Minimum Intervention Strategies for

Inspection

Martin van den Heuvel

Shell Projects & Technology

Team Lead Inspection Technology Amsterdam

1. Introduction

2. The Minimum Intervention Strategy

3. Non-Intrusive Inspection

4. Robotic developments

Content

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Shell Projects & Technology – Engineering

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Over 50 years of implementing business and engineering solutions

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Regional Materials & Mechanical Integrity groups

Regional Inspection Technology teams

Introduction

Show how the Minimum Intervention Strategy for Inspection

(MISI) is used to optimize impact of inspection on operational

availability and costs

With MISI alternative inspection approaches are assessed:

– Robot-deployed inspection

• inside vessels, tanks

– Non-intrusive inspection

– Use of permanently installed sensors

– Materials Selections and Enhanced RBI

• to eliminate corrosion threats and optimizing corrosion

control

All

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sse

ls

Increasing Maturity of Minimum Intervention Strategy

Sh

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ow

n in

sp

ection

sco

pe

R

eg

ula

tory

In

sp

ectio

n

Convent.

RB

I

En

ha

nce

d R

BI

Outs

ide T

/A

MIS

I

po

ten

tia

l

Max

T/A scope

Current

T/A scope

Min

T/A scope

Internal

Visual

NII

Robotic IVI

Perm.

Sensors

Base case RBI & Corrosion

management review

Alternative inspection

Synthesis

MISI Process steps

S-RBI = Shell-Risk Based Inspection

Opportunity Matrix for Inspection Scope Optimization

Complete implementation of RBI

Scope reflects RBI plans

Greenfield

Opportunity:

Simulation of potential benefits ($, hrs, POB,

etc.)

Calculate T/A resources

T/A Load balancing (resource optimization)

Complete implementation of RBI

Corrosion management framework fully in place

Scope reflects RBI plans

Evaluation of future scope after T/A

Opportunity:

Calculate resources

load balancing

Alternatives (NII, Robotics)

No or initial partly RBI done

Incomplete corrosion control document

Scope does not reflect RBI plans

Opportunity:

align scope with RBI

show benefit of completing RBI

Simulation of potential benefits ($, hrs, POB,

etc.)

Implementation of RBI

Incomplete coverage

Corrosion management framework partly in place

Scope reflects RBI plans

Evaluation of RBI, but no update of future scope

Opportunity:

Calculate resources

Simulation of potential benefits ($, hrs, POB, etc.)

load balancing

Alternatives for selected scope (NII, Robotics)

Effectiveness =

Com

plia

nce &

Covera

ge

Efficiency = Business impact = inverse of opportunity for scope optimization

Shell-Non Intrusive Inspection (S-NII)

• S-NII is a structured methodology for the detailed

design of non-intrusive inspections. • Non-Intrusive: NDE from the outside, to establish the condition

on the inside, when the equipment is on-stream or off-line

• It is usually applied within a

framework of a Risk Based

Inspection planning

• S-NII helps the user to: • Demonstrate whether

inspection is effective

• Optimize or improve

inspection plans

Key features of S-NII

• S-NII builds on results of a S-RBI analysis

• Fully compatible with S-RBI

• S-RBI due dates are leading; NII may dictate shorter intervals

• S-NII uses quantitative modeling

• Qualitative S-RBI parameters are converted into quantitative data

• This produces probability data, that is used for statistical sampling

and interval calculation

• NII recognizes three Types of Inspection: A, B and C

• The Types of Inspection are governed by the sampling statistics on

which each Type of Inspection is based

• S-NII is compatible with DNV RP-G103 (= HOIS RP on NII).

DNV = Det Norske Veritas

HOIS = joint industry project focused on upstream inspection

(http://www.esrtechnology.com/centres/hois/Pages/default.aspx)

A vessel is divided in corrosion zones if different mechanisms are active,

or very different degradation rates can occur

Why zoning? To reduce unnecessary scanning and to obtain a valid NI

Design:

Same type of defect => select suitable NDT

Same corrosion severity => same sampling inspection scheme is valid

A wrong division in zones may jeopardize the reliability of NII

Zoning under QA control: this requires a Corrosion Risk Assessment

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Identifying corrosion zones

Challenge 1: large areas – Fast Scanning required

to make NII economically attractive

Area is a challenge for cost and time:

Example: Length: 18 m; diameter: 4 m; total area: ~ 250 m2

Different zones require

different NDT approach,

nozzles, large area’s,

strong curvature

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Challenge 2: Obstacles - versatile scanning required

Shell developed fast scanning

capability for “crowded” vessels

using fast manual scanning with

Time of Flight probe setup (Insight

Vol. 50 No 9 September 2008)

Robotic Inspections • At Nyhamna Gas plant in Norway a scrubber vessel was

inspected in 2011 with a robot arm equipped with a camera

• This avoided extensive isolation work (heavy, unsupported

pipework)

• A reduction in activity resulted from 104 to 28 h (~75%).

Manway

2” Vent nozzle

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

Faktisk tid Inspeksjon vedrobot

Tilbakestilling

N2/helium

Spader ut

Lukke mannhull

Inspeksjon

Målinger atm

Avkjøling

Åpne mannhull

Steaming

Sjekk flenser

Blinde av

Gassfri

Trykkavlstning

Tidsbruk

See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjqB_c1aols&

PETROBOT is about ….

• An EU-co-funded project to

develop two types of inspection

robots:

• To inspect vessels while

taken out of service

• To inspect storage tanks

while in-service

Project started Sept.’13 under

EU FP7 call for robots in

maintenance

See http://petrobotproject.eu/

First field trials

June 2014 Groningen NL

Alternative Inspection - Permanently Installed Sensors

CHALLENGE: Current sensors for thickness

measurement cover relatively small areas

(range of 1 cm2 to1 m pipe length)

Current sensors are aimed at corrosion

monitoring, applied to known damage or at

locations where damage is highly predictable.

Examples are:

– Permasense; FSM (Field Signature Method);

Flexible UT foils (like Rightrax)

To replace inspection, significant areas need to

be covered

– Guided Wave Tomography enters

field qualification trials

– Shell’s WiSense project aims to develop Mega-

Sensor wireless networks, covering large areas

(using magnetometry)

NII in Design – A “FIRST” –Chemicals project, Qatar

• Requirements for NII were built into project specification in

early stage

• Fluor, the Engineering Contractor, developed the “NII

Specification” with support of P&T

• Workshops were held recently, to optimize plant/operation

design to optimize NII during

Operations

Q&A