Piping Rotation and Flip

About Piping Rotation and Flip

Piping Rotation and Flip is a feature of the Thickness Monitoring (TM) module in GE Digital APM that allows you to record actions related to rotation or flip of piping components. It enables you to make accurate assessments of the remaining life after rotating or flipping components.

The internal surfaces of piping components in a piping circuit are prone to severe erosion due to the abrasive nature of the fluid flowing through them at high velocities. These damage mechanisms cause localized erosion within the component. Therefore, the erosion rate at certain regions are higher than the others. Typically, erosion rates are higher at the bottom surfaces in the interior of straight spools and the internal surfaces in the outside of elbows.

Rotations or flips are an essential part of the maintenance activity carried out on piping assets. This allows you to take advantage of the positions with higher thickness, where erosion has occurred to a lesser extent, thereby prolonging the life of the component.

About Piping Asset Hierarchy

Piping assets can be organized into a hierarchy. The hierarchy and an example of a piping asset in the hierarchy is illustrated in the diagram below.



A piping asset can be a piping circuit, and a piping component can be a straight spool or an elbow. A piping component can consist of several bands positioned at various locations on its surface. A band is a path along the circumference or length of a piping component that contains equally spaced TMLs. These TMLs are located at specific positions on the band.

Types of Piping Components

Piping assets are made up of a number of interconnected components. These components can be classified into straight spools and elbows.

Straight spools are segments that form a part of straight sections of a piping circuit. Straight spools can be rotated or flipped.

Elbows are curved sections of a piping circuit that are used to change the direction of fluid flow. Elbows can only be flipped. When flipped, the erosion pattern at the bands changes and is dependent on the position of the bands relative to the flow. Both bent and mitered elbows are supported by GE Digital APM.

Types of Bands

The bands on a piping component can be classified into the following types:

Center band: A center band is a band that is located at the center of a piping component. Center bands can exist on elbows and straight spools.

Mirrored band: A mirrored band is a band on a piping component that has another symmetrically opposite band relative to the center point. Mirrored bands can exist on elbows and straight spools.

Odd band: An odd band is a band that is located on a piping component at specific critical positions such as near the inlet or weld. Odd bands can exist on elbows and straight spools.

Extrados band: An extrados band is a band where the TMLs are distributed along the long radius or outer curve of an elbow. Such bands exist only on elbows.

The following diagram illustrates the bands that can exist on a straight spool.

The following diagram illustrates the bands that can exist on a bent elbow.

The following diagram illustrates the bands that can exist on a mitered elbow.

About Positions

Positions are fixed points occupied by TMLs on a band, that can be considered as references for rotation of a piping component. The number of positions on a band correspond to the number of TMLs on the band. There can be multiple configurations for the number of positions. The number of positions supported by GE Digital APM are 4, 12, and 24. The following widgets are available for representing bands containing 4, 12, and 24 TMLs.



For example, in a piping component, if each band contains 4 TMLs, you can select a configuration of 4 positions. In this configuration, 4 equally spaced reference points (that is 3, 6, 9, and 12) are available along which the component can be rotated. The reference point for rotation is the Top Center. In this example, position 12 is the Top Center.

When a piping component is flipped, the positions of TMLs change based on a fixed pattern. For more information, refer to the Flipping of Straight Spool section of the documentation.

About Rotation of Straight Spools

Rotations are necessary to extend the life of a straight spool. When the spool is rotated, the TMLs located on the band will move from one position to another. However, the location of the bands on the spool does not change.

The following example shows the change in positions of TMLs on a band containing 12 TMLs, when the spool is rotated by 90 degrees clockwise. Hence, the TML colored orange that was at clock position 6 is now moved to clock position 9. We can say that the Top Center is moved to position 3.



After a spool is rotated, the corrosion analysis for each TML within the bands is re-calculated based on the corrosion rate at the new position. This results in an updated remaining life for the component.

