Assets Integrity Management

ICE through its wealth of experience can assist its customers assess the risk of a certain assets integrity damage mechanisms or even define the criticality of the equipment and the assets integrity risk in general. ICE would establish a clear and concise risk mitigation and management plan.Risk can be related to a certain degradation mechanism for instance

• Internal stress cracking of pipework
• Dead leg damage mechanism
• Flow lines degradation
• Risk of Atmospheric Corrosion
• Risk of Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) and Etc.

Risk-based inspection methodology (RBI) evolved in mid-90’s and within two decades it has gained significant acceptance and application across industry. Many organizations have benefited from the risk-based approach for optimizing their inspection resources and getting maximum availability of their assets. Some of the benefits from RBI may include:

• Increased facility availability, improved reliability
• Focused inspection on high risk equipment
• Increased intervals between inspections
• Shorter and fewer facility shutdowns
• Clearer understanding of high-risk equipment and ability to implement mitigation measures
• Identified deterioration modes and mechanisms
• Significant reduction in total cost of inspection
• Regulatory compliance/acceptance
• Improved Turnaround planning
• Better-informed, documented, defensible decisions

Corrosion is defined as the reaction between a material and its environment. At least two thirds of the corrosion mechanisms can be controlled through application of sound corrosion engineering. Corrosion engineering includes the following, which ICE is ready to deliver during the design stage:

• Materials Selection
• Coatings and Painting Specifications
• Corrosion Under Insulation Best Practices
• Cathodic Protection Engineering
• Designing for Corrosion Inhibition and Monitoring

API 950 defines Corrosion Control Documents as A Corrosion Control Document (CCD) is a document or other repository or system that contains all the necessary information required to understand materials damage susceptibility issues in a specific type of operating process unit at a plant site.

ICE is highly experienced in performing corrosion modelling for surface facilities or for downhole equipment. ICE utilised the industry models for calculating realistic corrosion rates. It can also create the logic required for specific environments through corrosion rate modelling. Furthermore, ICE can utilise any industry model that the end user would recommend.

ICE has performed hundreds of materials selection engineering for upstream, downstream and downhole equipment. It has developed over 300 materials selection diagrams and reports, not only this but ICE has also vast experience in the Technical Integrity and hence is very conversant with the issues related to operating plants and the drawbacks of materials selection if not done properly. Hence it has a wealth of experience to perform Corrosion Risk Assessment exercise followed by Materials and Corrosion Audit. ICE would deliver exercises of extreme value for the end user. ICE will deliver a CRAS exercise that would scrutinise the materials selection done by the Engineering firm/contractor and would provide insurance for the Process Safety while delivering an optimum life cycle cost (LCC). During these exercises, ICE would review the soundness of corrosion loops, design corrosion rates, design life expectancy, process safety aspects related to the materials selection, CAPEX versus OPEX analysis for the selection and furthermore the risk inherent in some specific cases in addition to the final recommendations to render the plant under design safe and economic both for CAPEX and OPEX.

Integrity Operating Windows (IOWs) are sets of limits used to determine the different variables that could affect the integrity and reliability of a process unit. Put simply, IOWs are the limits under which a machine can operate safely. Working outside of IOWs may cause otherwise preventable damage or failure. ICE shall deliver state of the art Integrity Operating Windows (IOW). Furthermore, ICE can also set the requirements for alarms settings for better operations control.

Corrosion Circuits (loop(s)) are systematized analysis "loops" used during Risk-based inspection analysis. Both terms “RBI Corrosion loops” or “RBI corrosion circuits” are generic terms used to indicate the systematization of piping systems into usable and understandable parts associated with corrosion. ICE can draft the corrosion loops for existing and new plants (under design). Corrosion loops shall be delivered on the PFD, PID level. ICE also issues data sheets for each corrosion loop, this is coupled with the damage mechanisms and the assets under each corrosion loop together with the optimum monitoring (effective inspection technique) for each corrosion loop and the monitoring technique coverage for each asset

ICE is highly experienced in Failure Investigations, it can reach to the very root cause of the failure. ICE has participated in hundreds of failure investigations in both upstream and downstream oil and gas and utilities sectors. Through the effective failure investigation that ICE does, not only the end user will save from avoidance of recurrent failures bit will ensure the process safety of their plants. ICE on request can provide examples of failure investigation exercises.

Materials selection is an art and a science. It is based on degradation models coupled with operating experience and numerous failure investigations and case histories. Through ICE you will guarantee that the materials selection exercise shall deliver:

• Best OPEX and CAPEX combination hence ensuring the most optimum Life Cycle Costing
• Process Safety of the Plant
• A fully monitored and maintained plant
• Preventive Maintenance is optimised