TUV SUD NEL invests over £1 million in AMF capacity test separator

Flow measurement R&D specialist TUV SUD NEL has announced an investment of £1.45 million (almost €1.7 million) in a large capacity test separator for its new Advanced Multiphase Facility (AMF).

The separator will test multiphase and oil, water and gas flows and will ensure sufficient retention times even at high flow rates, according to the company.

At a weight of 270 tonnes and a maximum operating pressure of 150 bar, the separator will enable flow rates up to 20 times larger than any other test facility in the world.

“This is a major milestone for us as the test separator is at the heart of the AMF construction project,” said infrastructure manager Muir Porter, who is leading the installation project. “The next major phase will be to build the complex steel pipework which forms the test loop and feeds into the test separator, and which will deliver a multiphase flow test facility with a range beyond anything currently available on the market.”

With a total investment of £16 million (€18.6 million) the AMF test facility will focus mainly on the subsea sector and wet gas business. In addition to industrial testing, it will offer training programmes and academic research opportunities, as well as the addition of at least 17 new jobs.

Scottish Enterprise has provided £4.9 million (€5.7 million) in R&D funding, with TUV SUD NEL parent company TÜV SÜD AG investing an additional £11.1 million (€12.9 million).