About Flipping of Straight Spools

When a straight spool is flipped, the location of bands do not change. The behavior of each type of band after a flip is detailed below:
  • For a center band, the TMLs do not move to a new location along the length of the spool, but the positions of the TMLs on the band change according to a fixed pattern.
  • For mirrored bands, the TMLs move to a new location along the length of the spool. The TMLs in each mirrored band move to the band that is located symmetrically opposite to it relative to the center. The positions of the TMLs on mirrored bands change according to a fixed pattern.
  • For an odd band, the TMLs move to a location where no bands exist, and the material from that location moves to this band. Because existing thickness measurements for this band are not available, the band is renewed. The previous measurements are inactivated, and new measurements should be taken.

The flip for a horizontal straight spool is done in a vertical plane, and the band positions are viewed from the inlet of the straight spool. The following example shows the change in positions of TMLs on a band containing 12 TMLs, when the spool is flipped. The TMLs at positions 3 and 9 remain at the same positions, whereas the TMLs at positions 12 and 6 exchange positions. Similarly, other TMLs exchange positions based on a definite pattern.



The following tables contain the band positions for center and mirrored bands before and after a flip.

Table 1. Component with 4 band positions
Band position before flip12369
Band position after flip63129
Table 2. Component with 12 band positions
Band position before flip121234567891011
Band position after flip654321121110987
Table 3. Component with 24 band positions
Band position before flip241234567891011121314151617181920212223
Band position after flip121110987654321242322212019181716151413

After a spool is flipped, the corrosion analysis for each TML within the bands is re-calculated based on the corrosion rate at the new position. This results in an updated remaining life for the component.

About Flipping of Elbows

When an elbow is flipped, the location of bands do not change. The behavior of each type of band after a flip is similar to that of straight spools. For an extrados band, the TMLs on the band will move to a mirrored location within the band along the length of the elbow.

The top view of a horizontal bent elbow containing a center band, four mirrored bands, and an odd band is illustrated in the following image.



The bands colored yellow are mirrored bands, and the band colored blue is the center band. The band colored red is an odd band. When the elbow is flipped, the TMLs on the odd band move to a different location on the elbow, where a band did not previously exist.

The change in positions of TMLs within center and mirrored bands when an elbow is flipped follows a similar pattern as that of a straight spool.

The following example shows the change in positions of TMLs on a band containing 12 TMLs, when the elbow is flipped.



The following table illustrates the band positions for center and mirrored bands before and after a flip for an elbow with 12 band positions.

Band position before flip121234567891011
Band position after flip654321121110987

The top view of a horizontal bent elbow showing an extrados band is illustrated in the image below.



The arrows show the movement of TMLs on the band after a flip. Each TML exchanges position with its mirrored TML within the band. The following image illustrates the positions of TMLs in an extrados band before and after flipping the elbow.

After an elbow is flipped, the corrosion analysis for each TML within the bands is re-calculated based on the corrosion rate at the new position. This results in an updated remaining life for the component.

About Undo Movement

The GE Digital APM system allows you to revert the last performed rotation or flip on a piping component. After an undo movement operation is performed, the nominal measurements that were calculated for each TML as a result of the movement are deleted, and the previous measurements are activated. If measurements were added after performing the movement, you must delete those measurements before you perform an undo movement. In addition, after performing the undo movement, in the Pipe Rotation Event inspection datasheet for the Asset, the Reverted flag is set to true.

About Calculation of Nominal Measurement

When a component is rotated or flipped, GE Digital APM will calculate the estimated nominal thickness values for each TML for the specified movement date. This is to account for the corrosion that has occurred from the date when the last measurement was taken till the date when the rotation or flip is carried out.
Note: When a component is flipped, the nominal measurements for TMLs in odd bands are not calculated because the bands are renewed. The existing measurements are inactivated, and new measurements should be taken for such bands.
The calculated nominal thickness value for a given TML is based on the following criteria:
  • The last measurement value for the TML.
  • The corrosion rate at the current position of the TML within the band prior to the rotation or flip.
  • The time that has passed between the last measurement date and the selected movement date.

The estimated nominal thickness value for a TML on the day of movement is calculated using the following formula.

