Wood Group – Innovation to improve flange management when decommissioning

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Submitted by Wood Group

Use of Springlynn, a self-tapping saddle for draining and venting, adopted from the water industry.

Impact 

The system is very simple in design, and can be used by someone with no previous training Using a self-tapping saddle for draining and venting systems while decommissioning negates the need to break flanges whilst ensuring that re-energisation of the pipeline cannot occur.

Being simple to install and effective in design, the system removes potential risk of asbestos exposure from old compressed asbestos fibre (CAF) gaskets, and therefore does not require specialist asbestos operators to be present.

Where engineered valves are not installed or are difficult to access, the system may also be used to install vents and drains.

Spill risks are reduced by making it easier to divert potential liquid inventories through to a containment system prior to commencing separation scopes.

Description of Best Practice

From the point of ‘Cessation of Production’ (COP) and the initiation of decommissioning work, the process of engineering down selected systems and pipelines begins.

Systems are physically isolated and de-energised with air gaps, and appropriate vents and drain points installed as further safeguards. Breaking flanges is a routine part of this process to prove it is safe before progressing with module and process separation. Similarly, breaking flanges is necessary when separating topsides for Single Lift Vessel (SLV) removal. All of these flange breaks take time to carry out safely as they may interrupt asbestos present in CAF gaskets of old flanges.

To solve the issue, our decommissioning services contract team proposed using a system adopted from the water industry. The Springlynn system avoids the need to break valves and may also be used to install vents and drains at low/high points if there are no engineered valves installed where required (or if they are difficult to access).

The system is very simple in design, and can be used by someone with no previous training. All components come ready for use, and all that is needed is a common hand drill and a spanner. No fluids escape during installation owing to the specially designed drill head which seals off on the drill bit. Because of the unique system design, once drilling into the ball valve is complete and the ball valve closed, the drilling head may be removed whilst maintaining the integrity of the valve.

Contact: Philip Oliver
philip.oliver@woodgroup.com

Wood Group- Maintenance challenge for late life asset management

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Submitted by Wood Group

Impact

When we work with our clients on their assets we always challenge scopes of work to offer an alternative solution to the client’s benefit. This challenge culture has helped to significantly reduce the maintenance scope of various projects, especially those in a late life asset management context.

Description of Best Practice

Case 1: Innovation through deviation of painting standards

A platform was being decommissioned with Cessation of Production (CoP) in January 2012 for a single lift removal in 2015.

We noted that there was an extensive fabric maintenance programme due on the platform to maintain integrity. As part of the ongoing evaluation of work scopes, a challenge process was carried out to review the fabric maintenance programme with two opportunities identified to reduce or remove the painting scope.

The proposed reduction required engagement with the client’s technical authorities to agree to a deviation on painting standards which are written for operating assets and are not always appropriate for assets coming to the end of their field life. This proved to be the first deviation of its kind in the client’s organisation.

A total reduction in scope of 42% was realised. The drilling derrick painting scope was reduced considerably by using wax oil instead of normal paint. This took less time to complete, enabling the work to be carried during a planned drilling outage saving £1,120,000 (cost of drilling down time for original scope). Revised scope was estimated at 41 man days, and the scope was completed in 14 man days. This 27 day reduction delivered a total saving of £2,160,000 alongside the obvious HSE benefits achieved by reducing the time spent working at height and over the side.

Case 2: Challenge to customer coating standard for handrails

It was found that structural material defects (MD’s) or repair order appeared to have a longer fabrication time compared to piping, partly due to the double coating system specified by the customer. Our MD team noted that the specification included galvanising handrail panels and then shipping to a coating company for a two coat paint system. We highlighted that due to the remaining life of the asset the specification would be worth investigating and reducing to galvanizing only, thereby reducing delivery times and cost. The team agreed the way forward and deviations for each facility were submitted and approved for use. The deviations were then passed on to WGPSN to use on future MD’s.  Overall, this resulted in a cost reduction of 78% and a significant reduction in fabrication time.

Contact: Philip Oliver
philip.oliver@woodgroup.com

Perenco – Bringing out of use pipelines back into use

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Submitted by Perenco

Impact

The immediate effect of taking the pipeline out of use was the loss of 60,000 barrels of water injection capacity per day on Furzey Island, ultimately leading to a loss of ~2,400 barrels of oil production per day.

The conventional Horizontal directional drilling option would have taken ~ 14 months to complete at a cost of ~ £5M. The deferred production during this period could be estimated to be over 1 million barrels of oil. In addition a new pipeline would require significant consultation and planning permission to drill in an environmentally sensitive area.

The selected ‘Pipe in pipe’ solution was completed in 6 months for a cost of £2.2M and a deferred production of 430 thousand barrels of oil.

