One of the foundations of a strong inspection program is the use of condition monitoring locations (CML’s). CML’s are specific locations where repeat testing can be closely replicated, providing a far more accurate assessment of condition and rate-of-change. When you compare this strategy to a random sampling inspection, CML’s will provide a superior data set for risk based inspection calculations (RBI) and improve safety and predictability.
I chatted with Mitch Gribi, from Sensor Networks. Mitch specializes in systems that are capable of remotely monitoring CML’s while reducing variables and keeping technicians out of harm’s way.
Below are excerpts from the Podcast.
QUINN
Tell us a little bit about yourself. How'd you get into the industry? What’s your training, what's your background and how did you get to this point?
MITCH
I studied engineering at University of Michigan and then I ended up transferring up to Northwestern Michigan, where I studied aviation and drone technology.
So that's how I got into this industry. Right out of college, I joined a startup. We were a drone and robotic inspection company which was bought out. I stayed with them for a few years as their Chief Pilot, overseeing our training for drone operators around the country and even internationally. I decided that I wanted to try out sales and I knew someone that wanted to bring me on. So that's how I ended up at Sensor Networks and I’ve been there for three years now.
QUINN
It sounds like you've really seen a cross section of the industry, especially from the view of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). So what’s your role now?
MITCH
I'm the technical sales leader on the installed sensor side, so wireless sensors, wireless and wired UT sensors for corrosion monitoring. We also have installed sensors, RBI remote inspection, PTZ cameras, retrieval tools, and stuff like that. Not to mention, we make standard and custom transducers commonly integrated into robotics.
QUINN
Some listeners might not be super familiar with these installed sensor networks. Why don't you give us a quick rundown of the advantages of these networks and why you would want to have them on your site?
MITCH
First of all, just compare an installed sensor versus sending a technician out there to manually take a thickness reading. An installed sensor is going to be in the exact same spot, every single time, which a technician will never be able to do. It's probably not going to be the same technician, it's probably someone else and he's probably using a different thickness gauge. He might calibrate it differently, too. He might not temperature-compensate it. There's so many factors.
The data is a lot better, it's more accurate and you can monitor your corrosion. At this point, they're only meant for critical areas. You're not going to put these on every single CML or Thickness Measurement Location in your facility, but eventually that's our goal.
QUINN
There's so much focus on keeping humans out of harm's way and eliminating the factors of data collection that can compromise data quality and ultimately, the end product or judgements that come from that data.
Are your sensors largely deployed on process equipment? And who's using the data that you're collecting? Is it going back to the fixed equipment guys or the rotating equipment guys or are you monitoring the processes and providing feedback to the plant operators?
MITCH
Starting out, it was mainly a fitness for service application. They're worried they're not going to make it to their next turnaround, so they want to keep an eye on things. What I've been seeing over the past year is “integrity operating windows.”
We've had several users place sensors all over a unit and they'll start changing their processes. They might run 10 different processes to see how it affects the corrosion rate. This data looks so cool and they're learning a lot from it.
QUINN
That's fantastic. There's so many operating variables, the heat, the pressure of the flow rate. The ability to play with those variables and get real-time feedback-- that’s a whole new level of sophistication that manual inspection could not replicate.
When you're establishing CML are you doing any inspection work yourself or is there an inspection that precedes the installation of the networks?
MITCH
Most users will do a manual inspection, a direct assessment before. When we install the sensors, we want to have the points marked, and we have to know what the last thickness reading was.
They're not meant for inspection. They're meant for monitoring. They're not going to find your problem areas, but you can keep an eye on your problem areas once you find them.
QUINN
The better you know the current state of the asset, the more success you're going to have from those critical monitoring locations. That way, you’re not monitoring the wrong spot and find that there's a failure or excessive wall loss in an area we're not even looking at, possibly only inches further to the side.
Where do you see the industry in the next five years or 10 years?
MITCH
Just like any other industry, technology is coming to the forefront. Oil and gas is definitely a more hard-headed industry.
QUINN
Do you have an example of hard-headedness that gets in the way of progress?
MITCH
No matter where you are, there's always someone saying, “You're going to take our jobs.” Without fail, every single time. It's different, but the reality is, technology is coming.
QUINN
If things aren't changing, you're not moving forward. It's a fine line. I just had a talk with somebody this morning who was saying that. He had many of the same concerns and I told him, the refineries are going to be here and these chemical sites are going to be here. The products they produce are so essential to our society.
I theorize that robotics will create the opportunity to do inspections that can’t be done today, for logistical or financial reasons. I’m quite familiar with the variety of tasks that inspectors perform each day and there is so much that can't be automated.
Inspectors will have better tools which will drive the industry forward. This is growth, this is progression.
MITCH
It's happening, whether they want it to or not, it's gonna make their lives easier.
As far as installed sensors, as the quantity grows and the price comes down, they're going to be everywhere. Whether it's ultrasonic sensors, vibration sensors, temperature sensors, wireless networks, etc. Sensors will be widely present in industrial facilities.
QUINN
It seems like the whole paradigm has shifted towards a more technological future, modernizing a lot of the practices.
If you enjoyed these excerpts, listen to the full interview with Mitch on the Route to Reliability Podcast! Whether you’re in the office, at home or commuting, you can listen to fresh ideas that address some of your biggest reliability challenges.
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