SPE-169599-MS

Corrosion Management - its all gone holistic

Pat Stokes, Daniel Sandana, and Lee Jones, MACAW Engineering Ltd.

Copyright 2014, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE International Oilfield Corrosion Conference and Exhibition held in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, 1213 May 2014.
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Abstract
To manage the integrity of assets operating beyond their design life proactive corrosion management is
essential. Traditionally topsides process plant, subsea pipelines and onshore terminals have been subjected
to individual corrosion management schemes. An holistic approach that brings the corrosion management
of these individual components into an integrated Corrosion Management System (CMS) has been
developed for a variety of ageing offshore assets.
The CMS comprises a Corrosion Control Scheme (CCS), a Topsides Risk Based Inspection (RBI)
scheme, a Corrosion Risk Assessment (CRA) and a Pipeline Risk Assessment (PRA).
The objectives of this integrated CMS process are to:

Proactively identify all corrosion threats and define related risk

Define mitigation controls as necessary and ensure implementation
Ensure mitigation controls are effective
Establish and implement corrective action as necessary

The overall corrosion management strategy is implemented by the CCS for a specific production asset
which identifies the corrosion threats. It establishes the control and mitigation procedures required to
mitigate internal and external corrosion on topsides process plant, subsea pipelines and related subsea
components. The degradation mechanisms, controls and mitigation procedures are mirrored in the other
CMS components. The future inspection programme for topsides process plant is driven by the RBI,
whilst the CRA and PRA drive the future inspection and monitoring regimes for subsea pipelines. Results
from these components are fed back into any review and upgrade of the CCS.
A CMS has been developed and implemented that meets the following objectives:

A transparent and auditable decision making process

Proactively identifies corrosion threats and defines related tasks
Defines mitigation controls as necessary and manages implementation
Ensures mitigation controls are effective
Defines inspection and monitoring regimes to assess asset condition
Establishes and implements corrective actions as necessary
An integrated scheme such that changes in one component are mirrored in the others.

SPE-169599-MS

Introduction
For offshore assets and systems operating beyond their original design life proactive corrosion management is essential in maintaining their integrity until cessation of production. In 2010 the HSE launched
Key Programme 4 (KP4) [1] to help North Sea operators to specifically address the issues of operating
ageing assets beyond their design life. The key to the ageing of such assets is not about how old the asset
is; it is about what is known about its condition and how that is changing over time. Operators are now
required to demonstrate, within their integrity management plans, how they will manage the integrity of
assets into the future. This will require the proactive updating of Corrosion Management Schemes (CMS)
so that the impact of future topsides or subsea developments can be safely and effectively managed. In
addition there are organisational issues to consider, such as capturing asset knowledge, retaining or
planning for succession of experienced staff and management of contractors.
Traditionally topsides process plant, subsea pipelines and onshore terminals have been subjected to
individual corrosion management schemes, but to meet the requirements of KP4 an holistic approach that
brings the corrosion management of these individual components into a unified CMS should prove
beneficial.

Holistic Approach
An integrated CMS has been developed [2], in collaboration with a major North Sea operator, over a
number of years for a variety of offshore assets that are approaching or exceeding their design life. It is
currently comprised of the following:

Corrosion Control Scheme (CCS)

Topsides Risk Based Inspection (RBI) scheme
Pipeline Corrosion Risk Assessment (CRA)
Pipeline Risk Assessment (PRA).

The role of asset inspection, data management and analysis is of particular importance when implementing the CMS and to ensure the long term integrity of assets. For example, the use of in-line intelligent
inspection tools provides the clearest diagnosis of the condition of the pipeline. The information gathered
from these inspections can then support numerous integrity related activities: Corrosion Assessment,
Corrosion Growth Assessment, Remnant Life Assessment, Pipeline Risk Assessment and the upgrade of
the Corrosion Management Strategy
Traditionally topsides process plant and related subsea pipelines have had separate CMSs which often
lead to an overall dysfunctional corrosion management scheme. This has often been exacerbated by a lack
of communications between topsides and pipeline personnel. Frequently pipeline engineers unfortunately
have failed to recognise that the source of internal corrosion in a pipeline can be directly related to
anomalies or upsets in topsides process plant.
An holistic approach to developing components of a Corrosion Management Scheme should be
beneficial in that changes or updates to one component of the schemes will trigger review of the other
components.

Benefits
An holistic approach to corrosion management that covers process plant, subsea pipelines and terminals
in a consistent and integrated fashion offers many benefits to an operator, namely:

Knowledge of topside condition can give an early indication of potential integrity issues
Internal corrosion in a pipeline is often directly related to anomalies or upsets in topsides process
plant

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Facilitate consistent management practises

pipelines transporting the same product
should have the same internal corrosion
management
Changes in well fluids or the introduction of
new wells can impact on production flowlines, topsides process plant and subsea facilities an integrated approach will be able
to track the effect on each part of the
system.

Objectives

Figure 1Schematic of Corrosion Management System

A comprehensive Corrosion Management Scheme

has been developed through collaboration with a
major North Sea operator for its ageing offshore
and onshore assets including a major network of
subsea pipelines. The objectives of this integrated

CMS process, illustrated in Figure 1, are to:

Proactively identify all corrosion threats and define related risk

Define mitigation controls as necessary and ensure implementation
Ensure mitigation controls are effective
Establish and implement corrective action as necessary

An effective Corrosion Management Scheme

Development of an effective holistic CMS requires support in terms of training, planning, implementation
and performance review of the corrosion management system. The scope of the scheme should cover the
following:

Corrosion Management Systems Audit and Gap Analysis

Development of Corporate Corrosion Management Policies
Corrosion Control Schemes (CCS)
- Identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Producing Corrosion Control Matrices (CCMs)
Risk Based Inspection (RBI) of assets (and processes) which affect pipeline integrity.
Corrosion Risk Assessment (CRA) of for assets (plant, vessels, pipework, pipelines, etc.).
Pipeline Risk Assessment (PRA) for subsea pipelines and risers.
Corrosion Mechanism Analysis, Modelling, Growth, and Failure Assessment
Review of Cathodic Protection (CP) System

The Components of the System

The CMS for each production asset and its related pipelines comprises 4 main components:
1. Corrosion Control Scheme (CCS) that covers all topsides process plant and associated subsea
pipelines & flexibles (including risers) for that asset. A typical schedule is illustrated in Figure 2.
The key benefits of an effective Corrosion Control Scheme are:

Provision of a framework by which to measure and monitor both the change in risk and the
performance of the mitigation and corrosion control measures in place.

