Woodside installs its first 3D-printed part on a gas platform

Woodside has announced that it has applied 3D printing technology to replace a part on a gas platform for the first time. In a Woodside first, and after three years of extensive testing, the company’s teams in Technology, Engineering & Maintenance have successfully installed a 3D-printed part into service at its Goodwyn A offshore platform.

The part was a redesign of a stainless steel monoflange valve assembly used to safely isolate instruments during planned maintenance work.

Woodside’s Technology Development team collaborated with the FutureLab at Monash University to create 3D-printed parts. This emerging technology has improved the design of the previous stainless steel monoflange, by increasing flow-through and avoiding restrictive internal connections, and reducing its mass and size.

Executive Vice President Sustainability Shaun Gregory said additive manufacturing can solve many problems that heavy industry faces when it comes to replacing parts that manufacturers can no longer supply.

“It can be energy-intensive, time-consuming and expensive to source replacements for such parts. Using additive manufacturing offers an innovative solution to these constraints,” he said.

Woodside’s Technology teams have created a digital app that allows users to submit requests for items to be additively manufactured. After being screened, requests are passed to a vendor that will print and deliver the part, the details of which will subsequently be added to Woodside’s digital library.

“At Woodside, we embrace innovation, and our digital app will further empower our people to continue looking for opportunities to apply additive manufacturing in our operations,” Gregory said.

The next part to be installed under Woodside’s program is an additively manufactured stainless steel inducer on the Okha Floating Production Storage and Offloading facility in the first quarter of 2022.

Image: Woodside.