ARTC Reliability Conference
Economics of Risk Based Inspection and Maintenance (RBI/RBM)
Daley Lasebikan
Tischuk International Ltd/Three Rivers Systems Development Company
Introduction
RBI is the use of risk assessment to plan, justify and aid the assessment of results from
inspection, testing and monitoring. It should deliver fully developed inspection plans based
on risk, which are consistent with the business objectives and regulatory requirements of the
end-user.
Regulatory authorities in many countries have recognised the validity of risk based
approaches to inspection and maintenance management and are beginning to agree changes to
fixed interval inspection regimes based on an RBI approach. For example, AEA Technology
Ltd conducted a pilot RBI implementation at the Mossgas Naptha unit in South Africa and as
a result, successfully persuaded the regulatory authorities there that hitherto mandatory
pressure testing of vessels need not be carried out.
RBI implementation includes four main elements:
1. Get the organisation “Ready for RBI”
2. Risk assessment
3. Inspection planning
4. Feedback
RBI may not deliver the expected results if any of the four elements are neglected. Operators
frequently spend too much of their time on evaluation of alternative risk assessment methods
while neglecting the equally important tasks of getting the organisation ready for RBI and
inspection planning. In the worst cases this results in an expensive report from the RBI
contractor sitting on a shelf while inspection continues as "business as usual". Management
must support the scope of full implementation.
Page 1 of 1
1. Getting the Organisation “Ready for RBI”
The change from conventional inspection to RBI makes a number of organisational and
technical demands. Unless the effort is made up front to get the organisation ready for RBI,
the operator will not get the full benefit. The main tasks in getting ready for RBI are:
1.1 Adopting a written company RBI policy
1.2 Developing an up to date overview of the process
1.3 Addressing all issues concerning sources of data
1.4 Adequately training the personnel who will be involved.
1.1 Company RBI Policy
RBI is a team-based process. A Company RBI Policy is needed to establish a framework for:
1. Why is RBI being adopted?
2. What measures will be used to determine whether RBI has paid off?
3. Who is included on the RBI team?
4. What are their roles in the RBI process?
5. Who is responsible and accountable for what actions?
6. How the RBI process will be carried out? (in-house, contractor, or a mixed team of
in-house and contracting personnel)
7. When the RBI will be updated?
8. What obstacles may prevent getting the full benefit of RBI? (external regulations,
other company policies)
The RBI policy document is a means of communicating these decisions to all levels of the
organisation from senior management to plant operators and inspectors, whilst demonstrating
management commitment to RBI. The lack of a policy document makes it difficult to ensure
that all interested parties have the same understanding of the terms of reference for RBI.
1.2 Develop an Up to Date Process Overview
Page 2 of 2
Elements of both consequences and probability of failure are determined by process
information such as fluid composition, fluid contaminants, pressure, temperature, flow rate,
etc. It is important to establish current values for these parameters and their normal ranges of
variation so that the risk assessment can align with current operating data.
The process overview should be documented and distributed in a manner similar to a design
basis for any engineering project. This document defines the operating boundaries in which
the risk assessment is valid. In the future it will be easy to identify the need to revise the risk
assessment due to process changes outside the original boundaries.
1.3 Sources of Data Issues
In addition to the process overview data, RBI requires a large quantity of other technical data,
including equipment and piping design and construction details, summaries of inspection
results, summaries of corrosion monitoring data, piping and instrument drawings, etc.
If the basic data required for RBI is not adequate, some level of pre-RBI effort must be made.
This may involve updating drawings, analysing inspection data, locating technical details of
pressure vessels, etc. If this is not done before embarking on the RBI project, it will be done
as part of the RBI project. The RBI project will be completed behind schedule and be over
budget as a result.
1.4 Training of Personnel
It is essential that all personnel involved in the RBI project receive adequate training. The
training should include the following topics:
1. Risk Assessment basics
2. Details of the RBI system to be used
3. Review of the Company RBI policy
4. Understanding the process overview
5. How the risk assessment results will be used for inspection planning
2. Understanding Risk Assessment
Page 3 of 3
There are many methods of risk assessment. Different methods are applied for different
reasons ranging from statutory safety cases and process hazard analysis (HAZOP) studies to
management of inspection (RBI). The method used should be based on its fitness for
purpose.
