Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on Mechanical Integrity

Last November, Inspectioneering and PinnacleART co-hosted their 5th bi-annual ‘Meeting of the Minds’ (MOTM) roundtable discussion in Atlanta, Georgia. The meeting, in which a select group of leading mechanical integrity (MI) experts gathered over dinner, explored numerous issues affecting our industry. Something to remember is the participants come from various sectors of the industry, including Refining/Petrochemicals, Offshore Production, and Chemical Processing.

You may recall from previous MOTM Recaps that these discussions have covered topics like corrosion under insulation (CUI) programs, integrity operating windows (IOWs), corrosion control documents (CCDs), internal site assessments, risk-based inspection (RBI), and addressing the “Great Crew Change.”  This meeting’s focus was on notable technologies that have been tested and/or adopted at the participants’ facilities and how they are changing the MI landscape. Below is a quick recap of some of the key takeaways.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The Fall 2020 discussion kicked off with several of the participants discussing their experience with unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly referred to as drones. All participants agreed that drones and automated crawlers have demonstrated immense utility when it comes to accessing and inspecting various types of equipment at their facilities. The participants reiterated, however, that drones should not take the place of a thorough inspection or capable inspectors, but rather, can help supplement inspection activities with useful information (e.g., help identify areas requiring attention).