Session: 02-12-01 Reliability Based Maintenance 1

Paper Number: 122381

122381 - Inspection Planning Optimisation for Offshore Energy Structures Using Digital Twin 

Inspection and maintenance are integral elements within the structural integrity management of offshore energy structures. This allows the identification and remediation of progressive structural degradation such as fatigue cracks, so that ensuring fitness-for-service of critical offshore assets throughout their service lifetime. Regarding bottom-fixed offshore structures, support vessel are required to transfer trained surveyors and/or robotics offshore. Concerning floating offshore structures, they can be disconnected from the mooring and towed back to shore for inspection and maintenance. Significant expenditures are incurred from these processes. In view of optimising the offshore retrieval/intervention and eventually reducing the life-cycle costs, risk-based inspection and maintenance planning is highly relevant. This approach prioritises the retrieval/interventions for high-risk system, ensuring an effective allocation of resources available for inspection and maintenance. However, conducting a comprehensive risk assessment requires gaining a thorough knowledge of the actual operational profile whereby accurately predicting its performance. Although design specifications and assumptions can serve as guidelines, a high degree of uncertainty may arise due to the disparity between the actual operational profile and the design assumptions. This paper studies the application of digital twin approach whose virtual monitoring feature enables the responses of all desired structural members to be remotely monitored, and thus facilitates a more informed evaluation of long-term performance and inspection planning optimisation. A case study using an offshore wind support structure is presented to demonstrate this digital twin-enabled proposal. Furthermore, areas open future research in this field are discussed.

Presenting Author: Shen Li University of Strathclyde

Presenting Author Biography: Dr Shen Li is a Chancellor's fellow (Assistant professor) at the Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering of University of Strathclyde (UK). His research interests include digital twin-based structural monitoring, structural reliability and optimisation, thin-walled metallic structures in extreme conditions. He is a member of ISSC (2022-2025) offshore renewable energy committee.

Authors:

Shen Li University of Strathclyde
Feargal Brennan University of Strathclyde