A technical and marketing analysis of nanocrystalline Ni-W coating for oil and gas industry applications

Abstract

Nanocrystalline nickel-tungsten is a new metallic coating technology developed at MIT in the laboratory of Professor Christopher Schuh in 2005. The new coating technology utilizes a special electrodeposition process to achieve precise control of synthesized nanocrystalline coating structure and resulting properties. This method can produce coatings with enhanced properties including excellent corrosion, wear, and heat resistance in addition to being health and environmentally friendly. At a competitive price along with an efficient coating process, it is anticipated that this coating technology will have high impact on the functional coating industry. This will hopefully lead to future development of other nanocrystalline coating systems. This project focuses on the technology technical and marketing analysis with particular emphasis on the oil and gas industry. The evaluation involves assessing the technology value, highlighting potential applications, comparing with competing technologies and developing commercialization strategies. A comprehensive technical evaluation plan was outlined in order to insure coating suitability for the intended market applications and provide assurance to future clients. This thesis also analyzes several business model strategies to penetrate the oil and gas coating market and proposes what is believed to be the most efficient strategy. Based on the proposed strategy, a detailed cost model is presented to estimate the cost of production and determine pricing options. Finally, several economic outcome scenarios are presented based on the estimated market size and future demands.