Tests and analyses for the Energy, Oil & Gas sector

The energy sector, historically dominated by oil and gas, is the backbone of the global industry, essential for the continuous production of electricity.
This crucial role imposes maximum safety, integrity, and reliability requirements on the materials used, as production continuity depends on products capable of withstanding extreme operating conditions and maintaining high performance over time.

Our mission is to anticipate the occurrence of potential component failures and critical issues, ensuring that your systems operate with maximum efficiency and safety.

Our testing activities for the energy sector aim to anticipate the occurrence of potential component failures and critical issues by conducting targeted tests that simulate actual operating conditions.
Or our Failure Analysis laboratory can investigate the causes of a failure through a multidisciplinary approach and advanced investigation techniques.

Operating conditions in the energy sector (high pressure, high temperature, corrosive fluids) make stress corrosion cracking (SCC) a critical safety risk.
Our dedicated stress corrosion cracking laboratory performs specialized tests to assess the susceptibility of materials to failure under the combined action of mechanical stress and an aggressive environment.

We perform tests in mixtures of aggressive gases and liquids (such as H2, NH3, CO2, H2S, acids), even under high temperature and pressure conditions, in strict compliance with the most stringent international standards: NACE, ISO, and ASTM.

Pontlab is the first laboratory in Italy, and one of the few in Europe, to hold Accredia accreditation for low-strain-rate gas tests, according to NACE TM0198 and ASTM G129 standards.

The increasing demand for electricity requires the development of new systems for the construction, transportation, and storage of substances such as hydrogen and ammonia. Hydrogen is essential to a sustainable energy future due to its ability to store and transport clean energy. Hydrogen embrittlement of steels has long been recognized, and therefore research and development of new materials and their compatibility with hydrogen are becoming increasingly important. Pontlab has implemented test methods for assessing hydrogen embrittlement in a gaseous environment containing H₂ at high pressure and/or high temperature to concretely support its partners towards the future. We perform tests according to the ASTM G142-98 (2016) standard "Test method for determining the susceptibility of metals to embrittlement in high-pressure environments containing hydrogen." The method is accredited by Accredia, the Italian accreditation body.

Growing global demand for electricity is driving the search for innovative solutions for the production, transport, and storage of zero-carbon energy carriers, such as hydrogen and its valuable alternative: ammonia (NH3).

Ammonia is emerging as a promising green hydrogen carrier and clean fuel (especially in the maritime sector), offering significant advantages over pure hydrogen, particularly its ease of liquefaction, storage, and transport.

However, its large-scale use raises a crucial issue: the chemical and structural compatibility of ammonia with the materials used to build infrastructure.

We offer a specialized testing service to evaluate the compatibility of materials (metals, alloys, polymers) in contact with ammonia, both in gaseous and liquid phase, under real-world operating conditions.

The increased demand for electricity requires research into new fuels, such as hydrogen and ammonia. These gases require the study and use of new materials suitable for the construction of storage tanks and distribution pipes.

The demand for energy production from renewable sources requires the development of panels that are increasingly efficient and reliable over time. To guarantee performance, all system components (inverters, accessories, wiring) must be tested to withstand harsh weather conditions and atmospheric agents through specific laboratory tests.

Wind turbines and micro wind turbines convert wind energy into electricity: a type of clean energy that can also be supplied at night or in winter. The functionality of the system must be guaranteed by laboratory tests that simulate the effect of atmospheric agents, in order to confirm the durability of the product.