Evaluation of inspection features including exposure risk using a value of information analysis

ABSTRACT All engineering structures degrade or become damaged in service to some extent. Information collection activities, such as inspection or structural health monitoring can reduce uncertainty in probabilistic models of structural condition. By linking the information that they provide to the improved integrity management strategies that they facilitate, their expected value can be quantified. This value of information can be obtained using Bayesian decision analysis. In this work an extended value of information model is presented that accounts for the risk associated with exposure to a hazardous environment. By evaluating this risk on the same scale as the risk of structural failure, the relationship between the expected quality of information and the number of staff-hours in a hazardous environment (such as an offshore oil and gas platform) is investigated. An example case study identifies the requirements regarding the precision, bias, and reliability of information from autonomous or remote inspection methods, for them to be considered as an optimal risk management strategy.