Highlights
- All leaks at a well site repaired in the same fashion can be selected and repaired in bulk
- Fugitive leaks can be assigned to a repairman in bulk either by location or by due date
- For repairs, if an existing repair is accidentally included in the bulk selection it will automatically be ignored to prevent errors
- Delayed leaks are not assignable nor repairable until the delay is removed, and are automatically ignored in bulk selections
Bulk Repairs for Similar Fugitive Leaks
Our LDAR experience in the oil and gas industry has taught us that the same or similar components often cause the majority of leaks. Since the leaks found at most well sites often share similarities, they are also often fixed in a similar nature by the same repairman; SMS offers the ability to repair multiple leaks at once by selecting these leaks and completing a single repair entry.
Bulk repairs are available for all roles in Screening Made Simple (SMS) except for the Operator role (responsible for locating fugitive leaks only). SMS incorporates automatic controls to prevent a user from overwriting an existing repair in their bulk selection of leaks; this prevents the risk that an already completed physical repair is overwritten by erroneous bulk repair data. Moreover, delayed leaks included at well sites will be automatically ignored if accidentally made part of a selection as it is illogical to repair a delayed leak (as defined as a leak which can’t currently be repaired). Instead, delays are tracked centrally and need to be removed from leaks before they are deemed to be repairable.
Bulk Repairs Example
Bulk Assignments Ensure All Leaks Are Fixed and Not Forgotten
A common stress in fugitive emissions management programs is the need to maintain a long list of leaks and follow-up on their repair status. Bulk leak assignments make tracking leaks, and more importantly getting leaks fixed, as simple as possible. Administrators can quickly assign a selection of up to 100 leaks (at a time) to a repairman with the expectation that they will get fixed during that repairman’s routine site visits.
Unassigned leaks can be viewed by well location or by leak timeline, leak listings include the data needed to determine:
- what fugitive leaks are not yet assigned;
- when these leaks need to be assigned by; and
- who the best repairman would be to utilize at each site.
Furthermore, controls exist to prevent delayed leaks (which need to be visible at each location to prevent being forgotten) from being assigned a repairman within bulk selections. Our experience has taught us that delayed leaks should be centrally tracked and delays should be removed from leaks prior to them being assignable. This simplifies the repair process for delayed leaks and ensures no effort is wasted on trying to repair unfixable leaks.