Case study

HP Flare KO Drum Inspected Without Operational Disruption

A traditionally high-risk, shutdown-driven inspection was completed efficiently while maintaining safe and stable operations.

Key Outcomes

  • Completed inspection without disrupting operations
  • Avoided complex shutdown and isolation scope
  • Reduced safety exposure on a high-risk asset
  • Delivered reliable integrity data for decision-making

Project Overview

Asset
HP Flare Knock-Out Drum
Facility
Gas processing facility
Scope
Inspection planning, execution, and engineering assessment
Inspection Type
Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII)

The Challenge

Flare KO drums present significant inspection challenges due to:

  • Critical role in plant safety systems
  • Complex geometry and internal configurations
  • Limited access and harsh service conditions

Conventional inspection would have required shutdown, extensive isolation, and high-risk execution activities, with significant operational impact.

The Solution

  1. Planning

    • Assessment of degradation mechanisms specific to flare service
    • Identification of critical inspection zones
    • Development of a practical, risk-based inspection approach

  2. Execution

    • External inspection using advanced NDT techniques
    • Targeted coverage of high-risk and difficult-to-access areas
    • Efficient field execution with minimal operational impact

  3. Close-Out

    • Data validation and engineering assessment
    • Identification and evaluation of degradation
    • Integration into integrity management planning

Technical Detail

  • Inspection strategy aligned to service conditions and damage mechanisms
  • Targeted inspection of corrosion-prone and accumulation areas
  • High-quality data capture in challenging locations
  • Assessment of localised degradation features
  • Outputs structured for future monitoring and inspection planning

Outcome & Impact

The inspection was completed safely and efficiently, avoiding the need for a complex and disruptive shutdown.

  • Operational impact minimised
  • Safety exposure reduced
  • Reliable data obtained
  • Future inspection strategy improved

Key Takeaways

  • Complex assets can be inspected effectively without shutdown
  • Targeted strategies reduce execution risk
  • NII enables safer inspection of high-risk systems
  • Planning is critical for difficult inspection scopes