Criticality of Assets

21/06/2022
Criticality of assets
Block Diagrams
• System block diagrams help in the understanding of role and criticality of assets.
• A very simplified block diagram based on a power station is shown below..
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Rules for creating block diagrams

1. The function of each component or block should be identified
2. Each block should be physically identifiable
3. The blocks should be mutually independent (as far as reasonably possible)
4. Links, e. g. pipes, wiring, couplings should be assigned to specific blocks, or form their own
block where justified
5. Each block should preferably focus on one main technology e. g. mechanical, electrical,
hydraulic, PLC.
Information Required per Block

 Function of block and basic operating principles
 Inputs
 Outputs
 Structure, e. g. assemblies, components and functions and operation of these
 Operating norms, e. g. Production or Flow Rate, Yield, Pressure, Temperature, Other gauge
settings
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Criticality
For asset planning we need to understand the criticality of the various items. This will be in
terms of potential production losses if they fail, and also reflect safety and environmental issues.
Criticality analysis helps us to prioritise maintenance work and also provides a basis for
designing-in redundancy.
There are many examples where the loss of a production unit has caused major disruption on a
state-wide basis, such as the Varanus Island gas terminal in Western Australia, where a failure
cut off one third of the state’s gas supply.
Criticality
A similar example is the Longford gas plant in Victoria where a failure cut off the gas supply to
Melbourne for several weeks; subsequently, other sources of gas supply were expanded so that risk
was reduced.
In the example from a chemical plant (next figure), the heat exchangers were identified as the most
critical assets as they are not duplicated and can only be repaired off-line, a time consuming process
involving extensive delays.
To offset the criticality we need to prioritise these items and ensure that they meet fitness-for service
criteria at a standard sufficient to sustain them over a defined planning and inter-inspection period.
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Block diagram and criticality – chemical plant
Criticality
In the example shown from a mining site (next table), criticality is based qualitatively on the
following factors:
• Failure Category (Unlikely, Adequate Warning, Sudden)
• Failure Impact (Low, Medium, High)
• Ease of Repair (No shutdown, Shutdown area, Shutdown plant)
• Mean downtime (Low, medium, High)
• Cost of Breakdown (Repair cost only, Minor production loss, Major production loss)
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Criticality analysis of mining assets
Expert Teams
An expert team is a group of people with specialized knowledge of the working of a particular
functional area or of a particular type of the plant.
The technical nature of the equipment and processes make it essential to have people who
understand the plant in order to make sound decisions.
Forming expert teams gives plant personnel status and motivation.
They take their expertise seriously and it is taken seriously by management.
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Expert Teams
In some cases the expert team may be formed by linking experts across sites.
For example, a mining company may have an expert team with knowledge of a particular type of
process or machine, such as draglines.
Technical problems relating to draglines, such as root cause analysis of failures, would draw on
the knowledge of this group.
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Expert Teams
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Tutorial - Plant Criticality Exercise

The senior management of a process plant wants to increase production. They are considering
adding another product line and have a cost estimate of $750,000. You are a plant engineer and
are asked to comment on the proposal. You know that the standard of reliability of the
equipment is not high and that downtime is significant, particularly for the furnace and blower.
The plant produces intermediate plastic products. Raw material is fed from any of three hoppers
into either of two feeder lines. The feeder lines pump material via a flow controller, through a
furnace and then into a blower where it is formed into continuous sheet. There is a pump for
each feeder line. From the blower, the material can be fed to any of five existing product lines.
Give answers in dot point form to the following questions.
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Tutorial - Plant Criticality Exercise

• Draw a block diagram of the process.
• Which stages of the process are critical from an operational point of view.
• What do you suggest to management?
• How would you back up your recommendations?
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Criticality of Assets

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21/06/2022

• A very simplified block diagram based on a power station is shown below..

Rules for creating block diagrams

2. Each block should be physically identifiable

3. The blocks should be mutually independent (as far as reasonably possible)

Information Required per Block

 Structure, e. g. assemblies, components and functions and operation of these

Block diagram and criticality – chemical plant

• Failure Category (Unlikely, Adequate Warning, Sudden)

• Failure Impact (Low, Medium, High)

• Ease of Repair (No shutdown, Shutdown area, Shutdown plant)

• Mean downtime (Low, medium, High)

Criticality analysis of mining assets

Forming expert teams gives plant personnel status and motivation.

They take their expertise seriously and it is taken seriously by management.

Tutorial - Plant Criticality Exercise

Tutorial - Plant Criticality Exercise

• What do you suggest to management?

• How would you back up your recommendations?

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