Conferences, Exhibitions and Committees

MERL actively participate in a variety of public events to promote the research work performed within the company and help steer current research programmes, via various scientific committees. MERL are the technical organisers of the “Oilfield Engineering with Polymers” conference, held approximately every 2-3 years in London, starting in 1996.

About the conference

MERL Oilfield Engineering with Polymers 2010 provides an international forum for oilfield operators and their suppliers to meet and discuss the latest developments in application requirements and materials R&D. Elastomers, thermoplastics, thermosets and composite materials play a vital role in many critical applications in the oilfield such as coatings, insulation, pipes (bonded and flexible), hoses, seals, flexible joints and bearings, inflatable tools, umbilicals, risers, blow out preventers etc. The industry challenge is to operate safely and reliably in increasingly remote and hostile environments. Key to this is research and development, design, qualification and operational experience. Download conference flyer

Attending and advertising

The Millennium Gloucester Hotel is an exclusive 4-star conference venue in Kensington in the heart of London, close to the Royal Albert Hall and the Science Museum. (It is less than a minute's walk from Gloucester Road station on the Piccadilly Underground train line from Heathrow Airport.) AMI has reserved a limited number of bedrooms for delegates at a special rate at the hotel. Further information is available on the AMI web site.

For information on attending the conference, or to book sponsorship and exhibition spaces, please contact Jenny Skinner Tel: +44 117 924 9442.

Call for papers

MERL and AMI are currently recruiting speakers. Papers are invited on all aspects of oilfield engineering particularly the current industry challenges:

• high temperatures and pressures downhole
• extreme cold conditions, e.g. arctic
• use of supercritical carbon dioxide injection for enhanced oil recovery
• material compatibility with production and treatment fluids
• composite applications
• market and industry trends in oilfield engineering
• operational experience/case studies
• new materials, applications and operating conditions
• insulation and sealing
• qualification test methods (e.g. NORSOK M-710)
• material durability and lifetime assessment
• low pressure conditions
• sour fluid handling
• repair and maintenance
• standards and regulatory requirements

Speakers have a 30 minute slot including 5 minutes for questions and attend the conference free of charge.

If you would like to speak at the conference, please send a short summary of the paper and speaker details to Sally Humphries before the deadline of 5th March 2010, preferably sooner. Once all applications have been collected the conference technical programme will be compiled by a panel led by Dr John Harris from MERL.

To download the conference programme, click here

The sixth international conference on Oilfield Engineering with Polymers was held at the Cavendish Conference Centre in London, UK, on 7 – 8th October 2008. The conference was organised by Materials Engineering Research Laboratory Limited (MERL) in conjunction with Applied Market Information Ltd (AMI).

The conference attracts an international audience of engineers and technologists, to discuss the latest developments in the application and performance of non-metallic materials in offshore service.