An overall performance index for wind farms: a case study in Norway Arctic region

Wind farms (WFs) experience various challenges that affect their performance. Mostly, designers focus on the technical side of WFs performance, mainly increasing the power production of WFs, through improving their manufacturing and design quality, wind turbines capacity, their availability, reliability, maintainability, and supportability. On the other hand, WFs induce impacts on their surroundings, these impacts can be classified as environmental, social, and economic, and can be described as the sustainability performance of WFs. A comprehensive tool that combines both sides of performance, i.e. the technical and the sustainability performance, is useful to indicate the overall performance of WFs. An overall performance index (OPI) can help operators and stakeholders rate the performance of WFs, more comprehensively and locate the weaknesses in their performance. The performance model for WFs, proposed in this study, arranges a set of technical and sustainability performance indicators in a hierarchical structure. Due to lack of historical data in certain regions where WFs are located, such as the Arctic, expert judgement technique is used to determine the relative weight of each performance indicator. In addition, scoring criteria are predefined qualitatively for each performance indicator. The weighted sum method makes use of the relative weights and the predefined scoring criteria to calculate the OPI of a specific WF. The application of the tool is illustrated by a case study of a WF located in the Norwegian Arctic. Moreover, the Arctic WF is compared to another WF located outside the Arctic to illustrate the effects of Arctic operating conditions on the OPI

Dimensioning of Product Support : Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities

PhD thesis in Offshore TechnologyThe research study examines issues related to dimensioning of product support strategies for advanced industrial products on the basis of a case study conducted in a manufacturing company that produces automated production line systems. The focus is mainly on investigating engineering factors/parameters that influence product support. Product support can be defined as any form of assistance that companies offer their customers to gain maximum value from manufactured products. In general, it creates additional value/profit for the product owner as well as for the manufacturer. It can be broadly classified into two, namely, services to support product and services to support customers. Services to support the product are mainly dependent on the product’s designed-in characteristics, operational environment, as well as on owner’s operational, maintenance, and support strategies. Services to support the customer are influenced by customer characteristics related to operational and maintenance skills and capabilities. Dimensioning of product support is influenced by the product’s designed-in characteristics – especially those characteristics related to RAMS (Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Supportability). Within the scope of the case study, various approaches and methods to integrate RAMS in combination with LCC (Life Cycle Costs) in design work processes to arrive at the most cost effective product support strategy for industrial systems and components is examined. Often a considerable amount of information and data about product failures/weaknesses and product RAMS characteristics is available in various databases. Unfortunately, these information sources/databases are not usually integrated with work processes in design, and thus these cannot be used for dimensioning of product support effectively. An approach for integrating RAMS information into design processes is suggested. Furthermore, various aspects of product support strategies for functional products where the customer buys only the performance, not the physical product is studied and analyzed. In the conventional product scenario, the manufacturer benefits from selling support services, whilst this profit generating process becomes a cost and liability in the functional product scenario. Based on this study it is concluded that the product support strategy for functional products will differ considerably compared to that for the conventional product. Moreover, it is shown that the service delivery strategy of the manufacturer or service provider must be in line with the service reception strategy of users/customers. The study also provides a critical view on the role of the negotiation process in the development of cost effective and competitive service delivery strategies. In addition, there exists a need to involve personnel who are involved in the support services as well as in manufacturing, assembly, and quality assurance, etc. processes in the design process to arrive at the best strategy for product support. The scope of the thesis is limited to studying the relationship between a manufacturer of advanced industrial products and customers using those products in production lines. Furthermore, this thesis is limited to investigating engineering aspects of support services. Implications of the research open up research areas related to product support strategies, functional products, as well as to development of methods for integrating RAMS information in design work processes

Technical integrity management : measuring HSE awareness using AHP in selecting a maintenance strategy

