BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 9. Maintenance and equipment shutdown operations, known as “turnarounds,” in the oil and gas sector are extremely costly and have the greatest impact on operational activities during the financial year, said Alan D'Ambrogio, Market Development Manager and Head of International Sales at ENCOTEC – TÜV Rheinland Industrial Services UK (a division of TÜV Rheinland, an international German organization specializing in technical control, inspections, certification, and consulting in industry.
D'Ambrogio articulated that a multitude of operatives are engaged in these intricate workflows, executing multifaceted and hazardous assignments while the apparatus is deconstructed and team members function within its confines.
He noted that traditional inspection methods, such as Ultrasonic Testing (UT) and Magnetic Particle Testing (MP), although seemingly inexpensive, actually incur high costs due to equipment disassembly, tank emptying, insulation removal, and structural assembly.
“The use of new technologies, such as drones and crawling robots, allows many tasks, including internal inspections, to be carried out more safely and at lower cost. Moreover, traditional inspectors may resist technology adoption, as their work is transferred to other operators. Technology allows the duration and intensity of inspections to be adjusted according to the real needs of the equipment. This makes turnaround operations shorter, more efficient, and less disruptive to production,” he explained.
D'Ambrogio also underscored the strategic alignment with regional stakeholders to facilitate cost-effective and expedited deployment of these innovations within the local ecosystem.
