EM&I remote inspection technology used for FPSO in New Zealand

Although designed originally for remote inspection of confined spaces such as ships tanks and pressure vessels, NoMan has extended its capabilities to carrying out close visual and general visual inspections of areas that would otherwise have needed rope access or scaffolding – incurring additional time, cost and risk.

A further benefit is that this way of working is more environmentally friendly, as it reduces the carbon footprint, with fewer helicopter trips and reduced energy costs in preparing tanks for man entry.

EM&I recently proved this by carrying out successful inspections of a Cargo Oil Tank to the satisfaction of the class society’s attending Surveyor, along with the structure under the helideck; the structure under the main deck, and void spaces on the well head, for an FPSO in New Zealand.

The NoMan approach proved to be more than 50% faster, with a proportionate reduction in cost, risk, and environmental impact, and provided higher quality outputs for those reviewing the data.

A separate development which will be announced soon is the combination of visual and synchronous laser scanning methods, patented by EM&I which will transform methods of assuring structural integrity remotely. This further demonstrates EM&I’s relentless drive to use robotic and digital technology to provide enhanced safety, cost efficiency and sustainable clean energy.

Stephen Blair (Director of Regional Development – Asia Pacific) commented: “Although this technology was developed primarily for cargo oil and water ballast tank inspections, it has also proven to be extremely effective for internal inspections of pressure vessels. This deployment on an FPSO has shown the systems flexibility for delivering over 50% cost savings for other applications. NoMan will be evaluated in the next few weeks as a system for close visual inspections of Ex equipment with similar benefits expected".

Read the article online at: https://www.oilfieldtechnology.com/offshore-and-subsea/30122019/emi-remote-inspection-technology-used-for-fpso-in-new-zealand/