This article is (c) Emerald Group Publishing and permission has been granted for this version to appear here (http://brage.bibsys.no/uis/?locale=en). Emerald does not grant permission for this article to be further copied/distributed or hosted elsewhere without the express permission from Emerald Group Publishing Limited.Global competition, varying oil and gas prices, ever more stringent environmental requirements, as well as increasing energy demands have caused changes in management approaches, product and process technologies, stakeholder expectations as well as competitive behavior in the oil and gas industry. At the same time, existing production facilities are aging and it is becoming more difficult to maintain the technical integrity of the physical assets which is the basis for energy production. Reductions in the plant technical integrity due to increasing failure rates strongly influence the health, safety and environmental risks and the ability of the plant to meet the production targets. To meet these challenges and to reduce costs as well as health, safety and environmental (HSE) risks, the companies need to establish relevant and achievable technical integrity goals and to optimize plant maintenance and operations processes and activities. However, it is observed that there is a general lack of synergy between technical integrity management, and HSE and quality improvement strategies. Even though the employees and their managers are doing their best to make sure that things are done right, they are often not able to implement top level performance goals in their maintenance and technical integrity strategies Normally, the companies lack good measurement approaches to assess not only weaknesses in goal awareness among the personnel responsible for technical integrity but also the degree to which high level goals are implemented in the maintenance strategies. In this paper a model based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is proposed for measuring HSE and economic awareness in maintenance and technical integrity related decision-making processes. A study is conducted for selecting an optimum maintenance strategy based on the requirements of operations on oil and gas offshore installations on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). The proposed AHP model provides an effective means to 1) determine the priorities among decision criteria and benefits and 2) assess the extent of HSE adoption in technical integrity related decision making

Extending the Service Life Span of Ageing Oil and Gas Offshore Production Facilities

Part 1: Production ProcessInternational audienceA large number of facilities and parts of the infrastructure of offshore oil and gas reservoirs worldwide are approaching or have exceeded their original design life. The petroleum fields are still producing substantial levels of hydrocarbons which are recoverable and profitable if the field’s lifetime is extended. Thus, parts of this infrastructure are being considered for use beyond their planned design life. However, focusing on safety considerations, the condition of systems, structures and components (SSC) may not be acceptable for extended operation. The purpose of this paper is to discuss guidelines for assessing life extension in order to ensure the technical and operational integrity of these ageing facilities. The objective is to highlight those mechanisms by which the installation is degraded physically and functionally including the human factors and organizational issues. This documentation on ageing mechanisms will provide the foundation for a service lifetime extension process

ASSET MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES OF OFFSHORE INSTALLATIONS IN ARCTIC REGIONS

ABSTRACT In the last decade we have seen an increase interest by the oil companies in developing oil and gas fields in arctic regions. Companies are trying to adapt conventional procedures and technologies used in more tempered offshore regions into subzero environments. However, some all these proven technologies and techniques are not quite efficient in extreme cold environments. In this paper the authors discuss the main challenges inherent to operation and maintenance of offshore facilities in arctic regions. Moreover a set of conventional and innovative solutions for these challenges is presented

Impact of Globalization on Model of Competition and Companies’ Competitive Situation

Part 1: Production ProcessInternational audienceGlobalization has changed the competitive environment of companies. This paper aims to contribute to understanding the changes a company can face through analyzing the impact of drivers and effects of globalization on the models of industry competition and the company value chain. The boundaries between the forces of competition are fading as economic globalization has led to a new dynamic in the competitive situation where companies and activities of the value chains change places between forces and impact and interact with each other in new ways. The boundaries of companies and their core can and are being redefined. As this potential evolves through offshoring, outsourcing and value chain fragmentation, the pressure of competition forces a continuing and increasing move in this direction

R&M and risk analysis tools in product design to reduce life cycle cost and improve product attractiveness

Godkänd; 2001; 20090305 (yuafuq

Identifying the Drivers of Economic Globalization and the Effects on Companies’ Competitive Situation

Part 1: Production ProcessInternational audienceGlobalization has changed the world. Thispaper aims to contribute to the understanding of how companies’ competitive situation is affected by globalization. The paper identifies the main drivers of economic globalization and categorizes the effects into size effects, location effects and pressure effects. Size relates to the magnitude of the potential competition. Location relates to the potential impact on a company’s activities in terms of what to do where and by whom. Pressure effects are the ones that are related to competitive pressure