Perhaps one of the earliest’s Open Innovation experiences for Spinlock was the development of ultiphase Flowmeters for the Oil & Gas Industry. Originally the project started as a self-funded initiative to demonstrate how NMR technology could be a tool that helps establishing water-emulsion-oil volumes on storage tanks. When presented to local oil companies, Spinlock learned that the major challenge was on multiphase flow-metering, and not so much on control tanks.
Quickly spinlock worked on a first prototype to provide an in-flow & in-line water cut measurement via TD-NMR. The preliminary success helped convicing Shell Oil that there was great potential on Spinlock Technology.
After presenting its Halbach-array based Inline TD-NMR technology, Spinlock secured funding from Shell to build a proof-of-concept prototype having the capability of making MRI images of a multiphasic flow (Oil/Gas/Water). After the initial design, Spinlock built 2 Prototypes (Flora I & Flora II) and tested them on Flowloops in the Netherlands and the United States.
This project led to intensive research and development efforts. There is no question Spinlock has lead the introduction of Time-Domain Magnetic Resonance technology to multiphase inflow metering, a technology that continues to show great potential to solve on of the Industry’s unresolved technical challenges, Multiphase Metering for well control.
After finishing the Flora I & II Prototypes, Spinlock continued research on Multiphase Flow Metering, developing the MFM III, IV & V prototypes that include novel technology. Some of this prototypes were field-tested and Spinlock’s development of the technology continues even today, making it the longest Open Innovation R&D Project undertaken by Spinlock yet.