Aging and Life Extension: KP4 Inspection Program - The First Year

Abstract

This article, written by Senior Technology Editor Dennis Denney, contains highlights of paper SPE 145518, ’KP4: Aging and Life-Extension Inspection Program - The First Year,’ by Alexander Stacey, UK Health and Safety Executive, prepared for the 2011 SPE Offshore Europe Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Aberdeen, 6-8 September. The paper has not been peer reviewed. With a significant proportion of the UK’s offshore infrastructure having exceeded the original design life, the aging population of offshore installations presents a growing challenge to safety. Aging is characterized by deterioration that, in the severe operational environment offshore, can have serious asset-integrity consequences if not managed properly. The UK Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Aging and Life Extension Inspection Programme, also known as Key Programme 4 (KP4), was launched in July 2010 to the UK offshore industry. Introduction The purpose of KP4 is to Determine whether the risks to asset integrity, which are associated with aging and life extension, are being controlled effectively. Raise awareness of the need for specific consideration of aging issues as a distinct activity within the asset-integrity-management process and of the need for senior management to demonstrate leadership on this matter. Identify shortcomings in duty-holder practices in the management of aging and life extension, and enforce an appropriate program of remedial action. Work with the offshore industry to develop a “best-practice” common approach to the management of aging installations and life extension. More than 50% of offshore installations in the UK sector of the North Sea have exceeded the original design life, typically specified as 20 or 25 years, and this proportion is increasing steadily with time. The majority of installations are likely to remain operational for many years, and, thus, the aging offshore infrastructure presents a growing challenge, particularly as reserves decline and the nature of companies in the market changes. In the extreme case, failure could cause the total loss of an installation with little chance of survival. Thus, the management of aging and life extension must be an integral part of the asset-integrity-management system (AIMS) to ensure continued safe performance. Integrity management of aging installations and successful implementation of an asset-integrity-management plan for life extension depend on understanding the degradation processes, on accurate knowledge of both the condition of the asset and its response in the aged condition, and on an implementation strategy to deal with the increasing risk of failure with time, which enables the greater likelihood of deterioration to be predicted, detected, and assessed. Risk-based goal-setting regulations, supporting guidance, industry standards, risk assessments, and performance standards provide the basis on which owner/operator policies can be developed.