Services
Reliability and availability
Introduction
This category includes all activities aimed at analyzing possible random and adverse events that can affect technological systems: primarily, equipment and component failures, but also human errors or external events. The purposes and scope of application can be very varied, ranging from detailed analysis of individual failures in order to assess the risk associated with them (ex. FMEA / FMECA) to the modeling of very complex systems for estimating life cycle performance. This type of activity is very important in all sectors potentially subject to significant consequences in the event of breakdowns, for safety and environmental aspects but also for business continuity. RAMS&E has extensive experience in their application in processing, Oil&Gas, chemical, petrochemical, energetic, pharmaceutical and railway industries.
The services delivered by RAMS&E within Reliability and Availability are the following:
- Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), also inclusive of Criticality (FMECA)
- Maintainability Analysis
- Reliability and Availability Analysis for complex systems, through Fault Tree Analysis techniques and/or Monte Carlo simulations
- Full RAM analysis packages (Reliability, Maintainability, Availability), tailored to the needs of the Customer
- FRACAS studies (Failure Reporting, Analysis, and Corrective Action System)
- Human factors analysis
- Support for RAM qualification activities for innovative projects
- Support for the collection and statistical analysis of fault data from the field
- Support to the Customer in the definition of guidelines and internal specifications for executing RAM analysis
- Customer support as Company Representative in the relationship with third party service suppliers
RAMS&E has licenses for DNVGL MAROS software, Atkins RAMP, ITEM Toolkit Fault Tree, as well as know-how and experience with other analysis software that can possibly be activated at the request of the Customer (ex. Peloton RAM Studio/MIRIAM, Isograph Fault Tree +, etc.).
CASE HISTORY
RAM analysis for onshore plant expansion for the production of liquefied natural gas (LNG)
GOALS OF THE ACTIVITY
RAMS&E support was requested by the Customer (major multinational engineering company), in the position of Main Contractor for the expansion of a large-scale onshore LNG plant located in Nigeria, for the execution of all the RAM analyzes contractually required. In particular, the expansion project involved the construction of an additional complete process train, an additional liquefaction unit and all the utility units necessary to support them, to be inserted in a brownfield context with all the additional difficulties due to the interaction with an existing system.
Customer satisfaction for the support received is evidenced by the reconfirmation of RAMS&E as a contractor for RAM analyzes, after the FEED phase, also in the subsequent EPC phase.
SERVICES DELIVERED
The following activities have been developed.
- Preparation of the Equipment Register (Asset Register) starting from project documentation.
- Collection of reliability and maintenance data, performed both on internationally recognized databases and on a database provided by the operator of the existing plant.
- FMEA aimed at identifying the effects of failures on production.
- Estimation of the technical decommissioning and re-commissioning times of the equipment in case of breakdown or maintenance, and calculation of total downtime.
- Monte Carlo modeling and simulation of the system using Peloton RAM Studio software (ex-MIRIAM Studio), for the purposes of estimating performance in terms of Production Availability and comparison with related contractual targets.