Institution news
Angelos will be presenting at the upcoming Simulation and Modelling conference in late September, for a full agenda and to book please visit the website.
Please could you briefly explain your role, involvement, and experience with regards to the simulation & modelling industry and this event?
Angelos Mintaz (AM): As a principal engineer in Baker Hughes Flexible Pipe Systems I am technically responsible for the development and qualification of new products for Oil and Gas exploration and extraction. Such products are subjected to structural loads while being exposed to aggressive environments. The development of multi physics models that account for the interaction of mechanical loads, temperature and various corrosive fluids is key for the development of robust new products as well as for the improvement of the existing ones.
What, in your experience, has been the biggest roadblock for the industry over the past 2-3 years?
AM: Recruitment of skilled engineers (especially graduates) is currently a challenge for Oil and Gas as the industry is often perceived as one with no future. Reality, however, is that with the worlds’ ever increasing energy needs, Oil and Gas will still play a key role for the next 20-30 years. At the same time, companies operating in the field are actively preparing for the energy transition to ensure business continuity and to align with their targets for decarbonization. For example, Baker Hughes is already investing and developing new technologies in carbon capture, use and storage, geothermal and hydrogen all of which offer exciting opportunities for engineers to work on while at the same time making energy safer, cleaner and more efficient for the people and the planet.
What key topics are you excited to discuss at this year's conference?
AM: The application of complex models to solve real life problems offers an exciting opportunity for industry, but that does not come without challenges. These models require validation and often certification from independent verification agencies before they can be applied for product design purposes. Many people -often from different institutions- and with different specialties i.e. from scientists understanding the background theory, developers implementing the code, experimentalists performing the validation tests, system engineers bringing everything together up to end users who make sure the code is user friendly have to collaborate efficiently to achieve a satisfying end result. I am therefore very interested and excited to discuss how other institutions have managed this process and share experiences.
Who else are you most interested in hearing from on the programme?
AM: I am looking forward to hear about the impact of machine learning and AI in simulations and modeling and the simulation innovations in other UK industries such as e.g. Food and Beverage. It might seem surprising, but what one would consider very different industries often face common problems e.g. permeation of small molecules is a phenomenon that takes place in food packaging as well as Oil and Gas pipes and hence its modelling is important for both industries! I am also very interested to hear Prof Lukasz and University of Warwick’s view regarding hydrogen economy since Baker Hughes is actively investing in this field.
Why is it important for engineers to join this conference?
AM: This event hosts presentations from different industries and brings together experts from various fields. This provides engineers a great opportunity to learn from the experiences, challenges and the knowledge that will be shared. More importantly, however, it offers the opportunity to see how similar, in principle, engineering problems are tackled by different industries thus paving the way for generating innovative solutions.
The Simulation and Modelling 2024 conference will take place on 25-26 September 2024 in Birmingham
The event is a comprehensive showcase of the latest techniques and technologies available to practitioners and will provide a crucial forum to address common challenges in model development, complexity, fidelity and speed.
Bringing together simulation practitioners and design expert from multiple engineering sectors, attendees will benefit from fresh perspectives and lessons learned from simulation projects across a wide variety of applications.
Key areas for 2024 include multiphysics applications, the use of digital twins, emerging standards, machine learning, AI and data analysis. For a full agenda and to book please visit the website.