Risk-based Inspection Approach Research Articles

Framework for Integrating the Reliability of the Inspection Technique into Risk-Based Inspection Practice

In compliance with recent (2022) federal legislation found in the Code of Federal Regulations Part 650 Subpart C, risk-based inspection (RBI) practices for determining inspection intervals for highway bridges are now permitted. The RBI approach allows for a systematic assessment of risk and prioritizes inspection resources where they are most needed. However, to ensure an optimal level of safety and serviceability, it is necessary to utilize reliable inspection techniques in conjunction with an appropriate inspection interval, as emphasized by National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 782. Utilizing ineffective inspection techniques may lead to uncertainty about the element’s condition and thus increase the risk associated with the component. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework that integrates a new factor, called the inspection effectiveness factor (IEF), into the RBI process to rationally estimate the inspection interval considering the reliability of the inspection technique. The inspection interval in the proposed approach is determined based on the damage mode, associated likelihood, consequences, and effectiveness of the inspection technique, offering a rational approach for decision-makers in estimating the inspection interval of bridges and identifying appropriate inspection techniques for different defects. The effectiveness of the proposed method is validated through experts’ judgment. In addition, the proposed approach is demonstrated through a case study utilizing historical inspection reports.

RBI-IOWs integrated approach to risk assessment: Methodological framework and application

The planning of inspection and maintenance activities is a challenge that researches are largely addressed in petrochemical plants. The Risk-Based-Inspection (RBI) methodology, defined by the API 580 and API 581 Recommended Practices, is the main tool widely used for planning inspection and maintenance activities. However, the validity of the RBI results is closely related to the operating conditions that are supposed to remain constant throughout the inspection period. Significant efforts were made to improve the basic RBI approach. Uncertainty in forecasting models, accuracy in the assumptions of degradation-based approaches, subjective judgment and human error in risk assessment, lack of compliance with industry codes and standards, need to improve maintenance planning and inspection interval optimization, remain the key challenges to be addressed.A tool that can allow a dynamic approach to updating the inspection plan, by a real-time readjustment of the variation in the equipment's risk levels, in compliance with the oil and gas reference standards, is the API 584 Integrity Operating Windows (IOWs) methodology, through which critical windows are defined for the parameters considered to have the greatest impact on the equipment integrity. The adoption of this methodology is capable of overcoming the aforementioned limitations of the RBI, because the inspection plans can be directly modulated by monitored variations in the critical process parameters of the system under analysis.With these premises, the aim of the present study is to outline a fully integrated dynamic risk-based methodological framework to enhance the basic RBI approach by using IOWs analysis, which provides the basis for the development of a procedural model to be implemented in the inspection planning practice. Inspection and maintenance departments are the main beneficiaries, being aware of changes or upset during an operation running, which could give significant advantage in the identification of a not expected accelerated damage mechanism, and its critical effects.To show its application in improving the monitoring of critical plant parameters, which could limit the reliability of pressure equipment during their life cycle, reference is made to the PACOL-HF plant section of the SASOL factory located in Augusta (Italy). As a main result, the proposed approach and its procedural model prove effective in preventing the occurrence of undesired events, through both a real-time monitoring of the process variables, and the resulting mitigation actions that can avoid the failure of the equipment.

Estimation of Shutdown Schedule to Remove Fouling Layers of Heat Exchangers Using Risk-Based Inspection (RBI)

Oil and Gas plants consist of a set of heat exchangers, which are used in recovering the waste heat from product streams to preheat the oil. The heat transfer coefficient of exchangers declines considerably during the operation period due to fouling. Fouling in heat exchangers is a complex phenomenon due to the acceleration of many layers of chemical substances across tubes of heat exchangers resulting from chemical reactions and surface roughness. In this paper, the fouling process was determined as a critical failure in the heat exchanger. Failure is an accelerated fouling layer across the heat exchanger tubes, which can be the reason for the clogging of tubes. Hence, a risk assessment was conducted using the Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) approach to estimate the probability of fouling in heat exchangers. The results showed that the RBI approach can be used successfully to predict the suitable time to shut down the plant and conduct the fouling cleaning process.

Probabilistic Safety Analysis and Risk-Based Inspection of nuclear research reactors: state-of-the-art and implementation proposal

Industrial facilities systems deteriorate over time, thus increasing the possibility of accidents. Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) classifies such systems by their risk information with the purpose of prioritizing inspection efforts. RBI can reduce inspection activities, resulting in lower risk levels, and maintaining reliability and safety in acceptable levels. Risk-Informed In-Service Inspection (RI-ISI) is a RBI approach used in nuclear industry. RI-ISI uses outcomes from Probabilistic Safety Analysis (PSA) of Nuclear Power Plants (NPP) to plan In-Service Inspections (ISI). Despite nuclear research reactors are simpler and have lower risks than power reactors, the application of PSA to them may be useful for safety improvements once they are more flexible, provide easier access to its core and allow changes in fuel configurations. Ageing management of components is also required to assure continued adequacy of safety levels, reliable operation, and compliance with operational limits and conditions. This includes periodic review of ISI programs in which monitoring of material deterioration is considered, and that can be supported by the RBI approach. A review of state-of-the-art of PSA and RBI and an implementation proposal applied to nuclear research reactors is presented in this work, as well as its application to a TRIGA reactor using computer codes developed by ReliaSoft® Corporation.