Nominal Measurement = (Last Measurement Value) – (Corrosion Rate x (No of Days) / 365.25)

Calculation of estimated thickness for a TML on a specified day of movement

Suppose, the last recorded thickness value for a TML is 0.793 inch for a measurement taken on May 1st, 2015, and the corrosion rate at the current position of the TML is 0.0134018 inch per year. If the component is rotated on May 1st, 2020, the estimated thickness for the TML on this day is calculated as follows:

The number of days elapsed since the last measurement for this case is 1827 days.

Estimated Thickness on May 1st, 2020 = 0.793 – (0.0134018 x 1827 / 365.25) = 0.72596 inch

About Corrosion Rate Methods

The corrosion rate that will be considered when calculating the corrosion analysis for the TMLs is based on the Rate Method that you specify. The Rates Methods are classified into the following types:

Least Squares: The Least Squares Corrosion Rate is the rate of corrosion as determined using the least squares linear regression method, which is a mathematical method of finding the best-fit line for a set of data points by minimizing the squares of the offsets. For more information, refer to the section Least Squares Corrosion Rate (LSCR) of the documentation.

Long Term: The Long Term Corrosion Rate is a calculation that indicates the rate of corrosion over the full length of time for which measurements have been recorded. The LTCR will be calculated for a given TML if the analysis settings for the related Asset, Component, or band specify that LTCR should be used. For more information, refer to the section Long Term Corrosion Rate (LTCR) of the documentation.

Short Term: The Short Term Corrosion Rate is the rate of corrosion as determined by the most recently recorded values. The STCR will be calculated for a given Thickness Measurement Location record only if the Analysis Settings for the related asset specify that STCR should be used and there are two more Thickness Measurements for the Thickness Measurement Location record. For more information, refer to the section Short Term Corrosion Rate (STCR) of the documentation.

Minimum Corrosion Rate: The Minimum Corrosion Rate is the value specified in the Minimum Corrosion Rate box in the TML Corrosion Rate section of the Corrosion Analysis Settings workspace.

Most Conservative: The Most Conservative Corrosion Rate is the maximum value among the values obtained from all the corrosion rate methods configured in the Corrosion Analysis Settings for the component including the Minimum Corrosion Rate value.

About Heat Maps

A heat map is a graphical representation of the alert levels of TMLs on a band using color codes. For more information on how alert levels are calculated, refer to the section about alert levels. You can customize the alert levels 0, 1, and 2 by modifying the values of Alert Level 1 Max and Alert Level 2 Max in the Define Wall Ratio Preferences section of the TM Admin Preferences page.

There are four color codes that represent different alert levels as shown in the following table.
Alert Level NameColor Code
Alert Level 0 Green
Alert Level 1 Yellow
Alert Level 2 Orange
Alert Level 3 Red
You can access heat maps at the component level from the Component Details section, and at the band level from the TML Band Details section. The widgets that appear in the window used to rotate or flip a component also contain heat maps.
Tip: You can hover over a position on a widget to view the TML ID of the TML at that position and its last measurement value.

The usage of heat maps is best understood from the following example.



The Band Heatmap section contains the heat maps for each band on the Pipe Spool-01 component. Since the Mirror Band-02 band is selected, the heat map for that band appears in the widgets that display the positions of each TML before and after the rotation or flip.

About Alert Levels

Alert levels are used to monitor the wall thickness of a TML and are an indicator of TML health. TM makes use of two parameters called Alert Level 1 Max and Alert Level 2 Max for calculating alert levels. These values are used to determine the Alert Levels for Band Trends graphs and for Heat Maps and Pipe Rotation widgets.

Note: You can define these values in the Wall Ratio Preferences section of the Global Preferences workspace found in the TM Admin Preferences page. The value of these parameters cannot be less than 1.

