Professor Richard Neilson | School of Engineering

Professor Richard Neilson

National Decommissioning Centre Director

About

Email Address: r.d.neilson@abdn.ac.uk
Telephone Number: +44 (0)1224 272797
Telephone Number: +44 (0)1224 274407
Office Address: National Decommissioning Centre, North Buliding
School/Department: School of Engineering

Biography

B.Sc. Honours degree, 1st class, in Mechanical Engineering from University of Dundee, 1981.
M.Sc. in Biomedical Engineering from University of Dundee, 1983.
Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Dundee, 1987.

External Memberships

Reviewer for the Journal of Sound and Vibration, ASME and the I Mech E Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science.

Research

Research Overview

I have 31 years’ experience in engineering research and development within the University sector, during which I spent four years part-time industrial secondment to an oil services company. Most of my research has involved the application of design and dynamic analysis to solving engineering problems. Much of this has been in the context of oil and gas, subsea engineering and decommissioning.

I have led or had substantial involvement in 11 major joint industry/University projects and have initiated or led the development of 3 major industry focused research/knowledge exchange centres (the Scottish Sensor Systems Centre, the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre and the most recently the NDC). My main focus of research since 2008 has been in aspects of decommissioning and subsea engineering and I was one of the instigators of the MSc in Decommissioning run by the University.

Current Research

My main research is currently focussed on the next stage of the underwater laser cutting project, the design of a test facility for the qualification of novel barrier materials for well plugging and abandonment and sustainable decommissioning.

P&A Isolation Verification Study, funded by the Scottish Government Decommissioning Challenge Fund, £412,606, 21/01/19 - 31/03/19, (Principal Investigator)

Underwater Laser Cutting, funded by OGTC and Proserv, £412,606, 3/09/2018 - 2/11/2019, (Principal Investigator)

Integral Process Optimization for Sustainable Offshore-Structure Dismantling Yard Operation. Royal Academy of Engineering, £58,934, 1/4/2020 - 31/03/2022, (Joint grant holder with Prof E Pavlovskaia (PI), and Drs W Afzal and C Fernandez Martin)

Funding and Grants

Major Research Grants

Load Bearing Medium Voltage Cable Termination (Phases 1 -2(D)), Oil and Gas Innovation Centre and Technip Umbilicals Ltd, £160,013, 10/4/2017-31/3/2020, (Joint grant holder with Drs M Kartal (PI) and A Karadmios)

Transforming Systems through Partnership scheme, supporting a project on the sustainable dismantling of offshore structures, Royal Academy of Engineering, £27,651, 1/4/2018 - 28/02/19, (Joint grant holder with Prof E Pavlovskaia (PI), Dr D Vega-Maza and Dr E Krupp)

To develop the engineering application knowledge to deploy the patented 'DeepBuoy' pumpable buoyancy technology. Knowledge Transfer Partnership Directorate (Scottish Funding Council, Technology Strategy Board) and Aubin Ltd.£150,733, 1/3/2016-28/2/2018, (Principal investigator with Prof A Ivanovic).

Novel Underwater Cutting System (Phase 1A). ITF project, funded by BP, Shell and Conoco Philips, £104,937, 1/8/2012-31/8/2013. (Principal investigator).

Scottish Sensor Systems Centre (Subsea workstream). SFC funded project, £525,508, 1/4/2011-31/3/2014. (Principal Investigator)

Novel Underwater Cutting System (Phase 1). ITF project, funded by BP, Shell and Conoco Philips, £239,193, 2009-2011. (Principal investigator with Professor W F Deans).

Investigation of the Design of Anchorage Head and Bond Length for Assessing Multi-strand Anchorages EPSRC grant EP/E050301/1, £267,328, 2008-2011 (Joint grant holder with Dr A. Ivanovic (Principal))

Development of an apparatus and method for neuromuscular stimulation. NESTech, £135k, 2007-2009 (Principal grant holder with Dr M. Cardinale (of Biomedical Sciences and British Olympic Association))

DEGREE – Development of fishing gears with reduced effects on the environment EC FP6 €220k. (approx £155k). 2006-2009 (Joint grant holder with Dr A. Ivanovic. (Principal))