Risk assessment methods are frequently described as being qualitative, quantitative or semi-
quantitative. Quantitative and qualitative risk assessment should be considered to be the
opposite ends of a continuum. Qualitative risk assessments are based primarily on expert
judgement, expertise and specific plant experience. They are plant specific and can be very
accurate in terms of probability of failure if the input data is of good quality. Quantitative risk
assessments (QRA) are based on statistical calculations using large historical databases and
specific models for probability of failure. The best RBI tools use the best elements of
qualitative and quantitative assessments to compliment each other.
3. Inspection Planning
The inspection planning phase is the reason the risk, assessment is carried out in the first
place. Clear guidelines should be prepared for the linking of tasks and frequencies to specific
results of the risk assessment. It is relatively worthless to provide the risk results to inspectors
to schedule inspections without guidelines. As part of the company policy documents,
procedures that defines the client's approach to inspection on various types of equipment on
the plant, and guidance notes to assist the inspector, are also essential to ensure the right
interpretation of results is achieved.
Page 4 of 4
Typically, inspection actions may be driven by:
Consequences – less inspection where consequences are low and more inspection where
consequences are high.
Probability – specific inspection methods selected or applied more frequently to detect
specific failure modes.
Risk or Criticality – inspection frequency or thoroughness selected to reduce or maintain risk
levels
Confidence – more inspection where confidence is low and less inspection where confidence
is high.
4. How to Implement
There are three general ways to implement RBI:
In-house
Consultants
Mixed team using both consultants and in-house personnel
In-house assessment has the advantages of intimate knowledge of the plant, greater buy-in by
the RBI team and lower external cost. Disadvantages are other demands on team members’
time, lack of familiarity with RBI tools or process and the need for
Re-training when team members working on the RBI project are interrupted for other duties.
RBI studies by consultants have advantages of expertise in the RBI process and focus on the
project. Disadvantages are lack of plant knowledge and the potential lack of understanding of
the RBI process and results by the plant personnel after the consultants have gone. This can
result in a consultant's report sitting on the shelf while business goes on as usual.
Page 5 of 5
A mixed approach uses consultants to work with company personnel to make the best use of
the strengths of both consultants and in-house staff and mix them together to avoid
weaknesses. This can provide excellent results and evolve towards a robust in-house team
that is well versed in the principles and practice of RBI.
Case Study
PT BADAK NATURAL GAS LIQUEFACTION PLANT
A pilot study was carried out during the Spring and Summer of 2000 on the CO2 removal unit
of Train A at PT BADAK’s LNG plant at Bontang, East Kalimantan in Indonesia. The plant
is the largest producer of LNG in the world, producing approximately 4,000 MMSCFD. There
are 8 trains and each train has 5 stages (CO2 removal, Dehydration, Fractionation,
Refrigeration and Main Heat Exchanger Unit).
A Company RBI policy was developed at the outset. The intention was to use the Tischuk T-
OCA RBI software and a mixed team approach, with one Tischuk engineer as trainer and
facilitator and the client’s own personnel carrying out the work.
The work-scope included 93 vessels and 284 pipework items.
Deliverables
Tischuk International were required to achieve the following deliverables:
1. Achieve full criticality assessment of Train A CO2 removal unit
2. Review and incorporate inspection history
3. Generate appropriate inspection schedules
4. Train 6 PT BADAK engineers to conduct criticality assessments and RBI
5. Develop and document the RBI process as a model for roll-out across the entire plant.
Page 6 of 6
RBI Objectives
The objectives set for the RBI program were:
x Assist in setting up a structured inspection regime for vessels and pipework.
x Reduce the amount of on line inspection on piping and vessels.
x Achieve a completely non-intrusive inspection program other than during shut-downs
brought about for reasons other than inspection.
OCA/RBI Process
The OCA process can be summarized as follows:
x P & ID's are systemised by fluid streams and by pressure and temperature envelopes.
x Relevant data including operating parameters (fluid content, temperature, pressure),
consequential factors (standby, financial, location), design data (pressure, temperature,
material), inspection history, etc. is collected and entered.
x Initial criticality is computed.
x A Plant Integrity Review is carried out which addresses any anomalies and captures local
plant experience, the “injection of reality”.
x Final criticality assessment is generated.
x The TaskMaster module is generated and inspection plans produced, based on the rules
agreed in the inspection matrix.