Alert Levels for Heat Maps and Piping Rotation Widgets

The Alert Levels for Heat Maps and Piping Rotation widgets are based on the wall ratio. Wall ratio (WR) is defined as the ratio of the last measurement value of a TML and the minimum thickness (T-Min) value. It is calculated as follows:

WR = (Last Measurement Value) / T-Min

The Alert Levels in Heat Maps and Pipe Rotation Widgets, and the corresponding color codes are defined as shown in the following table.
Alert Level NameRangeColor Code
Alert Level 0WR > (Alert Level 1 Max) Green
Alert Level 1(Alert Level 1 Max) ≥ WR > (Alert Level 2 Max) Yellow
Alert Level 2(Alert Level 2 Max) ≥ WR > 1 Orange
Alert Level 3WR ≤ 1 Red

Simple Example of an Alert Level Calculation for Heat Maps and Piping Rotation Widgets

Let us assume that the value for Alert Level 2 Max is set to 2.5 and the value for Alert Level 1 Max is set to 3.5

Suppose, the last measurement value for a TML is 0.326 inch and the minimum thickness value is 0.1 inch. The wall ratio (WR) is calculated as 0.326 / 0.1 = 3.26

Since the calculated wall ratio falls between the Alert Level 2 Max and the Alert Level 1 Max values, the TML is assigned Alert Level 1 and the color code for the TML in the heat map is Yellow.

Create Corrosion Analysis Settings for a Piping Asset

Before an asset can be accessed via the Thickness Monitoring Overview page, you must create Corrosion Analysis Settings for that asset.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have enabled pipe rotation in the Pipe Rotation Preferences section of the Global Preferences workspace found in the TM Admin Preferences page.

Procedure

  1. On the top navigation bar, select .
    The Asset Hierarchy page appears.
  2. On the Asset Hierarchy page, select the asset for which you want to create corrosion analysis settings.
  3. In the workspace, select the Integrity tab, and then, in the Thickness Monitoring row, select the TML Groups, TMLs link.
    Note: The TML Groups, TMLs link will appear only if you have selected an equipment. If you have selected a functional location, the TM Assets link appears instead of TML Groups, TMLs.
    The <Asset Name> page appears, displaying the Corrosion Analysis Settings.

    By default, values in the following boxes are populated automatically as follows:
    • The Inspection Type box is set to UT.
    • The Controlling Corrosion Rate box is set to Maximum.
    • The Std Deviation Factor, Remaining Life Critical Number of TMLs, Minimum Corrosion Rate, and Remaining Life Factor boxes are populated with values.
      Note: The value in the Remaining Life Critical Number of TMLs box has no significance in the calculation of remaining life.
    • The Short Term, Long Term, Factor Remaining Life, and Inspection Interval check boxes are selected.
    Note: If needed, you can modify values in the available fields, and then select Update Settings to save the settings.
  4. Select the Piping Asset check box.
    Note: The Piping Asset check box appears only if you have enabled the piping rotation workflow.
  5. Select Yes.
    The Corrosion Analysis Settings record is created for the piping asset.

Create a Component

About This Task

This topic describes how to create a component for a piping asset. When a component is created, the Corrosion Analysis Settings and the values that appear in the Analysis Output section are inherited from the selected asset.

Procedure

  1. Access the Analysis Overview workspace for the piping asset.
  2. In the left pane, select Add (), and then select Create Component.
    The Create Component window appears.

  3. In the Component ID box, enter a unique component ID.
  4. In the Piping Component Type drop-down list box, select the type of the piping component.
  5. Select Create.
    The component is created, and the Bands section appears.

Results

  • The created component is linked to the piping asset.
  • If an Asset has more than one TML Analysis Type or Inspection Type, all analysis types are copied to the created component.

What To Do Next

Create bands for the piping component.

Create a Band

Before You Begin

Make sure you have created a component for the piping asset.

About This Task

This topic describes how to create bands for a piping component. When a band is created, new TMLs are created and linked to individual positions within the band. The number of TMLs on each band corresponds to the number of positions that you specify. The Corrosion Analysis Settings and the values that appear in the Analysis Output section are inherited from the component.

Procedure

  1. Access the Analysis Overview workspace for the piping asset.
  2. Select the component for which, you want to create a band.
  3. In the left pane, select Add ( ), and then select Create Band.
    The Create Piping Band window appears.

