Living beings on this earth need energy to run their lives. Where plants and animals are primarily dependent on the sun to fulfill their energy needs, humans utilize other sources of energy available on the Earth as well. Humans rely on different energy commodities. The increasing demand for greener and cleaner energy sources means that energy providers and their supply chain partners are developing new sources of energy and diversifying their usage methods. This development work requires cutting-edge testing methods and services to ensure the safety and reliability of energy commodities.
Energy Commodities
Energy commodities refer to a variety of energy or power sources, such as coal, oils, gasoline, heating oil, natural gas, renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, hydroelectric, and biofuels) and nuclear power (generally included within “power”). Hydrogen, ethanol, and uranium are some of the currently popular sources. Quantities of energy is usually measure in the British Thermal Unit (Btu), which is a measurement of the heat content of fuels.
Different Types of Energy
Energy sources are divided into two types, renewable and non-renewable sources. Renewable energy accounts for about 21% of global electricity generation and about 12.5% of overall energy consumption. There are five main renewable sources of energy: Solar, Geothermal (energy harnessed from heat within the earth), Wind, Biomass (energy obtained from living matter and plants) and Hydropower (energy obtained from flowing water). About 90% of the energy consumed across the world is derived from five non-renewable sources: Petroleum products, Hydrocarbon gas liquids, Natural gas, Coal and Nuclear energy (mostly uranium is used as the source).
Energy Testing Services
The major testing types used in the energy sector are as follows –
- Chemical analysis
- Corrosion testing
- Coatings testing
- Product qualification testing
- Failure analysis
- Calibration
- Mechanical testing
- Non-destructive testing (NDT) and inspection
- Full and small-scale pipe testing
- Structural mechanical testing
- Fracture Mechanics and Toughness Testing in Sour Environment (in-situ)
- Digital Engineering
- Engineering Critical Assessment (ECA)
- Weld testing
- Weld procedure qualification services
