• Energy Research

Offshore structures exist in a variety of forms, and they are used for a variety of functions in varied sea depths. These structures are tailored for certain environments and sea depths. Different actions for suitable equipment selection, platform type design, and drilling/production processes are required for the applications of these offshore structures, as given in Part I. This paper is the second part, which outlines various processes, loads, design approaches and project management of offshore platforms. To achieve these, proper planning must be conducted for lifting, transportation, installation, design, fabrication, and commissioning of these offshore platforms. Some historical developments of some offshore structures are presented, and some project planning routines are undertaken in this research. The ultimate goal is to provide a general overview of the many processes of offshore platform design, construction, loadout, transportation, and installation. Some discussions on the design parameters such as water depth and environmental conditions were presented. It also lists various software programs used in engineering designs covering software programs for structural analysis, 3D rendering, computer-aided design (CAD), hydrodynamic design, oceanic flow analysis, offshore structures analysis, mathematical modelling, coding/algorithm development software, and programming software to aid analytical calculations. The review also includes information on cutting-edge offshore platforms and industry advancements. Ultimately, for long-term operations, various types of offshore platforms for specific seawater depths are available.

Globally, people have a rising desire to obtain certificates, degrees, and diplomas in higher institutions, described as “diploma disease”. Additionally, the need for sustainable education becomes imperative as globalization increases. To meet these demands, there is a need for Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to have adequate support for both students and academics. However, these HEIs are faced with the challenge of meeting set goals and values. For leaders in HEIs, inclusion is a critical challenge. This paper investigates perceived institutional support’s (PIS) role in mediating the co-relationship between academic loyalty and inclusive leadership within HEIs. The study presents a literature review to give some background. This paper’s conceptual framework is built on PIS from social exchange theories. Based on the design, a quantitative survey was adopted for the study. A random sample of 402 academics in HEIs was deployed for the study. A questionnaire instrument was designed to elicit information from the respondents. A structural equation model (SEM) was then adopted for the data analysis. The SEM approach was utilized to investigate the connection between academic loyalty and inclusive leadership at HEIs, with the mediating factor of PIS. The findings reveal a positive relationship exists between academic loyalty and inclusive leadership. While PIS positively connects both, there is also an inference that institutional support exists. This study provides insights that could assist stakeholders in formulating policies on employee needs and what could be done to improve and attain sustainable education in HEIs. It highlights applicable impacts towards increased productivity in HEIs, reflecting achieved targets regarding key performance indicators (KPI) and improved institutional performance.

For operators of oil and gas to save the cost of unforeseen events and risks, and to avoid unnecessary shutdowns, there is a need to have an effective subsea pipeline integrity management system. Currently a large number of subsea pipelines around the globe have already exceeded their design lives; nevertheless, they are still being operated safely, effectively and with diligent consideration towards Environmental, Health and Safety regulations, as well as international standards and best practices. In addition, many older flowlines have no permanent pigging facilities due to various design and operational limitations. For the unpiggable pipeline, the vast majority of the oil and gas operators use different inspection and monitoring techniques to provide essential integrity management data such as product chemistry, cathodic protection, electrical resistance probes and coupons, etc. However, translating such essential integrity management data into meaningful information to make crucial integrity-based decisions can be challenging. This paper presents a holistic approach that implements the required pipeline integrity management tools to facilitate the safe operation and maintenance of pipeline systems going forward. This paper also provides a review of the integrity of the ageing pipelines and underlines the practical pipeline integrity management steps and systems that maintain the condition of the subsea assets going forward.

The manufacturing of a granular fertilizer based on organic slurry (OS) and sorptive materials aims to enhance the circular economy. This article describes a technology that was conceived after appraising the chemistry of the anaerobic digestate and wood ash and the synergies of combining both materials. The information available in the literature about similar materials such as cattle slurry and lime was also considered to build a better understanding of the underlying science. The processes and machinery designed were optimized from the points of view of energy and material consumption, cost of storage, transportation and land application. The system was sized to process 1 tonne of OS (97% moisture) in a 10 h batch-shift, consuming 140 kg of wood pellets and 0.55 kW of electricity for the fan blowing preheated air. The results of the market research allowed us to reach the most economically viable routes for the commercialization of granular fertilizers. Based on the financial study, an initial investment of GBP 20,000 is needed to successfully implement the value proposition and business plan. The wide adoption of the composite fertilizer improves the management of the OS and reduces the contamination of air, soil, and water derived from intensive agricultural practices.

