Analysis of the impact of the Asset Health Index in a Maintenance Strategy

Abstract

During many years, asset management methodologies used in industry were focused on knowing and analysing the operational control of the daily work and the impact of the maintenance on the availability. Later, the costs turn into the priority, and strategies were focused on assesses a longer lifecycle and optimizing processes and contracts. Finally, recent normative have included concepts as “knowing and managing the risks” and the target is to prioritize the maintenance tasks to the critical assets. However, taking a balanced asset management model for the operational environment, quite a lot of facilities of Oil & Gas sector are reaching the end of their initially estimated lifecycle. New challenges are related to extend the life of the main items of the facilities or at least, to find the optimal replacement moment that guarantees that the maintenance strategy is being optimized. Asset Health Index methodology considers a theoretical lifecycle of an item, in which depending on the proximity to the end of the useful life, the probability of failure increases. But take this theoretical lifecycle as a base, different operation location factors or O&M aspects can modify this period. All these factor are quantified and permit us to calculate a new theoretical profile. This paper is about assess the impact of the AHI into the maintenance strategy optimisation. AHI enables us to compare future alternative cost profiles and assess the impact in the failure probability of the item. As a result, we are able to know the risk that is taken when we enlarge the operation of an item, and the impact in the operational costs.