david hall.

President
davidhall@draf-tech.com
Co-owner and Operator of Draftech Inc. and Proactive Environmental Services
and co-originator of the only truly Tagless LDAR solution.

The Genesis of Tagless LDAR

September 21, 2010
As is the case with many innovations, necessity was the willing matron in the development of the tagless LDAR program. David Hall and Greg Jenkins, co-owners of Draftech, Inc., were performing a variety of engineering services for a Midwestern chemical concern. When the chemical firm recognized that they would be affected by the HON Rule, they solicited Draftech, Inc. to help them develop their first LDAR program. Hall and Jenkins researched what others were doing in the LDAR field, and quickly decided to follow the path of least resistance and develop a tag based program of component identification. Tags, wire and tools were purchased and databases were created. Tags were hung and components were described. Testing equipment, hydrogen, and calibration gasses were purchased as we readied ourselves for the inaugural monitoring run. The excitement level was high as we ventured out into the field for that first event.

Our enthusiasm quickly turned to dismay as we worked our way through the system. Tags that were hung just weeks before were turning up missing. LDAR tags could be seen protruding from piles of construction dust that had been swept into corners. As we took pause to try to re-associate those tags with their components, we found that database descriptions that had made perfect sense when originally recorded, now may as well have been written in Greek. We completed that first run as best we could, knowing that there had to be a more effective way to identify and label components for testing. In the subsequent meetings that followed, Hall and Jenkins related these LDAR issues with their experiences in the nuclear power field. In comparison, the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) is much more stringent than the EPA. In safety critical systems in the nuclear industry, every valve, bolted connection and weld was individually identified and inspected regularly. However the primary method of component identification for in-service-inspections was not tags; it was isometric drawings.

This isometrics were the perfect medium for inspections, in that they were specific to inspection purposes. They were devoid of extraneous, non-essential information. They gave a 3D representation of the piping system – no P&ID translation required. They were more geographically based – drawings were divided up into nice, manageable areas. They afforded the most efficient means of communicating problems, and the absolute best solution to the MOC (management of change) issue. The group eagerly concluded that this method had potential in the world of LDAR, and went about righting the ship. With our customers consent, we unceremoniously dumped the tagged program, and moved full speed ahead with the world’s first tagless LDAR program. The end results were dramatic. Literally every aspect of LDAR was improved. Testing was more efficient. Management of change improved, as did problem resolution and the ability to train and supervise technicians was markedly enhanced. Technicians became more engaged and felt a greater sense of ownership of their LDAR program. Even repairs and work order documentation benefitted from the new method.

The program was wildly successful at that pilot location, and continues to be today, 16 years later. As peer companies have undertaken their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th retagging efforts, our customer just keeps plugging along with the original program we set up long ago, confident in their knowledge that their LDAR program is as tight as it can be.

We expanded out from that first site, setting up LDAR programs of all sizes and shapes, from 100 component laboratories to one of the biggest refineries in the world. We’ve expanded our services too, to include testing, consulting, linewalks, training and data analysis. But the future looks even brighter. Our electronic LDAR CAD files are being used now in ways that we hadn’t even dreamed of back in ’94. Our drawings are now connected to databases, viewers and search tools. They’re linked to fugitive emission software programs. Plans are being developed to load our drawings into field dataloggers, so that technicians can access the isometrics while they’re testing. They’ll soon be able to mark-up changes in the field and send them via a blue tooth device to their manager, giving them power and functionality they’ve never had before.

From humble beginnings, with innovation and efficiency at the forefront of our labors; we have raised the bar relative to the execution and management of LDAR programs across the country and internationally. We believe that as technologies continue to evolve, the need for innovation is even stronger now than it was when we began. It is our mission, to continue to be at the forefront of making LDAR programs a productive and rewarding part of our clients compliance needs and to continue to facilitate a more efficient and constructive LDAR experience.