ERT Flotta

ERT (Orkney) Ltd is a company wholly owned by Naremco Technology International Ltd. ERT (Orkney) Ltd is based in the Orkney Water Technology Centre on the Flotta Oil Terminal from where it has provided services to industry and government agencies world-wide for over 20 years.

OWTC Test Facilities
The engineering test facilities are primarily designed to test oil and gas production related systems under controlled conditions. The projects cover both specific work from individual companies and Joint Industry Projects (JIP). The test facility work carried out at the Orkney Water Technology Centre covers a wide variety of areas in the oil and gas industry including:

• hydrocyclones;
• centrifuges;
• induced gas flotation systems;
• filters;
• oil in water monitors;
• core injectivity.

Offshore and Onshore Site Services
Environment and Resource Engineering Ltd routinely carry out work on both onshore and offshore facilities in the oil and gas, and related sites. As well as general consultancy ERT carries out on site testing including:

• produced water and injection water characterisation;
• oil and emulsion characterisation;
• chemical injection trials and optimisation;
• flow tracing;
• process unit appraisal (e.g. hydrocyclones).

OWTC Analytical Capability
Orkney Water Technology Centre has on site laboratories dedicated to the type of analyses generally required in oil/water separation and oily water treatment. In addition, our Ecotoxicology Laboratories, fully certified to GLP requirements, can provide a full range of aquatic toxicity based techniques. As part of ERT Ltd, OWTC can call on the resources of the wider company to provide an extensive range of analytical capability, either by transferring the resources to OWTC for the duration of a project, or by sending samples to the relevant laboratory.

Offshore Projects List

• Company: Enterprise Oil
  Platform: Nelson
  Project: Testing of Mares TailÔ system
  Date: June 2000
  
• Company: Atlantic Power
  Platform: Ramform Banff
  Project: Produced water characterisation
  Date: March 2000
  
• Company: OEES Ltd
  Platform: Alba
  Project: Emulsion problems
  Date: January 2000
  
• Company: North Sea Production Co Ltd
  Platform: McCulloch
  Project: Modifications to produced water system
  Date: May 1999
  
• Company: North Sea Production Co Ltd
  Platform: McCulloch
  Project: Produced water characterisation
  Date: February 1999
  
• Company: IGL Engineering
  Platform: Ninian
  Project: Oil droplet sizing
  Date: December 1998
  
• Platform: Andrew
  Project: Oil droplet sizing
  Date: December 1998

Orkney Marine Lab
Situated on the island of Flotta in the Orkney Islands, this purpose built facility has carried out extensive research into many marine species and processes. The laboratory consists of five 'wet' rooms, two laboratories, an ecotoxicological testing suit and a water treatment facility.

Projects carried out at OML have included: Mariculture investigations into the rearing of the scallop (Pecten maximus), barnacle (Elminius modesta), lobster (Homarus gammarus), copepods (Acartia tonsa and Tisbe battagliai) and the oysters (Ostrea edulis and Crassostrea gigas).

Extensive toxicity testing has been carried out over the last seven years on chemicals used mainly in the Offshore Oil and Gas industry. This has involved the culture and maintenance of marine organisms including algae (Skeletonema costatum), mussels (Mytilus edulis), copepods (Acartia tonsa and Tisbe battagliai), amphipods (Corophium volutator)and the fish, turbot (Scopthalmus maximus), plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) and sheepshead minnow (Cyprinodon variegatus).

OML have also supplied algae (bulk and stock cultures), Acartia, Corophium, limpets, oysters and scallops to over 10 companies.

OML has carried out bacteriological testing of drinking water and is currently extending this service to cover the fish and shellfish processing industry.

OML has over 10 years experience in the rearing and maintenance of most classes of marine organisms and is backed up by a large engineering facility and an extensive consultancy capability. Clients include all the major oil companies, CEFAS, SEAFISH, SEPA, DTI, major UK fish and shellfish hatcheries as well as laboratories in the UK, Denmark, Norway, USA and Azerbaijan.

OML staff have extensive experience in problem solving and troubleshooting and have acted as consultants to many marine facilities both in the UK and abroad.

Ecotoxicology
ERT operates an Aquatic Ecotoxicology Laboratory on the island of Flotta.. This facility is linked to a Shellfish Hatchery and Mariculture Research Unit. We offer both marine and freshwater toxicity tests. The unit benefits from an abundant supply of clean seawater, and has ready access (via in-house cultures or local populations) to a wide range of test species.

Our experience lies within the testing of chemicals used in the offshore oil industry. We also carry out contract research for a variety of other clients.

Email: enquiries@owtc.co.uk
Website: http://www.icit.demon.co.uk/forum.htm