    By default, values in the following boxes are populated automatically:
    • The Corrosion Analysis Setting box is set based on the Corrosion Analysis Settings for the component. If multiple analysis types exist for a component, the box is set to the first available analysis type from the component.
    • The Number of Positions box is set to 12.
  4. In the Create Piping Band window, perform the following actions:
    1. In the Piping Band ID box, enter a unique ID for the band.
    2. The Corrosion Analysis Setting box is set based on the Corrosion Analysis Settings for the component. If multiple settings exist for a component, select an inspection type to inherit.
    3. In the Number of Positions drop-down list box, select the number of TMLs on each band.
    4. In the Piping Band Type drop-down list box, select the type of band.
      Note: To create a relationship between two mirrored bands, select the mirrored band from the Mirrored Band drop-down list box. This box is only available when the specified piping band type is Mirrored.
    5. In the Distance from Inlet <UOM> and Nominal Thickness <UOM> boxes, enter appropriate values.
    Note: A band cannot be created until all selections for required fields marked by an asterisk are made. You can change the values in the Piping Band ID, Piping Band Type, and the Distance from Inlet fields after the band is created from the TML Band Details section.
  5. Select Create.
    The band is created, and the TMLs section displaying the TMLs for that band appears.
    Note: In the left pane, TMLs and bands are sequenced as follows:
    • The TMLs are sorted based on their position numbers.
    • The bands are sorted based on their distance from the inlet of the pipe. The bands that do not contain a value in the Distance from Inlet field are sorted alphanumerically.


Results

  • The created band is linked to the component.
  • The Corrosion Analysis Settings for each TML in the created band are inherited from the band.

What To Do Next

Add measurements to individual TMLs or modify TMLs in Bulk.

Copy a Component

Before You Begin

Make sure you have created a component for the piping asset.

About This Task

This topic describes how to create copies of a piping component within an asset. When a component is copied, the Corrosion Analysis Settings and the values that appear in the Analysis Output section are inherited from the parent asset.

Procedure

  1. Access the Analysis Overview workspace for the piping asset.
  2. Select the component that you want to copy.
  3. In the left pane, select Copy Component ( ).
    The Copy Component: <Component ID> window appears.

  4. Enter a value in the Number of Copies box.
  5. Optional: To create Nominal measurements for TMLs within the copied components, select the Create Nominal Measurements check box, and then select a date in the Nominal Measurements Date box.

    Note: When the component is copied, all bands that contain a Nominal Thickness value for its TMLs will have measurements created for each TML in the copied bands. The Measurement Value field will be populated with the Nominal Thickness value for the TML, and the Measurement Taken Date field will be populated with the date that you have selected in the Copy Component: <Component ID> window.
  6. Select Copy.
    The job status appears in the page heading, displaying the progress of the job. If the job is successful, copies of the component are created and can be identified by the Component ID of the component that is copied.
    Note: To view and download the log file for the copy operation, select View Log to access the Schedule Logs page, and find the entries for Type Mechanical Integrity and Description Copy Component.

Copy a Band

Before You Begin

Make sure you have created a band for the piping component.

About This Task

This topic describes how to create copies of a band within a piping component. When a band is copied, the Corrosion Analysis Settings are also copied from the selected band.

Procedure

  1. Access the Analysis Overview workspace for the piping asset.
  2. Select the component whose band you want to copy.
  3. Select the band that you want to copy.
  4. In the left pane, select Copy Band ().
    The Copy Band: <Band ID> window appears.

  5. Enter a value in the Number of Copies box.
  6. Optional: To create Nominal measurements for each TML in the copied bands, select the Create Nominal Measurements check box, and then select a date in the Nominal Measurements Date box.

    Note: If the band that you want to copy contains a Nominal Thickness value for its TMLs, measurements are added for each TML in the copied bands. The Measurement Value field will be populated with the Nominal Thickness value for the TML, and the Measurement Taken Date field will be populated with the date that you have selected.

