RCM Systems - Tags and Prioritization

This IMS-RCM tutorial describes how to select Flocs/Equipment and do Prioritization in Systems.

The Tags and Prioritization section on the System Details Page enables:

1. To select the set of assets that are relevant for the System involved, and 

2. To prioritize the assets for the next analyses.

The main Equipment in the HDS unit relevant for the RCM study are shown in the HDS ToR and listed below, grouped for the three systems created.

Equipment	Eq. Type	Name	System
P101A	M_PUM_CENH	Feed pump main	Reactor
P101B	M_PUM_CENH	Feed pump stand-by	Reactor
E101A	M_XCH_BUN	Feed heat exchanger A	Reactor
E101B	M_XCH_BUN	Feed heat exchanger B	Reactor
E102	M_XCH_BUN	Cooler cooling water	Reactor
F101	M_FUR_X	Fired heater	Reactor
R101	M_VES_REAC	Fixed bed reactor	Reactor
1PC01	I_CVL_GLOB	Pressure regulator	Reactor
C101	M_COL_PACK	Amine contactor	Recycle gas
K101	M_COM_RECI	Recycle gas compressor	Recycle gas
C102	M_COL_PACK	Stripper column	Stripper
E103	M_XCH_BUN	Reboiler	Stripper
E104	M_XCH_BUN	Top condenser CW	Stripper
P102A	M_PUM_CENH	Reflux pump main	Stripper
P102B	M_PUM_CENH	Reflux pump stand by	Stripper
V101	M_VES_SEP	Gas separator	Stripper
V102	M_VES_SEP	Reflux drum	Stripper

Adding Tags to the System

To select and assign the relevant Assets to the System:

• On the System Details Page, go the the Tags and Prioritization section.

• Click +/-Flocs/Equipment and select the assets that are assigned to the System.

• Use the selection buttons at the top of the selection screen can be used to filter the overview.

  

• Select the relevant Tags.

• Click OK.

Bulk Assigning Tags to Systems (Import)

Selection of Flocs and Equipment for a System can also be done via an import template.

For more information on the Import Wizard see Importing Data via Settings. See also the instruction video: Add Equipment to Systems Episode 4 Video.

To import Flocs and Equipment assignments for a System:

• Click the Import button in the Systems Main Screen grid toolbar.

  

• Download the System Equipment template - with this template Flocs and Equipment can be uploaded and assigned to a System.

• Fill in the template.

• Follow the import steps as explained in Importing Data via Settings.

When the import is completed the Equipment should be available and can be viewed in the Tags and Prioritization sections for the Systems involved.

Prioritization

When the assets are selected for the particular System, IMS enables you prioritize them, to focus resources on the assets with the highest risk. The objective is to make the next RCM Analyses process more efficient and focus resources to the highest risks first.

(See also the instruction video: Prioritization Episode 5 Video.)

For prioritization insight is needed into the Function and Functional Failures of the System, which are stated in the HDS ToR, for instance for the reaction section:

Function of the Reaction section is: To treat 17.2 t/h diesel and remove 99.9 % sulphur. 

Functional Failures of the Reaction System causing production loss are: 

Less than 17.2 t/h diesel throughput of the system Unable to heat the product to 350 °C at 17.2 t/h. Unable to remove 99.9 $ sulphur Product leakages with high H2S content causing plot clear.

The below overview aims to provide insight into how Equipment Failure Modes cause Equipment failures, System failures and production loss.

Three prioritization levels are coded with CMMS Indicators "T", "Y", or "X"; matching the RCM Criticality assessment levels as follows:

• T matches N+L levels,

• Y matches M+MH levels and

• X matches H+E levels.

  

The Prioritization process is basically a ‘quick and dirty’ Failure Mode and effect assessment, answering the question: “What is the highest effect that a credible Failure Mode on this Equipment can cause in this System?“.
Note that at this stage there is just interest in the highest effect of an individual Failure Mode, while in later RCM Analyses all Dominant Failure Modes will be addressed.

To enable the Prioritization process insight is needed in the Failure Modes of the Equipment. The Equipment type indicated under Equipment group, like for instance: M_ECH_BUN, can hint the potential Failure Modes. Nevertheless, the prioritization needs a knowledgeable RCM facilitator to propose the typical Equipment Failure Modes and suggest the one with the highest consequence.

In the Priority Note field information regarding the applicable prioritization can be stored for later reference.

Take note that IMS enables you to involve other indications in the prioritization process as well. In addition to Asset Consequence and Environment Consequences you can also consider statuses like the HEMP status (*), the RBI Criticality Assessment (CA) status, the SIF Criticality Assessment (CA) status and the RCM Criticality (CR) [filled in once an Analysis is completed on the given tag].

(*) Note on HEMP: The Shell Hazard and Effect Management Process (HEMP) is used as an element in the Health Safety and Environment Management System (HSE-MS) to address risk assessment. The HEMP methodology identifies various hazards at the facility and assesses management of the identified hazards.

The prioritization can be done per Equipment, but multiple Equipment can also be selected and prioritized in a group.

As a result the System has Equipment assigned to it and the Equipment is prioritized where both the System and Priority information is visible in the relevant overview screens, like the Equipment Main Screen. Further analysis is recommended, starting with the highest priority.

The benefit of the prioritization process is that it can be done quickly and helps to focus resources for the RCM Analyses towards the highest critical Equipment, avoiding spending resources on low critical Equipment.

For a Floc or Equipment, when a RCM Analysis is done, then the initial RCM priority is automatically updated based on the highest criticality of the Failure Modes involved.

Setting the Asset and Environment Consequence

To set the Asset and Environment Consequence:

• Click the Prioritisation button to open the priority matrix. 

  

• The Priority matrix will open on the right. Here you can select the Severities. Note: It is possible to use the 'full RCM matrix' by setting the RCM Criticality Assessment Priority application setting B Value to 1.

  

• Or: Click the Edit button and edit the grid directly. Note: The Severities can be set with the variables range (-, 0-5) in the grid directly for the Asset Consequences and Environment Consequences columns. 

• Or: Make an export of the Prioritization grid, update the Asset Consequence and Environment Consequence and import the data back again. Also, the Priority Notes can be imported.

Prioritization via Excel

For more extensive 'Failure Mode and Effect Analyses' (FMEA) activities, for example of multiple large units, use can be made of excel worksheets to enable quick, consistent and systemic inputs. 

To explain this, we show the end result of a particular example, where the arguments for the prioritization are entered as a single line in the priority note - for proper readability in IMS:  

Below shows the applicable input sheet to upload the data into IMS RCM, displaying the required information in the various Excel fields.

To create the input file, below Excel sheet is used where the actual FMEA data is collected in various columns. Using such an collection sheet enables to filter the equipment, failure modes, effects, consequences and cost involved efficiently, where adustments and reassessments can easily be applied. A simple concatenation of the data from the various fields provides the Priority note content in column M: 

Above Excel files (to create the Priority Note the import sheet) are available for info and convenience, via this download here: