Summary of the basic elements, framework, and management experience for equipment integrity in the petrochemical industry

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Mechanical Integrity (MI) originates from Section 8 of the OSHA standards for the safety of highly hazardous chemical processes. After years of promotion, equipment integrity has become an independent field that has been widely recognized and applied by major petrochemical companies around the world. The concept and basic elements of equipment integrity: Generally speaking, equipment integrity refers to the functional state of a device, that is, the state it should be in when operating properly. It involves combining technical improvement measures with proper equipment management in order to ensure the good operational condition of the critical devices within an entire installation. Its characteristics are as follows: First, the integrity of the equipment is holistic, that is, the integrity of all the devices in a given setup or system ； The integrity requirements for a single device are related to the importance of that device. Second, equipment integrity runs through the entire lifecycle of equipment—from design, manufacturing, installation, operation, and maintenance to decommissioning. Thirdly, equipment integrity management involves combining technical improvements with enhanced management practices to ensure the optimal operating condition of equipment throughout the entire system. Its core principle is to handle equipment operations from an integrated perspective, while ensuring safety, and to guarantee the proper execution of each operation as well as quality control. Fourth, the integrity status of equipment is dynamic, and equipment integrity requires continuous improvement. Equipment integrity management includes six elements: the identification and classification of critical equipment, inspection, testing, and preventive maintenance, management of equipment abnormalities, quality assurance, documentation of operating procedures, and training. It is not merely the responsibility of the company’s equipment management department; it involves every department, with clear divisions of responsibilities among the various departments and individuals involved. Machinery, process equipment, industrial pipelines, power equipment, maintenance equipment, lifting and transportation equipment, as well as instruments and meters used in oil field exploration and development, petroleum refining, petrochemical production, and other types of business operations, are all within the scope of application of equipment integrity management. Enterprises should establish a set of procedures to continuously maintain the integrity of process equipment, document them, and ensure their implementation. At the same time, they must provide training to all personnel involved in maintaining the integrity of the equipment, so that they understand how the process systems function, the potential hazards associated with them, as well as the skills and steps required for their tasks, thereby ensuring that employees can carry out their work safely. Framework and components of the equipment integrity management system: The equipment integrity management system consists of four parts: production and operation management and HSE policies, equipment integrity management strategies, procedural documents, and operational documents. These four parts form the entire system in a hierarchical order from top to bottom. Production and operation management as well as HSE plans are the most important bases for equipment integrity management. In a company’s production and operation plan, targets such as equipment uptime, productivity, and budget are set; whereas in the HSE plan, targets related to safety accidents, injuries, and environmental pollution are defined. The strategic objectives of the equipment integrity management system are established by the company’s decision-making level, and should be in line with the company’s business and HSE strategic objectives. A company’s business and HSE strategy plans change over time, so the strategic objectives of its equipment integrity management system should also change accordingly. Procedural documents define the organizational structure, clarify the respective responsibilities, and ensure the effective operation of the system. Operating documents and procedures are specific technical documents and procedures, namely detailed operational guidelines such as material selection protocols and inspection procedures. Their purpose is to standardize and normalize the work processes, ensuring that the same results are obtained regardless of who carries out the task, thereby reducing the impact of human factors. The implementation of a equipment integrity management system includes aspects such as the formulation of strategies, planning and organization, the execution of the system, as well as its inspection and review. It consists of interrelated activities and procedural steps, with all of these procedures being important components of the PDCA cycle. Achieve continuous improvement and constant enhancement through PDCA. Planning (P): Establishing the policies and objectives for an organization’s equipment integrity management system is the starting point for equipment management, with these policies and objectives being set by the organization’s top management. Implementation (D): In line with its policies and objectives, a comprehensive system is implemented, with clear definitions of the responsibilities and authorities associated with each position. These responsibilities and authorities must contribute to the achievement of the policies and objectives of the enterprise’s equipment integrity management. At the same time, detailed procedures for implementing equipment integrity management must be established, and these procedures must