16
Oct 2020

RBI – A Cost-effective Approach for Inspection and Maintenance Planning

Risk Based Inspection LifeTech Engineering Ltd

Any business associated with the oil & gas, petrochemical, or other such process industry will have faced increased pressure to minimise risks and improve safety at the plant. But how is it possible? Risk based inspection allows you to minimise inspection costs and risks by using relevant software and techniques for effective inspection and maintenance planning.

What Is Risk Based Inspection?

RBI or Risk Based Inspection is a methodology used to assess and manage the risks associated with your plant by focusing inspection on process equipment. This analysis helps you to make informed decisions on inspection frequency, inspection time, and use of resources

What Does Risk Based Inspection Include?

  • Assessment of process equipment essential to operations
  • Creation of a corrosion management plan
  • Remaining life Assessment
  • A unique approach to identifying operational risks
  • Reviewing technical specifications

At LifeTech Engineering Ltd, we have introduced a software suite, RBLXTM which enables you to implement RBI, make Corrosion Risk Assessments (CRA), Remaining Life Assessment, and Life Extension projects. Using this suite, we prioritise high-risk components, identify damage mechanisms, define inspection intervals, inspection techniques, inspection coverage, and remedial actions.

Perks of Risk-Based Inspection Services

  • Significantly reduces risk and improves plant performance & safety
  • Allows you to optimise the budget for inspection and maintenance departments
  • Manage inspection and shutdown intervals
  • Offers great flexibility to customise corrosion mitigation plan
  • Eliminates over-inspection and optimises inspection methods
  • Operational parameter compliance
  • RBLXTM software addresses risk ranking and produces optimum inspection plans
  • Offers great support for refinery senior management
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.