Development and Implementation of Procedure Execution Diagrams (PEDs) to Reduce Downtime in Oil and Gas Production
In oil and gas production, every hour a unit is offline incurs significant costs. There is a substantial financial impact associated not only with the lost revenue from halted production, but also with the manpower expenses associated with restarting the unit. Minimizing delays is crucial to reducing these costs. Plant managers can employ meticulous planning, advanced technology, and effective communication to mitigate downtime. Additionally, maintaining strong and up-to-date procedures is essential for efficiently transitioning a production unit from idle to normal operations.
However, even with these measures, there are still opportunities to optimize the startup process further and achieve greater efficiency—such as by introducing visual tools known as Procedure Execution Diagrams (PEDs). By providing a clear, high-level roadmap of dependencies and critical paths, PEDs enhance communication, streamline execution, and serve as valuable training and audit tools.
Limitations of Lengthy and Detailed Procedures
While assisting clients during turnarounds, Becht often observes that although procedures are lengthy and detailed—ensuring content strength and accuracy—they may lack flexibility and ease of use. This can make them less practical or user-friendly in real-world operational settings. They also follow a linear approach and miss the opportunity to optimize the strategy by taking advantage of tasks that can be executed at the same time.
Optimizing Startup Strategy with Procedure Execution Diagrams
Becht can assist your organization in improving the startup strategy by developing and implementing Procedure Execution Diagrams and breaking lengthy, linear procedures into discrete, independent tasks or modules that can be executed simultaneously. This is an additional tool and does not replace the planning stages, communication, and procedure training. This tool offers a parallel approach that not only minimizes downtime but also enhances overall efficiency. For example, checking instrumentation, verifying control systems, and inspecting mechanical components can often be performed in parallel.
Features of Procedure Execution Diagrams
Procedure Execution Diagrams (PEDs) are poster-size diagrams that depict the overall startup strategy for a production unit, as well as the critical paths and dependencies among the procedures that are executed. Startups (as well as shutdowns) are highest-risk operations that take days to complete, involve multiple disciplines, and face rapid transitions in operating conditions outside normal operating ranges. PEDs facilitate coordination among all team members, including console operators, field operators, process engineers, maintenance personnel, and supervisors. While procedures are the ideal tool for step-by-step work instruction, PEDs are better suited to track overall progress, communicate next steps during shift changes, and strategize what tasks can be done concurrently to optimize execution time.
Advantages of Integrating PEDs
During planning stages or continuous improvement sessions, PEDs are excellent training tools because they help console operators visualize the multiple activities they must perform, simultaneously or sequentially, and coordinate during startups. For field operators, they provide context for the tasks they are asked to do by the console operators. Additionally, during procedure audits, PEDs help identify missing procedures or inaccuracies in existing procedures. By adopting PEDs as part of the startup strategy, your organization can ensure smoother transitions from idle to normal operations, ultimately safeguarding productivity and profitability.
If you are interested in integrating Procedure Execution Diagrams as a tool to reduce downtime and streamline your startup and shutdown procedures, contact us or visit becht.com/training to learn more.