    In the following example, for the band that was copied, a Nominal Thickness value of 0.4 inch was specified, and 2/1/2020 was selected as the measurement date. Therefore, a measurement is added for each TML in every band that is created.



  7. Select Copy.
    The job status appears in the page heading, displaying the progress of the job. If the job is successful, copies of the band are created and can be identified by the Band ID of the band that is copied.
    Important: When you copy a band, the Piping Band Type is not copied. You can specify the Piping Band Type for the bands that are created from the TML Band Details section.
    Note: To view and download the log file for the copy operation, select View Log to access the Schedule Logs page, and find the entries for Type Mechanical Integrity and Description Copy Band.

Rotate a Straight Spool

Before You Begin

About This Task

This topic describes how to rotate a straight spool.

Procedure

  1. Access the Analysis Overview workspace for a piping asset.
  2. Select the straight spool that you want to rotate.
  3. If an analysis has not been performed or the data has changed since the last calculation, calculate the Analysis.
  4. In the left pane, select Rotate/Flip Selection.
    The Rotate Pipe: <Component ID> window appears, containing widgets that display the current positions of the TMLs on the selected band and a preview of the changed positions after you rotate the spool.

  5. Select a corrosion rate method from the Rate Method drop-down list box.
    Note: The Least Squares rate method is only available when the Least Squares check box is selected in the TML Corrosion Rate section of the Corrosion Analysis Settings workspace for the component.
  6. In the Move Top Center To drop-down list box, select the position to which you want to rotate the Top Center of the component.
    The Change Preview widget is updated to show the positions after you rotate the spool.
  7. Select a rotation date in the Movement Date box.
    Note: You cannot select a date prior to the date when the last measurement was taken. Also, you cannot select a future date for rotation or flip. Future dates can only be selected when creating What-If scenarios.
  8. Select Rotate.
    The job status appears in the page heading, displaying the progress of the job. To view and download the log file for the rotate operation, select View Log to access the Schedule Logs page, and find the entries for Type Mechanical Integrity and Description Pipe Rotation.

Results

  • If the job is successful, the component is rotated.
  • For the asset, an inspection is created for the Pipe Rotation Event and appears under the Inspections section of the Inspection Management Overview page.

Flip a Piping Component

Before You Begin

About This Task

This topic describes how to flip a piping component.

Procedure

  1. Access the Analysis Overview workspace for a piping asset.
  2. Select the piping component that you want to flip.
  3. If an analysis has not been performed or the data has changed since the last calculation, calculate the Analysis.
  4. In the left pane, select Rotate/Flip Selection.
  5. In the window that appears, in the Action drop-down list box, select Flip.
    The Flip Pipe: <Component ID> window appears, containing widgets that display the current positions of the TMLs on the selected band and a preview of the changed positions of the TMLs on that band after you flip the component.
    Note: The Change Preview widget displays the changed positions of the TMLs in the selected band, based on the band type as given below. For extrados bands, the Change Preview widget is hidden.
    • For a mirrored band, the TMLs in each position correspond with the updated positions of the TMLs from the band located symmetrically opposite to it.
    • For a center band, the TMLs that appear in each position will be based on the updated positions after the flip.
    • For odd bands, because such bands are renewed, the Change Preview widget displays Alert Level 0 (Green).


  6. Select a corrosion rate method from the Rate Method drop-down list box.
    Note: The Least Squares rate method is only available when the Least Squares check box is selected in the TML Corrosion Rate section of the Corrosion Analysis Settings workspace for the component.
  7. Select a flip date in the Movement Date box.
    Note: You cannot select a date prior to the date when the last measurement was taken. Also, you cannot select a future date for rotation or flip. Future dates can only be selected when creating What-If scenarios.
  8. Select Flip.
    The job status appears in the page heading, displaying the progress of the job. To view and download the log file for the flip operation, select View Log to access the Schedule Logs page, and find the entries for Type Mechanical Integrity and Description Pipe Flip.
    Note: To flip a piping component, all bands must have a band type specified.

