Norwegian Institute Of Technology Research Articles

Enabling Circumstances: Women Chemical Engineers at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, 1910–1943

The Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) was the first of its kind when it opened doors in Trondheim in 1910. For the first time, engineers who were perceived as central to the country’s industrial development could be educated in Norway. Of the 4,311 students admitted to NTH before 1940, twenty were women who embarked on the course in chemical engineering. In this prosopographical study, I aim to examine closely the first cohorts of women engineers in Norway, their motivations for studying chemical engineering, their career opportunities and choices and the extent to which they were supported by mentors. Sixteen women who completed their degrees have been investigated, and the lives and careers of three women who represent three common chemical industries in Norway during the first third of the twentieth century are studied in depth. I argue that the special place of NTH in Norwegian society prompted ambitious women to seek careers in chemical engineering. Because these candidates’ competence was highly valued, they overcame the barriers otherwise experienced by women in Norwegian society in the early twentieth century.

Evaluation of Soil Strength from Variable Rate CPTU Tests in Silt

Abstract The interpretation of cone penetration test (CPTU), at the standard rate of 20 mm/s, results in clays assuming undrained penetration tests, whereas the interpretation in sands is carried out using a drained approach. However, for silts, the drainage conditions during a standard rate test are less well understood, and often partial drainage occurs. The main objectives of this work are to show the limitations of applying existing correlations for sand and clay to a silt material and to give guidance to practicing engineers on how to establish strength parameters for silts that allow a safe design. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive laboratory and field test study that was carried out on a silt site in Halsen-Stjørdal, Norway. Varied rate CPTU tests were conducted, and various soil samples were taken. Using a conventional Nkt approach to determine undrained shear strength, standard rate CPTU tests provided 20 % higher values compared with high-rate tests. Thus, the undrained strength may be overestimated from standard rate tests. Care needs to be taken when using undrained shear strength in silts. Nevertheless, this value represents a limiting strength value, which is often of interest when investigating the response as if it were undrained. The friction angle could be successfully determined from CPTU results by applying the modified Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) method to the measured data set. The results reveal a rate dependency of the friction angle, resulting in an underestimation of 20 % if a standard rate test is used compared with using low-rate CPTU tests, giving drained results that match the reference values from the laboratory. To overcome uncertainties in picking design strength values, it is highly recommended to carry out at least one fast and one slow CPTU test to evaluate the drainage situation and to adjust the design values accordingly.

The Chemistry Professor as Consultant at the Norwegian Institute of Technology, 1910–1930

The Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) was established in Trondheim in 1910, shortly after the country had gained its independence from Sweden. The establishment of NTH coincided with the beginning of large-scale industry in Norway, and expectations were high as to what the Institute could contribute in terms of competence to establish new industries. Its professors were expected to be not just teachers or academics, but also to be involved in projects with industry. Consultancy was one way of exercising authority in relevant areas, and to acquire experience with industrial projects. Historical accounts about NTH often mention that its professors were consultants for industry, but what this entailed is rarely discussed. In this paper, I will investigate how two chemistry professors, appointed around 1910, formed their roles as consultants: Peder Farup, who experimented with the pigment titanium white for the successful company Elektrokemisk (now Elkem) in the 1910s; and Sigval Schmidt-Nielsen, who became the country’s authority on nutrition, and served both the state and the margarine industry as a consultant from World War I into the 1930s. I will argue that both Farup and Schmidt-Nielsen created “hybrid careers,” using a concept introduced by Eda Kranaki in 1992.

Variable Rate Piezocone Data Evaluated Using NTH Limit Plasticity Solution

An established effective stress limit plasticity solution for piezocone testing (CPTu) is shown to be compatible for a variety of primarily fine-grained soils that are subjected to variable rate penetration tests covering undrained to partially drained to fully drained conditions. The method is applicable to primarily clays of low overconsolidation ratio < 2.5. Data from 21 variable rate CPTu test series reported in the geotechnical literature are compiled into three categories, including: (a) field CPTu soundings, (b) laboratory 1-g chamber tests, and (c) centrifuge model tests. Using a CPTu theory developed by the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH), it is observed that the effective stress friction angle of clays, silty clays, sandy clays, and other fine-grained soils is consistent, regardless of the probe push rate. For 14 of the variable rate CPTu test series, the NTH CPTu solution compares well with the benchmark friction angle from laboratory triaxial testing. Selected example variable rate CPTu series are presented to illustrate the NTH procedures.

