Oil & Gas and Petrochemical industries are constantly facing great pressure to reduce risks and improve safety and environment related issues. Owners still make a constant effort aiming to reduce production costs and optimize maintenance activities.
U-SONIX team have significant experience developing risk-based inspection (RBI) programs on fixed equipment and piping in the hydrocarbon and chemical process industries, and offshore pressure systems. These programs are based on API RP 580, API RP 581, DNV-RP-G101, and the best engineering practices and client specifications. The programs are complemented by the implementation of software and technology.
Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) is an analysis methodology and process that, as opposed to condition-based inspection, requires qualitative or quantitative assessment of the probability of failure (PoF) and the consequence of failure (CoF) associated with each equipment item, piping circuits included, in a particular process unit. A properly-implemented RBI program categorizes individual pieces of equipment by their risks and prioritizes inspection efforts based on this categorization. Through an analysis of the probability and consequences of failure associated with each equipment, component or structure, a proper inspection and maintenance programme is then developed.
RBI is used to identify and understand risk, risk drivers, and where equipment is in its lifecycle. RBI can indicate whether inspection is needed; however, this requires additional data that is extremely targeted to reduce the underlying uncertainties associated with the risks about the current and future predicted damage state of the equipment. RBI should not be used to recommend any inspection when it will not improve knowledge about the damage state. In those cases, where PoF is driving the risk, RBI should point to other mitigation options such as replacement, repair, or other actions that satisfy the risk criteria.
RBI is crucial for optimizing the operation and maintenance of industrial plants in various industries. It helps you to meet the financial, reliability and regulatory needs of the industry by improving your plant’s performance, availability and safety. It extends the lifetime of your plant by establishing a long-term testing and inspection procedure.