eMargin is our software tool for the optimization of reliability allocation in complex industrial facilities such as refineries, petrochemical plants, and offshore production facilities. The tool supports

	allocation of the risks of production discontinuity to individual facility assets and failure modes (bottom to top linkage - equipment pieceparts to profitability)

	estimation of return on reliability enhancement for each asset and piecepart

	prediction of profit impact of selective maintenance relaxation.

	risk-based comparison of storage management strategies.

	comparison of investment costs with risk-reduction returns on both annualized and plant lifetime bases.

A typical refinery application --

Top level objective:	To estimate impact on overall refinery profitability of adjustment of reliability/availability allocation among refinery assets

Factors addressed:	Specifics of refinery layout and flow logic options, intrinsic equipment reliability, equipment aging effects, operator training/reliability, impact of alternative maintenance strategies (focus and frequency), current and projected market values of crudes, intermediates and products.

Technical bases:	(1)	Establishing relationship between maintenance systems and equipment aging rate and equipment reliability.

	(2)	Establishing relationship between equipment reliability and production reliability.

	(3)	Establishing relationship between optimal refinery line-up and current/projected market values of crudes, intermediates and products.

Implementation:	Integration of probabilistic equipment reliability models with production optimization tools to account for equipment/unit reliability limitations in the production optimization process.

Analysis process:	(1)	Construct model of refinery line-up options based on refinery unit capacities in terms of feed and production rates and tankages.

	(2)	Supplement eMargin data base of standard, leading causes of unit outage by refinery-specific events and data.

	(3)	Based on combination of our industry-generic data and data specific to the refinery, characterize time-dependent frequencies of unit reliability problems associated with database of root causes.

	(4)	Characterize market values of crudes, intermediates and products.

	(5)	Execute initial run of eMargin model to identify principal contributing causes to overall refinery profit impact.

	(6)	Develop supplementary unit reliability models down to root causes for units and cause categories assessed to principally drive profit predictions.

	(7)	At this stage, the model is complete and ready for investigation of production improvement strategies through a What-If? approach.

Optimization:	Alternative equipment PM, inspection and refurbishment intervals, and equipment replacement options may be assessed with the model relative to production-based profit impact. This is the basis for cost/benefit analysis. The eMargin model incorporates the discounting of risk-reduction return over the remaining lifetime of equipment so that initial capital costs of equipment modification or redesign may be compared realistically to lifetime return on investment.