Atkins – Maximising your Plant Capability using MeasCap

1. Problem Statement

In the oil and gas industry things don’t stand still. You may want to introduce new wells onto your facility, or rationalise your gas plant for declined production. Traditional capacity reviews work on one production profile case at a time, so become very time consuming and expensive when dealing with uncertainty and evaluating a number of options. Atkins’ MeasCap tool has been tailor-made to provide a more efficient approach to capacity assessment

2. Aims

For over 10 years, Atkins has been optimising our in-house software tool, MeasCap, to make facility capacity assessment:

  • Fast: automation allows hundreds of cases to be run/re-run in minutes
  • Extensive: multiple cases can be run simultaneously, allowing the full potential production envelope / field life to be assessed
  • Adaptable: easily incorporating late / future changes in data
  • Trustworthy: auditable, checkable, verifiable results
  • Results-focused: providing user with clear results and upgrade options

3. Method

Automated assessment of cases, which can be used to identify  capacity limitations, and then rerun to understand debottlenecking option effectiveness. The options are then assessed by our engineering team to understand constructability and cost implications, and option comparison. The flexibility offered by MeasCap allows late data to be incorporated, and the model can be re-used for future studies.

4. Impact

MeasCap has been used to help our clients assess a number of scenarios, including:

  • Third party tie-backs
  • Addition of new wells
  • Life of field studies
  • Low pressure operation options for maintaining export pressure
  • FPSO redeployment
  • Facility rationalization for late life
  • Terminal debottlenecking

The automation of cases makes the process far more efficient, and allows our  engineers to work with our clients to focus on assessing the “what if” questions. Clear results are presented which show the bottlenecks on the plant and feasible operating envelope, and display the range of opportunities available, with option payback vs investment cost.

Efficiency improvements

Automated capacity assessment gives double the results in half the time

Total savings anticipated

Typical study reduced from 12 to 6 weeks, saving > £30k

MeasCap has been used effectively on a broad range of offshore/onshore facilities, and was shortlisted for the IChemE Core Chemical Engineering Awards 2013

Submitted by Graham Filsell (Process Simulation Team Lead) 

Click on the image above to download the case study.

Aker Solutions – Kaizen: 5S at Aker Solutions Portlethen Facility

Problem Statement

Excess materials and inventory, HSE issues due to
inventory and the need to hire another property to be
able to service a major contract.

Aim 

To improve the efficiency of the work carried out at the
Aker Solutions Portlethen facility.

Method 

• Map current process and draw out issues preventing the
flow of work through the facility.
• Map future lay out.
• Clear out excess inventory.
• Set-up standardised work areas.
• Reset factory for major contract and for flow
• Install lean tools such as tool shadowing, visual
management and Kanban.

Impact

New process ensured:
• Reduction in motion waste (approx 73% for the most frequent
job type).
• 8.5 tonnes removed – electrical, paperwork, scrap metal.
• £11k retrieved from scrapped items.
• 230m2 space freed-up for potential production bays.
• Potential 70% increase in production with introduction of new
bays.
• Cost avoidance – removing need for additional facility for
Mariner workload: £406K for per year, starting 2017.

The new process resulted in:
• Safer environment with 8.5tonnes of waste removed from site.
• Installed management walk rounds and time to reset and
improve during working day so changes are sustained
• Aker Solutions Portlethen is a more desirable place to work (an
interviewee after a facility tour).
• During a scheduled tour of the facility a customer was
impressed with how “in control” the facility was of production
for their contract.

Total cost avoided: £406k per annum

Contact: Darren Clyde, Senior Lean Coach

Click on the image above to download the case study.

Aker Solutions – Kaizen: Offshore and Site Recruitment

Problem Statement 

4,066 days lost due to missed mobilisation dates, caused by:
• Multiple inductions;
• Unnecessary training (hundreds of people going through up to
nine days each);
• Multiple journeys during recruitment process.

Aim

To improve the efficiency of the offshore and site
recruitment process.

Method

• Mapping of the recruitment process & issues identified;
• Root causes of 200 issues and solutions developed;
• Single, new recruitment process created;
• Supporting procedures created;
• Communications plan for roll out to all stakeholders
(300 people).

