Iron Ocean/OGIC – Collaborative working for life-saving technology

Problem Statement   

Globally there are 370,000 deaths annually due to unplanned immersions into open water, as reported by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Aims

To develop a highly engineered offshore travel system designed to save lives at sea. Self-heating when immersed in cold water to prevent cold shock and hypothermia, the garment is also fire resistant and features anti-slash properties. A collaboration with Heriot Watt University & The Oil & Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC), the garment is the first of its kind.

Method

Designed to be worn under the traditional offshore survival suit, the ‘Centurion 3’ garment has been developed as three separate garments that are worn together. Garment one is a CARFIBEX base layer, an extremely soft material bespoke to Iron Ocean incorporating anti-static, advanced moisture management, anti-bacterial and superior thermal properties.

Garment two is a self-heating layer infused with Iron Ocean’s flagship technology REACTA GEL AQUA, a compound engineered to provide immediate heat on contact with cold water. Garment three is the fire and slash resistant outer layer developed to promote escape through areas of high heat and jagged wreckage.

Impact

As a major hazard industry, the UK’s offshore oil and gas sector has a duty to protect the health and safety of its people.

The prototype ‘Centurion 3’ garment, developed alongside OGIC and Heriot-Watt University, could save the lives of offshore workers in the event of an incident at sea.

With unique properties, the ‘Centurion 3’ effectively protects workers from the harsh elements of the North Sea.

Acting as an under layer, the garment will activate to produce life-saving heat in the event of outer suits being torn or found to be leaking.

This pioneering technology underpins collaborative working with a strong focus on safety; ultimately ensuring people come home safely.

It allows the industry to become more efficient, whilst reducing risks to the workforce.

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Safehouse – Safehouse Habitat applied to LPG Tanker

Problem Statement   

An LPG tanker was in need of urgent repairs to its hull in order to remain within the parameters of its license to operate. Due to the nature of the ship and its cargo, carrying out hot work to repair such damage would normally require the ship’s tanks to be purged of all traces of hydrocarbon gas and the work to be carried out in a dry dock. In addition, the work would have to be carried out in a very restricted space on the inside of the vessel.

Aims

Avoidance of the need to purge the ships tanks of all hydrocarbon gas, taking the ship off-course, saving the operator thousands in associated costs and delays.

Method

Safehouse’s Technical Director visited the vessel to identify where would be safe to assemble the habitats and carry out hot work. To ensure the repair work complied with maritime regulations, Safehouse reviewed its procedures and developed a work pack detailing the proposed solutions, including having a Safehouse team on standby to immediately mobilise the equipment. Our solution was to build two habitats; one on the exterior of the hull, and another between the hull and gas storage tank. This allowed for the segregation of the hot work activities from any potential hydrocarbon sources. The flexibility of the SAFEHOUSE habitat combined with the expertise of our technicians allowed us to overcome any obstacles and to be installed easily in restricted areas.

Impact

The Panama Canal authorities were initially very reluctant to allow hot work to go ahead within their waters on an LPG tanker that had not been confirmed gas-free. Safehouse liaised closely and contributed to the authorities HAZOP process to satisfy their concerns. When the project was completed on time and without incident, the ship operator and canal authorities were satisfied that their extremely high safety standards had been met.

Total Savings Anticipated

168 man and machine hours saved

£350,000 estimated.

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Cyberhawk – Internal roof pontoon internal inspection conducted using drones from outside tank

Problem Statement  

The internal inspection of roof pontoons can be challenging due to the requirement for personnel to work in a confined space for lengthy amounts of time.

Aims

A large global oil and gas company required a solution to inspect the internal roof pontoons and steel shell of a floating roof tank dedicated to the production of unrefined diesel at a refinery in the UK. Cyberhawk was selected to conduct the inspection using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

Method

Cyberhawk’s two-man team examined the condition of 25 pontoons and the entire internal surface of the tank. The inside of the asset was fully inspected whilst the team remained in a safe position on the outside to fly the UAV.

With a lack of GPS signal and different entry points for each pontoon, full manual flying was required from experienced pilots. This also meant flying manually through the tank’s various compartments.

Impact

This type of inspection would usually involve personnel entering the tight roof pontoons of the tank – Cyberhawk’s solution meant that personnel were only required inside the tank for the minimum amount of time.

The traditional method of inspection would also have taken weeks to complete the workscope where as the UAV solution took just five days.

Cyberhawk successfully completed the workscope delivering a high quality inspection report with high resolution images which enabled the client to understand the tank’s condition. The pontoons were found to be in generally good condition throughout with no significant damage or defects. The client reported the project was carried out within budget and reported significant time savings.

Total hours saved

Five days vs weeks

Safety benefits

Minimum time inside for personnel

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Cyberhawk – $11m saving generated through drone flare inspection

Problem Statement 

Flare inspection can incur significant costs and take months to complete. Aside from the cost of using scaffolding or rope access, a production shutdown is required while the inspection takes place.  These access techniques also mean extended periods of working at height.

Aims 

  • A supermajor in West Africa was looking use a new, more efficient method of inspection to examine a number of flares on five live assets.
  • As well as generating cost savings, the client was also looking for an inspection solution which was safer for personnel by reducing the requirement to work at height.

Method

  • A two man team from Cyberhawk were mobilised to the region to complete the inspections
  • Full close visual inspections (CVI) were carried out across all assets
  • Thanks to the use of UAVs, the inspections could take place without the need for a plant shutdown

Impact

By avoiding a plant shutdown, and inspecting the assets while they were live, the client saved more than $11million.

All five assets were also inspected in less than a week – the alternative methods would have taken months to complete and would also have required a complete shutdown of the facility.

The detailed inspection reports completed by Cyberhawk’s plant inspector and flare experts provided the facility with the info required to fully plan and prepare flare tip replacement and repair work during the next planned turnaround.

Total hours saved

5 days vs weeks

Total savings anticipated 

Over $11million

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Atkins – Methanol Injection Optimisation Using OLGA Simulation

Problem Statement

OGUK Case Study – methanol optimisation

The use of methanol as a hydrate inhibitor in wells/pipelines is strictly controlled by Ineos for all users of the Forties Pipeline System due to the potential damage that can be caused to catalysts and effluent plant. If an operator causes the overall FPS methanol dosage to exceed the limit of 2m3 / day, it may be subject to a charge of up to £2m. This therefore leads operators to wait until a timeslot for methanol injection is allocated, causing delays in start-up and the subsequent losses for deferred production.

Aims 

Optimise methanol injection volumes required for start-up operations in subsea wells/pipelines to reduce operator contribution to overall FPS methanol injection thus facilitating the swifter approval of methanol waiver permits and reducing  deferred production.

Method

Traditional approaches use steady state analysis to calculate methanol injection volumes. Atkins developed a novel methodology combining OLGA transient simulations, inhibitor tracking and the latest equations of state to optimise the volume of methanol required during start-up operations. This provides a variable methanol injection rate which minimises the hydrate temperature margin along the pipeline.

Impact

The proposed methodology has been used to optimise methanol injection for one of the most challenging and strategically important HPHT gas-condensate subsea well and pipeline systems in the North Sea, resulting in:

  • A 30% reduction in the total methanol injection volume for a cold depressurised start-up when compared with the output of the standard steady state methodology.
  • 60 – 70% reductions in methanol volumes for warm depressurised start-ups (4-9 days after shutdown).
  • Confidence in the effectiveness of the methanol injected.
  • Maximising the length of time needed between tank refills.

Production savings from swifter permit approvals

~ £3m / year

Avoidance of need for high-usage methanol waiver

~ £2m / start-up

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