The objective of asset integrity is to ensure that assets are maintained well through their life cycle to protect people, property, and environment.
This is achieved using multiple structured management methods, including:
1. Apply Engineering design and standards
Apply Engineering Design and Standards to reflect best practices and technological advancements.
2. Conduct and document reviews
Conduct conceptual design reviews balancing technical and loss prevention (LP) issues with commercial requirements and periodic project reviews and document them to ensure that appropriate LP measures are in place. Perform pre-bid loss prevention reviews to identify potential hazards and highlight applicable LP Procedures.
3. Ensure construction by qualified workers
Ensure services by qualified workers including assembly, and installation according to the established standards.
4. Ensure adequate equipment protection
Ensure adequate equipment protection by applying appropriate Engineering controls.
5. Conduct quality assurance reviews
Conduct quality assurance reviews during construction to help minimizing rework, confirm that components comply with design requirements.
6. Conduct pre-startup safety reviews
Conduct pre-startup safety reviews of operational equipment/units to ensure safety and integrity.
7. Conduct daily & periodic inspections & document
Conduct daily & periodic informal inspections and resolve identified findings and deficiencies promptly and document them.
8. Conduct periodic reviews of integrity programs
Conduct reviews of asset integrity programs for continuous improvements.
9. Address safety and feasibility in any waiver
Address safety and feasibility in any waiver for deviations from standards for high level approval.
10. Implement a preventive maintenance program
Implement a preventive maintenance program that includes proper work planning, staffing and prioritization of safety items during normal operations, turnaround and inspection (T&I).
11. Perform process hazards analysis every 5 years
Perform process hazards analysis every 5 years on the entire unit.
Engineers shall promote asset integrity through equipment life cycle to protect people, property and the environment. All assets shall be for the intended service and support safe, reliable operations. Equipment design, operation, maintenance and decommissioning shall be managed through the asset life cycle consistent with industry practice and based on sound business management principles.
Therefore workers will ensure that the integrity of assets are addressed by applying recognized loss control practices during the conceptual design phase and continue through construction, operation, maintenance and finally decommissioning. Together these phases constitute the life cycle of the assets.
Workers will ensure safe operations of all wells utilizing established standard operating procedures, general instruction (GI), checklists, job safety analysis (JSA) and risk assessment. Management of Change (MOC) is key in today’s highly dynamic milieu. Workers will use MOC process to systematically evaluate, authorize, implement and document changes to existing assets. Workers will communicate and ensure that everyone understands what activities constitute a change, with provisions established to maintain employee awareness of change recognition.
Emerging digital tech is valuable to asset integrity and reliability in oil and gas. The value spans:
Condition monitoring for effectiveness
Timely informed decisions
Detection of operational anomaly
Dynamic barrier management
Extensive data set
Pattern and trends detection
Condition monitoring for more effective maintenance and inspection regimes, dictated by specific, industry, historical and real-time data. Replacing planned maintenance with proactive maintenance, driven by early warnings from sensor data, can significantly reduce downtime. Instant information from wells can provide timely decisions on underperforming wells and other potential issues that, if not dealt with, could lead to enormous costs. Detecting anomalies while drilling and during operation can also lead to more effective decisions for cost savings.
Dynamic barrier management enables operators to obtain a more accurate status of the condition of their barriers and thereby better predict and mitigate equipment failure. This will allow operators to make timely decisions preventing safety incidents and major cost overruns.
Extensive data sets on efficiency and emissions will allow the industry to better monitor its performance and meet energy efficiency and emissions standards. Patterns and historical trends from Big Data analytics will allow operators to better understand environmental risks and will also allow authorities to develop more effective regulations and monitoring regimes.
It is vital to assess organization’s readiness to support digital transformation – both willingness and ability. Benchmark against peers using maturity models – state of technology, workforce and process. Make sure strategy accounts for reality doesn’t hold back strategy. Asset Performance Strategy – should
include all parts of the organization, especially the operator. Digitalization programs – should evaluate operational processes before simply integrating data and solutions. It is critical to account for data management and cybersecurity early in the process. Also, the human element is key in digital transformation journeys – Organizations need to lead workforce and culture change, starting the initial phase. Furthermore, Measure success – identify the metrics to measure success, including time and cost budgets, and clarify accountability.
Technical Paper authored by: Mohammed A. Al-Ghazal