comply with relevant laws, regulations, and other applicable requirements. Implement the work procedures for equipment integrity management in accordance with the implementation plan, and ensure the quality of the work. Check and Improve (C&A): Conduct inspections and reviews of the entire equipment integrity management system to identify any unreasonable aspects and make improvements, thereby achieving continuous improvement of the entire system. Companies must provide proper training to their employees so that they are able to carry out their responsibilities within the overall system, and there should be established procedures to ensure that relevant information is communicated adequately among employees. Enterprises must also establish a management system for documents and information, and maintain it properly. By controlling the operation process of the system, it is ensured that the entire system operates in accordance with the established documented procedures. Experience in equipment integrity management abroad: Some large petrochemical companies abroad have, through several years of implementation, gradually developed some effective practices for equipment integrity management. These experiences are: (1) Equipment integrity greatly enhances the effectiveness of the overall equipment management system, with the aim of ensuring the overall integrity of the equipment in a factory or plant. (2) Equipment integrity management must cover every stage of the entire equipment lifecycle, and targeted maintenance plans should be developed based on the different life stages. (3) The equipment management required for equipment integrity emphasizes “prevention” over “cure”. Therefore, all critical process equipment in the factory must have preventive maintenance plans. (4) The health status of equipment is dynamic; therefore, a mechanism for continuous improvement must be established. (5) Abnormal conditions in processes and equipment are often early signs of serious equipment failures; companies must manage and address such abnormal conditions properly. (6) Equipment operations must be regularly reviewed to support the implementation of quality assurance measures, ensuring the quality of each equipment operation. (7) Maintenance procedure documents should be established for key process equipment; the relevant maintenance records must be properly kept and utilized, and employees are required to follow the standard operating procedures strictly. (8) Activities such as the design, construction, acceptance, operation, maintenance, inspection, and repair of equipment should be carried out in accordance with sound engineering methods or practices. Engineering standards should be established within the company, and all employees are required to follow these standards in their work. (9) The planning and implementation of the equipment management system should take into account its risk level, allocating maintenance and inspection resources from low-risk equipment to high-risk equipment. Experience abroad shows that effective equipment integrity management can bring the following benefits to enterprises: first, by reducing the time required for equipment maintenance, extending the maintenance intervals, and optimizing maintenance activities through risk-based inspection techniques, it is possible to significantly reduce the costs associated with oil refining and petrochemical plants. This optimization focuses not only on reducing direct maintenance costs but also enhances the overall reliability of the process equipment. Secondly, it enables the equipment to carry out maintenance and inspection tasks within a reasonable time frame, to predict its operating conditions, and to implement appropriate maintenance, improvements, and replacements based on the results of those inspections. This helps keep the equipment in proper working condition, thereby improving both production capacity and quality. Third, implementing a comprehensive equipment integrity management system can improve the existing equipment management framework in enterprises. At every stage of the equipment lifecycle, through a programmed and standardized implementation process, activities such as comprehensive equipment management and predictive maintenance carried out in the factory can be enhanced. Fourthly, a equipment integrity management system supported by risk-based inspection techniques (RBI), reliability-centered maintenance techniques (RCM), safety integrity level analysis techniques (SIL), etc., will achieve better results. It not only enables an extension of the mechanical operation cycle but also reduces labor hours and equipment maintenance costs, thereby extending the equipment’s lifespan, improving productivity, and minimizing equipment failures as well as safety incidents. Fifthly, in addition to routine inspection and maintenance tasks, the equipment integrity management system allows the use of advanced inspection and diagnostic instruments. These instruments enable the collection and recording of data on equipment performance, which facilitates diagnostic analysis to identify and predict the condition of the equipment as well as any potential abnormalities. It helps determine when maintenance is needed, thereby preventing sudden failures and inadequate maintenance. This approach ensures a thorough understanding of the equipment’s operating conditions, allows for the establishment of optimal maintenance schedules, and aims to achieve zero equipment failures. Sixthly, integrating a comprehensive equipment management system with existing management systems such as HSE, ISO9001, and ISO14000 will improve the company’s management framework, thereby enhancing its overall management level. It is urgent to implement equipment integrity management in petrochemical enterprises. Improving such management is first and foremost a necessity for