CUI ROBOTICS: PUSHING THE ENVELOPE - CUI DETECTION UTILIZING ROBOTIC PLATFORMS IN COMBINATION WITH NDE

摘要

Detection and repair of Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) cost the petroleum and petrochemical industry an estimated $3-4 Billion USD per year. Key focuses in CUI detection are safety and the reduction of Loss of Primary Containment (LoPC). LoPC due to CUI not only has safety implications, but also substantial financial ones. Production loss and costs related to fitness-for-service, including inspection, repair/replacement, fabrication and installation costs can arise, as well as carrying high environmental impacts if LoPC occurs. The current CUI inspection and maintenance practice with scaffolding and full de-lagging is highly inefficient. This is done predominantly due to uncertainties associated with low accuracy of detection and sizing of damage associated with current inspection technologies. High-cost savings can be realized if the approaches to CUI inspections are optimized. For example, a conservative estimate of a 5% efficiency increase would result in benefits in excess of $150 Million USD.