How to Avoid Environmental Related Asset Reliability Issues

In most environmental cases we know that asset-related environmental accidents can be avoided. Whether it's a carbon monoxide leak that injures an employee or an oil pipeline rupture.

An oil pipeline rupture that kills thousands of fish, organizations probably can prevent the accident. How? In asset-intensive industries, a reliability-focused approach to managing assets can predict an environmental incident far enough in advance to allow time for a company to ensure environmental integrity.

Most companies struggle with controlling environmental risk because their equipment maintenance processes are largely reactive. I've witnessed first-hand that hundreds of companies are in the dark when it comes to environ mental risk. They react only when an incident has already happened. Yet, with organizations facing increasing environmental regulatory scrutiny, this reactive?this reactive approach will no longer make the cut. Develop an asset's proactive reliability program using technically sound reliability methodology, like RCM, to minimize the likelihood, frequency and consequences of failure. Such methodologies detect a failure far enough in advance so action can be taken to mitigate it. Equally important, these methodologies capture historical information that is critical for future trending and regulatory compliance.

At some point, inspections will detect incipient failure (P on the P-F interval). The point at which the asset isn't performing as intended is point F.

Manage failure mitigation by developing a proactive maintenance strategy based on known, likely and conceivable failure modes. In this process, there's a need for deterioration state specifications defined by condition and state monitoring that focuses on preventing or predicting functional failures that can contribute to an environmental incident.

Then you'll need to manage the collection, dissemination and analysis of asset health data related to environmental risk.

Thus, the length of time between first detecting degradation and when it fails functionally is known as the P-F interval. Remember, our strategy is to keep the asset from failing and introducing the risk of an environmental incident.

Manage failure mitigation by developing a proactive maintenance strategy based on petroleum industry, in particular, is facing increasing regulatory pressures. New regulations in California and Alberta are proposing stricter environmental guidelines. Petroleum company executives, already struggling to comply with existing regulations, are now concerned with meeting new guidelines.

So how can maintenance and operations management ensure the plant meets environmental guidelines and can adapt to new changes. Manage failure mitigation by developing a proactive maintenance strategy based on known, likely and conceivable failure modes. In this process, there’s a need for deterioration state specifications defined by condition and state monitoring that focuses on preventing or predicting functional failures that can contribute to an environmental incident.

Then you’ll need to manage the collection, dissemination and analysis of asset health data related to environmental risk. This data, typically thousands of data points, must be managed and verified so actions can be taken at the first indication of reliability degradation. Some type of reliability data management tool is a must for consolidating and managing this environmental data.

Proactively managing the reliability of an asset can mitigate environmental risks and ensure compliance with regulations. Remember to rank your assets based on environmental risk and identify the performance targets of each function required of your assets. Applying a technically sound reliability methodology, like RCM, can minimize the likelihood, frequency and consequences of the failures.

Use reliability management software to manage the data involved. Let me know if you have any questions about proactive asset reliability models.

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