Asset Integrity Monitoring for Sand Erosion on an Offshore Gas Production Platform

摘要

Abrasive sand in the produced fluid can eat away at metal at an astonishing rate and monitoring pipe wallrnthickness in high risk areas and adjusting the flow of gas to minimise erosion can make a tremendousrndifference in preserving the integrity of the asset whilst maximising production rates.rnTypically, acoustic sand detectors are used to detect periods of high sand production and productionrnis throttled to avoid erosion of pipework during these periods. However, this approach does not directlyrnmeasure the erosion impact - loss of metal and resulting loss of integrity of the piping systems.rnAn integrity monitoring system is introduced that ensures that accurate and up-to-date informationrnabout the impact of sand production on metalwork is available. The monitoring system brings significantrnbenefits in cost reduction, production maximisation, safety and reliability – all ultimately improving thernprofitability of the production asset.rnIn the case study presented, the producer was able to increase production of an unmanned platform inrnthe Caribbean Sea by 12% resulting in a payback period of several days. The data is used to detect andrnoptimise control of erosion issues early. Non-intrusive, battery-operated, wireless integrity monitoringrnsystems are ideal for inaccessible locations such as offshore assets, where the costs and safety risks ofrnaccess to the fixed equipment for any kind of manual inspection are high.