An Ontology-Based Approach for Developing Offshore and Onshore Process Equipment Inspection Knowledge Base

A collection of inspection results is an essential input in assessing and managing the technical integrity of offshore and onshore process equipment. The inspection results enable the current condition of the equipment, the type of damage mechanism, and the severity and location of the degradation to be investigated. Typically, the inspection results are documented in a text-format report and stored in a conventional data repository. Conventional inspection data storage has drawbacks in terms of the sharing, exchange, and retrieval of information within an inspection knowledge domain, due to the lack of knowledge representation. This study proposes an ontology-based approach for developing an inspection knowledge base, in order to improve the degree of retrieval, distribution, and administration of inspection results. Ontology provides a semantic structure and relations for concepts in the inspection knowledge domain, which facilitate semantic search capability and enable increased utilization, enhanced communication and improved exchange of inspection information. A case study of a static equipment inspection is shown, to demonstrate the application of an ontology-based approach in facilitating data and information retrieval from an inspection knowledge base.