Risk and Asset Integrated Management with Risk-Based Inspection Technique in Oil, Gas, and Petrochemical Industries

Introduction: To prevent accidents and minimize the risk of unexpected disasters in the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries, an inspection of equipment in terms of mechanical integrity and safe and consistent service providing are of utmost importance. The purpose of this study is integrated risk and asset management by implementing risk-based inspection techniques in the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries.
 Methods: Firstly, this systematic review study identified a list of keywords based on RBI and then exclusively on the internal and external databases of Science Direct, Pub med, Google Squalor, SDI, Google Searcher, and Scopus without a time limit. Afterward, keywords, including risk management, probability of failure, asset integrated management, risk-based inspection, consequences of failure, and corrosion management, were searched.
 Result: A review of various studies showed that the risk-based inspection approach provided the necessary platform for upgrading and formulating new inspection, repair, maintenance, equipment risk management systems and asset integration in the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries and played a significant role in reducing the risk levels to its acceptable limits.
 Conclusion: By analyzing the results of studies, it was found that using this method will lead to the effective implementation of risk management, reliability, and corrosion management in oil, gas, and petrochemical industries. In fact, the system intended to provide process safety, increase risk perception of damage in line with the respective risk management, and ensure the integrity of the assets in operational units.

Safety Report Updating for Aged Seveso Plants

Seveso Directive requires the operator of major-hazard establishments to draw up a Safety Report, which has to be updated after relevant changes and at least every five years. This paper discusses a guideline aiming at the inclusion of the ageing issue in the updated Safety Reports. Such guideline exploits the potential of the short-cut method, adopted by the Italian Competent Authorities for the assessment of the adequacy of ageing management plans, to update the likelihood of top-events by using the calculated overall adequacy index. To adequately manage ageing, regulators should promote the implementation of Risk Based Inspection approach (RBI) even in major-hazard small sites. Risk analysis is a pillar of both the Seveso Directive (i.e. Safety Report) and the RBI approach, in this context, the guideline gives suggestions to avoid inconsistencies and promote synergies between the documents.

The next generation of risk-based inspection for coal seam gas wells

The coal seam gas (CSG) industry presents some unique mechanical integrity and assurance challenges, in particular: (1) the large well count (thousands), many of which are not identical (in design, process, equipment and layout), and hence have varying inspection requirements; (2) the geographic spread of wells within a field; (3) relying heavily on inspection to confirm equipment condition; (4) significant water and sand production; and (5) rapidly changing process conditions over the life of the well. One particular challenge for many operators is the potential for loss of containment in well-site pressure equipment from very high erosion rates. This, combined with the large asset count, makes physical inspection of each component to ensure equipment condition a challenging and costly task. So, what can a business do to develop an adaptive maintenance strategy to address changing process conditions, allowing them to intervene proactively before a failure occurs and maximising the opportunity to lengthen inspection intervals and reducing inspection costs on low-risk assets? One CSG operator, in conjunction with a leading integrity management service provider, has developed and implemented a dynamic digital twin of the physical condition of their assets by combining live production, monitoring and inspection data, allowing the current and future condition of equipment to be modelled and a risk-based inspection (RBI) strategy that is evergreen and reacts to the changing process conditions. The system built on the NEXUS Integrity Centre platform uses several different predictive models to prioritise assets and components for inspection using live process data and a consistent RBI approach across all static pressure equipment, essentially providing a live digital representation of the current asset condition, the essence of a digital twin. The system provides a prioritised list of assets requiring inspection before the planned maintenance strategy while also highlighting opportunities to extend inspection intervals and thus take advantage of the potential reduction in on-going maintenance costs.

