Mobile Laboratory · HSE · Environment · April 2021 · Colombia

ECOPETROL: Mobile Environmental Monitoring and HSE Management Laboratory

NINOX designed and manufactured a highly complex mobile HSE laboratory for scientific field monitoring.

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Client

Ecopetrol

NINOX consolidated its role as Ecopetrol’s technology partner by designing and manufacturing an innovative mobile HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) laboratory of the highest technical complexity.

01

Scientific Assurance for Environmentally Sensitive Operations

With the projected pilots for unconventional reservoirs in Colombia, there was an urgent need for rigorous scientific assurance capable of assessing environmental impact before, during and after hydraulic stimulation (fracking) operations.

02

World-Class Analytical Instrumentation in a Mobile Setting

The engineering challenge lay in transferring world-class, high-value analytical instrumentation into a mobile environment, protecting ultrasensitive equipment from loss of calibration and misalignment caused by transit on tertiary roads and poor off-road terrain.

Aerial view of the laboratory body during fabrication at NINOX's Cali facility, November 2020. The aluminum sandwich structure with high-density thermal insulation core is visible in the assembly stage.
Aerial view of the laboratory body during fabrication at NINOX's Cali facility, November 2020. The aluminum sandwich structure with high-density thermal insulation core is visible in the assembly stage.
NINOX production floor with the semitrailer under equipment installation. In the foreground, the electrical generation system and NINOX precision welding equipment.
NINOX production floor with the semitrailer under equipment installation. In the foreground, the electrical generation system and NINOX precision welding equipment.

03

An Autonomous Laboratory for Live Environmental Data

We developed an autonomous mobile laboratory equipped with an exclusive advanced suspension and damping system, redundant precision climate control, and continuous connectivity for live data transmission on air quality, surface water and groundwater sources, soils and seismic activity.

The Ecopetrol Mobile Environmental Laboratory, designed and built by NINOX, at Ecopetrol's technology campus in Piedecuesta, Santander. The unit is ready for its first operational field deployment.
The Ecopetrol Mobile Environmental Laboratory, designed and built by NINOX, at Ecopetrol's technology campus in Piedecuesta, Santander. The unit is ready for its first operational field deployment.
Full lateral view of the unit showing the complete truck-semitrailer assembly. The 15-meter overall length accommodates all functional laboratory zones without compromising mobility on secondary roads.
Full lateral view of the unit showing the complete truck-semitrailer assembly. The 15-meter overall length accommodates all functional laboratory zones without compromising mobility on secondary roads.

04

Institutional Transparency for Regulators and Communities

Delivered successfully and on schedule, the project ensures institutional transparency in the monitoring of water resources, seismicity and occupational health for regulatory authorities and local communities.

Front-lateral view highlighting the International Eagle SUE-192 prime mover. The full mechanical, electrical, and communications integration between the truck and the laboratory was part of NINOX's complete design scope.
Front-lateral view highlighting the International Eagle SUE-192 prime mover. The full mechanical, electrical, and communications integration between the truck and the laboratory was part of NINOX's complete design scope.
Rear detail of the laboratory unit showing the primary access door, redundant ventilation grilles for the climate control system, and the NINOX LAB VHC MAX identification plate.
Rear detail of the laboratory unit showing the primary access door, redundant ventilation grilles for the climate control system, and the NINOX LAB VHC MAX identification plate.
"This NINOX mobile laboratory stands as a fundamental pillar for technical viability and the country’s sustainable energy development."

Project Gallery

The Ecopetrol Mobile Environmental Laboratory at the company's technology campus. Design and fabrication: NINOX, 2021.
Lateral view of the unit under a covered loading bay at the delivery facility. External storage compartments are visible along the lower body panels.
The full assembly in motion: International Eagle SUE-192 prime mover and NINOX LAB VHC MAX semitrailer, with the Colombian mountain ranges in the background.
Front-lateral view conveying the scale and visual presence of the unit. The high-resolution graphic wrap communicates the vehicle's scientific mission at a glance.
Rear of the laboratory with the primary access door, redundant ventilation system, and NINOX LAB VHC MAX identification plate.
Fabrication phase at NINOX's facility, November 2020. The aluminum sandwich laboratory structure takes shape over the semitrailer platform.
NINOX production floor during laboratory equipment installation. The company's manufacturing infrastructure enables fully in-house development of technically complex projects.
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