Saudi Aramco’s Award-winning “Detection of Potential Corrosion Under Insulation” (DPCUI) Technology

An Industry Success Story The importance of the oil and gas sector to the global economy and our way of life cannot be understated. From tra...

An Industry Success Story

The importance of the oil and gas sector to the global economy and our way of life cannot be understated. From transportation fuel and heating to industrial production and providing economic revenues, such high reliance on oil and gas means long-term sustainability across the entire operational spectrum is paramount. 

Oil and gas, however, is not without its production issues to resolve - corrosion under insulation (CUI) being one of the more prominent. CUI is the underlying factor behind severe issues, including sudden shutdowns, production losses, reduced output, and structural integrity, and creates costly health, safety, and environmental problems. The impact of corrosion has long been a known irritant to the entire oil and gas industry.

CUI explained 

CUI is external corrosion that occurs when water breaches insulation layers within vessels or piping, damaging the metal beneath insulated equipment. As an increasingly occurring oil and gas production problem over time, CUI has been a particular pain point for oil and gas companies because water penetration is often not identified until after leaks become apparent, or when insulation undergoes inspection.

It's important to appreciate that the demanding environments where oil and gas companies operate are significant hotspots for CUI incidents. For example, the upstream segment in sub-surface wells and reservoirs, where toxic substances and extreme temperatures of varying degrees are prevalent. While specialized insulation and metals have been developed and installed to combat corrosion and its root causes, challenges have persisted. 

Among these are the anticipation and early identification of CUI, which – besides demanding environments – have presented considerable difficulty due to complex system designs, various insulation layers, and other forms of external protection. This leads to the appearance and expansion of CUI that goes unnoticed, with monitoring and identification capabilities hindered. But that’s now changing. 

Leading the CUI combative charge

CUI had long evaded detection and was becoming detrimental, with more conventional detection methods like ultrasonic inspections also not being possible due to exploration depths and other factors previously mentioned. The need to overcome critical inspection challenges and develop reliable technology applicable across a diverse range of insulated facilities and structures has become more crucial than ever. 

In response, Aramco Research Center (ARC) at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology | KAUST took the initiative, demonstrating its innovation and research and development leadership by launching an extensive research project in 2017 named “Detection of Potential Corrosion Under Insulation (DPCUI)”. The project was such a success it won the “Breakthrough Research of the Year" category at the 2018 ADIPEC awards. 

Introduced to develop a predictive technique for detecting CUI in carbon steel pipes, and thereby reduce the number of random inspections carried out, DCUI enabled Aramco to meet the CUI challenge by developing cyber physical technology. 

Backed by a predictive technique based on thermography and machine learning principles, the technology succeeded in maximizing the potential of thermographic imaging. Combined with machine learning and artificial intelligence, the project identified the key features associated with corrosion across the thermal gradient of hot and cold assets in use across the oil and gas industry.

This innovative approach increased operational efficiency by reducing the need for inefficient and invasive visual inspections, and by providing an accurate and reliable predictive risk-assessment intelligence system backed by emerging Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies, including data connectivity, modeling, analytics, and ingestion technology.

DPCUI received 10 granted patents, consisting of two jointly owned by Avitas Systems, a subsidiary of Baker Hughes, and eight additional patents filed by Saudi Aramco. DPCUI was the winner of the ADIPEC Research Breakthrough Award of the Year 2018, the Aramco Corporate Innovation Board Award 2020, and the Exceptional Safety Achievement Recognition Program (ESARP) Award 2021.

The success of this project means that now Aramco teams in the field are equipped with a practical, adaptive solution to a serious industry problem. Their ability to identify locations vulnerable to corrosion in real-time has created a newfound CUI resistance in traditionally harsh corrosive environments. The impact of this is not only felt at the Saudi Aramco operational level but has a positive knock-on effect of eliminating disruption to energy supplies nationally, regionally, and globally. 

About the Authors:

Ayman M. Amer (ENGINEER I, ARC), Saudi Aramco

Ali H. Al-Shehri (SCIENCE SPECIALIST, ARC), Saudi Aramco

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