How can preventive maintenance prevent an offshore oil spill?

Preventive maintenance ensures that oil-related equipment is in good working order and can also assist in cleanup efforts. This may help prevent both small and large offshore spills in the future. Oil spills can cause devastating damage to marine life nearby and all surrounding life, as the spill spreads through waterways. Here are some examples of ways that preventive maintenance can help.

 

Breakdowns and Ruptured Pipes

Oil spills can be caused by uncontrollable factors, such as hurricanes, or by acts of vandalism. However, the most common cause of oil spills are accidents involving an oil rig, pipeline, tanker, or storage facility. Fortunately, these accidents are often preventable.

Facility managers can properly train maintenance technicians on critical inspections and maintenance procedures required for oil-related equipment. In addition, a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) can incorporate sensors to help monitor key equipment and pipes. For example, if a sensor detects that a piece of equipment exceeds an acceptable vibration range, it can send an immediate alert. Leak sensors can also spot the smallest problem quickly before a more major leak occurs.

Blowout Preventer

According to follow-up studies, one key piece of equipment that can cause oil spills through failure is the blowout preventer. The failure of this component, which seals and controls oil and gas wells, led to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill. After this incident, proposed regulations required drillers to test and increase preventive maintenance on the blowout preventers. In addition, a third-party would need to check the blowout preventer each year with a detailed inspection every five years.

An extensive government study analyzed 430 failure events and 88,000 maintenance tasks related to the blowout preventer on 23 oil rigs. The study found that many good practices were already in place with drilling companies working to eliminate failures through using a CMMS, a preventive maintenance program, and solid training.

Small Vessels

Although not nearly as devastating as major offshore oil spills, small vessel spills add up in our environment as well. For example, in the state of Washington, all the small spills from fishing and recreational boats together make up the largest cause of oil pollution in Puget Sound.

Typically, small spills happen when boats are refueling. They also occur during bilge discharge, which removes water and oil that accumulate in the bottom of the boat.

To prevent oil leaks, owners of small vessels can tighten engine bolts and replace worn hydraulic lines and fittings. Refueling can be done more safely by avoiding overfilling and turning off the bilge pump during the process.

After the Incident

If an oil spill does occur, preventive maintenance steps can also speed the clean-up and recovery process. For example, technology can be used to create a response plan before a spill occurs. This can help responders assess the situation and respond more quickly if a spill occurs.

Historic documentation and sophisticated communications equipment allow those working on recovery to better coordinate efforts. In addition, remote-controlled vehicles can provide backup help in a disaster situation.

Conclusion

Oil spills are one of the modern-day disasters that we all want to avoid. Fortunately, as preventive maintenance technology continues to advance, more and more tools are available to help. Critical assets, most likely points of failure, and the highest risk areas can be isolated and inspected more frequently. Internet of Things and sensor technology can provide around-the-clock monitoring to boost reliability even further. And, if an oil spill still occurs, preventive maintenance planning can help aid recovery efforts. This will hopefully minimize the damage and impact as much as possible.