Title : Vessels replacement program to enhance safety & reliability
Abstract:
Saudi Aramco/ South Ghawar Producing Department (SGPD) has exerted substantial efforts toward executing a seldom project of replacing numbers of extraordinary vessels. These 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 constructed on old time where SAES( Saudi Aramco Engineering Standard) was not mandating to utilize HIC resistance material. During the previous year, a companywide 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 or “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 plans, SGPD controlled HIC concerns in the affected vessels.
But the department didn’t want to stop here and wanted to go the extra mile by adding a proactive measure rather than just reactive. Therefore, we partnered with Reachersh and Development Centre “R&DC” to implement a proactive initiative at SGPD as the first department at Aramco called “Step-Wise Hydrogen Induced Cracking Toolkit,” which falls under IR.4.0.
Audience Takeaway Notes:
- This is to capitalize on Saudi Aramco/SGPD experience on how to handle such crucial situation of having non-HIC resistance material and ensure continue delivering the production without any interruption.
- We will reference to Saudi ARAMCO approach and understand lessons learned and best practices to overcome such challenge to operate system impacted with HIC/SWC.
- It will provide a practical solution to a problem that could simplify or make a designer’s job more efficient.
- It will improve the accuracy of a design, or provide new information to assist in a design problem.