Impact

New process ensured:
• Removal of multiple inductions
• Removal of multiple medicals, if rehire or currently employed
• Combining medicals with inductions and training
• Removal of travel home, while awaiting Drugs & Alcohol (D&A)
test results (will be part of induction day, 2,3&4 combined)
• Removal of travel for D&A as a separate activity
• Removal of unnecessary training courses
• Removed unnecessary training (therefore travel)

The new process resulted in:
• 92.3% reduction in mobilisation days lost (219);
• Removal of unnecessary training (866 days);
• Value adding work 4306 days given back to the business.

Next steps
• Weekly KPI reporting to ensure improvements are sustained;
• Non-compliance addressed quickly.

Total time saved: 4306 days 

Contact: Darren Clyde, Senior Lean Coach

Click on the image above to download the case study.

Maersk Oil – Using drones to optimise offshore inspections

Problem Statement

The Gryphon Alpha FPSO has twelve cargo tanks and each one needs to be regularly inspected to stay on top of any maintenance needed. This is usually done by a four person rope access team and can take up to five days. The team investigated alternative ways of conducting this inspection to reduce risk to personnel, save time and reduce cost.

Aim

Use a drone to successfully and safely inspect one of Gryphon Alpha’s four storey tall cargo tanks with a view to incorporating drones into our regular inspection routine.

Method

The team worked with a specialist drone vendor to pilot the use of a drone to inspect an offshore cargo tank.

An expert pilot and inspector were the only people required to be in the tank with the drone during the inspection.

Images from the inspection were sent to onshore teams for further analysis within minutes.

If anything concerning was detected then arrangements would be made to contract a rope access team to further inspect and fix the anomaly.

Impact

It was the first time a drone had been used to inspect an offshore cargo tank.

The drone allowed us to inspect hard-to-reach areas without exposing personnel, reducing the overall risk to people throughout the activity while improving the quality of the data gathered.

The drone inspection was successfully carried out in just a few hours. Compared to a rope access team which could take days for the same sample – the saving is considerable.

The successful use of the aerial drone prompted the team to use a submersible drone to inspect a ballast tank, also on the Gryphon Alpha, again reducing unnecessary risk to people.

The team is also planning to use aerial drones to inspect the cargo tanks once again in 2017 with the support of a crawler to take thickness measurements – a device that can scale walls.

Using this method has the potential to save c.£5,000 per cargo tank without reducing the quality of the inspection.

Total Hours saved: Significantly reduced. A drone inspection takes around one fifth of the time

Total savings anticipated: Has the potential to save c.£5,000 per cargo tank.

Click on the image above to download the case study.

Lokring – Retaining Non-Hazardous Areas without Welding

Submitted by Tom Brown, Technical Sales Manager.

Problem statement

  • A Northern North Sea asset had to replace a 2’’ stainless steel fuel gas system which ran through both hazardous and non-hazardous areas.
  • The system therefore had to be ‘fully welded’.
  • The only way they could do this under traditional methods was to weld the pipe on the platform.
  • This was not possible due to the spacing restrictions in this instance.

Aims

  • To replace the system as a fully welded one so the non-hazardous areas could remain this way, without actually welding on site.

Method

  • The operator had used Lokring before on fuel gas, but was not sure if it could be used on a fully welded system in a non-hazardous area without reclassifying the area as hazardous, as would have to be done when installing a flange.
  • To get confirmation, the operator contracted Xodus to carry out a study on whether a Lokring coupling could be used in this situation while maintaining the non-hazardous area classification.

Impact

  • The findings of the report confirm that;
  • ‘There is strong, well-supported justification for the use of LOKRING fittings in place of welded connections on the fuel gas system located in a non-hazardous area. The work completed for this study is judged to have suitably justified weld-equivalence for LOKRING fittings in non-hazardous areas, which by inference facilitates the support of their use in hazardous areas also.’

How does this relate to the Oil and Gas industry?

  • Traditionally, when installing fully welded pipework, the only option in non hazardous areas of a platform have been to weld on site.
  • This takes time, involves hot work permits, welders, habitats, fire watch and there is always the safety risk welding on site
  • This study has now provided another option to welding fully welded systems, while at the same time being quicker, safer and more cost effective.

Click on the image above to download the case study.

