Case study · Geoscience & subsurface studies
Autonomous 1380 bar HPHT test bench for stable, long-duration aging studies
For a major energy company, IRIAN Mecatronics designed and built a dual-cell test bench to simulate material aging at 1380 bar (20,000 psi) and 300°C (572°F). The equipment ensures absolute pressure stability over very long periods, enabling safe, unattended operation.
At a glance
- Client
- Major energy company (drilling fluids and cements)
- Field
- Oil & Gas / geosciences
- Technique
- Material aging in HPHT conditions
01 — The research question
How to reliably simulate long-term material aging under extreme, unattended conditions?
To qualify the durability of materials such as cements and drilling fluids, laboratories must replicate downhole conditions (high pressure, high temperature) and maintain them for days or even weeks. The main challenge is ensuring these test conditions remain perfectly stable, without any drift, so that post-mortem analyses reflect true material aging rather than equipment-induced artifacts. For this project, our client needed to validate formulations for critical applications. While a standard autoclave could reach the target pressure and temperature, it could not guarantee absolute stability over the required duration. Moreover, off-the-shelf solutions offered neither the productivity of running two tests in parallel nor the ergonomics needed to handle heavy cells safely and efficiently.
Maintaining a perfectly stable extreme pressure of 1380 bar over a long period, despite fluid volume changes caused by inevitable micro-fluctuations in temperature.
02 — Our approach
The design approach: solving four challenges for a reliable and productive test
Actively compensating for volume variations
In a confined volume, the slightest temperature fluctuation causes pressure to change. For an aging test that must remain stable for weeks, a simple initial pressurization is insufficient. We integrated a system that actively and continuously compensates for fluid volume variations, ensuring the pressure setpoint remains stable throughout the test cycle.
Making cell handling safer and faster
The caps for cells rated at 1380 bar are extremely heavy, making them difficult and risky to handle. Instead of relying on an external hoist, we integrated an assistance system into the frame that cancels the cap's weight and guides it during closure. This allows a single operator to load and unload samples safely and effortlessly, boosting the laboratory's productivity.
Ensuring safety during unattended operation
Equipment operating 24/7 at 1380 bar and 300°C requires foolproof safety. We implemented layered safety systems: PLC-driven software controls backed by passive physical devices (rupture discs, pressure relief valves) that are fully independent of the control system. This redundancy ensures the protection of personnel and the laboratory, even in the event of a control failure. It's a principle we also apply to our test benches for flammable gases.
Controlling cooldown to preserve the sample
Reliable post-mortem analysis requires "freezing" the sample's state at the precise end of the test plateau. Slow, uncontrolled passive cooling would allow chemical reactions to continue, skewing the results. Our system ensures that the cooling phase is as rapid and controlled as the heating phase, preserving the sample's integrity for analysis.
03 — Technical specifications
| Operating pressure | 1380 bar (20,000 psi) |
|---|---|
| Operating temperature | 300°C (572°F) |
| Number of test cells | 2, with independent control |
| Footprint | Compact, less than 1.5 m wide |
| Required utilities | Standard (water, compressed air, domestic power) |
04 — Other applications
Does your project look like this?
Nuclear
Studying material aging over several months requires ultra-stable long-term pressure control and redundant safety systems for unattended operation. These principles are directly transferable, with material selection adapted to withstand irradiation.
Polymer Chemistry
Syntheses in supercritical conditions require precise pressure control to compensate for reaction-induced volume changes, as well as accurate thermal management. These are two core capabilities of this equipment, which can be augmented with stirring or injection systems.
Deep Geothermal
Testing the resistance of materials in aggressive geothermal fluids relies on the same ability to maintain stable HP/HT conditions and use corrosion-resistant alloys (Hastelloy, Titanium), an expertise we leverage in our custom reactors.
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