17
Nov 2020

How Does the Oil and Gas Industry Maintain Operational Efficiency Through AIM?

Asset Integrity Management LifeTech Engineering Ltd

The 2017 annual health and safety data published for UK-based oil and gas industries reports that the industry has been continually improving performance in terms of safety. It also states that in over 50 million man-hours worked offshore, there were only 113 reportable injuries. This is because the government has publicly committed to process safety and asset integrity management.

But how does the industry maintain asset integrity management standards? Can an asset integrity management system in the oil and gas industry help deliver world-class operational performance?

Ideally, asset integrity management involves identifying and reducing safety risks, developing inspection and maintenance plans, and monitoring discrepancies in material conditions while ensuring continuous improvement.

Some of the challenges faced by the oil and gas industry include handling infrastructure that has outlived its original design life, dealing with an ageing workforce, dealing with unplanned outages, etc. Maintaining asset integrity helps avoid unplanned downtime and related safety and environmental incidents.

At LifeTech Engineering, we have implemented asset integrity management programs for oil and gas companies across the world, generating first-class operational performance. We have increased profitability for operators by combining risk-based inspection with corrosion inspection management and data management to reduce risk and ensure timely and accurate decision making.

Our process of assuring asset integrity spans the full lifecycle of the asset. This requires proper planning and experience to maintain integrity throughout the organization. It also ensures that the people, process, and resources required are in place and ready to perform when needed.

A typical asset integrity program includes:

  • Risk-Based Inspection
  • Corrosion management
  • Reliability centred maintenance
  • Condition-based maintenance
  • In-service inspection
  • Non-destructive testing

An asset integrity management system does not exist separately; it works only when all stakeholders have a unified understanding of how asset integrity can be applied to day to day working.

06
Oct 2020

A summary of Asset Integrity Management

Asset Integrity Management , LifeTech Engineering Ltd

Asset Integrity Management helps avoid unplanned downtime in the oil and gas industry – it encompasses the complete lifecycle of an asset, right from design to decommissioning. AIM also helps avoid related safety and environmental incidents. Without proper asset integrity management, installations are at risk of incidents that could have considerable adverse safety, economic, environmental damage.

What Is Asset Integrity Management?

Asset Integrity Management services for the oil and gas industry refers to a system that ensures assets perform their required functions relating to health, safety, and environment. Thus, the right people, structure, and processes must be in place to perform whenever required and mitigate any unintended release of hazardous materials or energy.

How Is Asset Integrity Management Applied?

As stated earlier, AIM helps manage the capability of an asset to function efficiently throughout its lifetime. AIM also ensures that the systems, processes, and people who deliver the assets’ integrity are in place and can perform when required.

AIM can be performed by various means, including inspection, auditing, overall quality processing, etc. A typical Asset Integrity Management program includes:

  • Risk-based Inspection
  • Fitness for Service
  • Remaining Life Assessment
  • Corrosion Risk Assessment
  • Corrosion Management System
  • Plant Life Extension
  • Reliability Centered Maintenance
  • Training Courses

Thus, assets are maintained in a fit-for-service condition throughout their lifecycle, cost-effectively, and safely. AIM programmes are conducted to ensure compliance with API-580, API-581, and PAS 55 requirements.

What Are the Challenges In Implementing Asset Integrity Management?

Given the dynamic industrial landscape, businesses must produce high-quality products at competitive prices. This is especially true for oil and gas operators who always have to maintain a safe and environmentally friendly facility and keep their production equipment in optimum condition. . To achieve this, all oil and petrochemical business stakeholders must have a common and consistent understanding of Asset Integrity and how it can be implemented in everyday operations. This, however, is easier said than done.

How Does Asset Integrity Management Help Solve This Problem?

Through successful AIM implementation, businesses can ensure that the people, systems, and processes involved in integrity management are in place throughout the asset’s lifecycle. The process also requires that the balance between resources and assets are well-structured and maintained to ensure a well management asset.

Asset Integrity Management solutions in the UK combine mechanical integrity technologies with traditional and advanced inspection techniques to ensure a comprehensive asset management portfolio. To this end, AIM based services offer asset integrity management software packages that help in various stages of Asset Integrity Management, viz. RBLX RBI software, FITest FFS software, Fusion Life Software.

Through Asset Integrity Management Programmes, businesses can improve their equipment’s reliability, reduce equipment failures and instances that lead to safety and environmental incidents, improve product consistency, reduce unplanned maintenance costs, reduce operation costs, improve contractor performance, and comply with government regulations.