SETS – Applying the Subsea Standardisation Principles to Subsea Structural Repairs

Submitted by Kevin Milne, Business Development & Brand Manager. 

Problem Statement

Utilisation of dive support vessels (DSVs) to fix and repair subsea structures on fixed assets is time sensitive, expensive and often inaccurate. Application of the principles of subsea standardisation/fit for purpose offers the potential to test interventions which do not involve DSVs.

Aims

  • Apply the principles of subsea standardisation to brace repairs and identify a fit-for-purpose approach.
  • De-risk an alternative intervention both commercially and technically in order to deliver the most efficient solution to meet the client’s requirement.
  • Reduce operational expenditure (OpEx) by challenging typical approach and methods.

Method

  • The SETS team worked with the project team early on to review the project scope and applied the standardisation principles to identify opportunities for improvement. The scope was then revisited and re-worked with a more realistic consideration of risk.
  • A focus on commercial risk was introduced.

Impact

Early involvement and application of a standardised/’fit-for-purpose’ approach resulted in:

  • Elimination of non-productive time
  • Consideration of all technical and commercial contingencies before the DSV left the harbour wall
  • Reduction of DSV requirement by 11 days
  • Work-scope successfully delivered with considerable cost and time savings.

Total hours saved: 264

Total savings anticipated: £1m +

Click on the image above to download the case study.

Wood Group – Alternative Access Solutions

Submitted by Philip Oliver, Transformational Change Manager. 

Problem statement

Inclement weather, intermittent accessibility and poor control of environment can negatively affect schedule and drive up costs for planned/unplanned activities. Inflexible access solutions are a significant factor that contributes to delays in these scenarios.

Aims

  • Develop an optimised approach to each access situation that ensures safety and maximises tool time.
  • Assure greater integrity and reliability by creating a consistent environment.
  • Challenge conventional approaches to access solutions.

Method

Each scope is approached with a thorough and detailed focus on identifying the optimum solutions, considering aspects that include the work environment, the nature of the work, avoiding working at height, workface planning, remote operated aerial vehicle (ROAV) usage and area cover. The purchasing of multiple ‘Safezone’ positive pressure habitats ensures that we are not bottlenecked on resources and rapidly deploy the system on our clients’ assets when required.

Impact

Through challenging conventional approaches to access solutions we were able to ensure significant savings on material cost, improved safety and increased tool time.  Project successes have included an 85 percent saving on the inspection of 143 pipe supports and £1.68 million client saving  when using a remote operated aerial vehicle (ROAV) instead of rope access solutions. The use of a ROAV also allowed for avoidance of a three-week shutdown, scaffolding, rope access and over-side working

Total hours saved: Three-week shutdown

Total savings anticipated: £1.68m

Click on the image above to download the case study.

Maersk Oil – Optimising to remove risk: 80 per cent cost saving on inspection of flexible hoses

Problem Statement
An alternative method for inspecting flexible hoses on the Gryphon Alpha Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel’s turret, which removes the need to use radiography was needed. Radiography cannot be carried out in the direction of the asset’s nucleonic detectors as this will trip the high-integrity pressure protection system (HIPPS) and cause an unplanned production outage. The entire turret area needs to be shut off to personnel during scanning as it poses a significant health risk. This prevents routine operations from taking place in the vicinity. Radiography was carried out over nine months but this only achieved around 50 per cent of the required work.

Aim
To inspect flexible hoses in a more cost and time effective manner while reducing personnel exposure to ionising radiations and spurious plant upsets.

Method

  • The Maersk Oil team engaged with innovative inspection specialist, Innospection, to investigate alternative techniques.
  • Innospection was already using Saturation Low Frequency Eddy Current (SLOFEC), an electromagnetic technique, on subsea risers so the team worked to adapt this technique for the much smaller flexible hoses on Gryphon.
  • A bespoke tool, small enough to work successfully with the flexible hoses, was developed and tested onshore.
  • To test, an old section of flexible hose was intentionally damaged onshore to see if the tool picked up the discrepancy, which it did.

Impact

  • Developing the tool and validating the technique took around six months.
  • It was then trialled offshore on the Gryphon Alpha FPSO where it scanned all of the six-inch flexible hoses, around 40 per cent of the turret system, in just two weeks, providing better coverage while delivering the required image quality.
  • In the past, radiography was carried out over nine months of the year, but this only achieved around 50 per cent of the required work. The new tool has proven to be a much more efficient method.