Effective Friction Angle Of Deltaic Soils In The Vistula Marshlands

Abstract This article presents the results of laboratory tests on soft, normally consolidated soils from the Vistula Marshlands. Samples of high-plasticity organic soils (muds) taken from 3.2–4.0 m and 9.5–10.0 m depth, as well as peat deposit at 14.0 m, are analysed. Presented case study confirms the applicability of the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) method based on Cone Penetration Tests (CPTU) and allows for a conservative estimation of effective friction angle for muds. The plastification angle equal to 14.5° for organic silt, applied in the modified NTH method, fits well the triaxial test (TX) results. Moreover, the dilative-contractive behaviour according to the CPTU soil classification based on the Robertson’s proposal from 2016 corresponds well with volumetric changes observed in the consolidated drained triaxial compression tests. The internal friction angles of the Vistula Marshlands’ muds and peats are lower in comparison with the database of similar soft soils.

Modified NTH Method for Assessing Effective Friction Angle of Normally Consolidated and Overconsolidated Clays from Piezocone Tests

AbstractAn effective stress limit plasticity solution developed at the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) provides a theoretical evaluation of the effective stress friction angle (ϕ′) for soft...

Legends of Artificial Lift (2018)

The 2018 SPE Artificial Lift Conference and Exhibition will be held 28–30 August 2018 in The Woodlands, Texas. The event will feature a special Legends of Artificial Lift Luncheon honoring five people who have made outstanding contributions to the field of artificial lift technology. The 2018 SPE Legends of Artificial Lift Award recipients are Ken Decker, Cleon Dunham, Bill Lane, Tony Podio, and Lyle Wilson. Ken Decker Ken Decker has practiced gas lift for more than 30 years and is considered an expert in the use of gas lift valve performance, design, and troubleshooting. He has served on numerous API and ISO committees writing standards for gas lift equipment design and testing, and he has written numerous SPE papers on gas lift valve performance. After earning his BS degree in 1971 from Michigan State University, he worked on gas lift projects around the world, first with Teledyne Merla, then Otis Engineering. Upon his retirement from Otis in 1993, Decker formed his consulting business, Decker Technology. William C. “Bill” Lane Bill Lane has worked in the oil and gas industry for 40 years, first for Otis Engineering (now Halliburton Energy Services), and more recently for Weatherford International, where he held vice president positions over artificial lift research and development, elastomer systems, PCP systems, artificial lift emerging technologies, and artificial lift training. He was a founding member of the Artificial Lift Research and Development Council (ALRDC) and served as chairperson of the R&amp;D committee. He holds a BS in mechanical engineering and an MS in mechanical engineering design, both from the University of Texas at Arlington. Augusto L. (Tony) Podio Tony Podio is a petroleum engineering consultant in Austin, Texas, specializing in artificial lift. Formerly he was a professor in the Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering Department at the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught and directed research in the areas of drilling and production. He was a visiting professor at the Norwegian Institute of Technology and at the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. He holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BS in mining and petroleum engineering from the Universidad de los Andes in Bogota, Colombia. Cleon Dunham Cleon Dunham graduated from Cornell University in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural engineering. He worked for Shell Oil Company for 36 years, the last few as coordinator of oilfield automation and artificial lift for Shell’s worldwide producing operations in the Netherlands. Shell was one of the earliest pioneers of artificial lift automation, and Dunham was the technology’s biggest cheerleader. During the 1970s and early 1980s, Shell developed automation technologies for rod pumps, ESPs, and gas lift. He was instrumental in the development of these technologies and was an ardent champion of their use. The technology evolved from vans that drove from pumping unit to pumping unit collecting dynamometer cards, to real-time surveillance systems that delivered the data directly from the well to the engineer’s desktop. In SPE paper 3967, “Bridging the Information Gap Between Operations and Engineering,” He describes that early work and the significance of automation technology in production and operations. Although the paper was written in 1973, the ideas presented are still relevant today. B. Lyle Wilson “In 1964 my college funding at the University of Tulsa dried up, and I entered the field of artificial lift on the night shift with Centrilift,” ESP expert Lyle Wilson recalls. “My [lack of] collegiate progress was noticed by the Selective Service system, and I was given an opportunity for training, travel, and adventure. Returning from Vietnam, I finished my BS mechanical engineering degree at University of Tulsa in 1972 and officially started my career. I worked in directional drilling, fracking, and completions before I returned to ESP artificial lift.” Wilson spent 20 years working for Oil Dynamics (ODI), eventually reaching the position of chief engineer. He ended up back at Centrilift when ODI was purchased by Baker Hughes and merged with the Centrilift division, and he finally retired as a senior research advisor, though he continues to work with Baker Hughes as a third-party contractor.

