Experiences in Implementing Risk-Based Inspection

Some of the 'early adopters' of risk-based inspection (RBI) failed to cross the RBI technology chasm because as pioneers, they were essentially experimenting with the suitability of this new technology, Figure.1. The followers ('early and late majority') can benefit from the experiences (failures and successes) of these trailblazers. RBI has received considerable attention since the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) [1] and the American Petroleum Institute (API) [2] began publishing guidelines on risk-based inspection and maintenance planning methods in the late 1980's. The Bahrain Petroleum Company (BAPCO) was one of the first operators in Bahrain to implement RBI. Since RBI planning continues to generate considerable interest in the Middle East, some of the practicalities of applying RBI are also presented in this paper. These experiences arose during a pilot study with TWI, conducted on process plant, storage tanks, boilers and pipelines at BAPCO in 2003. As part of a major joint industry project [3], TWI carried out a questionnaire-based industrial survey in 2001, to gain a better understanding of the reality of RBI usage and the needs of operators. Approximately 90 of the questionnaires that were distributed worldwide, were returned to TWI. Some of the more interesting findings, are reported in this paper for the benefit of operators new to RBI.