Corrosion loop development of oil and gas piping system based on machine learning and group technology method

Abstract

Purpose

Corrosion loop development is an integral part of the risk-based inspection (RBI) methodology. The corrosion loop approach allows a group of piping to be analyzed simultaneously, thus reducing non-value adding activities by eliminating repetitive degradation mechanism assessment for piping with similar operational and design characteristics. However, the development of the corrosion loop requires rigorous process that involves a considerable amount of engineering man-hours. Moreover, corrosion loop development process is a type of knowledge-intensive work that involves engineering judgement and intuition, causing the output to have high variability. The purpose of this paper is to reduce the amount of time and output variability of corrosion loop development process by utilizing machine learning and group technology method.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve the research objectives, k-means clustering and non-hierarchical classification model are utilized to construct an algorithm that allows automation and a more effective and efficient corrosion loop development process. A case study is provided to demonstrate the functionality and performance of the corrosion loop development algorithm on an actual piping data set.

Findings

The results show that corrosion loops generated by the algorithm have lower variability and higher coherence than corrosion loops produced by manual work. Additionally, the utilization of the algorithm simplifies the corrosion loop development workflow, which potentially reduces the amount of time required to complete the development. The application of corrosion loop development algorithm is expected to generate a “leaner” overall RBI assessment process.

Research limitations/implications

Although the algorithm allows a part of corrosion loop development workflow to be automated, it is still deemed as necessary to allow the incorporation of the engineer’s expertise, experience and intuition into the algorithm outputs in order to capture tacit knowledge and refine insights generated by the algorithm intelligence.

Practical implications

This study shows that the advancement of Big Data analytics and artificial intelligence can promote the substitution of machines for human labors to conduct highly complex tasks requiring high qualifications and cognitive skills, including inspection and maintenance management area.

Originality/value

This paper discusses the novel way of developing a corrosion loop. The development of corrosion loop is an integral part of the RBI methodology, but it has less attention among scholars in inspection and maintenance-related subjects.

Citation

Rachman, A. and Ratnayake, R.M.C. (2020), "Corrosion loop development of oil and gas piping system based on machine learning and group technology method", Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering, Vol. 26 No. 3, pp. 349-368. https://doi.org/10.1108/JQME-07-2018-0058