Data stream

Knowledge base Data stream OQ Upstream wanted to digitise its workflows, and found a system that increased asset reliability and reduced environmental impacts Managing more than 110,000 maintainable assets, more than 44 plants and stations, and more than 4,300 kilometres of pipeline across Oman, global strategic management company OQ understands the importance of optimising asset reliability and performance, and the role that digitisation plays in achieving sustainable, world-class operations. The company operates in 17 countries and, with its fuels and chemicals sold in more than 80 countries, is a key player in the energy sector. The OQ Upstream business unit focuses on oil and gas exploration and production, and operates almost all of Omans gas transportation networks. The company currently produces 220,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day and transports natural gas for 150 connected parties in the country via a large-scale network of high-pressure gas pipelines. Committed to operational excellence and a low-carbon future, OQ is working towards maximising value for Oman energy and ensuring a sustainable future through asset optimisation and digitisation. From the early OQ years, all reliability aspects were paper-based, scattered, and treated in reactive mode. Digitalisation is a key enabler in our journey towards operational excellence, says Mansoor Al Abdali, Managing Director at OQ GN (Gas Network). With an eye on strategic asset management, the company initiated a project to digitise asset maintenance and reliability processes, ensuring asset integrity, cost efficiency, and optimal plant operations. Streamlining Asset performance optimisation is a big concern within OQ and the oil and gas industry as a whole. Failed assets result in shutdowns, and shutdowns lead to a loss of production, repair costs and environmental impacts, such as through flaring (burning of excess gas), as well as safety risks. We need to avoid shutdowns and failures, says Hussain Al Naamani, Reliability Management Team Lead at OQ EP (Energy Production). To avoid shutdowns, OQ needed to implement preventative maintenance and corrective action plans. This required the identification and understanding of asset failure modes, improving asset maintenance and reporting strategies, and streamlining workflows and data coordination among multiple disciplines. To address these issues, OQ wanted to develop a centralised digital system to access, share, and analyse asset data. We needed to have one single source for data management, and we needed to have the data reported to us, says Khulood Al Maawali, Asset Performance Engineer at OQ EP. To facilitate collaboration, establish reporting workflows, and enhance data quality and quantity, OQ required a digital platform capable of providing dashboarding and visualisation, and automating key performance indicators. The expected outcome of their digital efforts was to end up with better decision-making to extend asset life and achieve proven reliability growth. Author bio Richard Irwin is a Senior Product Marketer for AssetWise Operational Analytics. He has more than 15 years experience in working within the industrial analytics space. In his role, Irwin works with the sales and industry teams to coordinate marketing opportunities across a wide variety of industries applicable to AssetWise, OpenComms, OpenPlant, and PlantSight. Based in the UK, he holds a masters degree in sociology from Aberdeen University and a masters in IT from Heriot Watt, Edinburgh. Project summary Organisation: OQ Upstream Solution: Process and power generation Location: Oman Project objectives: To establish a centralised digital asset performance management system To improve asset reliability for more sustainable and environmentally safe operations Project playbook: AssetWise AssetWise provides solution Bentley is our partner in our digitalisation journey and in enhancing our asset performance and reliability Khalid Al Fahdi, Head of Technical Services, OQ EP To manage asset integrity, reliability, and maintenance, OQ selected Bentleys AssetWise APM, which provided a central digital platform for data integration and analysis, accessible to the internal team, field operations, and stakeholders. AssetWise APM first allowed us to solve the problem of data management; it is a powerful tool to store and analyse data. In addition, it is customisable to meet the business needs, says Faisal Al Noumani, Senior Reliability Engineer at OQ GN. The company needed a flexible data environment capable of aggregating asset data from multiple sources, including mobile uploads from field inspections and OQs internal computerised maintenance management system (CMMS). The software facilitates multidiscipline and stakeholder collaboration and data coordination, as well as serving as a single source of truth for asset data management and analytics, enabling proactive decision-making. More specifically, the interoperability and automation features streamline reliability management information for OQ by digitally calculating asset availability and maintainability, and digitising condition-monitoring activities. By collecting, analysing, and managing accurate asset information, OQ has valuable insights into asset health and has developed a failure reporting, analysis, and corrective action system. Using the link between APM and the CMMS, all failures and downtime from assets are reported to us, says Amran Al Aamri, Reliability Engineer at OQ EP. The technology also provides the foundation for OQs asset integrity management program and risk-based inspections. AssetWise APM is an enabler for innovation in terms of asset performance and it is adaptative to apply our unique solutions, integrating CMMS, real-time data, and Power BI [Microsoft Power Business Intelligence], says Al Aamri. Fast facts Q Upstream owns and operates thousands of O assets and more than 4,300 kilometres of pipeline of Omans gas transportation network. o optimise asset performance and operations, OQ T used AssetWise APM to centralise and digitise asset performance, and management processes. he software provided a single source of truth to T collect, share, and analyse asset data for accurate insight into asset health. Driving excellence and sustainability Overall, OQ has overcome the challenges related to asset reliability management, monitoring, and maintenance, ensuring corrective action measures are in place, and optimising life-cycle asset integrity, performance, and plant operations. Digitising life-cycle asset activities has allowed OQ to recognise the impact on reliability growth, and reduced failures, unplanned downtime, and environmental impacts. Based on implementation at one compressor site, the digital solution saved 14.8 per cent in total maintenance costs and reduced functional failures by 50 per cent to achieve an annual operational reliability growth of 4.3 per cent. Within the past five years, OQ has seen asset reliability increase by 25.7 per cent, plant uptime operations maintained at 98 per cent, and flaring (burning of gases) reduced by 82.6 per cent, resulting in safer, more efficient, and, ultimately, optimal operations. These initiatives and technologies have brought us proven benefits in safety, production, reliability, availability, and reduction in environmental impact. The next step is a digital twin, says Khalid Al Fahdi, Head of Technical Services at OQ EP. Dedicated to driving continued business excellence and operational efficiency through digitisation, OQ has already started a digital twin pilot project, incorporating smart technology applications and artificial intelligence. The plan is to have a complete digital twin platform by 2024 where AssetWise APM will feed the model with asset performance data along with the data from digital monitoring devices to enable real-time, intelligent, and sustainable operations. According to Al Fahdi: We will continue working with Bentley in the future to grow and enhance sustainability. ROI sing AssetWise APM automated multidiscipline U data workflows, inspections, and reporting processes. Having a centralised digital asset performance management platform reduced functional failures by 50 per cent and improved asset reliability by 25.7 per cent. OQ is now maintaining 98 per cent operational uptime, reducing the impact of flaring by 82.6 per cent. As part of OQs continued digitisation efforts, AssetWise APM is being integrated to develop a digital twin by 2024. Find out more about OQ