quality parameters are of interest in this context, such as: Gas density Gas compressibility Gas calorific value CO 2 emission factor. Traceable control with the measurement uncertainty is required for fiscal metering. Calibration facilities for the VOS measurements made by USMs operating in natural gas do not exist today. Goal The technological basis for designing and constructing a VOS cell with capabilities for VOS calibration of USMs in natural gas at high pressures is addressed. A relative measurement uncertainty in the range ppm (95 % c.l.) is required. Project organisation FMC Technologies Statoil Department of Physics and Technology at the UoB CMR 17

18 Progress and results The work in 2009 included: Testing of an earlier developed low pressure VOS cell for study of concept Ultrasonic transducer requirements and development related to operation in a suggested high pressure VOS cell (from atmospheric to several hundred bars) Accurate description of sound propagation in the VOS cell including necessary corrections for systematic effects, such as diffraction correction in real transducers, and applications of VOS in flow metering. Practical applications of measured VOS in ultrasonic flow meters. This includes both condition based maintenance issues and application of VOS for quality measurements. In October 2009 a PhD candidate initiated his 3-year study with aim to investigate, improve on and establish control with the uncertainty of the measurement method being used in the VOS cell, including systematic effects to be corrected for. Precision experimental measurements together with theoretical finite element modelling will be key elements in this work, including development of dedicated ultrasonic gas transducers for the low pressure cell Fluid Quality: Epsilon multiphase flow metering Background Multiphase meters provide an accurate and continuous on-line monitoring of the flow rates of oil, water and gas in the oil well stream. By using Multiphase meters the following elements may individually or in combinations contribute to improve the overall petroleum field recovery and economics: Improved reservoir management Optimized petroleum production Increased oil recovery More effective well testing Production allocation Help optimizing chemical injection to prevent hydrate formation and corrosion Lower investments and operational costs Multiphase metering is today a mature technology after more than 20 years of development and close to 1000 meters in operation worldwide. Almost every operator in the petroleum market uses multiphase meters today. Nevertheless, there is a large potential for accuracy improvement by improving the understanding the basic chemical and physical principles and mechanisms that determine the fluid properties and behaviour. Such properties are a crucial influence on the inputs to any multiphase meter. Goal This project is focusing on collecting chemical and physical fluid data and analysing the correlation between them in order to establish fluid property models that can result in more reliable and accurate fluid inputs to the multiphase meters, thereby increasing their accuracy and reliability under a broader span of flow conditions. 18

19 Project organisation The Epsilon multiphase flow metering program is carried out in cooperation between the following MIMT partners: CMR Instrumentation, Christian Michelsen Research AS, Bergen. UoB, Dept. of Physics and Technology, and Dept. of Chemistry. Roxar Statoil Progress and results In order to establish precise fluid property models by correlating physical and chemical properties, it is of high importance to have a representative data set of hydrocarbon fluids. It has therefore been high focus in the project on collecting adequate sample of crude oils, condensates and other hydrocarbon fluids from global sources with various properties to span out the data set. Based on learning from the initial correlation analyses done on samples collected in 2007 and 2008, effort has therefore been made in 2009 to collect additional representative samples. This work will also continue in The physical and chemical properties of the oils collected during 2009 have been added to the data set, and the data set has also been extended by performing additional analyzes than reported earlier. The data set now consists of 16 oil samples analyzed by Dielectric spectra Velocity of sound Density Gas Chromotography (whole oil GC and head space gas GC) Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) Asphaltene content Magnetic susceptibility Viscosity Biodegradation level In addition to the chemical and physical measurements carried out, work has been performed to further improve and validate in-house developed measurement systems. The velocity-of-sound measurements are time and effort consuming, and the measurement process has therefore been partly automated in 2009 through three student projects at Bergen University College. Nevertheless, many manhours have been spent on this task. The dielectric properties are core measurement variables in a Multiphase meter, and effort has therefore been spent to improve and validate the dielectric measurement system. The aim of the project is to extract correlations between fluid properties, and this is also the focus of the associated PhD project. So far, correlations between GC and permittivity, density, viscosity, magnetic susceptibility and biodegradation level have been examined, in addition to correlations between FT-IR and the same parameters. Calibration models for these correlations have been built, and Figure 5-1 below shows an example of the predictive skills of a calibration model for static permittivity based on GC. The results so far are promising, and work will continue with increased effort in

