Track: Industry 4.0

Abstract

Maintenance remains one of the major concerns of the oil and gas industry. Recently, there has been an increasing drive to realise high maintenance efficiency following the various challenges faced in equipment and plant management. Considering these, this study proposes an I4.0 maturity or readiness model specifically tailored to assist the Oil & Gas upstream companies in reaching a higher level of I4.0 maturity in their condition-based maintenance approach, thereby improving the efficiency and reliability of equipment and productivity at large.

The study presents a proposed validated maturity and readiness model that focuses on condition-based maintenance in the oil and gas sector, integrating I4.0 and some key dimensions (Organisation; People; Process, Operations and Maintenance; IT/IT Solutions; and Environmental Sustainability) and assessment scales (from 0 to 4) to determine readiness and maturity level. The proposed model developed from the existing literature is validated through a Delphi study using experts from academia and the Oil & Gas industry to review its content and suitability for practical application. The results of the Delphi approach offer the model and a tool that provides an opportunity to self-evaluate readiness to implement or integrate I4.0 into the condition-based maintenance strategy (I4.0-based CBM). Experts found the maturity model robust in its content, relevant, clear, and helpful for the pathway to I4.0 integration to CBM and adoption in the overall maintenance strategy of the oil and gas plant. Business leaders, maintenance heads, and plant managers with experience in the oil and gas upstream sector will find the model very suitable for the onward journey to I4.0 integration in condition-based maintenance, especially in oil-rich developing nations where a facility was used as a case study. The proposed new I4.0 maturity model tailored to integrating I4.0 into CBM in the Oil & Gas (O&G) industry is essential to the body of knowledge and practice.