Once in operation, good integrity management is key to minimising the risk of failure in subsea systems, risers and flowlines. Together with the industry, DNV has established best practices and developed a web-based tool that enables customers to safely reduce operating cost.
With solid industry support, DNV has developed a recommended practice on riser integrity management, covering:
- Top Tensioned Risers (TTR)
- Steel Catenary Risers (SCR)
- Flexibles
- Hybrid risers.
The approach and philosophy address both existing and new risers for shallow as well as deep waters. We have developed a general framework which will cover integrity management aspects of the complete riser system, including components and appurtenances.
In developing the new recommended practice, realistic case studies for various riser-floater concepts and different environmental conditions were used. Examples include TTR in the Gulf of Mexico, SCR in West Africa, riser towers in generic deep waters and flexible risers in the North Sea.
In addition to risers, DNV has also worked extensively with integrity and reliability of flanges, elastomers and seals. This work is generating a better understanding of operational limits and how to manage integrity. By applying transparent integrity logic for subsea systems and components, risers and flowlines, the risk of errors and misunderstandings is reduced, ensuring a cost-effective and safe operation.
Integrity through the web
DNV is now also offering a web-based application for riser integrity management. Built on the same platform as ORBIT Pipeline, it allows operators to handle risers, flowlines and subsea components in the same webbased integrity management system. The tool supports the activities and working process within integrity control and documentation, and contains modules for:
- Data management
- Condition assessment
- Defect evaluations
- Pipeline and component risk assessment
- Inspection planning
- Pro-forma reporting.