In recent years, digitalisation has provided opportunities for the improved monitoring of structural safety. Such digitalisation comprises wireless sensors, data acquisition and data processing, digital twins and machine-learning algorithms for damage detection. This combination of techniques is known as structural health monitoring, which aims at addressing parameters that indicate the health status of structures.
Ramboll has conducted a study for the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway of digital solutions for safeguarding the safety of structures, focusing on the substructures of facilities. The report looks at the scope for using digital solutions to improve the early acquisition of information about changes in the condition of structures, digital twins and methods for identifying where any damage is located.
Topics included in the study are methods for continuous condition monitoring, digital twins, structural health monitoring (SHM), artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and identifying the extent to which available data is currently exploited.
The study builds on a number of previous projects in adjacent areas, both from the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway and other countries’ oil and gas authorities.
- HSE UK – Structural integrity monitoring
- BSEE US – Structural health monitoring for offshore wind turbine towers and foundations
- PSA – Integrity management and condition monitoring of pipes and subsea installations
Better overview
Digital methods for monitoring the safety of structures can provide a better overview of their condition and help further reduce risk. This project helps to shed light on what methods exist and how these can best be applied, based on a 5-level framework for the implementation of digital technologies.
Systematisation of information about structures
During the life of a structure, much information is made available from design, fabrication, installation, operation, inspection, modification and incidents. There is great potential for better measurement and systematisation of such information over the structure’s lifetime. Better systematisation of such information, as well as the use of digitalised solutions such as digital twins, provides more and better information about the integrity of the structures. This can help improve the safety of structures.
The development of new technologies
New digital technologies such as digital twins, image processing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, system identification, damage detection, SHM and population-based SHM are developing rapidly and may make an important contribution to the improved protection of structural safety. We believe that those with good expertise in such methods, systems and tools can improve the protection of structural safety, and that this report contributes to knowledge about these technologies.
Continuous improvement
The Petroleum Safety Authority stipulates that factors of significance for health and safety must be monitored and checked continuously (Management Regulations, section 19 concerning the collection, processing and use of data; Facilities Regulations, section 17 concerning instrumentation for monitoring and recording; Activities Regulations, section 31 concerning monitoring and control). In addition, it is required to continuously identify processes, activities and products where there is a need for improvement and to implement such measures. This report provides knowledge about possible methods for improvement.