20 2.80 Predicted vs Measured for e_st 2.60 Predicted (e_st) Measured (e_st) Figure 5-1 Predicted versus measured static permittivity. The predicted values are found by multivariate analysis of GC data. The blue squares in the figure are validation objects used to validate the predictive skills of the model. The predictive errors are small, up to 5%, indicating that it is possible to build reasonable good calibration models for prediction of static permittivity. In November 2009, an invited guest lecture was given by Associate Professor Johan Carlson, Luleå University of Technology on Recent Developments in Ultrasonic Measurement Techniques for Industrial Applications, followed by an internal seminar with the project partners. This initiated a research cooperation with Dr. Carlson on multivariate analysis using implicit calibration Spin-offs Several new activities within Flow Measurement have emerged as a result of or in parallel with the existing portfolio of projects within the MIMT. 1. Professor Geir Anton Johansen (IFT) has, in collaboration with the MIMT partners Roxar and Statoil started a project for characterisation of multiphase flow in pipelines. One of the main challenges in measurement of multiphase flow is changing in flow regime. Research has shown that this can be identified using multiple-beam gamma densiometry, which is the aim of this study. A postdoc funded outside MIMT, Dr. Camilla Sætre, is working full time on this project which is planned to end in Professor Tanja Barth at the Department of Chemistry (UoB) has started a collaboration with the company Ecowat ( on using gas hydrates to produce clean water from formation water in oil/gas wells. In this project, Professor Barth supervises a PhD student working on formation of hydrates in oil/gas wells, in particular the measurements of temperature, pressure and enthalpy during formation, the project is planned to end in Professor Geir Anton Johansen (IFT) has, in collaboration with the MIMT partner Statoil started a project for high speed gamma tomography of multiphase flow in pipelines. Academic partners are Technical University of Lodz (Poland), Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (Brazil), Radiation Technology Center, IPEN/CNEN-SP (Brazil) 20

21 5.2 Downhole Instrumentation High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) & Harsh Conditions: Acoustic Downhole Camera Background In well operations such as drilling, completion and intervention, the nature of the work is such that it is carried out in blind. Over the years the industry has developed a number of tools and procedures to cope with this fact, for example fishing is a very frequently used term as one of the more central technologies in avoiding cost and time consuming work like full well work-over. However, in order to tackle such problems it is vital that the exact location and the nature of the problem are known. In many of these situations it would be very helpful to see the objects causing the difficulty. Conventional optical cameras for downhole inspection have existed for a long time, their weakness being that they need to have optical free and reasonably clear view of the objects. Goal The objective of this project is to provide an imaging tool based on acoustic technology in challenging downhole conditions in an oil-well when optical imaging is not possible. This technology is developed with the aim of improving the information base prior to conducting various well operations. The main application in mind is the so-called fishing operation, where such a tool will enable vital information about the nature of the problem, which improves the decision base associated with such operations. Project organization Seawell Statoil CMR UoB, Department of Chemistry Progress and results The main activities conducted in 2009 have been implementation of improvements to the first prototype tool finalized and tested in prior work. The most important task has been the implementation of a fast and reliable scanning mechanism for the imaging element of the tool. The majority of the activity this year has been linked to this challenge. Testing of the acoustic properties of fluids vs. temperature typically encountered in downhole environment has been conducted with the aim of optimising the design of the acoustic camera (see Figure 5-2 below): 21

22 Figure 5-2: Testing of acoustic properties of downhole fluids vs. temperature Evaluation has also been conducted related to technology to be used for online communication between the tool and the operator during operation. Present technology is limited to local storage of image date limiting the speed and flexibility of the tool Spin-offs Several new, related activities within Downhole Instrumentation have emerged as a result of or in parallel with the existing portfolio of downhole activities within MIMT. 1. Professor Geir Anton Johansen (UoB-IFT) has, in collaboration with CMR and external industrial partners started a project on Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation analysis (PGNAA) for multiphase downhole detection. This method can be used to determine the salt composition from produced water in oil/gas wells, and may allow automatic measurements. The project employs a PhD student (Ilker Meric), and has an academic partner in Center for Engineering Applications of Radioisotopes, North Carolina State University, USA. 2. Professor Geir Anton Johansen (UoB-IFT) has, in collaboration with the external industrial companies started a project for using Geiger Müller (GM) detectors for downhole monitoring of radiation. GM-detectors are robust and well suited for harsh environments, and the project aims at increasing the efficiency for measurements of gamma ray radiation in e.g. gamma densiometers. Currently the project employs PhD student Ilker Meric and a master student. The academic partner is Center for Engineering Applications of Radioisotopes, North Carolina State University, USA. 22

23 5.3 Monitoring Gas Detection: CO 2 Sensor Background Measuring CO 2 levels in water is important in studies of the global physical and biological exchange of CO 2 between the atmosphere and the ocean. Geological storage of CO 2 is regarded a possible means of reducing the emission to the atmosphere. Monitoring and validation of geological storage of CO 2 is essential validating to get public acceptance, safety issues and gaining carbon credits. Finally, CO 2 is an important parameter to monitoring related to aspect such as transport, water exchange and optimizing fish feeding. Goal The aim of this project is to develop reliable and compact in-situ technology for CO 2 monitoring in the ocean / water. Such monitoring technology is important related to all three focus area within MIMT. The project has focus on two different paths: Elevated CO 2 levels with medium accuracy targeted at aquaculture and oil and gas applications High accuracy at ambient CO 2 levels in the ocean as required for studies of the global physical and biological exchange of CO 2 between the atmosphere and the ocean relevant for environmental and climate studies. Project organization AADI Statoil CMR UoB (GFI and BIO) Progress and results The main activity in 2009 has been development and initial testing of the first prototype optode CO 2 sensor. Related to this work a test and calibration setup has been developed. Calibration, response time testing and some drift and repetition testing has been conducted. A lab set-up for sensor calibration and testing is shown in Figure 5-3 below: 23