strengthening safety production management. The production in petrochemical enterprises falls under the category of process industries, characterized by a high degree of continuity in the production process. The production conditions are severe, involving flammability and explosiveness, high temperatures and pressures, as well as complex processes. The process systems and auxiliary systems are extensive and intricate. Moreover, as these facilities become larger and more automated, the failure of critical equipment can lead to serious safety accidents, resulting in significant casualties, property losses, and environmental pollution, thereby having a substantial negative impact on society. At present, the equipment management in China’s state-owned petrochemical enterprises is inadequate, with significant human factors playing a role. Coupled with frequent staff turnover within these enterprises, this creates greater safety risks for the facilities. To prevent safety accidents, it is necessary to enhance the technical improvements of equipment and implement comprehensive management, standardize and regulate operating procedures, reduce the impact of human factors, and ensure the safe and reliable operation of the installations. The second is the need for the device to operate over long periods of time. The integrity management of equipment must take into account the reliability of the entire system. It is necessary to identify and assess the risks associated with the devices within the system, to understand which devices pose the greatest risks during operation and what the level of those risks is, to comprehend their failure mechanisms, to determine effective inspection methods and frequencies, and to allocate maintenance resources appropriately. At the same time, it is important to know what operating conditions the equipment should maintain during use, as well as how to combine technical improvements with enhanced management practices to ensure that all equipment operates in good condition, thereby guaranteeing safe, stable, continuous, efficient, and high-quality production for the facility. Third is the need to achieve full-process management. At present, enterprises still exhibit varying degrees of disorder in equipment management. This is mainly manifested in relying on experience to determine the scope of maintenance tasks, rather than using limited maintenance resources rationally through risk-based analysis; moreover, predictive maintenance for high-risk equipment is lacking ； The organizational structure has too many levels, resulting in slow and distorted information transmission; there is severe inter-departmental conflict, leading to low work efficiency ； Only focus on the technical management of equipment, without giving sufficient consideration to its economic efficiency and performance ； The basic data, daily maintenance data, and inspection/repair data are incomplete and unsystematic ； Abnormal situations cannot be handled in a timely manner ； Change management is not implemented. An analysis of these problems reveals that the main reason is the widespread existence of practices based on individuals and departments in the management process, along with a lack of systematic management concepts. Equipment management is a comprehensive process that includes management throughout its entire life cycle – from the planning and research, design and selection, manufacturing and acceptance, as well as installation and commissioning in the \"early stages\" of its life, to maintenance, renovation, upgrading, and disposal in the \"later stages\". The management of a device’s “first half of its life” determines the operating condition of its “second half.” Currently, most enterprise equipment management departments focus their efforts on managing equipment during its \"later stages of life.\" There is a common tendency to report positive developments in infrastructure-related aspects while highlighting problems in production, thereby ignoring the issues that arise throughout the entire lifecycle of equipment management. Fourth, it is necessary to strengthen the management of the ‘three basics’ for equipment. With the introduction of new processes, technologies, and equipment, as well as ongoing standardization, the work related to the \"three basics\" has acquired a new meaning. To ensure that the “three basics” initiatives are fully implemented in terms of details and execution, it is necessary to establish a systematic operational mechanism. Implementing equipment integrity management allows for systematic and comprehensive management of relevant data. Standard operating procedures are established throughout the entire equipment management process, and the quality of each procedure is ensured, thereby effectively strengthening the \"three basics\" approach. In summary, the equipment management system of petrochemical enterprises in our country is still based on traditional approaches at present. Equipment operations must be regularly reviewed to support the implementation of quality assurance measures, ensuring the quality of each equipment operation. For critical process equipment, maintenance procedure documents should be established; the relevant maintenance records must be properly kept and utilized, and employees are required to follow the standard operating procedures strictly. Tasks such as the design, construction, acceptance, operation, maintenance, inspection, and repair of equipment should be carried out in accordance with sound engineering methods or practices. Engineering standards must be established within the company, and all employees are required to follow these standards in their work. The planning and implementation of the equipment management system should take into account its risk level, allocating maintenance and inspection resources from low-risk equipment to high-risk equipment.