EM&I present asset integrity paper at OTC Asia

Peter Davies, Director, Special Projects, of the EM&I Group, presented the paper and stood in for Danny Constantinis, Executive Chairman (pictured), as a panel member due to the COVID and time zone restrictions.

The invitation to present and attend was a recognition of EM&I’s 35 years of experience - working on hundreds of offshore assets and with numerous innovations and patents introduced into the industry.

Being a leader in the HITS (Hull Inspection Techniques & Strategy) JIP also supported EM&I’s contribution to the conference.

“The JIP has encouraged disruptive innovation and helped introduce diverless, robotic, remote & digital technologies, which are safer, more efficient, and emission friendly than traditional techniques using divers and rope access teams” commented Constantinis.

These new technologies can be used on a wide variety of floating assets including, FPSO, FLNG & FSRU vessels, Drillships & Semi-Submersibles, and in the near future, Floating Offshore Wind assets.

The HITS JIP which includes Oil Majors, Lease Operators, and the major Class Societies has been successful, as it set clear objectives and undertook to consider new ideas. The main objectives were - no divers, or people working at height or in confined spaces, and minimal tank cleaning for inspection purposes.

This approach has worked well and inspired a number of innovations as a result including:

ODIN^® for diverless UWILD (Under Water Inspection in Lieu of Drydocking) including valve inspection & repair. This has now been used successfully on hundreds of projects throughout the world over the last 7 years and produced considerable savings in money, time, and POB (People on Board). Savings of over 50% of normal costs, and 70% of POB have been achieved, and all these technologies can be used while the vessels are on station, on hire, and in operation, reducing the need for shutdowns or out of service periods.

NoMan^® for tank inspections and difficult to access areas using remote cameras and laser scanning. This has replaced manned entry and rope access teams and made tank inspections possible in a fraction of the time normally required. On a recent project in the North Sea a reduction of 90% of the man hours normally required was achieved.

HullGuard^® for the diverless cathodic protection of hulls & sea chests using retractable ICCP anodes. These can easily be installed through class approved access ports in the hull or sea chest - either in the shipyard or retrofitted at any stage during the life of the asset. They can also be retracted for inspection, cleaning, or replacement whenever required.

ExPert™ for the non-intrusive and remote inspection of Ex electrical items. This technology can ‘see through’ electrical components and detect any anomalies without having to isolate or dismantle them. Ex equipment that normally requires rope access for close inspections can now be inspected using robotic cameras in under 50% of the time without the risk of working at height.

ANALYSE™ for optimising the inspection of pressure systems. By using a combination of both RBI (Risk Based Inspection) and Probability Theory, this has made it possible to safely reduce the number or thickness readings to establish the level of safety required. Savings of over 60% have been achieved on recent projects.

LORIS™ for the inspection & temporary repair of mooring chains and risers, the LORIS robot can swim to, attach itself and climb up and down the items to be inspected. Armed with high tech measurement and inspection tools and robotic arms, the system can operate in much harsher conditions than free-swimming ROVs or divers.

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/offshore-and-subsea/10122020/emi-present-asset-integrity-paper-at-otc-asia/