PROJECT SUMMARY
 
 

The importance of aging of infrastructures, networks and industrial plants will continue to increase because of (a) need to continue operation of these infrastructures, networks and plants beyond the design life-time, (b) need to operate under changed conditions and (c) the increased role of existing plants in the optimized (“smart”) supply and utility networks of the future, e.g. as fall-back supply. The effective agreed strategies to address aging issues are yet to be developed and consistently applied. The project, SafeLife-X, will contribute to creating consensus on aging management including potential cascading and/or ripple effects. It will, thus, satisfy the demand within various industrial sectors and help match the EU Grand Challenges and the EU-2020 Strategy, and achieve goals of main stakeholders (e.g. EC, OECD, ECTP, ETPIS…).

 The project will create a multi-disciplinary / multi-sector community able to answer the key issues related to aging at EU & International level. The consortium includes members of the EU Technology Platforms ECTP (construction) and ETPIS (industrial safety) and a group of 25 experts to complement the expertise needed, and will be open to all interested parties. This community will meet, share experience and prepare a common vision for the future and main elements needed to realize it. The project will capitalize on best practices of modeling, asset integrity management, decision making, and cost-benefit analysis. CEN Workshop Agreement(s) will be initiated in the course of the project and the development of one European Standard (EN) on “Risk-Based Inspection Framework” pursued. New projects will propose input for Horizon 2020 within the Strategic Research Agenda & Roadmap.

SafeLife-X will explore the issue of aging as an opportunity for new technologies, services and businesses primarily in service and construction sectors, the latter being the largest EU industrial employer representing 9.9% of the GDP and 14.9 million operatives.

  

 
   
 
 
OVERALL STRATEGY OF THE WORKPLAN
 
 

The overall goal of the project is to improve aging management for infrastructures networks and industrial plants so that their availability is maximize and their management is cost effective. The project strategy is based on the following operational objectives:

  • Enable mutual exchanges and cross-fertilization between several industry sectors to improve the general practices for aging management
  • Capitalize the best practices into guidance documents and into documentary standards
  • Prepare the future with a strategic research agenda and an implementation strategy

The project is therefore organized around 7 workpackages (Coordinating activities), that are presented in the figure below.


The project is designed to set up a collaborative process that enables:

  • flexibility regarding the topics addressed, because the situation on aging management is evolving very quickly around the world
  • reactivity to invite new experts according to new technological developments or the evolving policies and public debate
  • collaboration to support the mutual exchanges, the sharing of experience and cross fertilization thanks to a critical mass from various sectors and countries to prepare guidance documents and standards that support a cost-effective aging management.
 
   
 
 
OUTCOMES
 
 

Knowledge exchanged during the project will be collated in the form of reports and conclusions of discussion workshops. In addition, it is foreseen to prepare guidance documents and initiate documentary standards based on the results of the project. Finally, the community constituted thanks to the project will agree on a common vision, prepare the strategic research agenda and implementation strategy that will be operated jointly under the supervision of the ECTP reFINE initiative and ETPIS SafeFuture.

The most important outcomes of the project will be: 

  • Proceeding of the thematic workshops
  • Guidance documents and documentary standards
  • Strategic Research Agenda and Roadmap (implementation strategy)
  • Creation of a “aging” community (active network) with a stakeholder platform
  • Cross fertilization and awareness raising about methods and tools to manage aging
  • Inform the preparation of new regulation in EU and OECD countries (through the liaison with the OECD working group on Chemical Accidents)

These outcomes will be the features to propose a “New Approach” for aging management. “New Approach” means:

  • “Global” as defined in the Guide to the Implementation of Directives Based on New Approach and Global Approach from the EC to avoid divergences between regional regulations,
  • “Dynamic” in order to develop durable and suitable solutions,
  • “Leading to service” in order to create a new market for the construction sector.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 
   
 
 
A NETWORK OF NETWORKS
 
 
 

Our consortium has been initiated by the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP), in particular its initiative “reFINE” (Research for Future Infrastructure Networks in Europe) and the European Technology Platform on Industrial Safety (ETPIS).

The project SafeLife-X will involve several groups of experts, associations and initiatives interested by the topic of safe life time extension management.

The project has been structured in 3 groups to obtain the maximum of inputs, advices and directions from a wide community:

  • The consortium
  • The International Advisory Board, with 25 international experts from various industry sectors and from various groups of stakeholders (2nd circle)
  • The members of the European Technology Platform on Industrial Safety, the European Construction Technology Platform (reFINE initiative) and other interested parties (3rd circle).

 
   
 
 
JOIN OUR "AGING" COMMUNITY
 
 

SafeLife-X intends to create of an “aging” community (active network) with a stakeholder platform.

More information here.