Facilities Management is a very active area of technology deployment and continuous innovation.
Non-intrusive inspection technologies, advanced analytic software using machine learning and remote/robotic access are being adopted on an increasing number of offshore assets. These technologies can ensure access to hard-to-reach areas, increasing safety and reducing the requirement for manned entries in pressure vessels and inspection of storage tanks.
Emission reduction is another important priority for technology efforts in this category, with improved operational monitoring and controls leading to power management efficiencies and reductions in flared and vented gas.
There is a significant improvement of digital systems for Facilities Management, with growing adoption of electronic hand-held devices and wireless communication offshore, including their effective integration with operations and maintenance systems, asset surveys and full ‘digital twin’ applications.
- Increasing this year to over 370 technologies reported, this is the largest focus area for Operators
- Technologies span across integrity monitoring, with particular emphasis on non-intrusive inspections (NII), operations management and maintenance
- Growing attention to technologies related to condition monitoring to achieve greater equipment reliability through predictive maintenance
- There is widespread industry interest in these technologies, with 18 Operators carrying at least 5 Facilities Management technologies in their current Plans, 23 Operators are reporting 1 or more technologies
Many technical solutions for Facilities Management are proven technologies, with circa one third in the Early Development or Late Development/Pilot stage
Whilst the majority of technologies are provided and deployed by vendors and suppliers, in circa 35% of cases Operators take an active role in the development or customisation of the solutions for their assets’ needs
Readiness definitions: Early Development (TRL 1-4), Late Development/Pilot (TRL 5-7), Early commercialisation (TRL 8), Proven (TRL 9)
Facilities Management technologies in equipment monitoring & reliability are focussed on remote condition monitoring technologies, including analysis software using AI and Machine Learning (ML) to reduce the need for offshore manned inspections, with both cost and safety benefits. Also included are software for production optimisation and emission reduction, and control room assistant software to monitor developing operational issues. New this year are creation of a wifi instrumentation mesh, and software for pulling and processing high frequency vibration and axial data. Emerging technology includes gas compression analytics.
- Wireless transmitters & creation of wifi instrumentation mesh – in use on low criticality loops. Also introduced for well head monitoring on plugged wells on currently cold stacked and normally unmanned platforms.
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- High frequency vibration and axial data - System to pull and process all the high frequency vibration data into PI Vison. Making analysis possible at the touch of a few buttons
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Optimise Offshore Plant Performance – Emissions software to monitor plant performance and optimise running parameters to reduce GHG emissions
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Motion Amplification Camera - to visualise vibrations in standard HD video to provide fast & simple screening and early detection of vibrating equipment.
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Control Room Assistant – is a software solution that combines sensor outputs, standard operating procedures and the process engineer’s and operator’s expertise so-as to pre-alert against developing operational issues
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Streaming Data - Rotating Equipment - for condition monitoring of critical asset rotating equipment
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Emissions Optimisation – Software to manage production parameters for emissions optimisation
- TRL 8 Early Commercialisation
- Gas Compression Analytics - Use of data science methods to improve gas compression up time
- TRL 5-7 Late Development/Pilot
- Advanced analytics trip prediction – a machine learning model to analyse the historical performance of a CO2 train, to later become real time to enable prediction of process trips at least 15 minutes before they occur. Historic real time data was used to develop and build a machine learning model targetting 50% accuracy in predictions
- TRL 5-7 Late Development/Pilot
Integrity Monitoring & Inspections reporting shows Operators’ focus on technologies using AI & ML to identify anomalies from live inspection data, black lit cameras and IoT based CUI automated monitoring systems. New this year are; automated phased array UT crawler; UAV data conversion in a caissons database; and inspection data analytics.
- Advanced inspection tools - Corrosion mapping of FSU side shell using automated crawler Phased Array Ultrasonic Testing (PAUT) probe
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- UAV data conversion and integration in iSite - Use of orthomosaic techniques on higher resolution images to enable more structured integrity management. Gives the ability to do time-based reviews by comparing side by side images of the same area.
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Tablet-based reporting - Optimising inspection time and quality offshore by utilising tablet-based reporting.
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Caisson inspection crawler - Deployed to undertake external inspection of sea water caissons to determine wall thickness and assess their condition/integrity. Deployed in high-risk, highly weather-sensitive, and in some cases very difficult to be reached areas
- TRL 9 Commercially available
Technology Example:
ToolTec have developed a range of cleaning and inspection tools that can be deployed from a platform, capable of cleaning and obtaining inspection data from varying sizes of caissons and conductors.
