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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
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    TPU Opens Research Center for Petrochemistry and Technology

    Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) has opened a new subdivision based on the School of Earth Sciences and Engineering. The subdivision will unite a wide range of research areas and will allow carrying out more works for the benefit of industrial partners of the university.

    According to Natalya Guseva, Director of the TPU School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, the opening of a new centre in the structure of the School and the reorganization of the Innovation Research Laboratory for Drilling, Washing and Slurry Solutions are caused by the development of staff’s competences.

    “At the moment, the laboratory staff work in new research areas and can solve a quite wider range of tasks. It will allow the TPU School of Earth Sciences and Engineering to enhance cooperation with industrial partners and positioning on the market for services, as well as to take part in more large-scale projects, where different competencies are required,” Natalya Guseva says.

    Konstantin Minaev, Head of the Innovation Research Laboratory for Drilling, Washing and Slurry Solutions, will lead the new centre. The subdivisions of the centre are located in the TPU academic buildings No. 2, 19 and at the TPU Science Park. JSC Tomskneft VNK, an industrial partner of TPU, contributed to the renovation and re-equipment of premises in academic building No. 19.

    “First of all, I would like to thank all the team, as it is a serious step on team building for solving serious tasks at the frontier of the petroleum industry. The centre opening will allow expanding the range of research and engineering works in petrochemistry due to the new and up-to-date equipment, interdisciplinary contacts and query enhancement from industrial partners. It is a reply to the question on breaking down barriers among university laboratories. The most important is that the Center opens additional opportunities for students: they can choose a trajectory, come to the place where new projects are born, use the newest equipment,” Andrey Yakovlev, Acting Rector of TPU, said at the center opening.

    The Research Center for Petrochemistry and Technology will unite five areas: oilfield chemistry, drilling fluids, slurry solutions, reservoir physics, the chemistry of petroleum and petroleum products. The skeleton staff is the laboratory staff, however, new experts, as well as young scientists: graduates and postgraduates, including international ones, will be invited.

    “We can carry out large-scale projects, we possess accumulated experience that will allow us to holistically solve serious tasks both in a research area and for industrial partners. I am sure we will have interesting work ahead,” Konstantin Minaev, Head of the Center for Petrochemistry and Technology, addressed the staff.

    The Center is planned to carry out both research and industrial projects, however, the key point will be focused on cooperation with industrial partners. To equip the Center on the program of renewal of instruments, there was purchased high-class equipment including a rheometer and tensiometer worth over 15 million rubles.

    There was no equipment of such level for research in oilfield chemistry at TPU. It will allow our staff members to become participants of more serious projects for the benefit of industrial partners and will allow our students to master the devices during their study time,” Konstantin Minaev explained.

    In total, there was spent over 70 million rubles during several years for installation and purchasing miscellaneous equipment for different units of the Center.

    “Today, we see the result of the cooperative path that was travelled by our laboratories in approaching and building relations with each other. At the moment, different subdivisions can say that they can implement large-scale projects for the industry,” Artem Boev, TPU Vice-Rector for Technological Development and Entrepreneurship.