Results

  • If the job is successful, the component is flipped.
  • For the asset, an inspection is created for the Pipe Rotation Event and appears under the Inspections section of the Inspection Management Overview page.

Rotate or Flip Multiple Spools

Before You Begin

About This Task

This topic describes how to rotate or flip multiple spools.

Procedure

  1. Access the Analysis Overview workspace for a piping asset.
  2. If an analysis has not been performed or the data has changed since the last calculation, calculate the Analysis.
  3. In the left pane, select Rotate/Flip Selection.
    Note: If the asset contains only elbows, an error message appears when you select Rotate/Flip Selection.
    The Select Components window appears containing a list of spools within the asset.

  4. Select the check boxes that correspond to the spools that you want to rotate or flip, and then select Done.
    Note: The Done button is disabled if you select more than 10 spools or select components with varied number of positions.
    The Rotate Components window appears.
    Tip: You can select the spool whose data you want to view in the band heatmap and the widgets from the View Component Heatmap drop-down list box.


  5. To rotate the selected spools, perform the following steps:
    1. Select a corrosion rate method from the Rate Method drop-down list box.
    2. In the Move Top Center To drop-down list box, select the position to which you want to rotate the Top Center of the spools.
      The Change Preview widget is updated to show a preview of the positions after the rotation.
    3. Select a rotation date in the Movement Date box.
      Note: You cannot select a date prior to the date when the last measurement was taken.
    4. Select Rotate.
      The job status appears in the page heading, displaying the progress of the job. To view and download the log file for the operation, select View Log to access the Schedule Logs page, and find the entries for Type Mechanical Integrity and Description Pipe Rotation.
  6. To flip the selected components, perform the following steps:
    1. In the Action drop-down list box, select Flip.
      The Flip Components window appears. The Change Preview widget shows a preview of the updated positions after the flip.

    2. Select a corrosion rate method from the Rate Method drop-down list box.
    3. Select a flip date in the Movement Date box.
      Note: You cannot select a date prior to the date when the last measurement was taken.
    4. Select Flip.
      The job status appears in the page heading, displaying the progress of the job. To view and download the log file for the operation, select View Log to access the Schedule Logs page, and find the entries for Type Mechanical Integrity and Description Pipe Rotation.

Results

  • If the job is successful, the selected components are rotated or flipped.
  • For the asset, an inspection is created for the Pipe Rotation Event and appears under the Inspections section of the Inspection Management Overview page.

Access the Piping Rotation or Flip History

Before You Begin

Perform a rotation or flip on a piping component.

About This Task

This topic describes how to access the rotation or flip history for a piping component.

Procedure

  1. Access the Analysis Overview workspace for the piping asset.
  2. Select the piping component for which, you want to access the rotation or flip history.
    The Bands section appears.
  3. Select the Component Details tab.
    The rotation or flip history for the piping component appears in the PIPE ROTATION: HISTORY section.

Undo Last Rotation or Flip

About This Task

This topic describes how to perform an undo operation on the last performed rotation or flip for a piping component.

Procedure

  1. Access the rotation or flip history for the piping component for which you want to perform an undo operation.
  2. Select Undo Last Pipe Movement.
    The Undo Last Pipe Movement window appears, asking you to confirm if you want to proceed.

    Note: The following fields must be present in the Rotation History for Component query:
    • MI_PIPE_ROT_EVNT_DATE_D
    • MI_PIPE_ROT_EVNT_MOV_TYPE_C
    If you modify the query and remove this field, you cannot perform an undo operation.
  3. Select Yes.
    The job status appears in the page heading, displaying the progress of the job. To view and download the log file for the operation, select View Log to access the Schedule Logs page, and find the entries for Type Mechanical Integrity and Description Undo Pipe Movement.

Results

  • The last performed rotation or flip on the selected piping component is reverted.

Create a What-If Scenario

Before scheduling a rotation or flip event for a piping component, you can create different scenarios for analysis. You can evaluate these scenarios and select the most optimal scenario based on the analysis outputs such as remaining life and retirement date. You can then perform an actual rotation or flip from the selected scenario. For creating a What-If scenario, a virtual rotation or flip is performed, and the analysis results are stored in a Pipe Rotation Event for comparison and future use. However, the change in TML positions are not stored. After you perform a rotation or flip from a scenario, all existing What-If scenarios for the component are deleted.

