A methodology for the implementation of production assurance programmes in production plants

Abstract

There is an increased use of production assurance programmes in various industries, especially in the petroleum sector. The programme describes the production assurance activities necessary to fulfil the objectives, how they will be carried out, by whom, and when. The activities provide input to decisions regarding concept, design, manufacturing, construction, installation, operation, and maintenance. However, production assurance programmes have not yet been sufficiently developed for general use. It is a challenge to implement and apply such programmes in a practical setting. There is a lack of implementation guidelines. The purpose of the current paper is to meet these challenges; the paper describes and discusses a methodology that facilitates implementation of production assurance programmes in a production plant. The starting point is the offshore oil and gas industry, but the methodology and discussion are to a large extent general and could also be applied in other industries.