From day to day, Robots advance from testing in labs to operating in the outside world. The
industrial application of Robotic technologies continually increases, providing unique solutions for
different challenges. Flare System is an important and critical equipment required for continuous
safe operations for any petrochemical plant addressing proper burning of excess hydrocarbon
gases, unusable gases which cannot be recovered or recycled, and gas flaring protects against
the dangers of over-pressure. This paper discusses the different types of robotic inspection,
advantages, and limitations based on actual site demonstrations. As an innovative case, here to
introduce actual business case for close aerial inspection and surveying technique to avoid
polyethylene plant shutdown and providing a reliable inspection technique for on-stream integrity
evaluation for the flare tip. Drones, formally known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are a
flying robot that can be remotely controlled, and offer an innovative inspection method launched
between 2006-2008 for Engineering professional aerial inspection and surveying using Remotely
Operated Aerial Vehicles (ROAVs). The visual inspection detection accuracy of (ROAV) offer
higher than the normal visual inspection and easily approach all the flare structure from four
directions. Drone inspection cost is competitive considering the cost of maintenance to dismantle
the flare tip. Drone inspection can be used to assess the elevated flare parts for any seriously
damage in order to define a clear maintenance scope ahead of shutdown.

Corrosion in the field manifests over a large timescale so when considering material choices in the design of aerospace systems and subsystems use is often made of accelerated tests such as ASTM B117 salt spray chamber test to rank the possible materials. Even these ‘accelerated’ tests take more than 1000 hours and despite their widespread use are often criticized as a design trade tool since the test environments are considerably different to the expected field environment running the risk of either hiding true corrosion processes or simply being unrealistically challenging for the materials under test.The corrosion community has expended substantial effort in trying to make the tests ‘more realistic’ but in doing so there is considerable debate about whether the tools employed to accelerate the corrosion (thermal cycling high salt concentrations UV exposure etc) actually introduce other corrosion processes that are not even present in the eventual targeted field of operation for the device under test.Computational techniques hold a great deal of promise as a way to understand the effects of different service environments but if the simulations cannot even discern between say an ASTM B117 test and an atmospheric exposure then the simulation results would be of questionable value.The processes involved in corrosion are many and complex however one key parameter is the electrolyte film thickness which will clearly be different whether inside a chamber at high humidity with a continuous supply of sprayed saltwater compared to exposure on a beach where diurnal cycles result in a very thin electrolyte of varying salt concentrations except of course when it is raining!To help designers quickly assess corrosion risk and choose appropriate materials Corrdesa have already developed an electrochemical database of modern alloys and coatings. This has been extended by deconvoluting the polarization data to accurately account for the impact of the actual electrolyte thickness on the oxygen reduction reaction.In this paper using fluid shell elements in a free surface flow formulation we actually predict the variable electrolyte film thickness in a CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) code for a given environmental condition on different test specimens and geometries. The appropriate polarization data for the local electrolyte thickness is then implemented with User Functions in a potential model framework. In this way the galvanic corrosion is simulated for a test device with a more realistic and variable film thickness.The result is that we can dial different test conditions into the simulation such as whether we wish to simulate chamber results or field results cyclic salt fog cyclic humidity (or both).Keywords: Computational Corrosion Analysis Galvanic corrosion prediction FEA corrosion prediction polarization data potential model fluid shell elements CFD

A case study of a fiberglass reinforced plastic scrubber which was evaluated with a novel ultrasonic technique followed by a destructive evaluation for retained mechanical properties and corrosion barrier condition. When compared, the results showed good correlation.

An iGOSP initiative ties multiple solutions together on a common wireless infrastructure, which allows systems to interact in such a way that they create new features, capabilities, automation and monitoring. The result is a facility that has unique efficiencies, maximum return on asset and delivers unparalleled value, visibility, predictability and adaptability.
NGPD selected Abqaiq GOSP-3 to pilot the concept of an intelligent GOSP (iGOSP). Abqaiq GOSP-3 is one of the oldest facilities in NGPD; which was commissioned in 1978. The plant’s rack room has gone through several upgrade projects in the past. This resulted in present challenges including:
 Limited space in the rack room for any wired new instrument loop. Hence, an upgrade of the rack room will be needed for any future project.
 Limited spare cables in field junction boxes.
 Presence of local/pneumatic controllers.
The ultimate goal is to sustain and expand Abqaiq GOSP 3 monitoring capabilities towards achieving operational excellence through the use of 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies. This plant is the first step in building a roadmap for other facilities to transform into the digital era through the use of state-of-the-art indus

Moisture related problems for non-permeable flooring systems have plagued the construction industry for decades. Lower volatile organic compounds limitations and expedited construction schedules have increased the occurrences and awareness of the issue. 

