Evergreening an RBI-Based Inspection Program

Introduction

Successful evergreening of an inspection program is critical to ensuring asset availability, mechanical integrity, code compliance, and accounting for changes. Every new asset, repair, process change, inspection, or excursion must be accounted for and evaluated to determine its impact on the mechanical integrity (MI) program and to ensure that risk-based inspection (RBI) correctly models the damage and risks that may be present. Processes and procedures that reliably provide consistent evergreening results must be in place and staff must be dedicated to the evergreening process. This article will describe an owner-user’s evergreening process to maintain accurate data to support the MI program and assist in planning inspections, turnarounds, repairs, replacements, and upgrades.

In this particular case, evergreening involved the long-term support of the site's RBI program through continuous updates to risk analysis inputs following modifications to the facility’s assets via management of change (MOC) and/or maintenance programs, changes in operating practices, as well as in response to any new findings resulting from both routine and large-scale inspection work. In layman's terms, evergreening is the process of ensuring your inspection data management system (IDMS) matches what is physically in the field and correctly models the processes contained in those assets. An RBI program must be constantly updated as changes to assets and processes occur.

The Importance of Evergreening

The importance of evergreening an RBI-based inspection program is multifaceted. Without updated asset and process information, assets are at risk for unforeseen damage resulting in unplanned downtime. Integrity of pressure-containing assets is critical to the safety of personnel and continued operation/reliability of process units. Code requires asset inspection programs to be properly documented and up to date. A robust evergreening process ensures these critical documents are kept up to date and relevant. 

The health and integrity of the IDMS and documents of record is also paramount. Evergreening ensures your IDMS reflects what is actually in the field and it correctly models processes and the damage mechanisms that may occur. The evergreening process...