SCOPE
The specific areas to be covered shall include, but will not be limited to, the following services to upstream, mid-stream and downstream oil and gas (petroleum) industries:
- Developing customised (client-specific) reliability centred maintenance (RCM) system
- Root cause failure analysis (RCFA) for incidents
- Quantitative evaluation of the fitness-for-service (FFS) of process equipment and facilities, including remedial maintenance actions & optimisation
- Enhancement of for risk-based inspection (RBI) methodology
-
FEATURES & OVERALL BENEFITS
- Detailed work scope shall be as agreed with the Client. Outline of the scope is provided in the respective item in Section 3 below. Client’s technical standards and related international standards and codes shall be used as approved by Client.
- Deliverables shall include manuals on guidelines and procedures for implementing the AIMS topic and use of associated computer software.
- The overall benefits of all these are to yield higher productivity, greater efficiency and considerable cost savings for the Client.
- Deliverables shall meet HSE requirements related to the scope of work for each topic.
-
DETAILS OF ASSET INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT SERVICES
The items that follow here contain details of the services listed in Section 1 above. The details include the scope of work for each of the services, the strategy for execution, the expected outcome and benefits for the Client.
-
Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) of Process Equipment
Objective
Quantitative evaluation of the reliability of mechanical equipment for planning and executing pro-active maintenance
Background
A large amount of data is normally generated from condition monitoring (CM) of mechanical equipment (rotating and static) that are in use for oil and gas production and transmission. These include data on compressors, pumps, turbines and pressure systems, some of which are safety critical. Reliability calculations using the CM data and the history of the equipment performance in service can be used to predict the probability of failure or breakdown from which pro-active preventive maintenance can be planned and implemented through the RCM process. Advanced and high quality software exist which can be adapted and improved to tackle specific cases for clients.
Scope of work
- Gather data from condition monitoring instruments
- Collect records of equipment performance, including frequency of breakdown and unplanned servicing
- Do quantitative reliability calculations
- Develop software for use by maintenance engineers and operators
Work Strategy & Value
Execution of the work scope would be as follows:
- Consultants personnel will liaise with Client’s engineers and operators on equipment operational history
- Each equipment and its associated ones will be evaluated
- Appropriate industry standards and practices will be consulted
- Efficient and effective guidelines and user-friendly software will be delivered
Business benefits
Expected business benefits from this activity include:
- Proactive / preventive maintenance strategy
- Elimination of repetitive failures
- Assurance of equipment reliability
- Savings from reduced downtime and associated loss in production
- Root Cause Failure Analysis (RCFA) of Incidents
Objective
To carry out root cause failure analysis (RCFA) on incidents
Background
Failures are not inevitable but have causes which can be identified and tackled. The philosophy of RCFA stresses that the key question is to understand why things went wrong and why people reacted as they did, not on who was to blame!
Failure analysis is much like the work of a detective or forensic medicine. Important clues are discovered throughout the investigation, which could provide insight into what may have caused the failure and what contributing factors may have been involved.
A component is considered to have failed when it has deteriorated to the point at which it is unsafe or only marginally capable of performing its intended function. For an item to be classified as a failure it need not be completely broken or disintegrated.
Steps to be followed in RCFA are
- Preliminaries: Determine when, where and how the failure occurred
- Collect samples for laboratory examination
- Take on-site photographs.
- Visually examine the samples
- Identify defects Non-Destructively (NDT)
- Conduct appropriate chemical tests / analyses (where required)
- Confirm material composition and identify contaminants through EDS analysis
- Analyse via Fractography
- Analyse via Metallography
- Conduct Appropriate Mechanical and Materials Testing and Analysis as necessary
- Determine the type of failure (fracture, corrosion, cracking, brittle, ductile, combinations, etc)
- Synthesize and summarize the data, determine and report the root-cause of the failure
Scope of work
- Investigate the physical, human, and latent (organisational/ system) roots of the events investigated and deductively reveal physical causes
- Leverage on existing practices and well-known tools; use of proven tools and suppliers
- Establish organisational roles and responsibilities with reliability at the centre of the process
- Put review process in place to validate quality and promote continuous improvement
- Establish means of communication of lessons learned and sharing of success, e.g. via website
- Develop robust software for the RCFA procedure and remedial action execution and tracking through Client’s SAP
Work Strategy & Value:
- The Consulting unit will provide a viable execution plan for the contract, with associated milestones
- Laboratory testing of specimens where required
- Simulation of failure modes in cases where required
Applicable Standards
- ASTM E1459 Guide for Physical Evidence Labeling and Related Documentation
- ASTM G161: Corrosion Failure Analysis
- Shell E&P: RCA Process Guide
- ASTM E3 Methods of Preparation of Metallographic Specimens
Business benefits
Expected business benefits from this activity include:
- Reduction in failures numbers and frequencies
- Reduction in perceived and calculated risks
- Lessons learnt from incidents & use for improvement
- Evaluation and Optimisation of the Fitness-For-Service (FFS) of Process Equipment
Objective
To carry out quantitative evaluation of the fitness-for-service (FFS) of major oil and gas process equipment together with maintenance work planning and optimization
Background
FFS assessment is a multi-disciplinary quantitative engineering analysis, which is performed to demonstrate the structural integrity of in-service equipment or components containing a flaw, defect or damage, and ensure compliance with applicable codes and regulatory requirements (e.g. OSHA, ABSA, ISO, etc.). FFS assessment provides useful economic and safety benefits to end users and operators including ensuring plant integrity and safety of plant personnel and the public while operating older or aging equipment. FFS also helps to reduce unnecessary repairs and avoid unplanned shutdowns and thereby optimize maintenance and operation of the facility.
