Oil & Gas Industry Research Targets Nanotechnology

Class societies have embraced emerging technology, including nanotechnology, which has led to increased investment and greater cooperation with other stakeholders through pioneering joint developments. One example is work ABS has undertaken with George Washington University on nanosurface profiling technologies to develop and test ice-phobic coatings to mitigate ice accretion. By profiling the surface at the nano scale, researchers can modify the contact angle for water droplets such that they do not adhere, which means the droplets will not wet a treated surface, ABS Shared Technology Director James Bond and Senior Engineer Elli Lembessis explain. The potential application of ice-phobic surfaces is far-reaching, and this technology could mitigate the risk of ice buildup in arctic conditions.