Learning from previous failures and accidents is very crucial in a lean and cost effective organisation and is often a fundamental requirement in regulations. However, incidents should not be seen in isolation as the broader view and key industry learnings might get lost. To further strengthen DNV GLâs global lab capabilities for failure investigation, a new lab in Bergen is opening, including one of the worldâs largest tensile testing machines.
DNV GL now invites industry partners to join an industry project to identify and have access to updated trends based on a broad range of data, including failure mechanisms, root causes, materials and equipment. DNV GL conducted a number of failure analyses where the cause of failure was hydrogen induced stress cracking (HISC) in duplex materials installed sub-sea. Based on in-depth materials investigations and root cause analysis of these failures, DNV GL gathered the industry in a joint effort to solve the problem. DNV GL quickly established a guideline for safe use of duplex materials, which re-established confidence in using duplex as a subsea material.
Recommended practice DNV-RP-F112 Design of Duplex Stainless Steel Subsea Equipment Exposed to Cathodic Protection has become the global industry standard to avoid HISC. Geir Egil Eie, Technology Leader Materials Technology, DNV GL â Oil & Gas, says: âLearning from previous failures and incidents, instead of repeating them, is almost like having a free lunch. The story of HISC and duplex materials shows clearly how the industry can benefit from a systematic learning approach.â?