Effective Stress Strength Parameters of Clays from DMT

Abstract In this study, an established effective stress limit plasticity solution for piezocone penetration tests (CPTu) in clay developed by the Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTH) for evaluating the effective stress friction angle (ϕ′) is extended to flat plate dilatometer tests (DMT) readings. A nexus between CPTu and DMT is built through spherical cavity expansion solutions for undrained penetration to link the cone tip resistance (qt) and shoulder porewater pressure (u2) from CPTu to the measured contact pressure (p0) and expansion pressure (p1) obtained from DMT in soft to firm intact clays. Data from 49 paired sets of CPTu-DMT soundings in a variety of clays are used to support and validate the links. A variety of soils ranging from lean to plastic clays and clayey silts from marine, alluvial, lacustrine, deltaic, and glaciofluvial origins are subjected to flat DMTs, and the measurements are utilized to evaluate the effective stress friction angle (ϕ′). Data from 46 clays are compiled to examine the DMT-interpreted ϕ′ values in comparison with laboratory benchmark ϕ′ values obtained from CAUC or isotropically consolidated undrained triaxial compression tests on high-quality samples. An approximate inversion of the theoretical solution is derived to allow ϕ′ profiles to be determined with depth. Four well-documented DMT examples, including two natural clay sites and two chamber test series (one pressurized and the other unpressurized), are presented to illustrate the NTH procedures.

Relationships between Academia, State and Industry in the Field of Food and Nutrition: The Norwegian Chemist Sigval Schmidt-Nielsen (1877-1956) and His Professional Roles, 1900-1950

The aim of this article is to shed light on the relationships between science, state and industry in the field of food and nutrition in Norway in the first half of the 20th century with reference to the scientist Sigval Schmidt-Nielsen (1877–1956). Schmidt-Nielsen was a health authority employed state chemist at the university in the Norwegian capital and later professor of technical organic chemistry at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim. We explore his roles, his research and his consultancy for state and industry at the university and at the institute. The early 1900s were important for the shaping of food and nutrition science as well as the growth of the food industry. During this period, food control and food regulations were implemented. Norway, the context in which Schmidt-Nielsen worked had only become an independent nation in 1905, and the state administration, as well as the university and institute were young institutions. We argue that this specific situation paved the way for the roles Schmidt-Nielsen played in academia, state and industry. By combining a biographical approach and a multi-institutional perspective, new relations between different fields within food and nutrition became visible.

Comprehensive geriatric care for patients with hip fractures: a prospective, randomised, controlled trial

Most patients with hip fractures are characterised by older age (>70 years), frailty, and functional deterioration, and their long-term outcomes are poor with increased costs. We compared the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of giving these patients comprehensive geriatric care in a dedicated geriatric ward versus the usual orthopaedic care. We did a prospective, single-centre, randomised, parallel-group, controlled trial. Between April 18, 2008, and Dec 30, 2010, we randomly assigned home-dwelling patients with hip-fractures aged 70 years or older who were able to walk 10 m before their fracture, to either comprehensive geriatric care or orthopaedic care in the emergency department, to achieve the required sample of 400 patients. Randomisation was achieved via a web-based, computer-generated, block method with unknown block sizes. The primary outcome, analysed by intention to treat, was mobility measured with the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) 4 months after surgery for the fracture. The type of treatment was not concealed from the patients or staff delivering the care, and assessors were only partly masked to the treatment during follow-up. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT00667914. We assessed 1077 patients for eligibility, and excluded 680, mainly for not meeting the inclusion criteria such as living in a nursing home or being aged less than 70 years. Of the remaining patients, we randomly assigned 198 to comprehensive geriatric care and 199 to orthopaedic care. At 4 months, 174 patients remained in the comprehensive geriatric care group and 170 in the orthopaedic care group; the main reason for dropout was death. Mean SPPB scores at 4 months were 5·12 (SE 0·20) for comprehensive geriatric care and 4·38 (SE 0·20) for orthopaedic care (between-group difference 0·74, 95% CI 0·18-1·30, p=0·010). Immediate admission of patients aged 70 years or more with a hip fracture to comprehensive geriatric care in a dedicated ward improved mobility at 4 months, compared with the usual orthopaedic care. The results suggest that the treatment of older patients with hip fractures should be organised as orthogeriatric care. Norwegian Research Council, Central Norway Regional Health Authority, St Olav Hospital Trust and Fund for Research and Innovation, Liaison Committee between Central Norway Regional Health Authority and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, the Department of Neuroscience at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research at the Norwegian Institute of Technology (SINTEF), and the Municipality of Trondheim.

