Imagine having the capability to replicate parts quickly in situ, even in an offshore environment. Andy Frankland, a surveyor at Lloyd’s Register Energy, believes this would transform the challenges faced by offshore operators. “If I am able to open an equipment drawing, select a part and then ‘print’ it out, that would be an amazing benefit to operations, especially in remote fields. The potential is staggering,” he said.

Toward an era of manufacturing without limits?

Although additive manufacturing is a long way from wholesale adoption throughout the oil and gas sector, Frankland is not alone in his enthusiasm. When equipment or parts malfunction, operators are often hundreds of miles away from a distribution center. Keeping spares in stock is expensive and wasteful, but replacing the essential part can be slow, expensive and often weather-dependent. Even worse, the part may be obsolete and no longer available, and a whole component may need to be scrapped as a result. Already there are a large number of techniques and technologies available (such as laser cladding, selective laser melting and fused deposition modeling), and with increasing investment in development, testing and refinement the field is likely to see major advances in the coming years.

In a major survey of innovation in the energy industry, additive manufacturing was recently rated as one of the most significant emerging technologies to impact the industry in the medium term (Lloyd’s Register “Energy Technology Radar,” June 2014). The technologies could do much to mitigate the issues associated with logistics and obsolescence as well as enable a greater degree of customization.

No free lunches

Clearly, additive manufacturing technologies offer opportunities across the sector that could yield significant returns to organizations that successfully integrate them into processes and supply chains. However, the risks and limitations must be acknowledged. Far from being an entirely automated process, additive manufacturing is a complex chain of variables: raw materials (such as metal powders), design geometries, software manipulation, hardware operation, build processes and post-production finishing.

Recognizing this, Dr. Claus Myllerup, senior vice president of technology for Lloyd’s Register Energy, said, “Each step of the process must be analyzed and assessed for inherent variability, which relies upon robust monitoring and control procedures. Without these controls, structural elements are at risk of stress fractures and significantly reduced asset life.”

In this context, industry codes and standards are key to safe and effective technology adoption. Standardization is instrumental as a technology transfer channel, formalized by standards that serve as the practical enabler of research. Without them, there can be limited confidence in parts and components produced through additive manufacturing processes, and adoption is unlikely.

From theory to commercial reality

As yet, there is no standardized approach for assessing and verifying the safety and integrity of additive manufactured products. Lloyd’s Register Energy is working to change this. As well as serving on the British Standards Institute Committee for additive manufacturing, which is developing a collection of ISO standards, the company has launched a joint industry project (JIP) to develop and introduce a set of guidelines to support the global energy industry. The guidelines, due to be published later this year, will be based on typical use cases within the energy industry but also will be applicable to other industries. They will address the major areas of a typical additive manufacturing value chain, including design, software and data, powder, hardware and machines, build process, finishing, and testing and liability. The guidelines will be an important interim step for the industry ahead of the publication of ISO standards.

More immediately, partner organizations stand to gain considerable benefits, both in R&D and commercial operations. Through participation in the JIP, organizations can contribute to the guidelines, receive guidance on commercial application and leverage related research at the Global Technology Centre in Singapore, a collaboration between Lloyd’s Register Energy and the Economic Development Board of Singapore and its research institutes. By combining the experience, expertise and resources of Lloyd’s Register Energy and selected partners, the JIP is well-placed to shape the future development and application of this potentially game-changing innovation within the energy industry.

Additive manufacturing has great potential to increase efficiency and productivity across the oil and gas sector. That there are commercial benefits is inarguable, but these can only be realized once the risks and constraints are fully understood and mitigated and the technologies achieve an acceptable level of standardization and assurance. Moreover, it is not just a matter of extracting value through operational enhancements; there may be long-term risk for organizations that do not integrate these emerging technologies as traditional resources become more scarce and costly and competitive advantage may suffer. For this reason, the oil and gas industry must take the opportunity to shape the development of disruptive technologies such as additive manufacturing and the international standards that govern its application. For those organizations that do successfully adopt the technology, the benefits are significant.

For more information about additive manufacturing or the Lloyd’s Register Energy JIP, contact Chris Chung at chris.chung@lr.org or visit lr.org/AM-harts.