The Real Challenge Begins After the Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement

Managing UT Inspection Data

A refinery consists of thousands of pipelines, pressure vessels and other process equipment. Every day, these assets are exposed to corrosion, erosion and other degradation mechanisms. The primary responsibility of an asset integrity team is to ensure that these assets continue to operate safely and reliably. Regular ultrasonic thickness (UT) inspections are an integral part of asset integrity management. In practice, however, the primary challenge is rarely the measurement itself. It lies in the management of the inspection data throughout the remainder of the workflow.

A large refinery typically contains tens of thousands of measurement locations that must be monitored over many years. Every measurement must be linked to the correct:

• Asset
• CML/TML
• Inspection date
• Inspection scope
• Inspector
• Calibration information

Only when this contextual information is captured correctly does an individual thickness measurement become a reliable basis for decision-making. Years later, these measurements are used to evaluate corrosion rates, calculate remaining life and support decisions regarding repairs, replacements, inspection intervals and continued operation. The UT measurement itself therefore represents only a small part of the overall inspection process. Equally important is the way inspection data is managed after the measurement has been taken. A structured and traceable data workflow provides the foundation for reliable asset integrity decisions.

Data Quality as the Basis for Reliable Integrity Decisions

The impact was evident for both the NDT service provider and bp Rotterdam. For the service provider, the revised workflow resulted in additional administrative effort and increased reporting activities. For the asset integrity team, it created additional work related to the review, validation and correction of incoming inspection data.

The effort increased further whenever individual measurements deviated significantly from expected values. Did the measurement indicate actual wall loss? Or was the result caused by poor ultrasonic coupling or an incorrect measurement? As these questions could only be addressed after the data had already entered the IDMS, integrity engineers were required to perform additional validation activities. Time that could not be invested in assessing asset integrity.

From System to Practice: Introduction with User Training

The implementation of the UT Gateway App was accompanied by user training provided by DIMATE at bp Rotterdam. The objective was to establish the new digital workflow together with NDT inspectors and the involved departments. The training focused not only on the operation of the application, but also on the revised workflow, digital data capture and the quality of data transferred into the IDMS. This ensured that the technical capabilities of the solution could be effectively integrated into daily inspection activities.

More Than a Digital Interface

The primary benefit of the UT Gateway App is not a change to the UT inspection itself. Inspections continue to be carried out by qualified NDT inspectors using approved UT equipment. The improvements are realized in the processes surrounding the inspection.

Through the implementation of the digital workflow, bp Rotterdam was able to:

• Reduce administrative workload
• Improve the traceability of inspection data
• Increase the quality and completeness of incoming inspection data
• Reduce transcription and data assignment errors
• Provide integrity engineers with reliable inspection data earlier in the decision-making process

As a result, engineering resources can be focused on integrity assessment rather than manual data entry and data correction. Sander van der Mijl, senior mechanical inspector at bp Rotterdam, summarizes the business case as follows:

What Other Asset Owners Can Learn

The project at bp Rotterdam was initiated by a regulatory change. The findings, however, are applicable well beyond this specific case. Many owner-operators face similar challenges, whether driven by new regulatory requirements, replacement of inspection equipment or the digitalization of existing inspection workflows. This business case demonstrates that collecting a thickness measurement is only one step in the inspection process.

Ensuring that the data is correctly assigned, validated and transferred into the IDMS is equally important for making reliable integrity decisions. This is where the DIMATE UT Gateway App provides value. By connecting inspection equipment, digital worklists and IDMS within a continuous digital workflow, the solution reduces administrative effort, improves data traceability and provides a more reliable basis for asset integrity decisions.