Understanding environmental conditions experienced during shipping (both domestic and export) and/or storage is critical when determining the most effective corrosion control system for metal components. Temperature and humidity sensors were used to help understand the conditions within industrial packaging applications during different overseas shipping routes and during warehouse storage. The effect of secondary packaging (i.e. polyethylene film) on temperature and humidity within a package was also evaluated. The scope of this paper is to compile and analyze the data and utilizing it to help develop the best corrosion prevention strategies.Key words: Sensor corrosion control packaging overseas shipping

In-Line Inspection (ILI) technology is considered one of the safest and most efficient and reliable inspection method to inspect hydrocarbon pipelines. The retrieved data are usually validated and verified upon successful completion of the inspection. This paper is intended to introduce a new approach to validate the ILI run based on a statistical analysis comparing the new ILI run with a previous ILI run of the same pipeline by leveraging a root mean square (RMS) model to quantify the similarity between the datasets. API-1163 and Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA) offer consistent criteria as a validation methodology for a new ILI run. Also, this paper will demonstrate a new scoring criterion for accepting Magnetic Flux Leakage (MFL) runs with partial data loss as number of MFL runs experience unexpected data loss, which might affect the minimum reporting threshold of the tool. The approach will help pipeline operators to identify the criticality of the missed data via a detailed comparison with the previous MFL run for the same pipeline and detailed analysis of the behavior of the tool during the run. The scoring criteria is aligned with the Pipeline Operators Forum (POF) requirements for data loss. Multiple case studies extracted from actual data will be presented throughout the paper.

The AC interference between High Voltage AC (HVAC) power lines and pipelines has been modelled with various software programs all of which have a variety of input data which results in various results and outputs.Important aspects such as the soil resistivity along the pipeline route can have a significant impact on the pipelines coating resistance. This in turn affects both the computed AC voltages and current densities both of which can significantly affect personal safety and corrosion of the pipeline.Therefore the spacing between these field measurements along the pipeline route can have a significant effect on the pipeline integrity. Soil resistivity measurements collected every 1000ft versus every 5280ft (1 mile) can have a dire consequence on the corrosion results and the matter is exacerbated where these soil resistivity measurement values change significantly along the route. The accuracy of the soil resistivity field data relative to the actual routing (wetlands rivers low and high resistivity’s etc.) will also affect the correct placement of the AC Mitigation (grounding) as well as the resistance of the grounding which in turn has a cost implication to the asset owners and/or operators.Other aspects such as the power line LEF/EMF may also be used to “calibrate” the AC Interference especially where load data is absent.This paper addresses the critical importance of collecting adequate data for the AC Interference studies to prevent costly installations and to mitigate the incorrect positioning of AC Mitigation systems due to inadequate information.

South Ghawar Producing Department has exerted substantial efforts towards executing a seldom project of replacing numbers of extraordinary vessels. Those horizontal vessels were recommended for replacement due to major and excessive Step Wise Cracking, irregular blister and inclusions identified in several traps. These vessels are subject to Hydrogen Induced Cracking, known as HIC and this is mainly SGPD facilities were constructed on old time where SAES was not mandating to utilize HIC resistance material. In 2014, a company wide survey started and as a result 27 out of 121 were identified with HIC damage. To overcome these challenges, SGPD developed a robust action plan, which consists of two parts:
● Long Term Plan which is replacing the impacted vessels with upgraded material “HIC resistance material”
● Short Term Plan to continue the safe and reliable operation of impacted vessels until the vessels are replaced by managing and monitoring HIC growth.
With the short and long term action plan, SGPD controlled HIC concern in affected vessels. But we didn’t want to stop here and we wanted to go the extra mile and add a proactive measure rather than only reactive. Therefore, we partnered with R&DC to implement a proactive initiative at SGPD as the first department in Saudi Aramco called Step-Wise Hydrogen Induced Cracking Toolkit which falls under IR.4.0.