Institution news
Q: Could you briefly explain your role and how it relates to the digitalisation of asset management?
Adam Claxton (AC): My role is Product Performance Manager for TechnipFMC. In this role I am responsible for setting the requirements for data collection in support of measured Product Performance. All designs are created to a functional specification, and all engineers should be interested to know whether the designs they have developed actually performed the function it was designed to do. Not least from a customer satisfaction viewpoint, but also from the continuous improvement perspective. A product that is not subject to constant development becomes outdated and loses out in the marketplace.
Q: What are the main challenges you have faced implementing digital tools to support the reliability of equipment or infrastructure?
AC: The subsea oil industry has a large amount of existing infrastructure which was installed many years ago. The first challenge is in positively identifying designs installed, and then finding the relevant design information pertaining to it. This may sit on different systems, indeed some of it may be on paper. This is a significant challenge. The next challenge is in measurement of function after many years of use. Often, designs are qualified ‘as new’ with minimal testing done to determine performance drop off risks at design phase. This makes it very hard to determine whether equipment that has seen extensive service is actually performing as intended. Lastly, digitalisation is in itself a challenge. The use of sensors on equipment which was not designed to incorporate them and is sitting at water depths of several thousand feet poses a significant challenge, both in sensor and power capabilities at depth.
Q: What is the most exciting data-driven development in the field of reliability at the moment?
AC: This is in the capabilities we now have with respect to instant access to data. There is extensive data regarding design, installation and performance of subsea equipment, but much of it is unfiltered, not organised and searchable, and is thus sitting dormant waiting for someone to come along and use it. Much of that is no longer of any use, obsolete and outdated, but the capacity to wade through all the data has long been a constraint on its use; engineers just don’t have time. The digital revolution has changed all that and gives us a great opportunity to go and put the data collected over many years to good use.
Q: Which other speakers and topics on the programme are you most looking forward to, and why?
AC: I am very interested to hear of other people’s experience of the digitalisation of product performance. My perception right now is that the oil industry is a bit behind in its thinking about this aspect, and is only just coming around to the realisation that searchable reliability data, accurate measures on product performance and greater environmental awareness are keys to remaining competitive, and also to take responsibility for the safe retrieval of the equipment that was installed in previous years. As dependence on fossil fuels wanes, there will be more retrieval than installations, although I don’t believe the oil industry will just cease to be, I believe there will always be a demand for some oil, which means that there will be a need to know how equipment is operating.
Q: Why should a mechanical engineer attend a seminar on digitalisation?
AC: That’s simple. Designs need to be measured, because designers need to know how their designs are performing. Designs need to incorporate the capacity to be measured – one of the challenges is retrofitting digital measurement technology on installed equipment which was not designed to have it. This means a greater emphasis must be placed on specification of design. It may sound strange, but many designs are arrived at through discussion, innovation and creativity, but many times the process is not recorded. Products are installed with unclear performance parameters because nobody wrote down exactly what the function of the design was at the time. That makes it very hard to measure – what do you measure the performance against? Mechanical engineers would benefit greatly working alongside performance measurement engineers; it would drive the discipline to write down and analyse functional performance parameters ahead of time.
Q: What innovations are you most interested in for the future?
AC: It’s not really an innovation, but I do look forward to a day when engineers are valued because they can guarantee a level of performance rather than analyse what went wrong. Engineering is about learning, and engineers should be allowed to learn about their designs. In itself this will drive great innovation, as engineers will develop the capacity to figure out what they want to know. The aviation industry has done a significant amount in this direction, I would like to learn more about that and how it is applied in subsea.
Asset Management: Reliability for a Digital Age takes place on 26 March 2020 at One Birdcage Walk in London. Join this seminar to:
- Learn about the application of data analytics to support design, operation, maintenance and life extension decisions
- Hear more about developments in digital asset management tools including digital twins to leverage large volumes of data and upgrade the reliability of your assets
- Benefit from a wide range of industry case studies from the aviation, power distribution, rail infrastructure, nuclear and renewable energy sectors
- Take part in peer-to-peer roundtables to set the tone for discussion and develop solutions for critical challenges
- Enjoy networking time throughout the day to meet new partners and build relationships which will drive your business forwards
To book your place, please visit www.imeche.org/assetmanagement.