Asset Integrity Management

 Techn  T echnolo ology gy &

Innovation

Asset Integrity Management

Asset Integrity Management

 Techn  T echnolo ology gy &

Innovation

Asset integrity is the key to operational excellence The nature of our industry recognises the potential human, environmental and financial consequences that can result from failing to maintain the integrity of vessels, tanks, pipelines and other assets. The importance of effective asset integrity management increases as the industry infrastructure continues to age. “Asset integrity management refers to the management systems, strategies and activities aimed at maintaining plant assets in fit-forpurpose condition for the desired life of those assets. It incorporates aspects of design, operations, maintenance and inspection to maximise the return from assets,” says Maarten Lorenz, Inspection and Reliability Engineer at Shell Global Solutions. “It’s crucial to remember that asset integrity management is a key element of what we call the ‘steps to operational excellence.’ It’s an equal partner with a number of other steps—such as MERITTM reviews, risk management, maintenance efficiency, shutdown management and availability modeling. But it is certainly the first step you should consider, assuming your assets are already designed and in place.” “The most remarkable thing I find—and this  was confirmed confirmed by by a marketing marketing study we we underundertook last year—is that many of our clients are not familiar with what is meant by asset integrity management.  If you talk about inspection problems or corrosion problems, then people do understand. But getting people to see that these are just aspects of the much broader approach of asset integrity management is crucial. It is this broad approach that makes asset integrity management so powerful,” adds Mr. Lorenz. “The benefits of undertaking such a broad approach are clear and straightforward,” he adds. “And it’s difficult to overestimate their importance. Preserve the integrity of your assets and you are likely to have smoother operations with fewer interruptions—in short, more uptime and less downtime. And that, of course, means more profits for your operation.” “Secondly if you get this right, it means you are likely to have safer plants and processes—with less accidents, fewer spills and leaks, fewer people hurt and less damage to

He adds, “Ultimately what typically flows from these two benefits is an enhanced reputation for your organisation—which is another crucial element of improved business performance.” Globally it’s it’s estimated that the costs of corrosion-related corrosion-related leaks and equipment failures amount to a staggering £220 billion for the oil and gas and chemicals industries. 1 A large portion of this is avoidable, and Shell Global Solutions has been striving to become the industry leader in delivering asset integrity management solutions, which can help businesses tackle the problem. Shell Global Solutions’ asset integrity capabilities stem, in part, from its extensive acces s to operating experience with a wide range of plants and facilities in the oil and gas industries including offshore platforms, production facilities, pipelines, gas and LNG plants, refineries and chemical plants.  A 15 0+ str ong tea m of exp eri enc ed engineers—many of whom have worked in chemical plants, refineries or production facilities—is based in three primary service centres to provide an extensive global netw ork. “But critical to the team’s effectiveness is an approach that aims to pay close attention to customer needs. Our solutions are customised to optimise operations. It’s about creating solutions together with the customer,” adds Mr. Lorenz. In Africa and Europe, the problem of managing assets poses some major challenges, and it is now widely recognised that this is an area  where Shell Global Solutio ns’ c ustom ised approach to asset integrity management can help. For a large offshore operator in the North Sea, the primary focus was addressing the challenges arising from assets with ages between 20 and 30 years old. Mr. Lorenz explains, “There was a strong desire to maintain high standards of equipment integrity and a need to undertake an assessment of the condition for critical equipment. From that, the company sought to plan its equipment repair and replacement expenditures.” Specialists from Shell Global Solutions

Asset integrity is the key to operational excellence Focused Asset Integrity Review (FAIR) of its facilities to assess current plant conditions and to advise on necessary repair and replacement requirements. The review brought together the disciplines of materials and corrosion, rotating equipment and mechanical engineering to cover a representative sample of the operator’s assets including various platform types and ages. Critical equipment was identified and detailed assessments were made of equipment condition using records, equipment observation and staff interviews. “The value delivered to the company enabled fundamental changes to be made to the entire organisation,” says Mr. Lorenz. “Central to this way of working was close co-operation between Shell Global Solutions’ advisors and key staff members from the client.” “The operator was able to gain a clear understanding of its integrity status and to identify potential problem areas, and this went on to form the basis of its multi-year equipment operating costs and capital investment plans. The operator viewed the work undertaken by Shell Global Solutions so highly that it decided to undertake a second phase of FAIR equipment reviews on a wider range of onshore and offshore assets.” This is typical of the way Shell Global Solu-

The breadth and scope of the team’s expertise is equally well-placed to address other challenges facing the sector. “Other challenges might stem from workforce issues, and we can tailor solutions to those problems as well,” adds Mr. Lorenz. “For example, problems such as an aging workforce, limited availability of qualified staff, growth of remote locations and the high costs for in-house expertise can all impinge on asset integrity management.” In such instances, Shell Global Solutions  would draw on its technical expertise, global operational operational experience and ability to share best practices while delivering project technical expertise, training and competency development and support ongoing operations. “Whatever the issues, we are usually able to add value to a client’s bottom line through s olutions that combine extensive depth and breadth of technical expertise, unique tools and global operating experience,” concludes Mr. Lorenz. “We are like fellow operators—as we know the issues you face, and we have first-hand experience available to deliver solutions for those same issues faced by our own plants and facilities. That’s what makes us unique.”  LITERATURE CITED 1 US

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