Description of Best Practice

The Wytch Farm Oil field is situated in one of the UK’s most environmentally sensitive areas. On 9th March 2015 following a routine in-line inspection, a 1.2km section of 8” produced water pipeline connecting Furzey Island (in Poole Harbour) with F site (on the Goathorn Peninsula) was found to have severe internal corrosion. The pipeline was immediately taken out of service as a precaution to protect the environment and a project was initiated to restore production.

Conventionally the pipeline would have been decommissioned and replaced using a technique called ‘Horizontal directional drilling’. This would involve a significant project drilling a 1.2km borehole between the two remote sites. A new steel pipeline would then be constructed on the mainland and pulled through the new borehole. Finally the new pipeline would then need to be connected by welding into the buried pipelines at each site.

With technical support from Perenco’s head offices the local team looked for innovative solutions that could repair or re-use the existing pipeline. These included:

  • A tight fit internal sleeve (pulling a PDFE liner into the pipe);
  • A ‘cured in place’ pipeline liner; and
  • A composite ‘Pipe in Pipe’ pulled through the existing 8” pipeline.

The selected ‘Pipe in Pipe’ solution involved pulling a 5”, 155 bar rated composite pipe through the existing pipeline using a small wireline unit on the mainland.

To restore the full 60,000 barrels of water to Furzey Island, an additional 5” and a 4” composite line were installed in two previously mothballed pipelines, already installed between Furzey Island and F site.

The material for each line came on one continuous reel, 1.3km long from the Supplier in Houston. These represented the longest continuous pulled through line of this diameter ever installed using this material. Importantly for the project team this meant that each line could be installed without the need for joints, and therefore potential leak paths in the carrier pipes under Poole harbour.

The actual pull through of each 1.2km line took less than 3 hours!

In addition, the project replaced significant sections of buried steel pipelines on both F & L sites. This involved several complex excavations up to 6m deep. The areas excavated are some of the most congested areas on site with many live pipelines, high voltage cables and other buried services. This required careful civil engineering design to maintain the excavations, to prevent interruptions to operations and to allow the pipeline team to install and weld the new pipeline in the excavations. In total 137 new welds were installed.

The work was successfully completed and the pipeline returned to service on 9th September delivering over 60,000 barrels of water per day to Furzey Island, exactly 6 months from the date the pipeline was taken out of use.

Contact: Rob Smith / Perenco UK

WorleyParsons- Emissions Compiler is a secure, auditable and simple way to reduce the burden of emissions legislation

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Submitted by WorleyParsons 

Impact

It has been the first choice of several customers to help eliminate spreadsheet errors and provides a robust system. Sites where the software has been installed includes Britannia (BOL) and Dunlin (Fairfield).

Description of Best Practice

Emissions legislation is a complex matter, with each operator having to compile different systems to record, audit and report different pollutants and wastes (e.g. ETS and EEMS). It is often found that different spreadsheets are setup by individuals for each, however, such systems lack auditability and are open to error.

Emissions Compiler gives operators a ‘one stop shop’ that fulfils all emissions reporting requirements, which links to the historian and calculates the emissions automatically.

Emissions Compiler is a truly flexible system. It can be tailored to suit your needs and combined with the emissions forecaster to create a comprehensive and controllable emissions reporting system.

Contact: Jane Gospel
jane.gospel@worleyparsons.com

Simply Joined Consulting Limited – Supply Chain Health-check

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Submitted by Simply Joined Consulting Limited

Impact

Previous clients have seen Improvements to their cost base for bought in goods and services, efficiencies in lead time and customer satisfaction performance, as well as the benefits of a united workforce once they have seen and understood the activities and challenges faced by their co-workers.

Due to client confidentiality, we are unable to quote exact figures, but cost savings and improvements are generally in double digit proportions

Description of Best Practice

Our Supply Chain Health-check model guides clients through a simple process to identify and implement cost efficiency and value creation opportunities using the following steps. It is suitable for both internal and external supply chain activity from a technical, commercial, safety, people management and behavioural perspective.

Firstly, we obtain confidential feedback from all stakeholders (The good, the bad and the ugly) via a mix of questions and one to one discussions as appropriate. This is generally followed by workshops where appropriate to fully engage stakeholders and map out internal and external supply chains to identify opportunities. As an independent resource, we mitigate the potential for any conflict or discomfort between customers and suppliers or internally between employees and their peer group or line management.

The health-check activities are focussed on Customer expectations, organisational and corporate beliefs and objectives, and takes into consideration the commercial arrangements that the organisation has with its customers and suppliers.

The outcome is a realistic strategy to survive, develop or grow. The final report is submitted to the client in a format that allows the organisation to prioritise the opportunities and ensure senior level support and action where required to deal with any ‘blockers’ to implementation.