Results
x The plant processes different grades of gas. One of the main areas of interest for PT
BADAK is the potential for Amine corrosion and stress corrosion cracking of austenitic
stainless steel piping at elevated temperatures. RBI confirmed the significance of these
features and appropriate mitigating inspection activities have been put in place.
x Training has allowed client’s personnel to manage their own inspection and reporting
activities. A structured and prioritised inspection plan has been achieved, offering the
potential to avoid 1 shut-down in the medium term and to substantially reduce the amount
of on-line UT inspection.
Page 7 of 7
x Typical savings projected by PT Badak equals cost of shut-down (21 days):
Cost of shut-down US$1,000,000
Lost Production US$30,000,000 (Revenue)
Total potential saving: US$31,000,000
Cost of RBI implementationUS$140,000
x Work schedules were set which gave priority to high criticality items.
Within the unit, two vessels were graded as high risk while most of the pipework was in
the medium to low risk category.
x A substantial lowering in the risk profile of the plant has been achieved as a result of the
RBI process. This has been achieved as a result of the gain in plant understanding and the
application of the risk models.
x A Non – intrusive inspection program has been developed.
Number Of Items
Criticality Rating Criticality Rating
Before PIR After PIR
Criticality Distribution – Piping
The total number of records in the pipe database is 283
The number of criticality 1 items is null i.e. the risk distribution for piping indicate that no
items fall within the High Consequence / High Probability area.
Page 8 of 8
There are 22 items (7.77%) fall in the Medium / High and High / Medium area (Criticality 2).
This distribution reflects a shift in the spread of majority of piping items in the high
probability and medium consequence area before and after the PIR, i.e. 165 items were in the
Medium / High and High / Medium area (Criticality 2) before PIR whilst now there are 22.
Most of the items are now in the Medium Consequence / Low Probability area (Criticality 4).
A calculated remaining life of greater than 8 years based on the OCA computation after PIR is
to be expected.
Number of items
Criticality Rating Criticality Rating
Before PIR After PIR
Criticality Distribution - Static items
The total items of static equipment is 93
The number of criticality 1 (high risk) items is 2 i.e. the risk distribution for vessels indicates
that 2 items (2.15%) fall within the High Consequence / High Probability area.
10 items (10.75%) fall in the Medium / High and High / Medium area (Criticality 2). This
distribution reflects a shift in the spread of majority of static items in the high probability and
medium consequence area before and after the PIR, i.e. 89 items were in the Medium / High
Page 9 of 9
and High / Medium area (Criticality 2) before PIR compared with 10 after the exercise. Since
most of the items are now in the Medium Consequence / Low Probability area (Criticality 4) a
calculated remaining life of greater than 8 years, based on the OCA computation after PIR, is
to be expected.
Problems of Implementation
x Intermittent availability of some of the team members, which could not be avoided due to
operational constraints, created some inefficiency and a requirement for more re-
enforcement training during the implementation process.
x Initial data entry is very time consuming. Some operators were prone to mistakes,
exacerbated by some of the more tedious aspects of this portion of the work.
x Missing Data resulted in some lost time in attempts at sourcing and retrieval.
x Some inaccurate data was encountered. Although tolerable, as is typical with RBI
projects, the problem was compounded by some inadequacies in data
storage/identification methods, again typical.
Lesson Learned
x Plan and implement the data gathering before beginning the pilot RBI
x The Project Controller must be fully committed and a hard driving individual
x Training and support delivered before and during the RBI implementation must reflect the
specific characteristics of the client and the plant, particularly in terms of operator
availability. An implementation program must be developed which reflects these
characteristics.
x Operators must be thoroughly briefed and understand the scope of the exercise in all its
facets, including the importance of attention to detail in data entry. Data entry must be
seen as an “intelligent” activity, requiring the application of engineering “common sense.”
Conclusions
1. RBI is becoming increasingly accepted by end-users and regulators around the world as a
way of making inspection and maintenance programs more efficient and cost effective.
Page 10 of 10
2. The goals and objectives of the RBI program should be clearly defined at the beginning of
the project.
3. Getting the organisation ready for RBI is very important to the ultimate success of the
program.
Page 11 of 11
