Corrosion Inspection Reporting

A customer had recently acquired multiple offshore oil and gas platforms in the Gulf of Mexico and were faced with the worrying challenge of a large backlog of corrosion-prone equipment awaiting inspection and remediation. There was high possibility for a costly and potential environment damaging LOPC event. Corrosion-prone equipment is typically scheduled for inspection 4-5 years in the future (based on conventional inspection regimes). However, this customer needed quick insights to perform prioritized remediation regimes and prevent an LOPC or an emergency shutdown. Our team proposed our Abyss Fabric™ as a solution to provide insights to minimize a potential LOPC and save millions in inspection costs. A digital twin, with all process equipment tagged including the respective IDs and relevant condition-based information, would be created. This level of data was a game changer for the customer. Detailed visual inspections were performed virtually using computers on the opposite side of the globe. Requirements were set through close coordination between Abyss and the customer’s Mechanical Integrity(MI) Engineers. Valuable insights started flowing in within a matter of weeks. Multiple reporting structures were adopted based on; the line’s service, line diameter, residual thickness and corrosion type (blistered/non-blistered), all of which were efficiently accomplished through Abyss Fabric’s convenient interface.

The technology behind Abyss Fabric™ was able to estimate wall loss based on the blister height analysis. This reduced the customer’s operating expenses for maintenance and inspection down to a fraction versus traditional inspections. Using the Fabric data, MI Engineers were able to prioritize the most pressing lines on the platforms, significantly mitigating the chances of an LOPC while simultaneously planning the next shutdown based on corrosion data for low-priority items. Our customer had meaningful data across 95% of the asset in a matter of months, including the hard-to-reach spaces neglected during traditional inspections, which typically take as long as 5 years. The Abyss team initially surveyed one platform for the customer. However, they were so impressed with the results, the project was expanded to another 10 platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.