Operational Changes

This treatment option can help overcome some failure modes by operating the asset or the asset system to provide the service in a different way.

For an asset involving capacity failure it may be possible to re-route, load share or operate the asset in an alternative mode to provide the additional capacity required.

In the case of physical life extension (mortality failure) any change in the operational parameters that allows for a life extension may be a cost effective option.

Example 1

In power generation, coal or gas fired boilers are extensively used to generate steam for turbine driven generation equipment. Most operators take pride in achieving the maximum generation capacity of their plant. Throughout the life of the plant, many operators will make minor improvements that will enable the overall rating of the plant to be increased and they will take great pride in improving the rating from 500 MW to 525 MW without considering the effect on the life of the plant.

It is extremely rare to see power stations that are operated below their power rating.

There is a direct relationship between boiler temperature and power generation. A 10°C to 20°C reduction in boiler temperature results in less than 10% reduction in power output. However, it will increase the life of the boiler turbine by over 40%.

Therefore if a power generating authority has adequate backup and redundancy to cover a capacity downturn then it should consider operating its facilities at a lower temperature to increase the life of the assets. This is extremely critical when trying to be cost effective in the delivery of a certain level of service.

Example 2

Pressure is a critical factor in the life of ageing water supply pipelines. In many cases authorities have operated these pipelines at maximum available head. To continue to do so could mean an early failure of these assets. One treatment option would be to reduce the pressure and therefore extend the asset life.

Re-routing or the augmentation of the system to supply a small area by an alternative route may allow the water authority to reduce the overall pressure in the ageing assets and thereby cost effectively extend their lives. In other instances authorities are able to negotiate with their consumers a reduction in pressure as a trade-off for an extension of asset life and therefore a lower cost of providing the service.

A similar situation applies to gas reticulation and to electrical distribution.

In the case of gravity pipelines such as sewerage systems the problem is more complex as the provided capacity is related to weather conditions rather than customer demands. Nevertheless, re-routing or capacity diversion can have a beneficial effect.

Example 3

Operational/utility changes to road pavement loadings can also have a substantial beneficial effect. The effective lives of many residential pavements have been improved significantly by banning through traffic and high wheel low vehicles.

Example 4

Changing the usage or the activities in a building can reduce the stress on the structure and building systems. Floor loadings, or the load on other building services, including cooling and heating services, may be altered.