How to extend life of assets

An ABB Engineering Services product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Mar 22, 2006

Independent expert review of the technical options and associated costs helped international offshore operator discover the basis for forward planning and budgeting.

Today, companies face many pressures to ensure the continued safe and economic operation of their assets.

This is particularly relevant to operators of offshore assets.

Businesses need to assess proactively the condition of their production facilities and put in place effective asset strategies that support the achievement of longer term business objectives.

To meet these needs, ABB Engineering Services has developed a structured approach to asset life extension - the Asset Life Study.

This methodology has been refined in over 15 years of use and has been extended to cover a range of industries.

The outcomes are key to asset life planning, balancing the immediate issues facing equipment and the cumulative effect of these operations over an extended period.

In one case study, an international operator needed to determine the suitability of a number of its offshore oil and gas platforms for continued 20 year production.

The assets were operating past their original design life, and the company faced strategic decisions regarding investment in new or existing units.

The starting point was the determination of the base case - what would be involved in maintaining the existing assets for the next 20 years?.

The company required an independent expert review of the technical options and associated costs to provide the basis for forward planning and budgeting.

The Asset Life Study approach was suited to the task.

A team of experienced engineers carried out a study of the whole platform topside structure and equipment, including vessels, piping, machines, electrical, control and instrumentation assets.

The study team reviewed operating, inspection and maintenance practices as well as equipment hardware issues, such as reliability, obsolescence and maintainability.

The study was completed in one month, and included an overview visual inspection of the offshore assets, and discussions with offshore and shore-based operations and technical support teams.

The study determined that in general the assets were well maintained and should run satisfactorily for a further 20 years with replacement of only a relatively small fraction of equipment.

Even in this case of a well run and maintained plant the deterioration of particular equipment items will continue through corrosion and other age-related factors, and with the increasing production demands other items may be operating outside their design capability.

"Sustaining plant operations beyond the original design life time requires a level of strategic reinvestment", said Laza Krstin, Senior Mechanical Consultant with ABB Engineering Services.

"Identifying the particular plant items which will need replacement or major repair allows the development of an asset life plan and provides the framework for the determination of appropriate equipment and maintenance policies".