NEL is the UK’s leading provider of independent consultancy, on-site measurement, testing and calibration, research and development and training services to the global oil & gas sector.

Why choose NEL?

NEL has an impressive track record, built on three decades of service to the oil & gas industry. Our exceptional team of technology specialists understand the challenges faced by the industry and work closely with clients to increase their operational efficiency and to reduce capital expenditure by tailoring services to meet their needs.

Services

The work we do here at NEL has a direct impact on world wide oil & gas production estimated at US$ 10 billion a day. We provide services in key areas including:

• Flow Measurement Support – meter selection, system audit, uncertainty studies, interpretation of standards
• Development and Calibration – single phase, wet gas and multiphase systems, valves and subsea equipment
• Erosion – assessment and validation
• Environmental – produced water, oil-in-water, emissions and Carbon Capture & Storage
• CFD Modelling – flow assurance, measurement and uncertainty, erosion modelling

NEL continues to build solid links and partnerships with academia and industry, cementing its role as a world leader in flow measurement and fluid mechanics.

As part of its commitment to developing these links, NEL announces an exciting opportunity for six of its professional engineers to participate in an Engineering Doctorate Programme in partnership with Coventry University.  Through this programme the participants will gain a deeper understanding of research methods and learn how to apply these to their client-facing work.  This initiative is another demonstration of an ongoing programme and commitment by NEL to invest in the development of its people.

Professor Michael FitzPatrick, Executive Dean of Engineering and Computing, Coventry University, said:  “We are delighted to work with NEL in developing this and other projects.  The EngD Programme is a good route for anyone whose work is research intensive, as well as those wishing to enter academia - I look forward to welcoming this group of student researchers to the University.”

This opportunity will support NEL’s continued business growth and enhance NEL’s reputation as the leading authority in flow measurement technology worldwide.

NEL advances wet gas research

Traditionally industry has disregarded the water fraction when measuring wet gas for allocation and fiscal taxation purposes in the belief that it was negligible to the overall measurement.

However, early indicators at NEL have revealed that in some cases even using common correlations to correct for the liquid fraction can lead to errors of over 11 per cent when water is present.  For a typical gas field this could equate to £500,000 per year in mis-measurement.

Until now there has been a lack of flow test facilities capable of reproducing 3-phase flow to determine what impact the presence of water, even trace amounts, has on different metering technologies.  Furthermore, the standards in place for wet gas measurement and supporting correlations are not designed to incorporate all 3-phases, even though this is the reality.

There is a real need to better understand wet gas flow measurement and to have in place appropriate guidance and standards covering 3-phase measurements.  To help industry address this, NEL is pleased to announce the completion of its new upgraded wet gas facilty

In response to industry’s demand, not only to reproduce 3-phase conditions, but also to increase the working envelope of the test facility to better simulate the higher flowrates and pressures representative of today’s deep water fields, the upgraded facility can now achieve pressures up to 65 bar and gas flow rates over 2000 m3 per hour.

The facility is playing an instrumental role in advancing global knowledge on complex wet gas measurement and has allowed NEL to commence fundamental research under the UK Government’s National Measurement System (NMS).  The key aim of the research is to drive down errors and develop more robust corrections to improve industry’s measurement of wet gas.  The research will also be key to improving the current wet gas standards and protocols.