Fridtjof Kavli

Fridtjof Kavli

Announcement of SPE Board Nominees: 2015 SPE President and Slate of Directors

SPE Board Nominations Helge Haldorsen is the nominee for 2015 Society of Petroleum Engineers president. He and seven others make up the slate of Board nominees recommended for SPE Board positions by the society’s Nominating Committee and Board of Directors. These recommendations are based on nominations submitted via SPE’s online nominating process (see sidebar). 2015 SPE President Helge Haldorsen is vice president–strategy and portfolio for Statoil Development and Production North America, based in Houston, Texas. He worked for Norsk Hydro in various roles, including chief reservoir engineer, vice president–technology and competence, vice president–exploration and research, senior vice president–international exploration and production, and president–Hydro Gulf of Mexico. Haldorsen has also held various engineering positions at British Petroleum, Standard Oil of Ohio (Sohio), and ExxonMobil (Esso). He was a second lieutenant in the Royal Norwegian Navy and professor of industrial mathematics at the University of Oslo. Haldorsen earned an MS in petroleum engineering from the Norwegian Institute of Technology and a PhD in reservoir engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. He currently serves on the Offshore Technology Conference board of directors and the external advisory board for the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin. Technical Director, Drilling and Completions David Curry is a Baker Hughes technology fellow, based in London, UK. Prior positions with Baker Hughes include director of drill bit research and technical manager of drilling optimization. He has more than 25 years’ experience in drilling research and technology development, primarily related to drill bits and bit/rock interactions, and to drilling performance improvement. Before joining the oil industry he worked on nuclear power plant integrity. Curry was named an SPE Distinguished Member in 2010. He is chair of SPE’s Research and Development (R&amp;D) Advisory Committee, past chair of SPE’s R&amp;D Technical Section, and has served on SPE’s Drilling and Completions Advisory Committee, Drilling and Completions Award Committee, and Books Development Committee. He was executive editor of SPE Drilling and Completion, and in 2007 was named A Peer Apart for peer reviewing more than 100 SPE papers. Curry has published more than 40 papers, been awarded eight patents, and coauthored one book. He earned an MA in natural sciences and a PhD in fracture mechanics, both at the University of Cambridge, and is a chartered engineer in the UK.

Assessing prediction models of advance rate in tunnel boring machines—a case study in Iran

Tunnel boring machine applies in tunnel construction and in mining operation. During the last years, different methods have been introduced to analyze and assess suitable operations of digging systems presented. These methods are divided in two groups: (1) the first group is based on mathematical equations and shear strength applied on each cutter, (2) the second group is based on databanks and experimental relationship. This paper compares and analyzes two experimental methods as introduced by Barton and Norwegian Institute of Technology (NTNU) as well as using a mathematic model introduced by Colorado School of Mines and analyzed the validity scope of each of them. A case study is made in the 16-km Karaj–Tehran water supply tunnel. At the end, it is concluded that mathematical models are not suitable because they are highly dependent on the results of special laboratory tests; also, it attends less to rock mass characteristics. In jointed or nonhomogen rocks, as well as in this project with less value of laboratory data, using Barton model is more creditable. It enjoys high ability for definite measurement. Also, NTNU model attend to machine parameters and in case of availability of laboratory tests data, NTNU model is a suitable method. According to the available information and executing conditions of Karaj–Tehran water supply tunnel project including geology of area, experimental parameters, etc, the Barton method is more valid than the other methods.

About the Authors

About the Authors

Symmetry – An International and Interdisciplinary Scientific Open Access Journal

As the publisher of MDPI journals, I am pleased to launch Symmetry (ISSN 2073-8994), an international and interdisciplinary open access scientific journal. Twenty years ago, a journal entitled Symmetry – An Interdisciplinary and International Journal was launched by VCH Publishers, Inc. in New York, with Professor Istvan Hargittai as Editor-in-Chief. I submitted a paper which was processed by Professor Sven J. Cyvin from The University of Trondheim – The Norwegian Institute of Technology. The paper was accepted and scheduled for publication in the printed issue 4 of volume 1, 1990. I still keep a copy of the galley proofs. However, the publication of this journal was terminated after just the release of the first issue of volume 1, and this paper was finally published elsewhere [1]. [...]