24 Figure 5-3: Lab set-up for testing and calibration of CO 2 sensor technology (note orange mixer in black container) The developed technology has been field tested in an aquaculture application at EWOS Innovation (see section below). The PhD position planned as part of the project was converted to a Post Doc position that started up April 1 st The first phase of the Post Doc project has focussed on the high demanding sensitivity and precision measurement techniques relevant for seawater CO 2 system. Existing techniques for this application have limited in-situ capability and are challenging to operate. It is also desired to have even better sensitivity for such systems then existing system can provide. The Post Doc candidate participated on a CO 2 measurement cruise in the summer of Main activities and focus for the future work will be improving sensitivity as well as exploring new sensing technological solutions suitable to develop autonomous submersible instrumentation Fish Welfare and Quality Project organization MMC Tendos UoB-BIO CMR Transportation of Live Fish MIMT-funded PhD student Radoslav Borissov has focused on optimizing laboratory analysis of structural and functional fish parameters as preparation for planned field testing in In this respect a major task is to correlate measurement results from hand instruments, such as istat and Hemocue, developed for medical examinations, with standard analytical techniques. 24

25 The partners of Fish Welfare and Quality also took part in the CO 2 sensor field testing described in section below. This sensor technology has shown promising results for applications in aquaculture and transportation of live fish and forms a basis for new contact and collaboration between the industry partners MMC Tendos and AADI as well as UoB-BIO and UoB-GFI. Measurement of Fish Properties Espen Storheim delivered his MSc thesis Utvikling av eit industrielt akustisk målesystem for å bestemme kvalitet i fiskekjøt ( Development of an industrial acoustic measurement system for determining quality in fish tissue ) in June, His work was carried out under the supervision of Prof. Halvor Hobæk, UoB-IFT, with supporting activities at CMR Instrumentation. Useful help and support from the crew of FV Kings Bay and Institute of Marine Research, Austevoll, is acknowledged. A prototype ultrasound probe was developed together with an experimental set-up tested both in lab and in field. The lab version of the set-up is shown in Figure 5-4 below: L Set-up Ultrasound probe Figure 5-4: Upper left and right: The experimental set-up and the ultrasound probe. Lower: The ultrasound probe applied to a test fish. Examples of experimental data are shown in Figure 5-5 below: Figure 5-5: Transmitted and received signals in the water (left) and from fish (right).green signal is the excitation. 25

26 Laboratory and field testing showed some promising results. This will be valuable input to improved implementations and acoustical techniques for tissue characterization to be followed up. Quality in Pelagic Fisheries A test cruise for new fish pumping technology for pelagic fisheries was carried out onboard FV Kings Bay in December, The data analysis was carried out and reported in Our results support a hypothesis of reduced stress and increased welfare for fish transferred ( pumped ) with new pressure-difference systems Spin-offs A new activity has emerged as a result of or in parallel with the existing portfolio of Monitoring activities within the MIMT: Joint Professor Per Lunde (IFT) has, in collaboration with the Institute of Marine Research, CMR and NERSC started a project called "Underwater acoustic instrumentation for monitoring of marine resources and environment". The project is financed by Bergen Marine Forskningsklynge Joint Pilot Test Gas Detection / Fish Welfare and Quality: CO 2 detection for Online Welfare Monitoring Background An interdisciplinary pilot test was launched in 2009 to perform field testing of the CO 2 optode technology in aquaculture and performing associated welfare studies. Measurements of CO 2 levels in sea water are vital both for sea farms, transportation and handling of live fish as well as environmental monitoring. Goal To evaluate the field performance of the CO 2 sensor technology developed in MIMT To profit from joining the measurement experience from environmental monitoring and from fish welfare Pilot test organization Partners from the project CO 2 Sensor: AADI CMR UoB-GFI Partners from the project Fish Welfare and Quality: MMC Tendos CMR UoB-BIO Progress and results A suitable well boat, Ro Fjord was identified, but was still under construction in The pilot test participants therefore chose to postpone well boat field trials to

27 Preliminary pilot test testing was carried out at an aquaculture trial facility belonging to EWOS Innovation in Lønningdal, near Bergen, see Figure 5-6 below: Figure 5-6: Instruments (bluish objects) and fish in tank at EWOS A field test lasting more than a month was made, giving promising results from tanks containing salmon smolt [13], both concerning the field suitability of the sensor technology and the measured stress levels of the fish: Changes in metabolic state, such as stress responses when light was switched on and off, could be correlated with increased CO 2 output from the fish. The results are currently under evaluation Seabed Reservoir Monitoring: Sensors and Instrumentation for EM Resistivity Mapping Background The marine controlled source electromagnetic (CSEM) sounding method has developed into a promising tool for mapping resistive, sub-seabed geological structures. Specifically, it has been identified as a useful tool to detect hydrocarbon reservoirs. The technique has also potential within monitoring of hydrocarbon reservoirs and CO2 storage in reservoirs. There are, however, still several significant challenges involved in the development of equipment for CSEM. One of these challenges is the stability of the CSEM equipment, especially for the electrodes. Knowledge of these degradation mechanisms and methods to eliminate such effects are valuable in order to improve the overall measurement performance. Another important challenge for CSEM receivers is to reduce the size of the equipment for easier handling on board a ship - without lowering the sensitivity of the receivers. Goal The main purpose of the projects is to close technology gaps regarding instrumentation for high sensitivity measurements of electric and magnetic fields for a CSEM application. Focus is on understanding issues that affect stability and sensitivity of CSEM equipment, and on improving CSEM equipment based on this. 27

