(Toronto, Ontario, Canada - March 21, 2007).
Integran Technologies Inc. (Toronto, Canada) announced today that it has been awarded a contract by Saudi Aramco (through the Aramco Services Company) for planning, implementing, and carrying out a product development program entitled "Application of Nanotechnology for In-Situ Structural Repair of Degraded Heat Exchangers," to explore the feasibility of developing in-situ repair nanotechnology for conventional heat exchangers in the Oil & Gas Industry.
Integran's patent-protected nanometal process would apply erosion- and corrosion-resistant nanostructured coatings to heat exchanger components in order to reduce costly downtime associated with repair and overhaul. The early part of the work is intended to be applied research with field implementation to follow.
The contract was granted through Aramco Services Company on behalf of the Saudi Aramco proponent (Research & Development Center). "We are very excited to be working with the Aramco Research and Development Center, a world leader in oil & gas process innovation, on what is likely the first major application of nanotechnology in the oil & gas sector" said Dr. Francisco Gonzalez, VP Process Development of Integran. "Integran's technology has been previously used in the nuclear industry, and although the challenges are significantly different, the concept holds promise for being applicable to the oil & gas sector" an Aramco Services Company representative said.
About Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco is the world's largest fully integrated international petroleum company possessing the world's largest oil reserves - over one quarter of the global total. With over 50,000 employees, Saudi Aramco is a global leader in developing and implementing technical innovations in support of the continuous improvement of its numerous operations and enterprises. http://www.saudiaramco.com