Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
1 Scope............................................................. 2
2 Purpose.......................................................... 3
3 Conflict and Deviations................................... 3
4 References..................................................... 3
5 Acronyms........................................................ 5
6 Definitions....................................................... 7
6.1 General Terms........................................... 7
6.2 Reliability Terms........................................ 7
6.3 System-Related Terms............................ 20
6.4 Data-Related Terms................................ 24
1 Scope
1.1 This Saudi Aramco Best Practice (SABP) standardizes the definitions of
reliability related terms.
1.2.1 Oil and gas upstream facilities, including offshore and onshore
1.2.2 Oil and gas midstream facilities, including offshore and onshore
1.2.3 Oil and gas downstream facilities, including NGLF, refining and
petrochemical
1.4 This SABP can be applied to other facilities not listed in paragraph 1.2 and/or
other assets not listed in paragraph 1.3 following the approval of the Asset
Management Standards Committee Chairman (SCC).
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
2 Purpose
2.1 To ensure that reliability-related terms are well defined, understood and
documented.
2.2 To ensure that Saudi Aramco employees have the same understanding of
reliability related terms.
No conflict is expected between this best practice and Mandatory Saudi Aramco
Engineering Requirement (MSAER) with respect to reliability terms definitions.
If any such conflict should arise, the standard shall take precedence.
4 References
This best practice complies with the latest editions of the references listed below unless
otherwise noted.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Military
MIL-HNBK-338B Electronic Reliability Design Handbook
4.3 Publications
Mohammed Modarres, Mark Kaminskiy and Vasiliy Krivtsov, Reliability
Engineering and Risk Analysis: A Practical Guide 2nd Edition. CRC Press,
Boca Raton, FL, 2010
Ramsh Gulati and Ricky Smith, Maintenance and Reliability Best Practices
2nd Edition. Industrial Press Inc., New York, NY, 2012
L. Boullart, J.P. Jansen. Reliability of Instrumentation Systems for Safeguarding
& Control: Proceedings of the IFAC Workshop, Hague, Netherlands,
12-14 May 1986. Elsevier, 2014
Glossary Terms Center for Chemical Process Safety
(http://www.aiche.org/ccps/resources/glossary)
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
5 Acronyms
-A-
API American Petroleum Institute
API (RP) American Petroleum Institute (Recommended Practice)
ASAI Average Service Availability Index
-C-
CBM Condition Based Maintenance
CI Criticality Index
CMMS Computerized Maintenance Management System
CSD Consulting Services Department
-D-
DCS Distributed Control System
-F-
FMEA Failure Mode and Effect Analysis
FMECA Failure Mode, Effect and Criticality Analysis
FoS Factor of Safety
FRACAS Failure Reporting Analysis and Correction Action System
FTA Fault Tree Analysis
-G-
GOSP Gas Oil Separation Plant
-H-
HSE Health, Safety & Environment
-I-
IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
ISO International Organization for Standardization
ISO/TR International Organization for Standardization/Technical Report
IT Information Technology
-K-
KPI Key Performance Indicator
-L-
LCC Life Cycle Cost
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
TA Turn Around
TPRM Total Plant Reliability Management
6 Definitions
Failure Mode: The physical, chemical, electrical, thermal or other process that
results in a failure of the asset.
Note: The failure mode is usually used when referring to non-static assets while
damage mechanism is usually used when referring to static assets. In Saudi
Aramco, failure mode and damage mechanism are referring to the same
process that results in a failure in any type of assets including static assets,
rotating assets, piping, IT, etc.
KPIs can be categorized into two categories, leading and lagging. Leading KPIs
look forward and help manage the performance on an asset, system or process.
Lagging KPIs show how well we have managed an asset, system or process.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Life Cycle Cost (LCC): The sum of the cost of engineering, procurement,
installation & construction, commissioning, starting-up, operating &
maintaining and decommissioning phases of the assets life cycle.
Example:
Availability = 90.0%, Performance = 95.0% and Quality = 98.0%
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Safety Factor: In general, the safety factor is a measure of how much extra
load more than what is intended a system can take. There are two main types
of factor of safety. The realized factor of safety, which is a calculated value,
is a measure of the reliability of a particular design as seen while operating it.
The design safety factor, which is a required value, is a design characteristic
showing the ratio between the system maximum design capacity and the
expected actual loads.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Storage Life: The length of time an asset or a component can be stored under
specified conditions and still meet specified operating requirements. It is also
known as shelf life.
Where:
MTBF: Mean Time between Failures
MTTR: Mean Time to Repair
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Availability has several definitions based on the industry and process type.
In processing facilities, the operational availability shall be considered.
Where:
Asset Downtime: The element of time during which an asset is not in condition
to perform its required function.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Asset Standby time: The element of time during which an asset is ready to
operate but not operating.
Note: For example, if the operational availability is 0.95, then the operational
unavailability is 1 0.95 = 0.05.
Utilization: There are two main types of utilization, utilization rate that is based
on time and capacity utilization.
Utilization Rate: The ratio of a time that a system is used over the total time.
= 100%
Note: As the standby time reaches zero, the utilization rate reaches the operational
availability.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Capacity Utilization: The ratio of the system load over the system capacity.
MBOD: MBOD stands for thousand barrels per operating day. It is the
production amount of a facility that can be produced within a 24-hour period
when running at full capacity with allowance for downtime for the T&I of the
facility.
