Aberdeen firm lands six-figure contract with global energy giant to develop oil monitoring system

“This award validates the efforts and success of over two years of research and development by our talented team.”

Dr Rotimi Alabi (CEO and founder) and Michael O'Sullivan (CTO) of RAB Microfluidics. Picture: Neil Haston

An Aberdeen firm has secured a £750,000 contract with a global energy giant to develop an autonomous oil monitoring system for shipping operators.

RAB Microfluidics will develop the system for two-stroke marine vessel engines, based on its patented “lab-on-a-chip” technology. Upon completion, the monitoring tech will be deployed across the maritime cargo sector.

The development of the autonomous system follows the successful launch of RAB’s Oleum Oracle portable oil condition monitoring technology in 2023. That system has already been deployed by operators in the European energy and shipping sectors.

Rotimi Alabi, the firm’s chief executive and founder, said: “We are thrilled to partner with a major player in the global energy sector, and the collaboration signifies the growing recognition of our innovative oil condition monitoring solutions. The development of this autonomous system will empower the maritime cargo industry to optimise operations and ensure the smooth running of their fleets.”

The identity of the global energy company is not being disclosed. RAB’s Oleum Oracle system is supported by RAB-Illuminare, a platform that delivers online visualisation of live data from Oleum.

Michael O’Sullivan, RAB’s head of technology, added: “This award validates the efforts and success of over two years of research and development by our talented team of physicists, chemists and engineers who developed and field-trialled an advanced prototype. With this partnership, we will now take our ‘first of its kind’ automated oil condition monitoring solution to the market by the end of 2025.”

The system promises to reduce downtime by about 25 per cent.