FFS entails: (1) an understanding of the degradation mechanisms affecting the specific equipment/component, (2) the need to have an effective inspection system in place to provide clear and accurate knowledge of the physical condition of the equipment/component, and (3) reliable methods for assessing the suitability of the equipment for service facilities to maintain the availability of older plants and enhance long term viability.
API Standard 579-1/ASME FFS-1: Fitness-for-Service was the result of joint effort by API and ASME and represents a major leap in the FFS technology development and has become the de facto international standard for Fitness-For-Service (FFS) assessments in the refining and petrochemical industry.
Use of API 579 involves extensive calculations of effect of defect growth on integrity of pressure containment equipment such as process vessels, transportation pipelines, process piping, etc. Available computer software may not adequately address specific cases. The proposal here will address the gaps in applying the general scheme to specific cases of the Client’s.
Scope of Work
- Developing new computer software, using the API/ASME standard that would take account of flaws / defects arising from a combination of sources including material composition, corrosion, operational conditions, fracture, fatigue, etc.
- Defects and flaws will be characterized and modeled to determine growth and potential failure under operating conditions of flow, fluid composition, pressure and material strength
- Predictions will be made of remaining life and means of extending the life where so required
- Developing improved & customized software for maintenance planning and optimization
Work Strategy & Value
Execution of the work scope would be as follows:
- Consultants personnel will liaise with appropriate Client’s staff and field personnel on equipment data and operational history
- Use will be made of international standards API 579 and applicable software tools
- Results of FFS calculations will be tested against field experience and loaded into Client’s audit tracking system
- A new software package will be produced for trial run by Client. Feedback from the application will be used to improve the software
- The Consulting unit will provide a viable execution plan for the contract, with associated milestones
- Contract duration: 1 – 2 yrs,
- Contract value estimate is FUSD 350,000.00 – 550,000.00 for a 2-year contract
Business benefits
Expected business benefits from this activity include:
- Assurance of equipment reliability
- Estimate of remaining life of high capacity equipment
- Means of life extension of equipment and plant
- Eliminating early life failures
- Minimizing maintenance costs and production downtime
- Enhancement of Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) Practices
Objective
To develop Client-specific framework for enhancement of Risk-based Inspection (RBI) of Oil & Gas process equipment and facilities
Background
Process equipment and facilities in Oil and Gas production require regular, periodic inspection to ensure continued integrity in operations. The inspection results are used to establish proactive measures needed to prevent or at least minimize incidents of equipment failure and associated production down time. The inspection schedule is usually incorporated into an inspection and maintenance plan covering long term and short term requirements. However, an overall inspection programme involving a complete cycle of inspection can be unduly expensive and time consuming. In reality, it is found that some process elements would not require as much inspection as may be allotted to them, while others would require more frequent inspection than anticipated. Hence there is need to prioritize the activities in order to realize the benefits of the inspection programme and, at the same time, save costs. RBI aims at implementing this need.
Standard RBI procedures are available and are being implemented in various oil & gas operations, with adaptations to the need and circumstances of specific companies and operating environment. In order to enhance the practices and increase the benefits therefrom, new or improved procedures are required that would take into account new inspection tools and software, operators skills and utilization of process equipment. This proposal is aimed at achieving this enhancement.
Scope of Work
- Identify and agree with Client on the safety critical equipment and facilities to be covered, including process vessels, tanks, piping systems, fittings, valves, utility systems,
- Compile relevant Company documents on the performance and availability of each element, including inspection records, breakdown / failure and maintenance records
- Carry out spot checks or measurements to verify the records or data, including non-destructive testing (NDT), fluid analysis and materials testing, where applicable
- Apply analytical risk assessment methods, involving relevant computer software to determine risk ranking of the various equipment / units
- Identify appropriate inspection techniques including various NDT techniques such as ultrasonic (UT), radiographic (RT), particle testing (PT), eddy current (EC), visual / camera close-range, etc.
- Evaluate associated HSE consequences
- Prepare risk-based inspection plan for both short term (up to 6 months, 6 months – 1 yr) and longer term (> 1 yr, 3 – 5 yrs) intervals.
- Establish the strategy for enhanced RBI practice, incorporating related HSE requirements
- Incorporate outcome of RBI into SAP for action execution and tracking
Work Strategy & Value
Execution of the work scope would be as follows:
- Consultants personnel have relevant skill and experience to carry out the tasks involved, including inspectors certified to ASNT levels II and III
- Consultants personnel will liaise with appropriate Client’s staff and field personnel on reference documents (design & operations) and field data gathering
- Use will be made of international standards on RBI techniques, e.g. API 580 / 581 and applicable software tools
- Would create linkage of RBI software to Client’s SAP running
- Testing facilities and relevant computer software will be used to check and analyse data and records provided by Company and to acquire additional ones where required
- Consultants team will provide a viable execution plan for the contract, with associated milestones
Business benefits
Expected business benefits from this activity include:
- More efficient execution of RBI
- Greater focus on safety critical equipment
- Cost-effective management of RBI through SAP
- Effective monitoring of facility/unit efficiency and general performance
- Reduced downtime/ increased productivity