28 Project organization The Marine EM resistivity mapping project is carried out in cooperation between the following MIMT partners: CMR Instrumentation, Christian Michelsen Research AS, Bergen. CGGVeritas. Dept. of Physics and Technology, UoB. Offshore Hydrocarbon Mapping plc (OHM) has also been involved in the project through CGGVeritas. Progress and results The main focus of the project in 2009 has been on the following topics: 1. Simulations on the CSEM system including source, reservoir and sensors for sensitivity investigations on the electric and magnetic field sensors 2. Electric field measurements with different electrodes. Lab measurements and short-term sea-test close to shore. 3. Literature review on magnetic field sensors and initial lab measurements using state-of-the-art magnetic field sensors. Only a brief summary of the results is included here. In part 1 finite element simulations investigating the required sensitivity for electric and magnetic field sensors to be used for CSEM-surveys were performed. The simulations were made using COMSOL Multiphysics [12]. Models for reservoirs in shallow water (relevant for the North Sea) and deeper water were implemented. Both sensitivity requirements for hydrocarbon exploration and hydrocarbon production monitoring were considered. There has also been cooperation with two French PhD students affiliated with CGGVeritas on verification of computer code for CSEM simulation in this task. In part 2, a laboratory set-up for examination of electrodes was established (see left part of Figure 5-7 below). Figure 5-7 Laboratory measurement set-ups showing water tank with three different electrode pairs (left), and short-term sea tests performed at shallow water (right). Different electrode technologies were characterized and compared with regard to noise behaviour and stability in the controlled laboratory environment. Further on, 28

29 data acquisition equipment (including both state-of-the-art loggers and in-house developed loggers) were characterized and compared. A short term sea test on shallow water was performed in order to verify the laboratory results under more realistic conditions (see right part of Figure 5-7 above). The purpose of these tests was also to gain experience for potential longterm sea tests at deep water. In part 3 an initial study of magnetometers was performed. This study provided an overview of potential magnetometer technologies based on literature review, a comparison of commercially available magnetometers directly applicable for CSEM applications, estimation of required measurement accuracy, and initial measurements using state-of-the-art magnetometers. A Master of Science project at Department of Physics and Technology at UoB was started in 2009 and will be completed in August The focus of this project is to study how various geometrical structures and their conductivity will influence the electrical field. Simulations are carried out in COMSOL Multiphysics [12] and will be compared to lab scale measurements in the water test tank. Spinoffs 1. A spin-off project EM technology between CMR and CGGVeritas was planned and executed in MIMT initiated collaboration with the Centre for Integrated Petroleum Research (CIPR, Norwegian Centre of Excellence) on monitoring of CO2 storage using EM technology, and this resulted in two joint applications for funding to the Research Council of Norway. This work was also coordinated with the SUCCESS Centre for Environment-Friendly Energy Research Seabed Reservoir Monitoring: Seismic Sensor Coupling Background There is an increasing interest in long-term collection of seismic data from a specific part of the sea bed. The motivation stems from oil & gas exploration and production as well to future monitoring of CO 2 reservoirs: Permanent or semipermanent installation of Ocean Bed Seismometers (OBS) is the industry s concept of choice. However, deployment of a spread of OBSs generates several operational difficulties. The understanding and optimisation of the acoustic coupling between the OBS and the seabed is one of the major problems to be solved in order to achieve high quality data. Goal Universities, contractors, and manufacturers have proposed different methods to obtain as good acoustic coupling as possible. The object of this project is to compare validity of different solutions in order to determine the optimal OBS configuration when considering both technical results and costs. The main part of the activity is the design, assembly, and testing of an artificial seabed or lab facility where seismic signals can be applied in a controlled manner 29

30 for testing of OBSs in combination with different types of seabed in combination with a water column. Preparation of the test facility and the test configuration are shown in Figure 5-8 and Figure 5-9 below: Figure 5-8: Mounting of seismic seabed sensor in test set-up in CMR's lab by a joint team from CMR and CGGVeritas. Note the mud emulating the acoustic properties of the seabed. Figure 5-9: Assembled test set-up ready for testing including seabed (vertical metal cylinder filled with mud), shaker (front of seabed), and blue tarpaulin cylinder for adding a water column. Reference sensors and data acquisition system not visible. The system is acoustically decoupled from the surrounding environment Project organization The project is carried out in cooperation between the following MIMT partners: CMR Instrumentation, Christian Michelsen Research AS, Bergen. CGGVeritas. Dept. of Physics and Technology, University of Bergen. Progress and results The artificial sea bed was assembled and went through initial testing in The progress in 2009 was: Improvement of the data acquisition system Testing of three different OBSs with different acoustic excitation. The test results are under evaluation and will result in further testing in