The increasing energy demand has led to more explorations in the oil and gas industry. To achieve this, marine risers and pipelines are used to convey fluid and other resources to meet the increasing demand. In recent years, hybrid flexible composite risers have become more adaptable. Flexible risers have already proven to be a popular riser solution for various floating production systems in shallow to deepwater in many parts of the world due to their good dynamic behaviour and dependability. The hybrid flexible composite riser is made up of numerous layers of plastics, flexible pipes, composites, and steel. Some innovative monitoring methods, such as Fiber Optics Bragg Gratings (FBG), are based on a clamped composite structure with embedded optical fibre. This study presents characteristics of the monitoring techniques of composite flexible riser technology. The advantages of the monitoring techniques include aiding composite riser measurements, recording data from riser deformation, improving integrity assurance, and dependability of design from stable readings. It also proposes some design approaches as guidelines that are advised, with some policy implications.

Since COVID-19 first appeared, e-learning has become more and more common. In order to understand gender disparities in e-learners’ self-efficacy, satisfaction, motivation, attitude, and performance globally, this study will look at these variables. Many educational institutions have been forced to close due to the sudden COVID-19 outbreak, and many students have been forced to stay at home and take online courses. With the recent COVID-19 pandemic underway, there were challenges with STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) modules and other teaching contents due to practical laboratory sessions and workshops required. Thus, the need to understand teaching style, online learning and its role in promoting a variety of desirable academic outcomes, such as increased achievement and decreased dropout rates, as well as various well-being and life outcomes, has advanced significantly. In this paper, the scientific review on teaching in Higher Education Academies (HEA) for online learning is presented with their frontiers towards sustainable education. The current work also gives an annotated bibliography that aims to consolidate and synthesise the literature on student engagement, online learning, social media, and teacher learning/training. Some conclusions and recommendations were also made on the study.

This study presents an energy regeneration model and some theory required to construct a regeneration braking system. Due to the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, there is increasing interest in the use of electric vehicles (EVs), electric bikes, electric bicycles, electric buses and electric aircraft globally. In order to promote the use of electric transportation systems, there is a need to underscore the impact of net zero emissions. The development of EVs requires regenerating braking system. This study presents the advantages of regenerative braking. This system is globally seen in applications such as electric cars, trams, and trains. In this study, the design specification, design methodology, testing configurations, Simulink model, and recommendations will be outlined. A unique element of this work is the practical experiment that was carried out using 1.5 Amps with no load and 2.15 Amps with a load. The discharge voltage was purely from the 22 W bulb load connected to the capacitor bank as we limited this study to the use of 1.5 Amps and it took 15 min for a full discharge cycle, after which no charge was left in the capacitor bank. The results showed that the discharge rate and charging rate for the regenerative braking system were effective but could be improved. The objective of this paper is to investigate how a supercapacitor works alongside a battery in regenerative braking applications. This study demonstrates that the superconductor used can deliver maximum power when required. Also, it can also withstand elevated peaks in charging or discharging current via the supercapacitor. Combining a battery with a supercapacitor reduces the abrupt load on the battery by shifting it to the capacitor. When these two combinations are used in tandem, the battery pack’s endurance and lifespan are both boosted.

For over three (3) decades, there has been an increase in research on energy sources from the production of oil using flexible marine risers, such as marine hoses. Marine hoses are conduits for special use as rubberized structures with hybrid polymer composites for offshore platforms in the oil and gas industry. This scientometric study uses qualitative, quantitative, and computational approaches. Data were retrieved using a research methodology that was created for this study using the SCOPUS and Web of Science (WoS) databases. This study provides a bibliometric literature review on marine hoses with an emphasis on the advancements made in the field from recent developments, geographical activity by countries, authorship histories, partnerships, funding sources, affiliations, co-occurrences, and potential research areas. The study found that the USA had the most publications, but there were fewer co-occurrences with connections outside the cluster. Due to the difficulty of adaptation, acceptability, qualification, and deployment of marine hoses in the offshore marine industry, this topic contains more conference papers than journal papers. Therefore, more funding sources and collaborations on marine hoses are required to advance the research. This study makes a contribution to scholarship on advances made in petroleum exploration and production for (un)loading hoses.