Cost of the Unknown: A Case Study of Riser Integrity Management in and out of the Design Phase

This paper will present a case study where the benefits and cost savings are demonstrated by early adoption of a proactive approach to riser integrity management versus reactive, i.e. ALARP risks while balancing CAPEX and OPEX. The case study will present two scenarios where the riser has and doesn't have an integrity management program in place. A comparison will demonstrate the benefits of evaluating mechanical integrity of risers during front-end design to avoid development of concepts where equipment condition assessment is difficult or prohibitive. CAPEX and OPEX investments will be compared for both scenarios to support operators to understand the impact on potential production availability and long term cost savings. Results will demonstrate the importance to be proactive on the development of a riser integrity management program. The identification of all credible threats early in the design stage can mitigate risks, e.g. adequate material selection, more accurate simulation, adequate protective instrumentation, piggability of risers. Moreover, it is imperative that the equipment is designed so that it can be inspected, monitored, evaluated, maintained, and if necessary repaired or replaced. Findings from this paper should support operators to demonstrate the need to "spend the money now" instead of "remediating later".