31 A comparison of the response from the three sensors when the artificial sea bed was excited by a 20Hz sine burst is shown in Figure 5-10 below: Figure 5-10: Example of comparative testing of sensors G1, G2, and G3. Input excitation 20 Hz sine burst. The test campaign was a fruitful example of personnel mobility and is part of the mobility reported in section 4.4 above. Spin-off An unexpected spin-off from this project was the successful application of the reference sensors and data acquisition system in a pre-test of three test modules for the European Space Agency s GAIA satellite. This satellite will be launched in 2011 in order to do 3D mapping of the Milky Way. The heaviest test module was 700 kg and replicated the mount for the digital camera. The pre-test at CMR reduced the time needed for expensive full-scale vibrational testing in France by at least 50%. 5.4 Emerging Technologies The main initiatives towards emerging technologies taken in 2009 (and continued in 2010) can be divided in two categories, nanotechnology and optics Nanotechnology In original application for a CRI to the RCN it was stated that nanotechnology would be an area of innovation in which MIMT should engage. To this end, MIMT has taken several steps to achieve this goal. In 2009, IFT/UoB (Professor Lars Egil Helseth, Associate Professor Bjørn Tore Hjertaker) through the umbrella of MIMT has made an initiative towards emerging nanotechnology through the participation in EU MNST Broker, an EU micro and nano platform network aimed at providing enhanced cooperation between the academic and industrial members of the participating countries. 31

32 Moreover, Dr. Gianangelo Bracco (see section 7.3 for details) will hold a position as Professor II from February 15, 2010 funded by MIMT as a part of the nanocollaboration with University of Genoa. Dr. Bracco will work on a strategy for developing nanoscience projects within MIMT as well as specific technology project with the relevant MIMT partners. He will also contribute towards UoB's participation in EU MNST Broker (see section 6.3 for details). Applications for funding of scientific infrastructure and nanotechnology projects at UoB have been supported by MIMT Optics In 2009 University of Tromsø with collaborators obtained funding from RCN for a project within the programme Forskningsløft i Nord [15] (see section 8.6.2). One of the goals of this project is to develop new optical sensors for detection of methane, an area where IFT/UoB, CMR and University of Tromsø will collaborate. A generic MIMT activity within optics was initiated in The main purpose was to identify suitable themes within optical measurement and communication techniques from the infrared range to ultraviolet. More generic activities within the field have been proposed to the industrial partners and will be evaluated in Q Development of Courses and Handbooks Professor Per Lunde (UoB-IFT) and Kjell Eivind Frøysa (CMR) have in 2009 worked on two handbooks which will be finished in 2010: A booklet titled "Ormen Lange ultrasonic gas flow meters. Corrections for pressure and temperature effects. Phase 2", an assignment given by Shell. A handbook titled "Håndbok i usikkkerhetsberegning for fiskale oljemålestasjoner basert på flerstråle ultralyd strømningsmåling" on assignment from the Norwegian Society of Oil and Gas Measurement (NFOGM) and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate. A dialog with Statoil concerning development of 1 to 3 days courses in flow measurement and uncertainty was started in 2009 and has good progress. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 Course activity within relevant themes 5 courses in Multiphase Measurements and Uncertainty under preparation for Statoil's course system, also general access will be offered 32

33 5.6 Participation in Funding Applications MIMT initiated, facilitated, and supported funding applications in 2009 with a total budget of MNOK 448 of which MNOK 290 were granted. This was a very fruitful way of providing targeted profiling of MIMT also for non-granted applications in addition to the general benefit of the outcome of the successful applications. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 Preproject funding available for collaboration with industrial partners 2009: Initiator / facilitator / supporter for in total MNOK 448 (granted MNOK 290) 33

34 6 International Cooperation 6.1 Strategy MIMT has in 2009 taken crucial steps towards developing a more focused strategy for international cooperation, and this work will be continued in the coming years. A significant part of MIMT s international strategy is coordinated with UoB s international network and long-term strategy for research exchange and personnel mobility. This is implemented as Professor II positions funded by MIMT and international Visiting Researchers (section 6.2). Establishment of fruitful international contacts depends on mutual knowledge, a certain degree of complementarity, and personal relations. The outcome of the initiatives listed below will be evaluated in Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 Establish themes and number of international groups for cooperation Professor II positions at UoB Visiting researchers via UoB network 6.2 Various Actions and Initiatives MIMT Co-Funding of Professorship in Experimental Acoustics MIMT participates with 30% of the funding for a new professorship at UoB-IFT in experimental acoustics (see section 7.4). 80% of the applicants are international. MIMT International Visiting Researchers Eight international researchers have visited MIMT [16]. 5 of them gave separate guest lectures or presentations during the meetings listed in Table 8-2 below. Two of the international Professor II (see section 7.3) holders gave an invited guest lecture and a presentation, respectively, during the MIMT meetings listed in Table 8-2 below. Three UoB employees have represented MIMT [21] abroad as visiting researchers. In addition to financial support of such research collaborations, MIMT also provides a technology focus for the exchange, and therefore an extra dimension not available in singular projects. Associate Professor Bjørn Tore Hjertaker will in the entire year of 2010 visit Victoria University of Melbourne to do research on emerging optics technologies. MIMT Professor II Positions At this point, probably at least 3 of the six 6 Professor II positions at UoB funded by MIMT are or will be filled by international researchers (see section 7.3 for more details). 34

