Carrying out technical inspections and compiling inspection data is laborious work. Oil and gas operators spend millions on having their platforms and pipelines inspected and wall thickness data collected. While electronic data loggers, which record data over time or in relation to location, are commercially available and used extensively, data reporting is often done manually using paper forms. Electronic data is rarely kept in a centralized database.

Automatic Process
“This poses a challenge to managing advanced risk assessments,”
says Mathews Varkey, GALIOM Programme Manager at GL Noble Denton, referring to Risk-Based Inspection (RBI). During the analysis, engineers spend numerous
hours gathering and formatting data before some meaningful trend can be derived. An advanced risk-based inspection and maintenance software product such as GL Noble Denton’s GALIOM can ease operators’ minds, he explains. “The data logger module assists inspectors with wall thickness measurements, reducing the time it takes them to enter the huge amounts of data collected during inspection.

”To give an example,” Mathews continues, “a petrochemical company that had been using a legacy system for severalyears decided to switch to a more advanced process. Implementing GALIOM brought a totally automated solution to this scenario.” The GALIOM implementation team first examined the data loggers the client was using. The team then used the GALIOM data logger integration module to enable the software to communicate with the hardware and automate the ultrasonic wall thickness recording and data synchronization processes. Now the customer can capture data with the existing data loggers and process and monitor them using GALIOM.

The GALIOM module deployed by the customer plans, prepares and defines the scope of the inspection work. The two-way communication between GALIOM and the data loggers accelerates the inspection activities considerably. The test points are automatically generated by the GALIOM data logger module, and subsequently downloaded into the logging device for the inspection.

“In the field, the inspector does not need to create

test points any more, which saves a tremendous amount of time,” says Mathews. Following each inspection, or at the end of the day, the data is downloaded into GALIOM for validation and reporting. GALIOM helps the inspector to validate the results and plans, and to create packages for reinspection. Finally, the wall thickness data collected is transferred into a monitored database for trending and analysis. Anomalous data goes through GALIOM’s inspection memo and the anomaly screening module to initiate repairs and replacements. “GALIOM allows inspectors and engineers to acquire high-quality data efficiently,” says Mathews.

Ultrasonic wall thickness reading is one of the more labour-intensive inspection tasks. Using a data logger and GALIOM cuts time, effort and costs

Abstract
The advanced risk-based inspection and maintenance software product GALIOM reduces risks and costs
GALIOM facilitates data acquisition and helps inspectors to validate the results and plans

GALIOM
GALIOM is a combined asset integrity management and risk-based inspection and maintenance software product that can be used for
any oil, gas or petrochemical facility.
The data logger module assists the inspector with the wall thickness measurements and also reduces the data entry time for huge
amount of data collected during inspection.
GALIOM helps to achieve the best possible balance between cost and risk by minimizing unplanned downtime and optimizing production.
GALIOM enables risk mitigation and inspection strategies to be developed and implemented with the aim of optimizing maintenance whilst staying within acceptable risk levels.