Cumulus Quality Execution System
Case Study
Shell and Bechtel Partner with Cumulus To Enable Project Digitalization
Deploying Cumulus technology to enable project digitalization yielded strong results for PennChem. Decreasing leaks and the use of manual paperwork represented a major win for project productivity.
The Challenge
At refineries and chemical plants, flange leaks are a major problem. These leaks are one of the most common repair items and can cost over $3 million USD each year. These leaks release more than 170 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, equivalent to the emissions of one fifth of all cars in the United States.
Further, the amount of rework required to correct poor work quality and missing paperwork in flange management is substantial. For that reason, manual paperwork can be a large hindrance in overcoming the challenge of flange leaks.
- Flange leaks
- Emissions
- Manual paperwork
The Solution
To overcome this challenge, Shell and Bechtel partnered with Cumulus to develop and implement a solution for Shell’s Pennsylvania Chemicals project (PennChem). Digitalization and scalability were key criteria for implementing an effective, long-lasting solution.
A digital flange management system was deployed at scale, yielding clear benefits for the PennChem project. The deployment included manual tightening, hydraulic tightening, and hydraulic tensioning activities.
Project engineering controls were enforced using the following metrics:
Building a data model for each joint with the appropriate information
Enforcing the proper engineering and quality controls for each joint
Capturing data during workflow activities
Flagging exceptions encountered during each activity
Flagging changes to technical data that impacted work previously completed in the field
Building a digital completion report for each activity
Recording the complete history of work activities
The Results
Leak and Rework Prevention
With Cumulus, leak rates are reduced to approximately 0.1%, a 100X reduction compared to traditional methods.
Digital Twin Developed
Over 120,000 bolted joint assemblies were managed on PennChem’s project, with all data stored digitally.Owner-side review meetings shrank because the data was already available.
Hours Saved On Paperwork
Digital records and processes were implemented, replacing paperwork with a streamlined, organized system.
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