Improving the Performance of Gas Extraction by Reducing the Shutdown Time Using an RCA-based Approach–A Case Study

Abstract

To continue gas production at the South Zagros Oil and Gas Production Company, which is the understudied case, several factors for reducing the stoppage of production are faced. This indicates that the root cause analysis (RCA) of the equipment related to gas production (control panels) is required since it has been widely adopted as a central method to learn from mistakes and mitigate hazards. Using an efficient and effective method in RCA, one can determine the cause of the failures. Thus, this study aims to apply an appropriate RCA-based approach to reduce the failure factors and subsequently improve the performance of gas extraction in the understudied context. After reviewing the records of the past research, and according to the Ministry of Petroleum Implementation, the root cause failure phases of the equipment (control panels) were systematically carried out. Initially, the RCA team consisted of specialized experts in the region. After collecting the required data, the group began the research process and discovered the physical, human, and unknown causes using the logical tree method and the PROACT approach. Once the hypotheses have been validated, the root causes of equipment failures are ultimately identified. The analytical team has come up with solutions and then prioritization of them in the final stage. The findings revealed that identifying and overcoming the root causes of equipment failure will save on the organization’s facilities and costs, and subsequently sustainable production of gas that is particularly susceptible to various problems.