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Figure 2Typical CCS Schedule Example

Control of physical and chemical parameters within a defined operating envelope providing the
strategy to minimise deterioration of the facilities through corrosion or other degradation
mechanisms.

2. Risk Based Inspection (RBI) scheme for topsides process plant (vessels and pipework).
The key benefits of a Risk Based Inspection are:

Assist operators in ensuring safe operation of process equipment.

Provide a clearly documented audit trail for the regulatory body (e.g. HSE in the UK).
A transparent process, which is internally and externally peer reviewed.
Integrated approach mirrors threats, controls and mitigations identified in the Corrosion
Management Scheme and Corrosion Control Scheme (CCS)
Defines the timetable and frequency for future inspections
3. Corrosion Risk Assessment (CRA) for all subsea pipelines (including flexibles and risers).
The key benefits of a Corrosion Risk Assessment are:

Traffic light system for an at-a-glance status of risks

Assessment of likely condition of, and risk to, lines which are unpiggable
Provides assistance in identifying any areas at risk within the pipeline system, and assist
operators to ensure the safe operation of the assessed pipeline or process equipment.
Integrated approach; mirrors threats controls and mitigations identified in other areas of the
Corrosion Management System (i.e. Corrosion Control systems (CCS) and Risk Based Inspection (RBI))
Helps establish an appropriate integrity management strategy
Transparent process, which is internally and externally peer reviewed.
Provides a clearly documented audit trail for the regulatory body (e.g. HSE within the UK).

4. Pipeline Risk Assessment (PRA) for all subsea pipelines (including flexibles and risers).
The key benefits of a Pipeline Risk Assessment are:

Identifies any areas at risk within the pipeline system

It covers non-corrosion threats in addition to corrosion threats, so it has wider integrity benefits

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Assists the pipeline operator in defining mitigation/inspection methods and their frequency.
Provides a clearly documented audit trail for the regulatory body (e.g. HSE within the UK).
A transparent process, which is reviewed internally and externally (with the pipeline operator
and the inspection company).
An integrated approach: mirrors threats, controls and mitigations identified within the Corrosion Management System (i.e. RBI, CRA, CCS).

The Strategy
The overall corrosion management strategy is defined by the CCS for a specific production asset which
identifies the corrosion threats. It establishes the control and mitigation procedures required to mitigate
internal and external corrosion on topsides process plant, subsea pipelines and related subsea structures.
The degradation mechanisms, controls and mitigation procedures are mirrored in the other CMS components (RBI, CRA and PRA). The future inspection programme for topsides process plant is driven by
the RBI, whilst the CRA and PRA drive the future inspection and monitoring regimes for subsea pipelines,
including In-Line-Inspection (ILI) requirements. Results from these components are fed back into any
review and upgrade of the CCS.
In an era of managing assets that are required to operate beyond their design life there is an increasing
risk of integrity issues having a significant impact on the economic performance of the operating company
as well as safety related issues. Senior managers, as well as integrity engineers, need to be proactive in
managing these risks. The traditional approach relies on information gathered by engineering staff in what
is generally a time consuming and inefficient process [3]. This reactive approach will no longer suffice
so there is a need to provide managers with tools that enable them to quickly access the information that
provides an overview of the condition of their assets. A web-based visualisation tool has been developed
that highlights those assets at greatest risk and enables managers to drill down into specific issues. The
tool also has a strategic purpose in that it can be used to assess the impact of future production policies
on asset integrity.

Summary
Cost-effective and safe operation of ageing assets can be achieved with a Corrosion Management Scheme
that incorporates an integrated approach to identify and control corrosion issues on offshore systems
(topside and pipelines).
A CMS has been developed and implemented that meets the following objectives:

A transparent and auditable decision making process

Proactively identifies corrosion threats and defines related tasks
Defines mitigation controls as necessary and manages implementation
Ensures mitigation controls are effective
Defines Inspection and Monitoring regimes to assess asset condition
Establishes and implements corrective actions as necessary
An integrated scheme such that changes in one component are mirrored in the others.

The principal objective of the CCS, RBI, CRA and PRA tools is to encourage a balanced approach to
risk management by ensuring that inspection and monitoring resources are aligned with the degree of risk
from potential hazards and also with the criticality of the component. Work is on-going to ensure that that
the CMS and associated integrity tools, including the provision of high level visualisation tools for senior
managers, are compliant with KP4.

SPE-169599-MS

References
1 KP4 Strategy: Ageing and Life Extension Inspection Programme for Offshore Installations,
20122013, Health & Safety Executive Offshore Safety Division.
2 Sandana, D. and Dale, M. 2012. An Integrated Approach to Corrosion Management of Ageing
Offshore Assets. Corrosion 2012, Salt Lake City, 1115 March.
3 API 570Piping Inspection Code: Inspection, Repair, Alteration and Rerating of in-service Piping
Systems, Second Edition, October 1998, Addendum 2, December 2001.