Contact: Steve Johnson
steve@simplyjoined.com

APSYS- Sparing optimisation of a network of compression stations

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Submitted by APSYS

Impact

The customer was provided with the following results:

  • Reduction of sparing at 23 out of 24 compression stations; at one location savings of €1.2M were identified;
  • Availability risk identified at one location resulting in a requirement to increase sparing;
  • A 35 per cent increase in sparing at the central warehouse to provide better network support; and
  • An overall stockholding cost reduction from the M€9.6 to M€2.4 i.e. a reduction by 75 per cent.

Description of Best Practice

Context: A multi-national Oil & Gas service provider into the energy industry operates a network of pipelines and gas compression stations. The customer had requirements to optimise sparing from a cost point of view whilst preserving current levels of availability for this network which comprises 25 sites (gas compression stations, supported by a centralised warehouse facility).

Approach: The study has been carried out in a two-stage approach.First we assessed the logistical readiness for both localised and centralised sparing, using existing data.

The availability was determined by creating a model based of the system and supplied information, along with a snapshot of the inventories at all 25 locations. In the second stage, the model was run to identify opportunities for cost and stockholding optimisation across the entire network, whilst maintaining or improving the existing availability levels. SIMLOG is a software tool which helps to optimize type, quantity, and location of Logistics Elements for one or more repairable systems. This tool has been applied in other industries (Aerospace, Defence, Railway) and tested /validated in the UK by the MOD. It can also be linked to the CMMS (SAP, Maximo) for real time availability analysis.

Contact: Pierre Secher
pierre.secher@apsys.eads.net

Proserv provides asset life extension for major North Sea operator

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Impact

The proposal provided by the controls system supplier was to sell a new electro-hydraulic SSIV to the Operator  which would not have been compatible with the installed controls system. The Operator would have to replace a 400m umbilical and upgrade the existing controls system to operate the new electro-hydraulic SSIV. As a rapid-response engineering solutions provider, Proserv were contacted to determine whether there was a solution to work around the controls supplier’s negative response of having to replace the entire SSIV and controls system. The solution offered by Proserv saved the client from spending many millions to replace the existing subsea system and the cost of lost production. Furthermore, Proserv was able to offer a future-proof component obsolescence management  plan.

The SSIV was transported down to our Subsea Control Centre of Excellence in Great Yarmouth, UK, for testing on a base plate. The filter and filter block were removed and dismantled, and the existing filter element removed and discarded, along with the filter block seals. The unit was then re-assembled with new seals and a new filter element. The same was then done with the DCV Shuttle Valve which went on to achieve an acceptable shutdown time which was acceptable to the Operator. A full FAT was carried out by the Proserv team in Great Yarmouth which was witnessed and accepted by the  Client representatives.

Description of Best Practice

In the early 1990s, a major North Sea Operator purchased a subsea controls system which included pipeline subsea safety isolation valves (SSIV). A field ready spare was also purchased and stored, to provide contingency. As the units in place were more than 20 years old, the decision was taken to re-FAT the spare SSIV to check its serviceability. The unit was stripped down and the incumbent controls supplier was contacted to establish whether they could support the main valve on the SSIV, with a view to ordering parts or replace the valve if required. The OEM controls supplier was unable to support this valve, or offer a replacement  for the obsolete parts.

Contact: Scott Lourie, Proserv
Scott.Lourie@Proserv.com

 

Maersk Oil – Optimising to remove risk

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Submitted by Maersk Oil

Impact

The Maersk Oil team adapted an existing inspection technique forecast to produce cost savings in excess of 80% over the next five years as well as a considerable reduction in the duration of the activity.

Description of Best Practice

In order to scan the flexible hoses on the Gryphon Alpha’s turret, Maersk Oil previously used radiography, a technique which uses gamma radiation to capture an image onto a film. This technique is widely used throughout the industry but isn’t without issue:

  • Radiography could not be carried out in the direction of the asset’s nucleonic detectors as this will trip the vessel’s High Integrity Pressure Protection System (HIPPS), causing an unplanned production outage.
  • The entire turret area has to be shut off to personnel during scanning as radiography poses a significant danger to health. This prevents routine operations from taking place in the vicinity.
  • Radiography was carried out over nine months of the year but this only achieved around 50% of the required work.

Maersk Oil engaged with Innospection, innovative inspection specialists, to investigate alternative inspection techniques, with a goal to reduce personnel exposure to ionising radiations, spurious plant upsets and identify possible cost reduction.

It was discovered that Innospection already used Saturation Low Frequency Eddy Current (SLOFEC), an electromagnetic technique, on subsea risers. The current method was employed on a much larger scale than required, so teams worked to figure out how the technique could be adapted for topsides. A bespoke tool (MEC-P7), small enough to work successfully with the flexible hoses on Gryphon, was developed and tested onshore; an old section of a flexible hose was intentionally damaged to see if the tool picked up the discrepancy. It did. Overall, around six months was spent developing the tool and validating the technique.