Design and Assessment of Condition of Soil Anchorages in a Dynamic Environment using the Centrifuge Modelling Technique EPSRC grant GR/S21335/01, £266,826, 2003-2006 (Joint grant holder with Professor A. A. Rodger (Principal), Drs A. Ivanovic and A. J. Starkey and Professor M. Davies (Dundee))

Shaft and Structure Borne Noise Induced By Inverter Fed Motors on Ships, SERC/MOD grant (GR/H75596) £ 142,437 1993-1996 (Joint grant holder with Mr. R. Yacamini (principal) and Professor R. G. White (Southampton University))

Fatigue Effects in Nonlinear Systems with Clearance SERC grant (GR/J 17685) £93,300 1993-1996 (Principal grant holder, with Professor A. D. S. Barr)

Chaos Concepts in Mechanical Systems with Clearance SERC grant (GR/F 29158) £51,057 1989-1992 (Principal grant holder, with Professor A. D. S. Barr)

Major Technology Transfer/Commercialisation Grants

Short KTP programme with Ziebel UK Ltd to “To transfer engineering knowledge to develop a new product.” TSB/ Ziebel UK Ltd, £39k, 2009–2010 (Principal grant holder)

KTP programme with Hydrafit Subsea UK Ltd to “To transfer engineering knowledge to develop a new product.” TSB/Hydrafit Subsea UK Ltd, £113k, 2008–2010 (Principal grant holder)

KTP programme with Plexus Ocean Systems to “Develop an extended hold friction grip system for securing oil and gas casing and tubulars in hostile sub sea conditions”. DTI/ Plexus Ocean Systems, £124k, 2006-2008 (Joint grant holder with Drs A. Akisanya (Principal) and W. F. Deans)

KTP programme with Pipeline Technique Ltd to “Develop a cost-effective novel orbital welding system and intelligent weld design tools.” DTI/ Pipeline Technique Ltd, £204k, 2004-2008 (Principal grant holder with Drs W. F. Deans and P. F. A. MacConnell.)

Proof of Concept grant to “Develop a Variable Buoyancy Device”. Scottish Enterprise, £197k, 2004-2006 (Joint grant holder with Dr P. Bagley (Principal) of Oceanlab)

Studentship to “Advance the understanding of the dynamics of anchorage systems and in particular the use of GRANIT in the assessment of anchorage condition”. AMEC Specialist Businesses, £18k, 2003-2004 (Principal grant holder, with Dr A Ivanovi? and Professor Rodger)

Teaching

Teaching Responsibilities

EG3522 Design of Mechancial Elements: Course coordinator and main contributor, 10 credit course, Level 3 BEng and MEng Mechanical Engineering Students.

EG40JM Dynamics 2, Course Coordinator and only contributor. 10-credit course, Level 4 MEng and BEng Mechanical Engineering Students.

EG4010 Engineering Project (BEng), EG4511 Individual Project (MEng): Contributor - 45/60-credit project, typically 5-8 students per year.

Publications

Update

Biography

External Memberships

Research Overview

Current Research

Funding and Grants

Teaching Responsibilities

Dynamics of a novel shallow-draft concept of a Floating Offshore Wind Turbine

Nonlinear analysis of hydrodynamics of a shallow-draft floating wind turbine

Bottom-up formulations for the multi-criteria decision analysis of oil and gas pipeline decommissioning in the North Sea: Brent field case study

Dynamic response of a shallow-draft floating wind turbine concept: Experiments and modelling

Economic and environmental assessments to support the decision making process in the offshore wind farm decommissioning projects

Variable buoyancy anchor deployment analysis for floating wind applications using a Marine Simulator

Deployment feasibility studies of variable buoyancy anchors for floating wind applications

Virtual Prototyping of a floating wind farm anchor during underwater towing operations

Performance-based design of stainless steel profiled barrier blast walls

Fatiguing effects of indirect vibration stimulation in upper limb muscles: pre, post and during isometric contractions superimposed on upper limb vibration

Effects of different vibration frequencies, amplitudes and contraction levels on lower limb muscles during graded isometric contractions superimposed on whole body vibration stimulation

The Effects of Different Vibration Frequencies, Amplitudes and Contraction Levels on Lower Limb Muscles during Graded Isometric Contractions Superimposed on Whole Body Vibration Stimulation

Dynamic behaviour of unstiffened stainless steel profiled barrier blast walls

Optimisation of ground anchor head for non-destructive testing

SMARTFISH: Selective management and retention of target fish FIS011B: FIS011 Developing and facilitating a range of possible future FIS projects in innovation in selectivity through on-net or alternative technologies

Upper limb vibration prototype with sports and rehabilitation applications: development, evaluation and preliminary study

Is it really best for the environment to remove all traces of oil and gas production in the North Sea?