35 Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, PhD-students / senior personnel from international groups as Visiting Researchers Scientific cooperation with 2 international groups, mutual visits 8 visiting researchers 3 Visiting Researchers representing MIMT Professor II positions UoB (section 7.3) Visiting Researchers 6.3 EU cooperation Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 Partners involved in 2 EU projects Planned participation in EU MNST Broker Professor II A Colosimo contacts to EU FP European Micro Nano Broker Platform MIMT is invited to participate in UoB-IFT s participation in the European Micro Nano Broker Platform (EU MNST Broker), an EU micro and nano platform network aimed at providing enhanced cooperation between the academic and industrial members of the participating countries, including Germany, Norway and France. The platform is managed by the Technische Universität Ilmenau, and the contact was made possible through meetings with personnel at Hordaland Fylkeskommune. Of particular relevance for IFT's participation in such a platform is the scientific personnel exchange with Victoria University of Melbourne (Australia), where Assistant Professor Bjørn Tore Hjertaker (IFT/UoB) is a guest scientist during the year This collaboration will contribute to an increased level of competence in the areas of interest to EU MNST Broker, and at the same time contribute to identify concrete technology projects of use for the industry in the Bergen region. Several of the main industries within EU MNST Broker have a lot of potential synergy with MIMT s research and industrial partners within MIMT s three focus areas: Automotive Production and Automation Engineering Information and Communications Technology Medical Technology / Biotechnology New Materials Optics / Photonics Solar and Environmental Technology The following deliverables have been identified for this RUP-funded project in 2010: 1. Two persons from UoB-IFT and MIMT will travel to Thüringen in April 2010 to look at the potential for competence development. 35

36 2. A delegation from The State Development Corporation of Thuringia (LEG Thüringen) will visit Bergen and MIMT in May 2010 for further discussion concerning identification, funding and establishment of joint projects. 3. Relevant research environments at the Victoria University will be contacted to look at the potential for creating projects which may contribute to EU MNST Broker. To support IFT/UoB's participation in the European Micro Nano Broker Platform and to allow initiation of new technology projects, Hordaland Fylkeskommune has allocated knok 400 from Regionalt Utviklingsprogram (RUP) during the period EU 7 th Frame Programme MIMT can not be a direct partner in EU projects, so this type of contact has to be indirect. The first contact of this kind is via Professor II Alfredo Colosimo and the initiation of contacts towards the EU FP7 project LIFECYCLE 36

37 7 Recruitment 7.1 PhDs / Postdocs Hiring policy and gender equality All PhD candidates and postdoc funded by MIMT are hired and employed by UoB s regular announcement and hiring procedures including UoB s policy on gender equality: Women are especially encouraged to apply If UoB s evaluation committee finds that applicants have close to equal qualifications, UoB s rules on gender quotation are followed The work force in public sector shall to largest possible extent reflect the diversity of the Norwegian population. UoB aims at achieving a more balanced age and gender structure and to recruit persons with a foreign background UoB uses enhanced degree of publicity ( meroffentlighet ) when hiring to scientific positions The original plan was to fund four PhD-positions followed by four more PhD positions in the second phase However, scientific recruitment in 2007 and 2008 turned out to be a challenge as reported in MIMT annual reports 2007 and The plans were therefore been re-scheduled with the approval of the RCN. In addition, funding for additional PhD candidates by other sources is sought. First PhD / postdoc group All four positions in the first group were filled by qualified candidates during 2008 and 2009 as summarised in Table 7-1 below (see [16] for details): Innovation Activity Fisheries and aquaculture Multiphase measurement of oil and gas Position Name UoB Department PhD PhD Radoslav Borissov Andreas Tomren Dept. of Biology (BIO) Dept. of Chemistry (KI), in collaboration with Dept. of Physics and Technology (IFT) Starting month August 2008 October 2008 Environmental monitoring Fiscal flow measurement of oil and gas Postdoc PhD Emmanuele Roberto Reggiani Espen Storheim Table 7-1: Status of the four PhD and postdoc positions in the first group. Geophysical Institute (GFI), in collaboration with Dept. April 2009 of Biology (BIO) Dept. of Physics and Technology (IFT) October 2009 The last PhD candidate in this group will finish in September The planned PhD position related to Environmental Monitoring was converted to a postdoc position after RCN approval. One PhD is Bulgarian; one postdoc is Italian while the two remaining have earned their MScs at UoB. This represents a good mix of Norwegian and international 37

