Sequencing a multi-site campaign

1. Build the sequence from the valve list

A campaign sequence starts with a population, not a calendar. Begin with a valve condition survey covering condition, service, fittings and access at every site. The survey is the input; sequencing turns it into an order of work.

Group the population before you order it. Common groups include passing valves, hard-to-operate valves, stem leaks and healthy valves needing only top-ups.

Rank each group by consequence of failure, not by convenience. Keep the categories identical across all sites, so results stay comparable. The survey then feeds one valve integrity management programme rather than several local lists.

A survey also flags valves that injection cannot help. Valves without fittings, or with damaged internals, need assessment or workshop repair. Finding these early stops a crew losing a day mid-campaign, and keeps the sequence honest.

2. Ordering sites by condition, access and season

Order sites by a mix of condition, consequence and logistics. A common approach treats the worst condition and highest consequence first, then groups remaining sites by travel. A route that saves travel but delays a passing valve in critical service is a poor trade.

Check the working windows before fixing dates. Monsoon, extreme heat and cold change both access and compound behaviour, as seasonal planning explains.

Permits, plant operations and simultaneous work shape each window. Maintenance window planning covers those constraints in detail. Sites sharing a pipeline deserve adjacent slots, so one set of isolation rules covers both.

Book the windows first, then build the route between them. A sequence built without confirmed windows usually fails in its first week. Revisit the order whenever a window moves, because one moved permit shifts every later slot.

3. Crews, guns and spares

Give each crew a gun suited to the site, fittings and adaptors, and spare hoses. Carry the minor service kit for each gun model, and know where the nearest major kit sits. A gun that fails mid-round idles the whole crew.

Crews also need trained hands. Injection looks simple, but reading pressure response and judging when to stop come with practice. Split large sites between crews only when permits and supervision allow.

Nominate one coordinator to hold the sequence, the permits and the stock list.

We train operators before campaigns begin. Our field teams also run campaigns across the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Our clean, lubricate and seal service can run the rounds for you.

4. Consumables and quantities

Before planning any injection round, check the gates. Each valve needs injection fittings in good condition, a design and service suited to injection, and a permit that allows the work. Where OEM documents exist, check their limits and warranty terms.

Quantities come from the survey, not from guesswork. Common operator practice is a top-up of about one eighth of system capacity, twice a year.

Many operators also cycle valves on a similar cadence to prevent seizing. Both habits vary by valve, fitting and site, so treat them as starting points only.

1. Count valves by class and condition from the survey.
2. Allow cleaner, then lubricant or sealant, for each neglected valve.
3. Add margin for repeat doses where the first response is slow.
4. Split the stock between crews and vehicles along the route.

Match the stock to the route, not to the depot. A crew that runs short mid-site loses the window. Consumables stock planning sets out the detail.

5. Records that shape the next round

Every valve treated needs a record: tag, compounds, amounts, pressure response, cycle count, operator and date. A stroke counter or a logged gun reading keeps the amounts honest. Without records, the next campaign starts from zero again.

Records also carry the evidence. Falling pressure decay across a closed valve suggests improvement, but it does not prove it.

A seat-leak test under agreed conditions, such as double block and bleed monitoring, confirms the result. Screening readings indicate improvement, but the agreed test decides the outcome. Agree the test method with operations before the campaign starts.

Read the records between rounds, then re-rank the sites for the next campaign. Valves that respond poorly to treatment need a proper assessment, not another repeat dose. Some will prove cheaper to replace, and the records give you that case in writing.