The MEC tool was then trialled offshore on the Gryphon Alpha FPSO where it scanned all of the 6” flexible hoses, around 40% of the turret system in just two weeks, providing better coverage whilst delivering required image quality.

It’s estimated that the use of the MEC technique will deliver cost savings in excess of 80% over the next five years as just two fortnightly trips per year are now required. The tool has also eradicated the risk radiation posed to personnel and the risk of unplanned outages.

Contact: Danielle O’Donnell
danielle.odonnell@maerskoil.com

Maersk Oil – Engineering a unique solution

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Submitted by Maersk Oil

Impact

Replacing the buoyancy modules on a live riser system has never successfully been completed before. The Maersk Oil team met this challenge head on and developed an innovative solution, avoiding the need to replace the riser completely. The project only took around two and a half weeks and cost around 16% of the average fee of replacing a riser. Throughout, there was no production loss and no need for diving personnel, reducing the risk to human life.

Description of Best Practice

Replacing the buoyancy modules on a live riser system has never successfully been completed before. The Maersk Oil team met this challenge head on.

Rather than replacing the whole riser, an extremely time consuming, expensive and risky operation, the team sought an alternative way to correct the slippage. A rough concept was put to the supply chain: we wanted to fix the problem in a targeted manner using an ROV, allowing us to move away from conducting saturation diving operations for repair or replacement. This also allowed the team to engineer a solution which could be implemented whilst in operation.

In collaboration with SubC Partner, inventor and owner of the technical solution, a bespoke tool was created over six months which connected to a ROV. As EPCI contractor, SUBC Partner’s was responsible for: conceptual/detailed engineering; construction of subsea and support tools; supply of vessel/ROV; supply of manpower and project management.

The tool had to be specially developed for the task because there were a number of specific requirements: it had to work underwater whilst connected to the ROV, dock onto the riser and remove the old buoyancy module and inner clamp from the riser. Then bring the old parts to the surface, pick up the new clamp and module and go back down to the riser to install the new parts. Furthermore, the new clamp was installed with rubber compliant pads to stop future slippage; a technique already effectively used by Maersk Oil.

In the end, the team found an innovative solution to a complex issue, avoiding the need to replace the whole riser, the only other viable option: the project only took around 2 and a half weeks and cost around 16% of the average fee of replacing a riser. Throughout, there was no production loss and no need for diving personnel, reducing risk to human life.

Contact: Danielle O’Donnell
danielle.odonnell@maerskoil.com

Performance Improvement People- Cost efficiency through behavioural readiness

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Submitted by Performance Improvement People

Impact

Outcome: On commencement of project execution there was an immediately high productivity ratio, and better-than-planned productive day.  These efficiencies have allowed for increased scope liquidation and therefore increased value for the same spend.

Learning: We believe this was the first time this approach has been tried within an oil & gas execution environment, and as such some approaches brought greater success than others.

The best value activities appeared to be:

  • Team profiling resulted in objective identification of weak points and the early opportunity to manage them.
  • Scenario-based workshops flushed out areas of misalignment and misunderstanding; meaning gaps could be plugged prior to entering the high cost execution environment.
  • Small, diverse, group workshops allowed a free flow of discussion between representatives of different groups.  This was an unplanned side effect of the original strategy and the relationships made during these sessions have underpinned a great deal of problem solving in execution.
  • Meeting audits gave objective feedback as to how data and decision making flowed through the project.  This gave a very clear identification of bottlenecks.

Description of Best Practice

Challenge: An operator was running a life extension project for a major North Sea asset.  The project team consisted of representatives of a number of different organisations, including Operator, Tier 1 Contractor and the extended supply chain.

Performance Improvement People were asked to address the challenge of bringing together these different organisations into a single, cohesive team to ensure high efficiency and productivity in the execution environment.

Action: Performance Improvement People used various behavioural analysis techniques to measure and understand the behavioural norms present in the combined team.  These norms could then be used as a basis for identifying hot spots and weak points, which in turn provided a practical understanding of inefficiencies in execution.

Many of the tools used are widely available, and primarily used within the context of recruitment, assessment and personal development.  We chose to apply them within the context of project delivery, using the data to develop the project execution model rather than for individual development.
The diagnostic tools included work-related activities such as psychometric analysis, creating and delivering practice scenario discussions, carrying out meeting audits, work-process analysis, team workshops sessions and site-based fabrication maintenance ‘mock-up’ exercises.
The overall impact was to allow the leadership team to truly understand the norms in their business and how they may impact on future work, especially joint project delivery, as well as giving key team members the opportunity to understand the impact of their own behaviours on others around them. In turn this lead to greater efficiency through improved communication, reduction in duplication of work, clearer processes, more effective meetings and reduced overall meeting footprint.

Contact: Morna Ronnie (morna.ronnie@pi-people.co.uk)