Effective corrosion management has always been seen as key control to the management of physical integrity threats. 99.9% of the companies that we are exposed to have some level of corrosion control embedded within their asset integrity management systems.
The downturn of 2014 led to an increase in operators seeking to extend the life of assets as well as optimised production and this is now a key component in attempts to maximize efficiencies; this meant that corrosion control is even more crucial to strategy than it was before. With the pressure on operators’ budgets and the need to ensure safe, reliable and continued production, it is critical that the corrosion management strategy in place is effective and efficient.
One option might be to focus on cost cutting by optimisation studies for chemical selection. Significant savings can be obtained from optimisation studies and at AIE, we provide independent chemical selection and optimisation services to avoid the obvious conflict in interest that exist between chemical suppliers and operators, who more than ever before, are demanded to operate efficiently within a dramatically changed economic environment.
A corrosion management strategy needs to be a live system which predicts potential issues before they become problems and too many corrosion strategies rely heavily on reactive inspection to confirm their effectiveness which can all too often show the original assumptions or controls put in place are not being effective for varying reasons leading to corrosion and anomalies. Our current focus on corrosion management is on the identification of threats and on the assurance of robust barriers against these threats at the earliest possible phase of the asset life.
Due to poor data management, AIE considers the majority of existing integrity, inspection, corrosion and chemical management programs to be inefficient, expensive and reactive. Digitalisation has the potential to gather massive sets of information from diverse sources and while data collection is vital, AIE believes in and focuses on leveraging this untapped opportunity to deliver useful and actionable insights to help our clients optimise their existing processes. AIE have set up a web-based “Veracity” software which serves as a single integrated data management system for all aspects of the Integrity management cycle with real-time cloud-based solutions.
Veracity CCM enables proactive decision making on the effectiveness of the corrosion controls in place, allowing operators to translate this key data into readily assimilated information and thereby achieve operational excellence.
With visibility on long-term trends for corrosion rates and production profiles, decisions such as optimising corrosion inhibitor injection doses or selection of new corrosion inhibitor can be readily undertaken. With graphing and multi-level reporting capabilities, Veracity CCM establishes transparency in all chains of communication and develops management buy in and support for Integrity investment. The software enables you to visualise different scenarios that may rise in the future, such as, depleted well pressure, declining production volumes, souring etc.
Regardless of the geography, corrosion control is a global issue. Very harsh onshore oil and gas facilities face different corrosion issues, however, the fundamental principles of corrosion control remain the same.
Here in the Middle East, many assets are reaching the design life and for the first time, corrosion in the context of life extension is becoming a burning issue. Whereas before, corrosion control has relied on chemical treatments, future management of integrity related issues must focus on material selection, application of new technologies and digital solutions. Our experience shows that the MENA region is keen to embrace such technologies and modern design techniques.
