Scoping a more secure future for offshore structures

The offshore industry is heavily dependent on tubular joints, which are frequently situated in inaccessible locations. Consequently, inspecting these joints poses challenges and diminishes the reliability of conventional inspection methods.

This project, which is a collaboration between the CRC and its Partners FUZE and The University of Western Australia (UWA), is using various sensors to monitor the health of offshore structures over time, leading to more dependable data thus improved safety and durability.

Specifically, the team aims to develop acceptance criteria for field repairs using composite materials, and to establish protocols for in-service inspections.

They are also exploring the optimal resin systems for bonding to metallic structures, with further safety and reliability improvements in mind – particularly for the oil and gas industry, where such structures are critical.

The project’s outputs could see cost-effective and accurate methods set in place to detect damage and degradation in offshore structures, lowering maintenance costs and downtime and, therefore, potentially improving the economic viability of these structures over the long run.

“This project is a great example of how collaboration is driving innovation in the manufacturing of composites for extreme environments, and will serve diverse industry sectors from marine to mining,” said Dr Steve Gower, CEO of the ACM CRC. “There is also the potential to apply the project outputs to other industries, for example, retrofitting infrastructures such as bridges and other critical structures.”

“Things that break due to sustained environmental pressures are often a long way from a traditional factory, and repairs need to be performed anytime, anywhere,” added Jason LeCoultre, Managing Director of FUZE. “Composites can also be useful for making lighter, more versatile components for a range of industrial applications.”

The project is well underway, with A/Prof. Farhad Aslani, Academic Chief Investigator with the UWA’s School of Engineering, currently examining the structural performance of corroded tubular structural joints strengthened with fibre-reinforced polymer, using embedded structural health monitoring.

For more information on the project, please contact Prof. Ganga Prusty, ACM CRC Research Director: g.prusty@acmcrc.com.