Cost–benefit analysis approach for the management of industrial safety in chemical and petrochemical industry

The high complexity of chemical and petrochemical installations determines a complex safety management of these establishments, therefore, there is a need to find innovative solutions to guarantee the prevention of failures and losses of containment from process equipment. In this frame, the use of the API Risk Based Inspection (RBI) assessment approach permits a significant reduction of maintenance costs and, simultaneously, the increase of plant's reliability and availability. To increase the level of industrial safety, a proper selection of measures is also needed, even if the adoption of such measures poses costs. Given that resources for the companies are usually limited, a comparison amongst various solutions has to be done with the aim to find the best one, based on a comparison of costs and benefit. To this scope, recently a software, named Inspection Manager, has been developed by ANTEA and implemented thanks to a cooperation with the University of Padova (Italy). The Inspection Manager provides support in the application of the RBI approach by means of the use of plant-specific data, which are stored in its database; its further implementation, presented in this paper, has made it able to support also cost-benefit analysis and, thus, the selection of measures to be adopted to prevent accidental events causing the release of hazardous materials. A case-study is presented to test the new functionality of the tool; after the identification of the most effective measures, a careful cost-benefit assessment has been executed as a basis for decision-making.

Technology Focus: Production and Facilities (December 2018)

Technology Focus Creativity and innovation have long characterized production and facilities, and this year is no exception. Much of the work reported this past year was conducted during the recent period of low oil prices. The economic challenges of the oil industry clearly have provided a strong stimulus for even more creativity and innovation. The use of big data and analytics appeared in a number of papers with an emphasis on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for building databases used to monitor the health of equipment and structure risk-based-inspection (RBI) strategies. Monitoring data inputs from thousands of sensors (paper OTC 28990) allows an AI application to predict an impending failure and notify operators by text or email when the incipient problem is detected so that proactive maintenance can be scheduled to avoid an unplanned shutdown or catastrophic failure. This strategy is being successfully applied to compressors but no doubt will be used to monitor other high-cost, critical service equipment as well (paper SPE 188803). Progress continues on the design and application of inflow-control devices (ICDs). Introduced only a few years ago, these devices are still in a rapid development stage for both design and application. Now, ICDs are applied successfully to improve the fluid-injection patterns for both steamfloods and waterfloods, the latter being described as a successful field application (paper SPE 189824). For steamfloods, passive and autonomous ICD designs were evaluated and their performance modeled using computational fluid dynamics (paper SPE 189721). The integration of subsurface modeling and surface-facility design by the development of a data-driven stochastic work flow (paper SPE 187462) demonstrated a means to reduce both subsurface and facility costs by reducing the biases that inevitably come into play during the generation of a field-development plan. Other innovative work was reported on field optimization, the prediction of asphaltene precipitation, and the integration of RBI with vibration-induced fatigue failure of installed piping systems. Interesting work not discussed here includes evaluating corrosion under severe conditions and the development of an oil-droplet-coalescing pump for use in water treatment. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 188803 Machines Performance Algorithmic Modeling for Anticipating Machines Health Using Real-Time Condition-Monitoring Data by W. Almadhoun, ADMA-OPCO, et al. SPE 189721 Evaluation of Inflow-Control-Device Performance Using Computational Fluid Dynamics by M. Miersma, University of Alberta, et al. SPE 187256 Production Optimization of Shenzi Field in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico by P. Ashton, BHP, et al. SPE 190149 A Diagnostic Approach To Predict Asphaltene Deposition in Reservoir and Wellbore by Davud Davudov, University of Oklahoma, et al. OTC 28352 Integrating an RBI Approach for Vibration-Induced Fatigue Into a Mechanical-Integrity Program by Paul Crowther, Wood, et al.

Implementing risk‐based inspection approach: Is it beneficial for pressure equipment in Malaysia industries?

The transition from time‐based inspection to risk–based inspection (RBI) in Malaysian industry began in June 2014 with the gazette of Factories and Machinery (Special Scheme of Inspection) (Risk‐Based Inspection) Regulations 2014 (SSI 2014). Under the new regulations, owners shall express their commitment and provide proof of their ability to ensure safety, integrity, and operability of relevant equipment. The regulation does not prescriptively mention methods to implement the RBI approach, but does spell out minimum requirements. Upon successful demonstration of compliance to the authority, the Certificate of Fitness of pressurized equipment may be extended to maximum 72 months.This paper aims to establish the benefits which may accrue from the adoption of RBI approach and ascertain the potential difficulties associated with the implementation of this approach. The paper first presents a review of the literature, establishing the major reasons for, and the benefits of, RBI implementation. This is followed by the results of a Malaysian survey on the implementation of RBM approach. An audit was conducted in the Malaysian petrochemical and chemical industries in April 2016. The audit results highlight the reasons for and benefits of implementing RBI. The paper concludes with a discussion and recommendations for the implementation of the RBI approach. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 37: 194–204, 2018

Verification of the Framework for Risk-Based Bridge Inspection

AbstractThis paper presents two case studies that were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of a new, risk-based inspection (RBI) method. The overall objectives of the case studies were to demonstrate the implementation of the methodology and to verify the effectiveness of RBI analysis for determining suitable inspection intervals for highway bridges. Expert elicitations were conducted to develop risk-based data models for RBI analysis for two families of bridges. These data models were used to assign inspection intervals for bridges ranging from 12 to 72 months. A new backcasting method was developed and used to analyze the effectiveness of these data models for identifying suitable inspection intervals. The results of the backcasting procedures verified that the RBI approach determined suitable inspection intervals for the sample bridges assessed through the research.