- Automated Corrosion Under Insulation - (CUI) monitoring & prediction system
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Back lit camera - Inspection for water leaks from seawater tank in pipework below gas tight floors. Avoids use of personnel in hazardous areas
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Data management system - Caissons database with improved comparative visualisation of integrity status
- TRL 8 Early Commercialisation
- TRL 8 Early Commercialisation
- Inspection data analytics - a data harvesting service to read >1,000 inspection reports and extract ~14,000 wall thickness readings for analysis.
- TRL 8 Early Commercialisation
- TRL 8 Early Commercialisation
- IoT CUI monitor - Automated CUI monitoring & prediction system
- TRL 8 Early Commercialisation
- Anomaly defect recognition - Analysis of historic and live inspection data to automate detection of anomaly defects to improve the accuracy and efficiency of integrity management and work execution
- TRL 5-7 Late Development/Pilot
- Use of long-range UT - for inspecting corrosion under pipe supports
- TRL 5-7 Late Development/Pilot
Facility Integrity Repairs sub-category shows Operators are reporting 3D printing for rapid part manufacture, maintenance access systems, and tablets & scanning tools for rapid identification of structural fabrication activities. Emerging technologies include laser rust removal, vibration modelling, and additive manufacturing of metal and polymer valve parts. New for 2024 are a next generation of DVI, fabric maintenance robotic systems and a grating clip securing device.
- Next generation remote audio visual inspection - Next iteration of DVI, with focus on artificial intelligence and machine learning, and a view to improvement of corrosion monitoring capabilities and fabric maintenance planning/execution
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Grating clip securing device - Simple clip designed to prevent grating clamps loosening and becoming potential dropped objects
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- 3D manufacturing - Using advanced manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing to replace parts such as pump impellers and heat exchangers
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Bespoke clamp & tool - to allow conductor repair
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Use of tablets and scanning tools offshore for fabrication - portable hand-held scanner
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Fabric maintenance robotic system - Remotely operated tool for surface cleaning, preparation and application of barrier wrap coating technology on caissons, risers and structural columns. Applicable in inherently hazardous locations such as the splash zone, enabling safer fabric maintenance refurbishment in challenging locations
- TRL 8 Early Commercialisation
- Laser surface preparation - Time efficient rust removal for inspection and recoating
- TRL 5-7 Late Development/Pilot
- Rapid pipe leak sealing clamps - Leak sealing repair clamps for utility systems. Technology established in domestic/commercial plumbing sector.
- TRL 5-7 Late Development/Pilot
- Additive Manufacturing of metal and polymer valve parts - Difficulties in obtaining materials causing impact on cost and schedule of the valve parts. The utilisation of the Additive Manufacturing (AM) improves reuse of resources reducing the requirement for new raw materials. AM technology is based on 3D printing of parts and is still in development with a number of API standards being issued/developed for the process requirements,and associated QA/QC requirements being developed.
- TRL 1-4 Early development
Maintenance & Operations reporting shows Operators’ focus is on technologies that utilise digital and data to enhance the connectivity of the offshore worker in the platform environment, using virtual assets, digital twins, connectivity between onshore and offshore control rooms and heads up displays, joint integrity management databases and control room assistant technology. Emerging technology includes a high-performance data centre module. New this year are a digital fabric maintenance application, next generation verification pilot study and an investigation and vulnerability management tool
- Augmented reality smart-glasses used to support maintenance work.
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Digital Fabric Maintenance (FM) workflow application - integrates with existing anomaly management systems. A new application brings efficiencies to the worksite through a digital tablet interface, digital inspection and real-time reporting capabilities
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Next generation verification pilot study - a new verification approach called ‘NextGen Verification’ uses digital technologies, such as data mining techniques and advanced software to modernise and create greater efficiency in the UKCS verification system
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Visual asset management - Visualisation systems are used to visualise the assets onshore in virtual reality with a view to minimise surveys offshore
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Platform digital twin - to enable digital work flow and quick, accurate and seamless access to information for each asset.
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Onshore/Offshore control room linkage - Onshore operations rooms where key onshore asset support staff can provide direct and timely support to offshore operations
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Joint integrity management database - Transition from paper-based flange integrity management process to the cloud-based database for improved and simplified record keeping, auditing and improved integrity of the mechanical joints.
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Management of outage and maintenance campaigns - through systematic planning and preparation of activities in a single location.
- TRL 9 Commercially available
- Production deferral - Investigation and vulnerability management tool integrated into existing cloud data solution
- TRL 5-7 Late Development/Pilot
- TRL 5-7 Late Development/Pilot
- Caisson & Conductor stabilising system - Polyurethane poured system to stabilise conductors within their guides
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- TRL 5-7 Late Development/Pilot
- High performance data centre module - High performance data centre modules that will utilize excess power from topsides and / or wind turbine
- TRL 1-4 Early Development
