Report calls for greater scrutiny on material suitability rather than standard compliance to help:
London, October 28, 2020: William Hackett, world-leaders and pioneers of offshore lifting hoists and chains, announces today the release of its industry report to help minimise the risk of Hydrogen Embrittlement (HE) and Stress Induced Corrosion Cracking (SICC).
The report includes guidance on material choices used in topside and subsea lifts, and is seen as a major step forward in increasing awareness for offshore operators of the risks associated with HE and SICC. Ben Burgess, Director of William Hackett Lifting Products, says: “There is a real concern across industry regarding the impact of HE and SICC on chains and links used in lift and hoist projects across offshore environments.”
Peer-reviewed by a number of organisations and authorities, the report – which can be downloaded at https://williamhackett.co.uk/H-embrittlement – takes a major step forward to explain the critical impact of HE.
Dr Emilio Martínez-Pañeda, Assistant Professor at Imperial College London and a world-recognised expert in hydrogen embrittlement, welcomed the report. While not directly involved in the report’s findings, Dr Martínez-Pañeda emphasised the challenging nature of hydrogen embrittlement and its important implications: "Hydrogen is famed for causing notorious structural integrity problems that are difficult to predict, and there is a need for new guidelines and solutions."
“Based on our own experiences of how our products perform offshore, combined with the manufacturing expertise of McKinnon Chain and outcomes of detailed technical analysis by industry partners, we have identified that as material hardness exceeds 39-40 HRC, the risk of HE and SICC increases as the hardness values rise,” says Burgess.
But the issue of HE is not limited to just one type of activity. Examples include the failure of G10 welded chain slings in a container fleet in Norway, to the USA where a global oil company had to withdraw a number of lifting appliances and promptly introduced an inspection regime before any future lift work was carried out.
The report also highlights that whilst products may be fully compliant with relevant International Standards, the reality is that when it comes to an offshore environment they may be wholly unsuitable.
“Meeting the specific International Standards should not be seen as a guarantee that specific equipment is fit for purpose in an offshore environment,” highlights Burgess. “Specific environmental and performance considerations for equipment used offshore needs to be a key part of the material specification and selection process.”
“To put this into context,” says Burgess, “a Grade 8 master link, when correctly heat treated, will provide toughness, tensile strength and resistance to shock absorption in loading, and at hardness levels that enable the steel in the product to withstand extreme conditions of the offshore environment.”
Correct materials selection is critical, especially when it comes to problems such as HE. Operators need to ensure that despite commercial pressures, the products used in the offshore environment are fully appropriate for their intended use, and that the environmental conditions, mechanical stresses and material susceptibility have all been assessed rigorously.
Dr Martínez-Pañeda noted that while the scientific community has achieved great progress in using simulation tools to predict the behaviour of components exposed to hydrogen, challenges remain and “the materials to be used and the manufacturing process has to be tested and assessed to minimise the risks as much as possible.”
The report looks at key areas around HE including causal factors, best practice methods to reduce risk and recommendations around specific product groups and key performance requirements.
“Managing the risks of HE and SICC requires a change of mindset,” says Burgess. “The advancement towards higher and higher grades of steel should be treated with caution. In an offshore environment, procurement and quality assurance policies should include comprehensive details of the material’s properties, as well as standard compliance. Without the proper understanding of the material and its use offshore, the end result is increased risk to operations,” he added.
The company has taken further steps to help minimise the risks of HE and extend the life-span of master links with the introduction of Zinc-ToughTM – an innovation that applies a zinc layer to the product which significantly reduces the speed at which corrosion occurs. It extends the product lifespan and also reduces the risk of HE in comparison to other coating processes such as galvanising and electroplating.
William Hackett first began production of its master links in 2004, and to date has delivered more than 550,000 master links.
Burgess says, “We are immensely proud of our track record in the supply of HA links to Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, TechnipFMC, Saipem, Subsea 7, Oceaneering and every other major offshore operator. We have not had one suspected case of HE to-date, which reinforces the quality approach we take in how our products are manufactured.”
To download a copy of the report, visit https://williamhackett.co.uk/H-embrittlement.
Gaylin International Pte Ltd and Rigmarine, part of its group of companies, will stock the William Hackett second-generation SS-L5 subsea lever hoist, available in capacities from 800kg to 20t, from 10 global locations. Further, they will support the product offering with comprehensive training and after-sales service.
Singapore headquartered Gaylin, a specialist supplier of lifting, rigging and marine equipment primarily to the oil and gas industry, also has facilities in Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, China and Indonesia. Rigmarine hubs, meanwhile, can be found at its most recently opened site in Aberdeen, in addition to Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and the UAE.
Mike Duncan, managing director at Gaylin, said: The SS-L5 is a great product in its own right, specifically designed for use in offshore and subsea operations, a key customer base for our companies. However, what creates the real customer value are the safety features of the hoist combined with out global stock and the level of training and support we offer alongside the equipment."
He added: "Across the world we have the ability to service, repair and re-certify the subsea lever hoist, designed for multi-immersion over an extended period, and other equipment, in addition to conducting world-class, approved training. We can get personnel and equipment to an offshore location with a tailored solution as soon as the support is needed."
For over two decades Rigmarine has offered an unrivalled range of 24/7 services to clients in the ultra demanding oil and gas sector. Since 2009 it has been operating its own training school in Azebaijan to provide employees and clients specialist training, available 365 days per year.
Ben Burgess, director of William Hackett Lifting Products Ltd, said: We embrace this holistic approach to application of our equipment in the oil and gas sector. The product's life span will depend on the environment in which it is used, the frequency of use and the quality of its servicing. In partnership with Gaylin and Rigmarine, we are proud of the testing regime at our lifting centre of excellence in the UK." Burgess explained that the SS-L5 subsea lever hoist has been through a particularly arduous testing process witnessed by DNV, a global provider of knowledge for managing risk, which verified that the SS-L5 type lever hoist could be safely used subsea over a 21-day single immersion and a 31-day multi-immersion period.
The benefits of such accreditation are two-fold, Burgess said: "First, in terms of lifting offshore and subsea, industry best practice points towards only using a hoist that the manufacturer approves for offshore and subsea use, backed up by written guidance about its use for the said application. "Second, he continued, "The DNV testing and verification process over an extended period provides independent data which proves that the hoist not only meets current standards but exceeds them."
Two key features of the SS-L5 are its dual anti-lock brake, which reduces rigging time whilst improving diver safety and efficiency; and performance ratio, a measure of product design and material quality, based on working load limit (WLL) divided by the unit mass. The SS-L5, with a WLL of 1600kg and weight of 8.5kg, can lift 188 times its own mass giving it a performance ratio of 188:1.
The SS-L5 models 0.5T up to 3.2T are approved for Overhead Line Electrification (OLE) work and the 1.5T is also approved for use on the “Iron Man”. Certificate of Acceptance PA05/06687
William Hackett Lifting Products Ltd - Alnwick
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William Hackett Chain Products Ltd - Cradley
01384 569431
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