Abstract
A materials research program was established to identify new corrosion resistant stainless steel alloys for the oil and gas industry. One important goal of this work was developing professionals to address the critical materials issues in the Arabian Gulf Region. This chapter reports the results of these efforts. Development of research professionals involved a multifaceted approach. One key element involved laboratory work to develop the critical research tools required in this area. The effort also included development of important course content for both undergraduate and graduate-level materials education. The research in this program stems from a collaboration between Texas A&M University at Qatar and the Colorado School of Mines. Collaboration provided many of the important tools required for this new Middle Eastern education initiative. The present chapter describes the challenges that were addressed in order to develop crucial new materials research and education capabilities in this major petroleum producing region.
TopIntroduction
The future of the world-class Middle Eastern oil and gas business is greatly dependent on the availability of highly trained materials engineering professionals. Universities in the Arabian Gulf Region are a vital source of materials professionals who solve corrosion problems in this important petroleum producing region. The current chapter describes the development of courses and research programs at Texas A&M University at Qatar to provide quality personnel who can address Middle Eastern corrosion and plant integrity issues.
Texas A&M University at Qatar (Texas A&M University at Qatar, 2014a) is an ABET accredited branch of Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA (Texas A&M University, 2014). The Middle Eastern branch campus started operation in Doha, Qatar in 2003 under funding from Qatar Foundation (Qatar Foundation, 2014; Texas A&M University at Qatar, 2014b). Research started with Qatar Foundation support in 2007, and the first Graduate Studies Program in chemical engineering was initiated in 2010. The university is an important supplier of engineers in the Arabian Gulf Region and graduates technical personnel with strong materials engineering backgrounds. This chapter describes the development of a key research program, one goal of which is to provide skilled corrosion professionals for the Middle Eastern region.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Engineering Education: Teaching knowledge and principles related to the professional practice of engineering. Engineering education integrates engineering research and education to accelerate technological and educational innovation and to improve the quality and diversity of engineering graduates entering the technical workforce.
Arabian Gulf Region: Countries that extend along the coastline on the Arabian Gulf. The countries are Iran, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq.
Colorado School of Mines (CSM): A public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science. The university is located in Golden, Colorado. Since the university was founded in 1874, it has developed its curriculum and research program in order to preserve the earth’s natural resources.
Texas A&M University (TAMU): A research-intensive flagship university that opened in 1876 as the first public institution of higher learning in the State of Texas. TAMU has more than 50,000 students (including 10,000 graduate students) studying in more than 120 undergraduate and 240 graduate degree programs in ten colleges. The main campus is located in College Station, Texas, United States, and the university has branch campuses in Galveston, Texas and in Doha, Qatar.
Stainless Steel: An iron-containing alloy that is more resistant to stain and rust than plain carbon steel. Stainless steel contains a minimum of 10% chromium. There are many types of stainless steels according to its microstructure, and properties of the resulting stainless steel depend on composition. Stainless steel is widely used in many applications and industries.
QNRF: Qatar National Research Fund is a non-profit organization that is a member of Qatar Foundation. QNRF provides funding for researchers at all levels, from students to professionals, in the academic, public or private sectors for their programs and projects. QNRF aims to enable research and develop excellence in Qatar in order to achieve a knowledge-based economy.
Qatar Foundation: A non-profit organization in Qatar, founded in 1995 by the Father Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani and his wife Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned. Qatar Foundation is a privately funded and government supported organization that focuses on education, science and community development. The organization builds Qatari innovation and technology capacity through equipping Qataris with the skills, education and qualifications to benefit the economy.
ABET Accreditation: ABET is a non-governmental organization that defines quality standards for education programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology, and accredits those that meet these standards.
NPRP: National Priorities Research Program is a program established to achieve the goals of Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF). NPRP fosters a research culture in Qatar through providing grants to researchers in public and private companies. These grants target building human capital in Qatar, raising Qatar’s profile internationally and funding research that benefits the nation, the region and the world.
NACE: The international organization of corrosion professionals. The headquarters are in Houston, Texas. NACE represents the worldwide community of corrosion engineers.