A Framework for Estimating Piping Reliability Subject to Corrosion Under Insulation

Corrosion under insulation (CUI) is one of the serious damage mechanisms experienced by insulated piping systems. Optimizing the inspection schedule for insulated piping systems is a major challenge faced by inspection and corrosion engineers since CUI takes place beneath the insulation which makes the detection and prediction of the damage mechanism harder. In recent years, risk-based inspection (RBI) approach has been adopted to optimize CUI inspection plan. RBI approach is based on risk, a product of the likelihood of a failure and the consequence of such failure. The likelihood analysis usually follows either the qualitative or the semi-qualitative methods, thus precluding it to be used for quantitative risk assessment. This paper presents a framework for estimating quantitatively the likelihood of failure due to CUI based on the type of data available.

Computed radiography deployed by a subsea remotely operated vehicle

Arguably, the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) business traditionally understands the word 'Inspection'as a general or close visual record of a subsea item using a remote camera and other data-gathering peripherals such as sonar, bathymetric and profilers. Subsea NDT methods with ROVs are generally confined to cathodic potential surveys, single-point wall thickness measurements and flooded member detection. Conventional NDT is usually diver-deployed in hyperbaric habitats more than in the wet, usually to test for welding defects. In contrast, topsides plant inspection is synonymous with NDT and invariably means components undergo some form of non-destructive examination to provide integrity information. In addition, the last 15 years or so has seen a revolution in NDT systems and inspection companies have gradually introduced 'Advanced'NDT systems to their range of services, to meet the ever-increasing demands from Risk Based Inspection (RBI) approaches to managing pressure systems. The upstream oil and gas industry is now applying the same RBI approach subsea, but with the ever-present HSE restrictions on using divers in addition to deeper water exploration and production, there is a growing requirement for ROV-deployed NDT systems.

RISK-BASED MANAGEMENT OF STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY FOR BASS STRAIT PLATFORMS

Esso Australia Pty Ltd (Esso) has embraced the framework of risk management to improve the focus and priorities of its inspection and maintenance activities. Structural integrity is one of the disciplines that has adopted a risk-based approach to inspection and integrity assessment and this has been applied to Esso/BHP’s 18 offshore platforms located in Bass Strait.The paper provides a discussion of the issues faced in the management of structural integrity of offshore platforms which lead to the development of a risk-based inspection (RBI) strategy. RBI is applied to improve the prediction of the structures’ condition and provides a consistent basis for continued improvement in the future. The RBI model generates targeted inspection workscopes for each platform that, coupled with the implementation of appropriate inspection techniques, ensure that the integrity of the platforms can be managed with greater confidence and at lower cost.The RBI approach has resulted in reduced focus on traditional areas of uncertainty such as fatigue of tubular joints, and increased focus on secondary structures, for example service caissons. This shift in focus is made possible by building into the risk model a calibration process that considers previous inspection data. A key component of this calibration is a new method developed to calibrate tubular joint fatigue lives.

Application of risk-based inspection for pressurized HC production systems in a Brunei petroleum company

A large number of ageing oil and gas production and evacuation facilities are owned and operated by BSP (Brunei Shell Petroleum). The company is facing the challenge of optimizing the return on inspection efforts in a period of time when more production is required and operating costs have to be minimized. Over recent years significant improvements have been made to BSP's system of planning and performing offshore inspection, in particular concerning the management of hydrocarbon process containment integrity, via a change from a periodic return inspection approach to a risk-based inspection (RBI) approach. This article presents the quantified benefits achieved to date, and the way this process of change has been/is being managed, firstly, to yield the major savings today, and secondly to sustain these gains by setting up processes and systems to support the new way of working. The value of the RBI approach, in terms of its contribution to the company's business drivers, is summarized thus. Cost optimization—the implementation of RBI principles in BSP has reduced the inspection effort (per platform) significantly to a level, which only involves the ‘minimum required’. The move has been to invest more in planning, thereby reducing (eliminating some) offshore execution of work. These benefits have been quantified in Section 3.1. In addition, increased production availability—the approach has assisted in reducing planned shut down times and minimizing unexpected shut downs due to failures. The move has been from shutdown inspection to onstream inspection. These benefits have been quantified in Section 3.2. Finally, safety—has been improved primarily by reducing the likelihood of failures and having fewer inspectors commuting to and working offshore. The move has been to perform focused inspection on hot spots in the system to reduce HC losses. These benefits have been quantified in Section 3.3.