Finding hidden energy in membrane processes

The entropy produced when freshwater and seawater are mixed by membrane processes could be a valuable source of environmentally-friendly energy, say T Thorsen and T Holt from the Foundation for Scientific and Industrial Research at the Norwegian Institute of Technology (SINTEF). But harnessing it in a cost effective manner is challenging…

A proton accelerator in Trondheim in the 1930s

ABSTRACT: Johan Holtsmark at the Norwegian Institute of Technology (N.T.H.) in Trondheim, Norway, built a Van de Graaff generator for nuclear disintegration between 1933 and 1937. This is believed to be the second Van de Graaff generator in Europe and the first particle accelerator in Scandinavia. Holtsmark's successful project followed the failed attempt at N.T.H. by Olaf Devik in the 1920s to develop a discharge tube for nuclear disintegration driven by an evacuated Tesla coil. The genesis of Holtsmark's project was the interaction with Odd Dahl, who had constructed a Van de Graaff accelerator at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington. Holtsmark approached organizations potentially interested in cancer research and treatment for financial support. The electrical engineers appointed to build several parts of the accelerator had been radio amateurs, like many accelerator pioneers at the time. The team had to construct almost everything themselves given financial constraints and the lack of a supporting electrical industry. When operative in 1937, the Van de Graaff generator was already a comparatively small machine. The Trondheim scientists chose to develop it as a precision machine for proton capturing experiments in light elements. The accelerator proved a useful tool for research and teaching until 1963, when it was shut down and given to the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology. This article seeks to answer why Holtsmark engaged in such an ambitious project in the periphery of Europe's scientific community and how he succeeded at a small department with several coexisting research activities.

Growth and characterisation of YBa 2Cu 3O 7 − x high Tc superconducting crystals

Crystal growth of the high T c superconductor YBa 2Cu 3O 7 − x (YBCO) by slow cooling of YO 1.5BaOCuO x melts in ambient air atmosphere have been studied. The Ba Cu molar ratio in the starting composition varied from 0.31 to 0.58, and the YO 1.5 content from 0.6 to 1.75 mol%. The compositions were located around the narrow primary crystallisation field of YBCO reported by Rian (Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Inorganic Chemistry, Norwegian Institute of Technology, 1992). As CO 2 has been reported to influence the phase relations in this system, experiments using both BaCuO 2 and BaCO 3 as barium source were performed. Alumina crucibles were used. The crystal growth results using BaCuO 2 as Ba precursor are mainly consistent with the phase diagram. Regarding the phase relations in the YO 1.5BaOCuO x system, the results show that the eutectic composition has an YO 1.5 content below 0.6 mol%, and a BaO content above 26 mol% in air atmosphere. Y 2Cu 2O 5 and YBCO are proposed to be coexistent in a narrow temperature range. Upon using BaCO 3 as the Ba source, the type, amount and quality of the crystals changed. From the growth experiments we propose that the primary crystallisation field of YBCO changes to a higher BaO content with increasing CO 2 pressure.

The Application of Heat Pump in Drying of Biomaterials

ABSTRACT The UN estimates that 6.4 billion people will be living on Earth by the year 2000. As a consequence, dried biomaterials demand will rise and equipments will have to be built or redesigned to accomadate changes. The design and innovations on industrial dryers require fundamental knowledge conceived in laboratory units. The new heat pump dryer operates at a wide relative humidity and the air temperature is adjustable from –20 to 100'C. Above and belw freezing point drying modes are done in the same plant which allows the control of biomaterial properties. The technique consists of two stages, unbound weakly held water removal by freeze drying. and tightly bound moisture desorption by medium temperature drying. The fluidized and shelf heat pump dryers have the required features to dry heat sensitive biomaterials. The dryers were built and extensive research on biomaterials has been conducted at The Norwegian Institute of Technology. Many emeriments were done on effect of heat pump drying conditions ...

Behavior of Steel Columns at Elevated Temperatures

A general numerical procedure to analyze the behavior of load-bearing members under elevated temperature conditions has been developed by the writers. In this paper, the results obtained by using the numerical procedure are compared with the data from 18 steel column tests conducted at the Norwegian Institute of Technology. The tests comprised one column tested at room temperature and the remaining 17 at elevated temperatures, with different heating rates, axial loads, load eccentricities and end-support conditions (unrestrained, rotationally restrained, and axially restrained). For the column tested at room temperature, the numerical procedure closely reproduced both the ascending and descending branches of the load-deflection curve. The accuracy of the numerical results for the columns tested at elevated temperatures is largely dependent on the elevated temperature material model used. Although elevated temperature stress-strain curves were not determined for the steel columns, a reasonable prediction o...