Before You Begin

About This Task

This topic describes how to create a What-If scenario for rotating or flipping a piping component.

Procedure

  1. Access the Analysis Overview workspace for a piping asset.
  2. If an analysis has not been performed or the data has changed since the last calculation, calculate the Analysis.
  3. Select the piping component for which you want to create a What-If scenario, and then select Rotate/Flip Selection from the left pane.
  4. If you want to create a What-If scenario for multiple spools, perform the following steps from the asset level:
    1. Select Rotate/Flip Selection from the left pane.
      Note: If the asset contains only elbows, an error message appears when you select Rotate/Flip Selection.
      The Select Components window appears containing a list of spools within the asset.

    2. Select the check boxes that correspond to the components for which you want to create a What-If scenario.
    3. Select Done.
      Note: The Done button is disabled if you select more than 10 spools or select components with varied number of positions.
  5. In the window that appears, in the Action drop-down list box, select the action that you want to perform for creating the scenario.
  6. Select a corrosion rate method from the Rate Method drop-down list box.
    Note: The Least Squares rate method is only available when the Least Squares check box is selected in the TML Corrosion Rate section of the Corrosion Analysis Settings workspace for the component.
  7. If you have selected Rotation in the Action drop-down list box, select the position to which you want to rotate the Top Center of the component from the Move Top Center To drop-down list box.
    The current positions of the TMLs and a preview of the changed positions appears in the widgets.

  8. Select a date for the event from the Movement Date box.
    Note: You can select a future date for the event when creating the scenario. When you select a future date, the Rotate or Flip button is disabled.
  9. Optional: Enter an ID in the Scenario ID box.
    Note: The Scenario ID is retained when you perform an actual rotation or flip from the scenario.
  10. Select Add as What-If.
    The job status appears in the page heading, displaying the progress of the job. To view and download the log file for the operation, select View Log to access the Schedule Logs page, and find the entries for Type Mechanical Integrity and Description Pipe Rotation or Pipe Flip.

Results

  • If the job is successful, a What-If Pipe Rotation Event containing the analysis results of the rotation or flip is created for the component. The created scenario is available under the PIPE ROTATION: WHAT-IFS section.

What To Do Next

Access What-If scenarios.

Access What-If Scenarios

Before You Begin

Create What-If scenarios.

About This Task

This topic describes how to access What-If scenarios for rotation or flip.

Procedure

  1. Access the Analysis Overview workspace for the piping asset.
  2. Select the piping component for which, you want to access the What-If scenario.
    The Bands section appears.

  3. Select the Component Details tab.
    The What-If scenarios that you have created for the piping component appear in the PIPE ROTATION: WHAT-IFS section.

What To Do Next

Perform a rotation or flip from a What-If scenario.

Perform Rotation or Flip from a What-If Scenario

Before You Begin

Create What-If scenarios.

About This Task

This topic describes how to perform an actual rotation or flip from a What-If scenario. After you perform these tasks, all existing What-If scenarios for the component are deleted, and the event appears in the pipe rotation or flip history.

Procedure

  1. Access What-If scenarios.
  2. Select the row containing the scenario that you want to use for the rotation or flip.
  3. Select Rotate/Flip Selection.
    The window for rotation or flip appears. The values in the drop-down list boxes are populated from the scenario that you have selected. You can modify these values as required.

    Note: The ENTY_KEY field must be present in the Rotation What-Ifs for Component query for the Rotate/Flip Selection button to be enabled. If you modify the query and remove this field, the button will remain disabled when you select a row.
  4. Based on the action that you want to perform, select Rotate or Flip.
    The job status appears in the page heading, displaying the progress of the job. To view and download the log file for the flip operation, select View Log to access the Schedule Logs page, and find the entries for Type Mechanical Integrity and Description Pipe Rotation or Pipe Flip.