Assessing the Integrity and Remaining Life of Flexibles
Flexible Pipe Inspection Service
The offshore environment in which flexibles exist – from subsea structures up to and beyond the sea surface – exacerbates the difficulty and cost associated with the repair, refurbishment and replacement of these assets. Various types of defects in the carcass and pressure amour of a flexible pipe can affect its integrity, making it difficult to assess the exact condition of the asset. In addition, there are no uniform standards for flexible piping, meaning that the pipes are typically manufactured to individual customer requirements, so each inspection requires individual solutions.
It is recommended to implement an integrity management strategy and inspection program as early as practicable and to record results at regular intervals throughout the asset‘s operational lifecycle. Our approach applies internationally accepted codes of practice and follows industry regulations and guidelines. It includes specialized finite element analysis (FEA), free volume annulus testing and tailored in-line inspection routines.
You benefits of our Flexible Pipe Inspection Service
Cost-efficient inspection through operational pigging during normal operation
Lifetime extension by providing enhanced integrity information on flexible pipes
Avoidance of damage and wear to the carcass by deploying tested inspection tools
Flexible pipe Inspection and testing
Our experienced team of offshore experts offers flexible, multi-purpose, and future-proof solutions in the areas of planning, inspection, maintenance, and monitoring. The data collected during the inspection can be used to identify possible anomalies such as carcass collapse, excessive flexing, end-fitting irregularities, or operational configuration. In addition, we have developed a special sensor technology to address carcass integrity with high-resolution eddy current and magnetic sensors. Moreover, we are able to perform various types of annulus testing to meet market requirements by using vacuum or positive pressure testing.
Specialist analysis and verification
A flexible pipe is subjected to variations in loads, which cause fatigue of the internal armor layers. With aging assets achieving longer and longer useful life, operators are striving to understand fatigue life to more robustly predict safe remaining life. We have the capability of performing the specialist analysis and verification needed to address these different types of stress and fatigue phenomena and associated failure modes. Our principal deliverable provides an indication of flexible pipe stress and fatigue condition, assesses remaining fatigue life and gives specialist advice for flexible pipe integrity management.
Ageing and life extension
Assessing the remaining life is critical to maximizing the operational life of flexibles. Whether initiated early or later in the operational life, the life extension assessment allows for the fullest potential of a pipe to be realized. To achieve this, operators may need to go through a procedural restructure if their current arrangements cannot effectively handle the amount of data generated by proper inspection. Following the requirements set out by safety regulators, additional challenges to the operators’ process may occur. We can support in developing a structured process to facilitate life extension for flexibles. We also deliver forward guidance on remedial actions that may be required at the same time, addressing future management challenges.
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