Total time saved: Significantly reduced. Only two fortnightly trips are now required.

Total savings anticipated: Over 80 per cent over the next five years

Click on the image above to download the case study.

Lokring: Lessons in pipe connections from the British MOD

Submitted by Jake Rowley (Technical Sales Engineer)

Problem statement

  • During construction of the first British MOD Astute Class submarine, it was found that welding on small bore pipework was causing huge delays to the schedule.
  • For the duration of the weld, fire watch and post-weld non-destructive testing, all other 350 staff working within the vessel had to cease work and evacuate causing drastic delays to the schedule.

Aims

  • Reduce delays for the additional six Astute Class submarines and ensure delivery on schedule.

Method
In order to reduce delays, the British MOD looked for alternatives to welded pipework. Lokring provides a safer, faster and cheaper alternative to welding, without compromising integrity.
Given the criticality of the systems (missile launch hydraulics, fire water, steering hydraulics. etc), Lokring had to undergo highly stringent testing to prove it was up to the job, including:

  • 1,000G shock test (to simulate a depth charge or missile strike)
  • Vibration test with 10 million cycles and 500,000 pressure pulsations

Impact

It was found that only Lokring or properly done butt welds were suitable to be used. As a new build project there were no restrictions to welding, however, the speed of install offered by Lokring and the ability to stack trades saw over 7,000 Lokring fittings used on each of the Astute Class submarines and over 12,500 on both the aircraft carriers (HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales). It was suggested that the introduction of Lokring reduced hours spent constructing small bore pipework by over 90 per cent.

How does this relate to the oil and gas industry?

An operator in the southern North Sea recently replaced a diesel ring main on one of its offshore platforms. Initial plans, using pre-fabricated spools to be tied-in using flanges, came in over budget. An alternative method was therefore required and, by adopting the techniques used by the MOD, it was proposed that Lokring was used to construct the entire system offshore (site-run).

By changing the mind-set from “we always do it this way” to looking at alternative methods already used in other industries, the operator was able to make significant savings in both cost and time.  The operator took a product it was already using, Lokring, and combined it with a technique used by the British MOD. By doing so, they reduced offshore construction time by over 1,000 hours, freeing up bed space and allowing workers to move onto the next job. The cost of site-running Lokring came in 28.5 per cent cheaper than the pre-fabrication method.

Site-running with Lokring is becoming more and more common in the oil and gas industry, helping operators to complete projects efficiently and within budget.

Total hours saved: 1,288

Total savings achieved: 28.5%

Click on the image above to download the case study.

SETS – Applying subsea standardisation principles to conductor repair

Submitted by Kevin Milne (Business Development & Brand Manager)

Problem statement

Delivery of safe conductor investigation and intervention operations through the splash zone on fixed assets typically requires the use of a dive support vessel (DSV), which is time sensitive and expensive. Alternative approaches offer the opportunity to make substantial efficiency savings without compromising safety.

Aim

  • Test application of standardisation (fit-for-purpose) principles to use alternative approaches to repeatable cleaning, inspection and repair operations through the splash-zone on wells/conductors and caissons.
  • Reduce operational expenditure (OpEx) on otherwise economically viable assets.
  • Increase integrity data and management.

Method

We took a commercially and technically de-risked approach to OpEx scopes. The SETS team collaborated with the asset owner to understand operational drivers, and the use of data collection for decision making to achieve better results. These discussions were used to develop the best fit-for-purpose solution.

Impact

  • Application of the standardisation/fit-for-purpose principles provided proof of concept for the new techniques for repairs that were adopted.
  • New tooling was developed.
  • Innovative methods for rope access were deployed.
  • Cost savings on these alternative non-DSV approaches were realised.
  • Rope access techniques and tooling delivered in splash-zone also permitted deployment of repairs in depths of up to 15 metres.
  • Produced repeatable methods for asset inspection, resulting in better data and integrity management
  • Facility for completing multiple repairs in short time window.
  • Budget reduced by over £6 million for client.

Total hours saved: 552 DSV hours

Total savings anticipated: £6 million+

Click on the image above to download the case study.