Challenges due to aging plants

The management of aging of plants has become an important issue for oil and gas (O&G) companies that intend to extend the lifetime of their facilities. Important requirements are that the installations must be safe and economical to remain in operation. This can be achieved by implementing aging plant management programs to control and mitigate the degradation of the facilities. Aging plants have been a crucial topic for several years within the nuclear power industry, but it is a relatively novel area for the offshore O&G industry. To develop a successful aging plant management program for an existing offshore O&G installation, it is necessary not only to learn from the experience of other industries but also to understand and address the specific challenges for managing the aging of these facilities. The objective of this article is to outline these issues and to highlight future challenges. © 2011 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Process Saf Prog 2011