Oil rigs are built to withstand decades at sea – taking them apart is as tough as they are

Reliability of profiled blast wall structures

Crack detection in a rotating shaft using artificial neural networks and PSD characterisation

Linear dynamic reliability analysis of profiled blast wall structures

Non-destructive testing of rock bolts for estimating total bolt length

Non-linear dynamic reliability analysis of profiled blast walls

Influence of iceberg geometry on soil resistance in sand

Influence of object geometry on penetration into the seabed

Monitoring of Fatigue Crack Stages in a High Carbon Steel Rotating Shaft Using Vibration

Modelling the physical impact of trawl components on the seabed and comparison with sea trials

An investigation of the drag induced on a tool in a granular medium

Influence of an anchor head on detection of soil anchorage load

Influence of a roller clump on the seabed

Design of a Robot and Test Procedure for the Dynamic Testing of Anchorages in a Geotechnical Centrifuge

Modelling of debonding along the fixed anchor length

A novel vibration device for neuromuscular stimulation for sports and rehabilitation applications

Influence of anchor head on dynamic response of anchorages

A Dynamic Model of the Deformation of a Diamond Mesh Cod-End of a Trawl Net

Cod-end dynamics in response to a range of dynamic pressure loadings

Influence of Geometry and Material Properties on the Axial Vibration of a Rock Bolt

Physical impact of a roller clump on the seabed

Common anchorage issues addressed by numerical modelling

Non-destructive testing of deep mine anchorages

Design and Dynamic Analysis of a Pneumatic Impulse Generating Device for the Non-destructive Testing of Ground Anchorages

The quantification of the physical, environmental and ecological impact of towed demersal fishing gears

A variable buoyancy system for deep ocean vehicles

Model testing to assess a novel technique for condition monitoring of soil anchorages

Experimental verification of Jeffcott rotor model with preloaded snubber ring

Theory and Experiment on Establishing the Stability Boundaries of a One Degree of Freedom System Under Two High Frequency Parametric Excitation Inputs

Phase Shift Adjustment for Harmonic Balance Method Applied to Vibro-impact Systems

The development of a variable buoyancy system

Non-linearities in Dynamic Simulations for Civil Engineering

Quality Control in Rockbolt Installation

Rock/Cable Bolt Integrity Testing using GRANIT - Recent Field Applications

The influence of load on the frequency response of rock bolt anchorage

Use of neural networks in the condition monitoring of ground anchorages

Condition Monitoring of Ground Anchorages by Dynamic Impulses: GRANIT system

Development of ai techniques for the condition monitoring of ground anchorages

Using a Lumped Parameter Dynamic Model of a Rock Bolt to Produce Training Data for a Neural Network for Diagnosis of Real Data

Experimental Verification of Piecewise Nonlinear Jeffcott Rotor Model with Preloaded Snubber Ring

Ground Anchorage Testing System

Influence of Prestress on the Dynamic Response of Ground Anchorages

Investigation of the debonding at the proximal fixed end of ground anchorages

Non-destructive testing of ground anchorages using the GRANIT® technique

Numerical modelling of ground anchorages employed in the field

Lumped parameter modelling of single-tendon ground anchorage systems

Integrity testing of strand anchorages using the GRANIT™ technique

Modelling of the Effect of an Impulse on a Ground Anchorage System

The Integrity testing of ground anchorages using GRANIT™

Application of the harmonic balance method to ground moling machines operating in periodic regimes

The use of correlation dimension in condition monitoring of systems with clearance

Material removal rate prediction for ultrasonic drilling of hard materials using an impact oscillator approach

Computer based model of vibro-impact driving

Load cell for dynamic measurement of cutting forces generated during ultrasonic drilling and milling of hard materials

Non-linear tower motions in waves

A study of the response of a discontinuously nonlinear rotor system

Imbalance effects in rotor systems under high angular accelerations