This article details new, sophisticated software that uses predictive modeling protocols supported by lifecycle analysis from NACEâ¢, ISO® and industry stakeholders to create an asset management system for asset owners and maintenance engineers: The PPG ASSET INTEGRITY MANAGEMENT (PPG AIM) software program.
Leveraging data collected and inputted at owner facilities, PPG AIM projects plantwide maintenance schedules that enable asset owners to apply or reapply coatings at optimal times in an asset's lifecycle to mitigate corrosion, thereby extending service life.
By incorporating a proactive, data-driven system, owners and maintenance engineers can institute dynamic, "just in time" coatings maintenance programs that forecast coatings maintenance requirements and budgets for assets under their management multiple years into the future.
Compared to reactive "run to failure" maintenance programs, focused on replacing assets as needed (when they are too expensive to repair), PPG AIM delivers more predictable budgeting and significant long-term cost-savings. It also saves time and labor by reducing the need to inventory materials, assess coated assets and prepare coatings maintenance budgets every year.
The value of preventative maintenance
NACE recently published a report that calculated the total global cost of corrosion to be up to $2.5 trillion annually. For asset owners seeking to control these costs, regular maintenance of protective coatings in a properly executed asset management system is essential. PPG AIM allows the owner to see the true return on investment of a lifecycle maintenance painting program or corrosion management program.
Every asset owner, wittingly or unwittingly, operates an asset management program across a spectrum that ranges from "proactive" preventative maintenance to "reactive" end-of-life programs. By definition, proactive maintenance programs aim to track corrosion degradation and preserve the integrity of assets by recoating or repairing them at regular, predetermined intervals. The goal of this approach is to extend the life of individual assets by protecting them from corrosion when it is most economically feasible.
Predictive modeling
NACE and ISO have developed and updated statistical models that forecast the known life expectancies of protective coatings in different locales, from rural mining sites to heavy industrial settings.
These standards help asset owners establish proactive maintenance programs and avoid the excessive costs and safety issues commonly associated with "run to failure" maintenance schemes.
The idea is to arm maintenance engineers with scientifically derived data so they can more accurately predict when specific assets will require maintenance/repair and can schedule for the optimal time in the maintenance cycle.
Static vs. dynamic predictive modeling
Most predictive maintenance programs today rely on condition analyses gathered from visual inspection of assets at three- to four-year intervals. This approach to managing coating degradation is inherently flawed because it relies on static data. It is also based largely on subjective judgment, as representatives from different parts of an organization may use different methods to interpret and report asset conditions. Regular turnover in personnel involved in asset evaluation can also produce a wide range of results. Finally, the cost to complete a program of routine condition analyses is time- and labor-intensive.
Another problem with static data is that it cannot account for factors that may diminish or accelerate corrosion of key assets between inspection intervals. It also cannot predict variables such as inflation or rising material costs that may further affect the implementation of a comprehensive asset management program. With advances in technology, coatings companies have begun to invest in developing software-based asset management programs that use predictive data more dynamically.
Dynamic predictive modeling software
As mentioned earlier, NACE and ISO have done groundbreaking work establishing life expectancy standards for corrosion-protective coatings on metal structures. The continuing challenge for asset owners and maintenance engineers has been translating that information into solutions that help them protect assets more effectively and cost efficiently.
That challenge has been met. PPG AIM is an innovative software-based solution that incorporates data collected from condition analyses and inputted by the software provider at customer facilities -- together with predictive modeling algorithms based on NACE 509 and ISO 12944 standards -- to forecast plantwide coatings maintenance demands and inflation-adjusted budgets 10, 15 or 20 years into the future. Here's how it works:
- Step one -- Asset Inventory and Management: PPG maps the entire facility under the owner's or engineer's management and then conducts a field assessment and quantity survey. The information collected from the assessment and survey is then inputted into an asset manager tool that acts as a master catalog for the assets in the facility, organized according to the naming conventions and protocols established by the asset owner or facility manager.
- Step two -- Condition Assessment: PPG analyzes the current condition of assets based on criteria established in NACE 509 and ASTM D610. Condition assessments are date-stamped to allow for predictive modeling by the software and to forecast future asset conditions based on maintenance delays or other variables. When maintenance is performed on an asset, its condition is updated to reflect the work performed and date it was completed.
- Step three -- Budget Manager: The schedule manager provides a graphical display of current and future conditions for assets, including estimated current and future (inflated) costs for maintenance.
The schedule manager also enables maintenance engineers to create multiple schedules to run through a wide range of maintenance- cost scenarios based on inflation, budget increases or cuts, project delays and other variables.
Conclusion
Using industry standards established through ISO and NACE and sophisticated software-driven algorithms, asset managers now have the potential to replace static modeling programs and costly "run to failure" maintenace strategies with highly sophisticated, proactive asset management systems.
By adopting standards- and algorithm-based software programs, facility managers and maintenance engineers can more accurately forecast -- years into the future -- which of the many critical assets under their jurisdiction will require a new coating and/or surface repair. They can also more accurately estimate when those repairs must take place and how much they will cost.
Ultimately, that allows asset owners to spend resources more effectively, lower overhead costs and extend asset service life. For those actively seeking new ways to maximize their investment in coatings, maintenance and operational assets, dynamic software programs can offer a valuable glimpse into the future.
For more information, visit www.ppgpmc.com/aim or call (888) 9PPGPMC [977-4762].
