In the field of asset integrity management, it is corrosion and erosion that attracts the lion's share of management time, resources and analysis. The majority of plants usually have a full-time corrosion or integrity engineer whose principal responsibility Is identifying, preventing or mitigating possible corrosion or erosion damage events. Because corrosion or erosion is an almost inevitable outcome, with potentially catastrophic consequences, this accounts for their priority position in terms of risk management. In contrast, vibration and its consequences attract significantly less attention and management activity. But inadequately managing the threat of vibration can be equally catastrophic - and, in fact, accounts for a relatively high percentage of reported failures, notably in the harsh environments of the UK North Sea sector. However, as we discuss in this paper, the approach to vibration management is starting to change, becoming more proactive, more preventative and more global. In part, this has been driven by demand from operators with an international perspective, in part, because of wider dissemination of existing standards and industry guidance, and in part, because of the supply of enabling technologies that bring vibration to the heart of asset integrity management.
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