38 profile. The thematic distribution of the PhD and postdoc positions corresponds roughly to the weighting of the 3 focus areas of MIMT. Second PhD group: The second and last group of four PhD-candidates will start in Planning of the PhD-subjects and recruitment will start in Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, MIMT-funded PhD-candidates in 3 employed ( started) 8 associated or funded PhD students (excluding phase 2- PhDs) 12 incl. 2 postdocs (acc.) 3 PhD candidates in place (4th position converted to postdoc) 15 incl. 3 postdocs (acc.) 7.2 MSc and BSc students 16 MSc students and 3 BSc students were involved in MIMT innovation activities in 2009 (see [16] for details). Some funding for lab equipment etc. was provided by MIMT. Nine MSc theses and 3 BSc projects were submitted for approval in 2009 (see [16] for details) Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, direct / associated MSc and BSc students Establish MSc and BSc projects including resources for some councelling from CMR personnel 10 MSc (acc,) 17 MSc, 3 BSc (acc.) 5 student projects 7.3 Professor II Positions at UoB Background Six Professor II positions at UoB were proposed in Three of them were filled in 2009, one was filled Q while the process to identify candidates for the remaining two positions will start early in These positions have been filled with a focus on: Strengthening MIMT s international cooperation by profiting from UoB s already strong international network. Enhance MIMT s cross-disciplinary nature by bridging several themes and program areas Fish Welfare & Quality - Dr Alfredo Colosimo Alfredo Colosimo (AC) was employed as Professor II at BIO/UoB October 15,

39 AC defended a thesis in chemistry in 1973 at the University of Rome La Sapienza ; from 1976 to 1982 he was an assistant professor of Molecular Biology and Biophysics at the University of Camerino (Italy). In 1983 AC became associate professor of Molecular Biology at the University of Rome "Tor Vergata"; in 1986 professor of Medical Chemistry in the University of Chieti and in 1989 full professor of Biophysics in the Medical Faculty of the University of Rome La Sapienza. From 1990 he teaches General Physiology in Faculty of Medicine as well as in the High School of Medical Physics (Dept. of Physics) of the Univ. of Rome La Sapienza. From 1990 AC is the coordinator of the PhD course in Biophysics and, from 1997, the director of the Interdisciplinary Research Center for the Study of Biomedical Systems of La Sapienza. AC as authored and co-authored 17 peer-reviewed publications the last two years. AC has a broad background in biophysics and extensive experience in bio signals and acoustics. His cross-disciplinary competency together with statistical analysis, modelling, simulation, genetics, and protein chemistry will be useful for MIMT as well as his international contacts including the EU FP7 project LIFECYCLE Gas Detection / Fish Welfare & Quality - Dr Ingunn Skjelvan Dr Skjelvan was employed as Associate Professor II at GFI/UoB October 15, Dr. Skjelvan, who is currently employed by Uniresearch (associated with the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research), has worked extensively with Professor Truls Johannessen on questions related to CO2 measurements. She will significantly strengthen the MIMT activities on environmental monitoring and widen the current CO 2 activities Fish Welfare & Quality / Flow Measurement / Downhole Instrumentation - Dr Audun Pedersen Dr Pedersen was employed as Associate Professor II at IFT/UoB October 15, 2009 in physics and acoustics. Dr. Pedersen, who is Department Manager of Fisheries and Aquaculture at CMR, received his PhD from IFT. Audun Pedersen has worked extensively with Professors Per Lunde and Magne Vestrheim on development of ultrasound technology for fiscal flow measurements. He will therefore significantly strengthen the collaboration between CMR and UoB as well as the cross-fertilisation between Fish Welfare & Quality and Flow Measurement / Downhole Instrumentation through his competency in acoustics Nanotechnology - Dr Gianangelo Bracco Dr Bracco was appointed as Associate Professor II at IFT/UoB February 15, Dr Bracco, who is employed at University of Genoa (Italy), has a strong international profile in the field of nanoscience, and is currently working with Professor Bodil Holst at IFT. His current interests include nanolithography with scanning probe microscopes, experimental and theoretical study of the properties of atomic/molecular supersonic beams, He atom microscopes and application of supersonic beams as jet targets for high energy physics experiments. Dr Bracco will be a resource person within the field of nanoscience, and will contribute to the nano-initiative of MIMT. Moreover, he will significantly strengthen the interaction with international research environments of particular interest to the 39

40 nanophysics initiative at UoB, and provide support for the EU MNST Nano Broker Platform (see section 6.3 above for details). 7.4 Professorship in Experimental Acoustics MIMT agreed in 2009 to fund 30% of a new professorship in experimental acoustics at UoB-IFT. The remaining 70% will be funded by the Bergen R&D cluster Medviz and the CodaOctopus group in Bergen. This new position will strengthen acoustic activities vital to MIMT s interdisciplinary nature and will have a focus on establishing cooperation between research and industry. The position was announced in October 2009 with application deadline January 20, The evaluation committee is currently finishing its work, and the position is expected to be filled by October Bergen School of Measurement UoB has as a part of its MIMT partnership submitted an application to the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at UoB for establishment of the Bergen School of Measurement which is intended to be offered to graduate students within instrumentation and measurement science. The outcome of the application is expected in Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 Contribute to the establishment of the Bergen School of Measurement Science Application under preparation Application filed 40

