What are the most effective pipeline and facility maintenance practices?

For Preventive Maitenance and condition monitoring always follow the current best practices. Preventive Maitenance not only improve the life of equipment but also reduces down time, and improves uninterrupted , smooth operation, like pigging, and picot cleaning reduces blockage amd improve dlow rates and reduces pumping cost.

A manuten??o preventiva é essencial para garantir a integridade e eficiência das tubula??es e instala??es de petróleo e gás. Ao inspecionar, manter e reparar regularmente esses componentes, é possível evitar a ocorrência de falhas, vazamentos, corros?o, eros?o e outros problemas que poderiam comprometer a seguran?a e a opera??o eficiente. Além de prolongar a vida útil das tubula??es e instala??es, a manuten??o preventiva também contribui para a redu??o do tempo de inatividade, minimiza??o de perdas, conformidade com regulamentos e aprimoramento da reputa??o da empresa.

Condition monitoring and Predictive Maitenance should be done in parallel with essential care, and preventive Maitenance. Predictive Maitenance Give prior knowledge to machine behavior, initiation of deterioration, and also provide information where to focus and which part need more focus like greasing, oiling, alignment, et ecetra. Preventive Maitenance results/data provides information to where to spend more capex, and also give enough time to arrange spare, and properly plan shutdown or fixed time Maitenance or break-down Maitenance.

From PHA HAZOP/LOPA cause consequence and SIL study provide us information about which equipment failure lead to more risk, In that way we allocate more capex and resources for that equipment and hazard reduction and Maitenance. And maintain a list of critical equipment. Or for instrumentation FMEA or for electric machines FTA aor some time what-if checklist provide information which machine are criticallyhasore risk if failure happens. Risk based maintenance is key to maintaining profitable bussiness otherwise there will no clue where to focus, and allocate resources.

The best approach to asset life cycle management is to adopt a risk-based maintenance framework, which integrates capabilities (i.e. plans, processes, procedures, knowledge) along with enablers (i.e. technology and technologically literate workforce) into asset life cycle stages (i.e. business case, create or acquire, operate and maintain, dispose or replace). Developing a risk-based maintenance strategy will preserve capital value of assets, optimize maintenance schedule for increased equipment availability, and help meet stakeholders' requirements while keeping risks ALARP. It's also a critical step in building a strong foundation for digital transformation.

Asset-intensive organizations can leverage emerging technologies to collect equipment performance data, connect disparate data sources, and analyze data to identify early patterns of failure, thereby enabling more informed decision making regarding which maintenance strategy to adopt. Some examples of utilizing technology are installation of wireless sensors, connection of historical and real-time data to AI software, deployment of machine to machine (M2M) learning, and autonomous creation of work orders. Further, integration of Asset Performance Management (APM) systems into other business systems (e.g. ERP, ...), provides a complete end-to-end view of operations and offers improvement opportunities across the entire value stream.

Establishing comprehensive Pipeline Integrity Management Systems (PIMS) that encompass risk assessment, threat identification, and mitigation planning is essential for long-term infrastructure integrity. In a transcontinental pipeline project I was involved in, we implemented a GIS-based PIMS that integrated historical data, inspection results, and environmental factors to prioritise maintenance activities and allocate resources effectively, significantly enhancing the pipeline's safety and reliability. Regular cleaning and pigging of pipelines using smart pigs and cleaning devices help in removing deposits, detecting anomalies like cracks or metal loss, and ensuring efficient flow.