Your Reliability Engineering Professional Development Site
The equipment used in oil and gas wells is designed to operate for long periods of time at very high absolute pressures and temperatures, frequently in highly corrosive environments, and with little opportunity for visual surveillance of equipment condition. The reliability of these products directly affects the economics of operating these wells, the environment, and the safety of the communities in which the wells are located. This series of five articles explores the risk and reliability associated with the downhole tools used in oil and gas well applications and provides recommendations for engineers on how to include reliability thought and practice in design.
Equipment risk is a reality of every oil or gas well completion, but is this risk the exclusive responsibility of the equipment manufacturer (OEM)? To answer this question, let’s examine the major aspects of equipment risk in more detail. [Read more…]
When a product is said to be of “high quality”, it is usually perceived to be reliable. Conversely, if the product is said to be “reliable”, it is probably perceived it to be of high quality. Why is this?
A product is an assembly of many components, all of which must be manufactured to some quality standard. Quality in component manufacturing is achieved through rigor in the manufacturer’s Quality Assurance (QA) system. QA systems define the Quality Control (QC) processes which ensure that materials, components, and assemblies meet the quality standard. The rigor must be appropriate for the product’s application. In critical applications (e.g. for sub-surface safety valves), the rigor must be high. [Read more…]
“A failure analysis is a waste of resources. We know why it failed. We need to move on.”
If you have participated in a failure analysis, you have likely heard the preceding comments, and been told to fix the problem ASAP. You make a change, but the same failure re-surfaces and you are in the hot seat again. What can you do to improve the failure analysis process in the future? Let us begin by reviewing some realities of failures. [Read more…]
“It was supposed to work in our application. This failure is going to cost us a lot of rig time.”
Was this product checked out prior to purchase? Was it fit-for-purpose? Some due diligence was probably used, but the better question is…was the product assessed through Design Assurance? Design assurance is an engineering process that confirms the product meets performance requirements and complies with design policies and industry standards. [Read more…]
“Engineering is behind schedule on this new size. This happens every time. This is the 3rd size that is delayed. How are we ever going to get this product line to the market?”
Have any of these statements or questions been directed to your team in a design review or stage-gate meeting? If you are an engineering leader, you may have to explain schedule delays, reliability issues, and cost overruns. How can you avoid this uncomfortable situation? The answer may be simpler you may think. [Read more…]