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Asset Integrity Management and Reliability of Oil & Gas Assets

Dotimi Egbuson, Facility Engineer, QatarEnergy
Presented at the Qatar Process Safety Symposium, 27-28 June 2022, Virtual Symposium

Abstract

The implementation of an appropriate Asset Integrity Management (AIM) and reliability program is vital
to the proper functioning of any oil and gas asset not just to ensure production but also to ensure
protection of people, asset, and the environment. AIM and reliably gives oil and gas operators the
necessary tools and processes to ensure their asset integrity and business objectives are achieved.

In order to prevent the occurrence of Major Accident Hazards (MAH) and achieve good asset integrity and
reliability, most operators rely mainly on the barriers in place such as the design of the plant, control
systems, competency of the people and the implementation of appropriate processes and procedures.

Monitoring the reliability of equipment is of vital importance to maintain equipment run time, minimize
unnecessary shutdowns, unplanned repairs and lost production.

This article will look at several key processes that are required in order achieve a good asset integrity
management and reliability program.

Asset Integrity Management

Asset Integrity can be defined as the ability of an asset to perform its required function effectively and
efficiently whilst protecting health, safety and the environment. While Asset Integrity Management
(AIM) is the means of ensuring that the people, systems, processes and resources that deliver integrity
are in place, in use and will perform when required over the lifecycle of the asset i.e., from design,
installation, commissioning, operation, and decommissioning or replacement.

Managing asset integrity is vital for any oil and gas company as it is a key part of managing the risk to
people, asset, and the environment. It is also vitally important that the systems, processes, and
procedures for managing asset integrity do not just exist but are being implemented and checks are
carried out routinely to ensure compliance with the asset integrity objectives.

It is not uncommon for most oil and gas facilities to operate well beyond their design life. That is why it is
expedient for operators and asset owners to ensure the integrity of their assets is being monitored so
they can meet the current and future operating demands.

One of the main ways to control and prevent the occurrence of Major Accident Hazards (MAH), is to
implement various barriers in the form of Plant (design, control systems), People (training, competence
etc.), Processes (procedures, risk assessments, toolbox talks etc.). The Asset Integrity Management
program ensures that these barriers are in place and are functioning as expected to manage and reduce
the risk to ALARP.
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Figure 1 Swiss Cheese Model

A good Asset Integrity Management (AIM) system should be done in a three-tier approach with the
implementation of appropriate policies, processes and procedures.

• Level 1 - AIMS System & Policies

• Level 2 - Asset Integrity Processes & Procedures
• Level 3 - Asset Integrity Assurance

Figure 2 Asset Integrity Management Triangle

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PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT

The control and management of Major Accident Hazards (MAH) heavily depends on the appropriate
implementation and management of the Asset Integrity Management system. A structured approach is
often to uses to manage Asset Integrity which is the PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT model which is part of ISO
55001 Asset management systems. This ensures that the asset is managed in a safe and reliable manner
through the implementation a structured system.

Figure 3 PLAN-DO-CHECK-ACT

Any deviation from normal operating process or standards are reviewed and appropriate actions and
mitigation measures are taken to assess the situation and bring the asset back into normal operating
condition. These deviations can be assessed and reviewed through processes such AS a Risk Assessment,
Root Cause Analysis (RCA) or Peer review process.

Reliability

An asset is considered “reliable” when it is functioning as expected within a set of specific operating
conditions. One of the key reasons to monitor an asset’s reliability is to ensure that it can meet the various
stakeholder requirements, business requirements, and regulatory requirements while minimizing any
unplanned and unnecessary shutdowns.

Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) measures the average time that equipment is operating between
breakdowns or stoppages. The MTBF is usually measured in hours and helps businesses understand the
availability of their equipment (and if they have a problem with reliability).

The MTBF is calculated by taking the total time a piece of equipment is running (i.e., uptime) and dividing
it by the number of breakdowns that occurred over the same period.

MTBF = Number of operation hours (Total Uptime) ÷ Number of failures

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Take for example 2 identical pumps (A/B) operated for 100 hours each over the course of a year, totaling
(2 x 100) hrs. The pumps failed 4 times in total over that year. This means that the mean time between
failures for these pumps is 50 hours.

Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF): 200 / 4 = 50 hours.

Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) is the process of identifying potential problems that could occur
with an asset/equipment and determining what should be done to make sure the assets/equipment
continues to produce at maximum capacity. RCM is also a way to analyze breakdowns to determine
maintenance methods and unique maintenance schedules for each individual asset.

The RCM will be focused on optimizing the MTBF and improving equipment efficiency and run time. This
can be achieved by implementing various inspection and maintenance activities such as visual inspections,
vibration monitoring / analysis, routine oil change out etc.

The RCM analysis usually also forms the basis for the Preventive Maintenance Activities that would be
carried out on an asset. These techniques are typically used for rotating equipment such as pumps,
compressors and turbines etc. that need to operate with a high reliability as any downtime would be very
costly to repair and could also lead to lost production.

Maintenance Management System

At the heart of any maintenance and inspection program is a Computerized Maintenance Management
System (CMMS). The CMMS would cover all plants and equipment on the assets based on their function
location and equipment hierarchy. Inspection and maintenance tasks would be assigned to these
equipment as Preventive Maintenance (PM) activities. These PMs tasks are carried out on a set frequency
based on the outcome of the Risk Bases Inspection (RBI), Risk Based Assessment (RBA), Failure Mode And
Effects Analysis (FMECA), RCM Analysis etc.

Once the maintenance & inspection activities are done, the results are assessed by the appropriate team
/ engineer and any recommendations for further inspection or repair is captured as a Corrective
Maintenance (CM) activity. A CM activity can also be raised as part of the routine operation of the plant.
If an observation is raised on any plant or equipment that needs repair a CM can be raised. For example,
if an operator is walking around the plant and notices a leak from a piece of equipment, he can raise a CM
Work Order for corrective action to be taken to address the issue.

Conclusion

AIM and Reliability is not just about squeezing as much life out of an asset as possible; it is about ensuring
consistent performance of the asset, throughout its entire life cycle, to deliver on the business objectives
profitably and without major incident. Asset Integrity and reliability is also key to protecting a company’s
reputation, achieving its business objectives while maximizing equipment availability, minimizing risks as
well as protecting health, safety and the environment.