MBCD: MBCD stands for thousand barrels per calendar day. It is the
production amount of a facility that can be produced within a 24-hour period
without considering the T&I of the facility. The value of production in thousand
barrels per operating day can be converted to production thousand barrels per
calendar day using the following equation:
Where:
Operating Factor is the ratio of operating time over the total time.
Useful Life: The number of life units after the mortality period until when the
asset has an unrepairable failure or unacceptable failure rate. It also corresponds
to the period of time after the failure rate decreases from infant mortality to the
point of time before the failure rate increases due to wear out in the bathtub
curve. The failure rate during the useful life is the lowest during the life cycle of
the asset.
Bathtub Curve: A curve that describes a particular form of the hazard function
that comprises three parts: The first part is a decreasing failure rate, known as
early failures (also known as infant mortality). The second part is a constant
failure rate, known as random failures. The last part is an increasing failure rate,
known as aging failures.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Condition Monitoring: The tasks that detects predefined failure modes either
manually or automatically. Condition monitoring tools include thermography,
vibration measurement, oil analysis, sampling, etc.
b) Critical assets can refer to those assets necessary to provide services to critical
function(s) and/or critical customer(s).
Fault Isolation Time: The time spent arriving at a decision as to which asset(s)
caused the system to malfunction. This includes time spent working on
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA): Fault tree analysis is a deductive failure analysis
technique (top down approach) that analyzes an undesired state (usually failure)
using Boolean logic. It is utilized to understand how systems can fail and to
identify the best ways to reduce the risk.
Note: The logic is to have the undesired event as the top event (root) of the logic tree.
There should be only one top event and all concerns must tree down from it.
Then, each situation that could cause this undesired event is added to the tree.
The fault tree is labeled with actual failure rates, the probability of the undesired
event can be calculated using Boolean algebra or computer programs.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Note: The effect that is being analyzed has lines branching out of it illustrating the
categories. Each one of the categories, the branches, has smaller branches
that states the possible causes that could lead to the effect under the
respective category.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Failure Rate: Corresponds to the mean number of failures of an asset per unit
exposure time or usage units.
Maintainability: The ease with, which measured by how long it takes, so that a
system, equipment or component can be maintained in order to:
1) Isolate defects or their causes.
2) Correct defects or their causes.
3) Repair or replace faulty or worn-out components without having to replace
still working parts.
4) Prevent unexpected breakdowns.
5) Maximize a product's useful life.
6) Maximize efficiency, reliability and safety.
7) Meet new requirements.
8) Make future maintenance easier.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF): The predicted elapsed time between
intrinsic failures of an asset during operation. The MTBF can be calculated as
the arithmetic mean (average) time between failures of the asset. The MTBF is
typically part of a model that assumes the failed asset is repairable (mean time to
repair (MTTR)), as a part of a renewal process.
For an asset,
Example:
Asset MTBF
System MTBF
Defining the failure of the system is a crucial part in determining the MTBF of the
system. If the system as a whole had 2 shutdowns and 3 slowdowns during the 5 year
period, therefore,
Mean Time To Failure (MTTF): The predicted elapsed time between intrinsic
failures of an asset during operation. The MTTF measures the average time to
failures with the modeling assumption that the failed asset is not repaired
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
b) Physical assets usually refer to equipment, inventory and properties owned by the
organization. Physical assets are the opposite of intangible assets, which are
non-physical assets such as leases, brands, digital assets, use rights, licenses,
intellectual property rights, reputation or agreements.
Equipment: Any kind of asset found in Saudi Aramcos plants and facilities
including static equipment, rotating equipment, electrical & instrumentation
equipment and pipelines.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
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Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Asset Portfolio: Assets that are within the scope of the asset management
system.
Notes:
Series System: A system in which the failure of any one asset results in the
failure of the system. For the functional success of a series system, all of its
components must successfully function during the intended mission time of
the system.
a) The reliability of the sensing and switching device is an essential part of the
reliability of the system.
b) The failure rate of the standby asset is greater than zero due to hidden failure
modes.
Complex System: A system that is neither parallel nor in-series, but exhibit
a more complex configuration such as:
1) Parallel-Series System: A hybrid combination of parallel and series
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
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Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
system.
2) Non Parallel-Series System: A parallel-series system with connection
points to increase system availability.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
On-stream Factor: The ratio of the number of operating days in addition to the
scheduled downtime to the number of calendar days in a year. The on-stream
factor emphasizes the unplanned shutdowns; the duration of no operation does
not include the scheduled/planned downtime.
Operating Factor: The ratio of the number of operating days to the number of
calendar days. The duration of no operation includes the scheduled/planned and
unscheduled/unplanned downtime.
Where:
Uptime: Period when the asset is operating or ready to operate.
Downtime: Period when the asset is not able to operate for any reason.
Total Time: Period included in the analysis.
Note: When the total time of the analysis is the same, the operating factor is equal to
the operational availability.
Redundancy: The existence of more than one means for accomplishing a given
function. Each mean of accomplishing the function need not necessarily be
identical. The two basic types of redundancy are:
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Single-Point Failure: A failure of an asset that causes the system to fail and for
which no redundancy or alternative operational procedure exists.
Bill of Materials (BoM): A list of the parts or components that are required to
build a product. The BoM provides the Manufacturer's Part Number (MPN) and
the quantity needed for each component.
Data Mean: The mean measures the central tendency of a set of data.
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Document Responsibility: Asset Management Standards Committee SABP-A-071
Issue Date: 9 May 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Reliability Terms, Definitions and Abbreviations
Revision Summary
9 May 2016 This new Saudi Aramco Best Practice was created to ensure that reliability-related terms
are well defined, understood and documented.
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