API 687 Chapter 0, Section 4 thru Section 7: Process, Partnership, Communication, and Shipping

Section 4: The Process

Chapter 0, Section 4 opens with a powerful statement that summarizes what I think reinstates the objective of the whole API RP 687.

It states that it provides guidance to the equipment owner in defining the objectives and setting the expectations for the equipment inspections and repairs. It also summarizes and references information that will be required when planning and coming up with potential scopes of repair.

The following figure illustrates the three main points of Section 4: Defining Objectives; Identifying Required Information; and Setting Parameters of Responsibility.

This is followed by an algorithm that defines the typical sequence of events from outage planning to post inspection/repair closing. I have illustrated this sequence in a flowchart.

(I hope my hard core computer scientist friends are proud I used start and end balloons!)

API RP 687 suggests the equipment owners have an important role in providing information to the repair shops about the equipment being inspected and repaired.

For instance:

• Operating conditions and whether or not the operating conditions have changed since the equipment was manufactured (e.g. temperatures, pressures, speeds).

• SDS sheets for the working fluid.

• Equipment operating/inspection/repair history and important highlights from each repair. (e.g. Did parts ever fail in service? Were parts upgraded?).

• Are there any special requirements? NACE compliance? Conditions conducive to SCC?

• Is the equipment in oxygen service?

• Operational and performance data pre-outage, to serve as a baseline for when the repaired equipment is returned to service.

So why all this information?

Imagine taking your vehicle to the service shop.

No, imagine taking only the engine, the suspension, and the brakes from your vehicle to the service shop, nothing else. You ask the mechanics: please inspect these things, but don’t take them apart all the way, and tell me what you need to do to repair it.

The mechanics will probably have a lot of questions:

• How many miles since the last service?

• What type of oil did you use?

• How hard did you drive the car?

• Did you drive off road?

• Did you engine break a lot?

• Did you experience any problems while driving before bringing this in?

The takeaway is that the metal will only tell us part of the story. The other part comes from the operational and service history of the equipment.

Also, consider that maintenance intervals can vary based on equipment, but the desire is to run the equipment for as long as possible between repairs. Sometimes 4-6 years between outages, and some users even desire and push for 8 or 10 years between outages.

I have only been on the service or OEM side, so I would love to hear from some equipment owners about the challenges with maintaining operational and service history for their equipment.

Service providers rely on the equipment owners to keep them up to date on changes, upgrades, or re-rates that may have happened to the equipment since the last time they saw the equipment.

Also, consider that sometimes it is not the same service provider working with the same equipment.

I think equipment owners optimally would like to consistently work with one partner. Record-keeping would certainly be easy that way. But this is not always the case. Equipment repairs often go out for a bid, where several service providers will compete to offer the best value and delivery.

Did you say Oxygen? Why is that important?

I am glad you asked. Sorry I skipped that WHY, that is a very important why.

It is extremely important to identify if your compressor is in oxygen service.

To humans, Oxygen is our friend, but in industrial settings and in high concentrations oxygen presents a combustion and fire risk. Oxygen is highly reactive and can cause materials that are normally non-combustible to ignite, especially oil.

Therefore, compressors in oxygen need to be given special treatment, including how they are cleaned and what materials are used in their components when being repaired.

Section 5: Selection of a Repair Partner

The real title, says Repair Shop, but I prefer the term, Partner. In the end, a good shop needs good people working in it and running it.

The message in Section 5 is short and to the point. It encourages end users to ensure the service partner has:

• the capabilities in terms of facilities, tools and process to get the job done.

• the engineering know-how to support repairs.

• experience and competency.

• capabilities to manufacture or a supply chain to procure any required 3rd party services or parts.

• a quality system that supports quality assurance and traceability.

In the last post I raved about how Chapter 0, Annex A is an excellent conversation piece between equipment owners and repair partners. Now you know why!

Section 6: Communication

I admire that API 687 has a section dedicated to communication and the importance of it in the context of equipment repairs.

I also love that I can share with you my favorite quote about communication, attributed to Nobel Laureate Sir Bernard Shaw:

“The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” – Sir Bernard Shaw

How many times have emails been sent and misinterpreted or ignored. How many times has an email been sent to too many people without clear actions or expectations?

In my experience, a considerable number of quality problems during equipment repairs have as their root cause poor communication between all parties or within the parties involved.

The key message from Section 6 is: Meet every step of the way, communicate, and document each meeting with minutes.

Section 7: Shipping

I think when it comes to shipping, one must consider the fact that the road between plant and shop travels both ways. And this is how API 687 opens this section by stating that both the shop or the owner can reject shipments not made in compliance with their rules.

For this, both parties should agree on the rules; and not just their rules, but any other regulatory requirements.

The document identifies several requirements, but for me the top 4 requirements are:

1.    Proper decontamination of the equipment and communication of Safety Data Sheets

We need to ensure we know what product may be present when the equipment is dismantled so the personnel working know how to properly or most appropriately prepare themselves and the environment.

2.   Proper preservation of the equipment

The equipment needs to be properly packed and secured in a skid, box, or container.

The equipment needs to be well preserved from the elements to reduce collateral damage from corrosion.

3.   Proper identification of dimensions and weight of the equipment

In order for the receiving shop to be prepared to safely handle the equipment, any information that can be used to ensure the proper rigging and lifting fixtures should be provided ahead of time.

This way a proper lift plan can be designed before equipment arrival and the handling can be expedited.

4.    Include special tools or fixtures

Some equipment requires special tooling or lifting fixtures to be used during disassembly. If these are known, once again, they should be shared or included so the handling and disassembly can be carried out effectively and expeditiously.

Later in the document there will be more on shipping containers. In Chapter 0 – Section 14 and in Annex B, There is much more info on actual packing/boxing and shipping preparations.

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This concludes today’s post.

As you can see, there exist quite a few important protocols that may go unnoticed but shouldn’t. They are extremely important in order for all parties to have clear expectations and be prepared to safely and expeditiously handle any challenges in the repair process.