Title: A decision model for executing plant strategy: maintaining the technical integrity of petroleum flowlines

Authors: R.M. Chandima Ratnayake

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Structural Engineering and Materials Science (IKM), Faculty of Science and Technology, University of Stavanger – UiS, N-4036, Stavanger, Norway

Abstract: The 'strategic' management of technical integrity has become a high profile subject matter over recent years within inspection and maintenance of assets in the process industry. The assets such as production and process facilities require being optimised, prioritised and cost-effective inspection and maintenance, depending on whether they are at the beginning or end of their design life. In both cases, it is vital to ensure that sufficient condition monitoring data from all relevant sources are collated and analysed as a part in a planned scheme of inspection and maintenance. This is largely driven by certifying authority requirements, sound mechanical and corrosion engineering principles as well as inspection and maintenance approaches, indicated in a plant strategy. This manuscript suggests a model to execute plant strategy using analytic hierarchy process method. The model indicates the incorporation of requirements specified in a plant strategy for reaching optimised, prioritised and cost-effective outcome.

Keywords: strategy execution; technical integrity; analytical hierarchy process; AHP; decision models; plant strategies; petroleum flowlines; strategic management; asset inspection; asset maintenance; process industries; production facilities; process facilities; optimisation; prioritisation; cost-effectiveness; design life; condition data; monitoring data; planned schemes; certifying authorities; mechanical engineering; corrosion engineering; optimised outcomes; prioritised outcomes; cost-effective outcomes; decision sciences; risk management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJDSRM.2012.046602

International Journal of Decision Sciences, Risk and Management, 2012 Vol.4 No.1/2, pp.1 - 24

Received: 22 Nov 2010
Accepted: 09 Apr 2011
Published online: 23 Aug 2014 *

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