Copsys Intelligent Digital Skin Tech Qualification and Pilot

Solution Developer

Copsys Technologies Inc.

Project Description

Copsys Technologies is planning an industry operational pilot installation to demonstrate and advance Copsys Intelligent Digital Skin (CIDS) from TRL 8 to TRL 9 as a disruptive technology solution to eliminate Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI).
Corrosion Under Insulation is the single most expensive corrosion issue in the oil and gas and petrochemical industries. It results from prolonged exposure of metal surfaces to an electrolyte (typically water) that has been able to collect between the metal surface and insulation applied to conserve energy, control chemical processes. Unseen and undetected, CUI can lead to sudden loss of containment in pressurized mechanical systems without warning, with potentially catastrophic effects.
Degradation of pressurized mechanical systems from CUI becomes an increasingly persistent trigger for process system disruptions as assets age. CUI is the root cause of approximately 20% of serious process safety incidents and 50% of accidental hydrocarbon releases. Fugitive emissions combined with venting and flaring events associated with CUI-triggered process disruptions make up 5-10% of facility GHG emissions. The CUI problem costs global process industries an estimated US$31 Billion annually, with CUI management commanding 40% - 60% of process facility maintenance budgets. Despite significant industry focus, close visual inspection remains the primary and most reliable method of detecting and managing CUI. Visual inspection campaigns are laborious, expensive, and operationally disruptive, requiring scaffolding or rope access to inspect difficult-to-reach locations while generating significant wastage through removal, disposal and subsequent renewal of insulation and cladding. Non-destructive inspection (NDI) techniques are often combined with risk-based screening to prioritize visual inspection campaigns, with mixed results; NDI examination is often inconclusive, typically detects CUI only after significant equipment damage has been sustained, and still requires close access plus specialized training and qualification for operation and interpretation. Visual and ND Inspection provide only scattered, periodic snapshots of asset integrity - with diminishing value over time.
CIDS is a patented paint-based "feeling" skin that digitally detects and locates coating damage in real time, while delivering supplementary active electrochemical protection to exposed metal surfaces - stopping rust before it can commence. CIDS introduces an entirely new category of full-surface continuous sensor technology intended to disrupt CUI by replacing conventional labor-intensive inspection regimes with a persistent digital presence and an advanced additional barrier against corrosion.
CIDS recently advanced from TRL 4/5 to TRL 8 through a harsh environment field trial that included a live demonstration of CIDS remote detection and location of coating damage via a digital twin of a purpose-built flow loop. The flow loop was situated on a quay at Memorial University of Newfoundland's Marine Institute adjacent to the north Atlantic Ocean. Advanced electrochemical protection performance was validated through subsequent long-term exposure to the harsh coastal environment.

Support Requested

Seeking early technology adopters and funder to accelerate to commercialization

Project Resources