Continuing his column , Mr Alireza Aslarabi Sardroudi turns his attention to how to develop an asset management program for engineering , design , purchase and installation of industrial valves .
About the author
Mr Alireza Aslarabi Sardroudi is an expert In physical asset management . Based in Tehran , Iran , Mr Sardroudi can be reached on : aslearabi @ yahoo . com
Asset management of industrial valves
Part 4 : AM program for engineering design , purchase , installation
In previous articles , we defined the duration of an asset and its generalities . We also explained the issue of manufacturing valves in the factory with the asset management model . Obviously , these valves will be used in industrial projects or infrastructure facilities . Selecting them for use in a project is a systematic process . As standard , a design and construction project consists of three stages : ( i ) feasibility studies , ( ii ) feed studies , ( iii ) EPC project . We need to see how asset management helps to select a valve for use in a project according to the last step .
Buying / ordering valves
First let us overview important issues to consider when buying or ordering valves for an engineering design project . Generally , the issues considered by a project ’ s design engineers can be examined from two aspects : ( i ) technical and technical aspects , ( ii ) economic and cost aspects . These two issues certainly apply to valves ; both when ordering / choosing a standard valve in addition to technical issues and materials selection that may be required with special standards . The issue of cost is also very important . This cost is firstly the cost of purchase and installation and secondly any costs during the valve ’ s entire life cycle . For example , operating , maintenance and removal costs , which , if chosen correctly , will cover both EPC costs and O & M costs and scrapping . Unfortunately , most EPC executives only think about the initial costs , ie the cost of purchase and installation and are less forward-looking . In consequence , quality is not considered commensurate with the longevity of a valve . The quality of an industrial valve manifests itself during the life cycle . But sometimes , due to low quality , a malfunctioning valve imposes high costs on the owners of industrial or infrastructure facilities . Nowadays , physical asset management helps in making the right choice during the life cycle of an industrial valve . Valves are specified based on feed studies and operational processes as well as relevant standards , type , size and materials of an industrial valve . Specified valves are then matched with the size , type and materials of factory-made valves in the list of manufacturers . Even if the valve is in the lists , a purchase order is placed and the valve made or delivered from the manufacturer ’ s warehouse under the supervision of the employer ’ s technical inspectors . But even if the design in the EPC project is not in the list of manufacturers , the factory will design and build a single product for the EPC project based on the required specifications . Of course , at this stage , economic studies are the criterion for selecting or ordering , even with the best quality and lowest cost . However , it should be noted that if there is no strict supervision by the employer , the EPC contractor may incur quality problems during operation and maintenance . The asset management model considers the entire life cycle at the time of selection , albeit with a questionnaire , and requires the EPC contractor to anticipate and address all future problems in advance , even if that entails additional costs . 1 . Determining valves ’ operational readiness Considering that a high level of operation for continuous production is a key requirement for process facility owners , it is imperative to determine and ensure the high operational readiness of industrial valves in a specific life cycle . This is done during engineering design , installation and commissioning , with two solutions being to consider redundant valves and valves whose failure rates are almost zero . The quality of a valve is very crucial at this stage .
2 Process and valve safety management The safety of the production process or service is very closely related to the safety of the device itself ( especially the valve ). Considering all the risks of failure leading to safety accidents and choosing a valve with less risk is important at this stage . At this stage , quality and safety control equipment on the valve play a key role .
3 . Operation management design , programs and instructions Easy to use in full accordance with the standards of operation , programs and instructions for visiting and testing the operation , normal and emergency start-up and stop , emergency evacuation , convenient location in terms of ease of operation and remote ( smart ) operation are the topic of this section .
46 Valve World February 2023 www . valve-world . net