41 8 Communication / Dissemination 8.1 Scientific Publishing The details of the scientific publishing activity are summarized in [16]. During the preparation of Framdriftsrapport for 2008, it was found that the publishing of 2007 was under-reported. The numbers for both 2007 and 2008 are therefore also included in Table 8-1 below where the numbers for 2007 are according to the annual report for 2007: Type of publication Peer-reviewed journals International conferences and meetings Invited papers, invited talks, highlighted papers 3 Other reports, presentations, and talks from scientific meetings MSc theses 1 10 BSc projects 3 Total Table 8-1: Summary of published scientific papers, conference contributions, and theses in Presentations at MIMT seminars etc. are not included. The quantity of peer-reviewed papers and contributions increased from 14 in 2007 to 18 in 2008 and 23 in It is also very positive to see the 3 invited talks / papers and highlighted papers in 2009 as well as the increased number of other reports and presentations from scientific meetings. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, peer-reviewed papers ( ) proceedings international conferences ( ) International recognition (award / keynote speaker, etc.) ( ) MIMT Seminars / Workshops / Guest Lectures MIMT held or co-arranged 13 meetings, workshops, and seminars as listed in Table 8-2 below: 41

42 Year Public / Partners Date Title Theme Site Public 12 January Michelsen Guest Lecture CMR / Krikor B. Ozanyan (Un. of Hard Field Tomography at THz frequencies Bergen Manchester) Partners 14 May Michelsen Science Day Measurement Technology and CMR / Instrumentation for Northern Areas Bergen Public 18 June 2009 NCE Subsea / Michelsen Subsea Instrumentation: Gaps, CMR / Theme Day Requirements, and Possibilities Bergen Public 20 August 2009 Michelsen Workshop Nano- and Microstructures for Sensor UoB / Applications: New Capabilities at UoB Bergen Public 25 September 2009 Michelsen Workshop Optical Sensor Technology for Detection of UoB / Oil / Gas Bergen Communication Needs and Solutions for Public 28 September 2009 Michelsen / CWIN Workshop Maritime Surveillance and Instrumentation in HiB / Bergen Northern Areas Integrated Environmental Technologies for Public 1 October 2009 SME Innovation Forum improved competitiveness and new business Trondheim opportunities Public October 16 Michelsen Workshop High-Precision Characterisation of UoB / Electromagnetic Fields in Sea Water Bergen Public 1 November 2009 Michelsen Guest Lecture Recent Developments in Ultrasonic UoB / Johan Carlson (Luleå Un. of Measurement Techniques for Industrial Bergen Techn.) Applications 2009 Public 20 November 2009 NCE Subsea / Michelsen Theme Day Partners 25 November 2009 Michelsen Science Day Akustikk i Bergensregionen hvor går vi? Common Technological Challenges and Possibilities within the Michelsen Centre: I Ultrasound Challenges as seen by Industry II Gas Detection, Where and How? Public December 8 Michelsen / BTO Workshop "Industry Science Links" Public December 14 Michelsen Guest Lecture Alfredo Colosimo (University of Rome La Sapienza ) Table 8-2: MIMT workshops and seminars in 2009 Recurrence Quantification Analysis: biological applications CMR / Bergen CMR / Bergen UoB / Bergen UoB / Bergen Michelsen role Initiator Initiator Co-initiator Initiator Initiator Co-initiator Supporter Initiator Initiator Co-initiator The joint seminars, workshops, and guest lectures had in average more than 60 attendees while the partner-exclusive seminars had in average 33 attendants, giving an average of 38 attendants per seminar or workshop. The total number of attendees was almost 500. These activities have been interdisciplinary, involving participants from several different projects, thus allowing different projects to communicate across their boundaries. This is quantified in the 29 presentations given from MIMT activities alone in addition to external contributions. Both international and national collaborators have contributed, amongst them 6 of the Visiting Researchers [21] (1 Norwegian, 5 international) and one newly appointed MIMT Professor II (see section 7.3 above). For comparison, there were 2 MIMT arrangements in 2008 with a total of less than 100 attendees [6]. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 Annual status reports from 7 innovation activities 7 science days / seminars 2 held Annual reports MIMT Science Day MIMT workshops Annual reports MIMT Science Day MIMT workshops Initiator Initiator Initiator 2009: 13 workshops / seminars / guest lectures (10 MIMT, 8 joint), in average 38 attendees

43 The web pages were re-launched with a new format in 2008 followed by more frequent updates during An intra-net with exclusive log-in for the partners was implemented where the following information can be found: Presentations from workshops and seminars Status of Work Plan and deliverables List of funding applications involving MIMT Registration of the web traffic started in June 2009 and is shown in Figure 8-1 below: Figure 8-1: Web traffic on the MIMT pages from June to December 2009 In short: In total 1088 visits o 74 new / 514 regulars o 878 of Norwegian origin / 210 international (UK, USA, Germany, Sweden, France, Brazil) o 3.75 pages visited per visitor Traffic sources: o 52.48% from referring sites (uib.no, cmr.no, forskningsradet.no ) o 27.94% direct hits o 19.58% from search engines Links to MIMT s web pages from the research partners were established were missing. Links from industrial partners are a more complex issue as this is directly touching corporate strategy and policies on web design as well as strategic profiling. This is especially of concern to international corporations. Deliverables Jan 1, 2009 Dec 31, 2009 New and continuously updated web pages, visibility on partners web pages New web format Continuous updating 1088 visits June-Dec Links from research partners sites 8.4 Exhibitions MIMT participated in 2009 in two exhibitions with its own booth and booth design as listed in Table 8-3 below: 43