Abstract
The floating Gas industry is growing rapidly. As with all sectors in boom times, the focus is firmly on output. We need to ensure safety, compliance and profitability of what are high value, complex assets some of which operate close to high population densities.
The speed of growth must be matched by an equivalent effort to maintain asset integrity while continuing production. Put simply, existing inspection and maintenance methods are not fit for purpose.
This paper describes a joint industry approach for addressing these challenges that has proved successful for FPSOs.
The industry needs to operate with high levels of asset integrity, with a programme of continuous improvement and with a long-term planning view. Effective Asset Integrity programmes are a key part of the strategy, and it is widely agreed that better use of data and robotics will help reduce unnecessary work and human risk.
The HITS (Hull Inspection Techniques and Strategy) JIP, part of the FPSO Forum, has a membership made up of oil majors, service providers, classification societies and regulators. It has encouraged the development of new technologies, which have significantly improved safety and reduced operational costs.
Drawing on experiences of other industries, the HITS JIP has driven innovation; safer, more cost-effective, more efficient technology, which has led to less impact on core operations of floating production assets: these include:
The gas industry provided a means of placing nuclear industry miniature cameras into sea chests and isolation valves so that they can be inspected without affecting operations;
Hull inspections were improved using deck launched, remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) adapted to carry out cavitation cleaning of sea chest inlet grids, impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) anodes and points of structural interest, such as bilge keel end connections;
The forestry industry provided the idea for chain crawlers for inspection and repair of deep-water moorings;
From the Nuclear industry, robotic inspections using high performance cameras, adapted to be inserted through Butterworth hatches or purpose-fitted ports in the deck enabling general and close visual inspection to meet regulatory requirement without the need for confined space entry;
To protect the hull, diverless ICCP systems, deploying retractable anodes through the hull; and
For pressure systems, using data more effectively; inputting inspection data to confirm fitness for service to an agreed level of confidence.
This paper describes a joint industry approach for addressing these challenges that has proved successful for FPSOs.
It will describe the steps that have already been taken to create an industry wide group including operators, class, regulators and service providers, to agree the primary challenges and to encourage development of solutions in a cost-efficient way.
It will describe how innovations developed and proven in the FPSO and other sectors can be successfully introduced to this sector.
