Journal of Scientific & Industri al Research Vol. 62, October 2003, pp 1001 - 1007

Impact of Quality Management System on Product Quality at ONGC, Uran OK Ralli , S C Pandey, A K Saxena and W K A lamkhan *

Process and Products Cont rol Laboratory, Uran Plant, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Uran 400 702. District Raigad

Received: 17 March 2003; accepted: 07 Jul y 2003

Present work includes evaluation and assessment of Quality Management System (QM S) at Uran Plant w r t quality parameters of final products, viz. Liquefi ed Petrol eum Gas and Low Aromatic Naphtha. Large data of Sy covering 2y before and after implementation of QMS, i.e., from 1998 to 2002 are averaged out for final LPG product. Year-wise percentage of off-spec samples vs total samples analyzed for qu ality assess ment is computed . Similar trend analysis is carri ed out for LAN product for 3 y, i.e, from 2000 to 2002. The results ex hibit that there is a definite improvement in the qu ality of fina l products, like LPG, LAN at Uran plant after adopting ISO: 9002 QMS , whi ch is reflected in terms of reduced number of batches of non-conforming products.

Keywords: Quality management system, Liquefied petroleum gas, Lo w aro matic nap htha

Introduction

Quality IS defined as totality of characteri stics of an entity that bears on its ability to sati sfy stated and implied needs. T aguchi Genichi J looks at quality somewhat di ffe rentl y and defines quality in terms of the final product rather than in terms of employee acti vity. He believes that value which forms the bas is for quality definition is too subjective to measure. A product-based definition is that quality is a precise and measurable variable . If one is to manage quality, one must be ab le to measure it. American National Standards Institute (ANSI)2 and American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) standard ized definition of quality in I 978 .The intent of international standards is to c larify and standardize quality terms and to direct and contro l the organizati on wi th regard to qua lity. The ambit of quality standards spans over e ight quality management princ iples.

• Customer centric organi zation (CCO).

• Leaders hip .

• Invo lvement of people.

o Process approach .

• System approach to management.

• Continual improvement.

• Factual approach to deci sion making.

• Mutually beneficial suppl ier re lationshi p.

" Au thor fo r correspondence

These princ iples form the bas is of ISO: 9000 series of QMS, which has undergone revision during the year 2000 providing greater emphasis upon customer sat isfac ti on and continua l improvement through process approach.

Process can be considered as an acti vity using resources and management thereof to enable the tran sformation of input in to output . The process approach refers to the appli cati on o f system of processes within an organi zation coupled with identificati on and interactio n of these processes and the ir management.

The mode l of a process-based QMS is depicted in Figure I , which is based on PDCA (pl an Do Check and Act) cyc le.

An advantage of process approach is the on­go ing contro l that it provides over the linkage between the indi vid ual processes within the system of processes as we ll as over the ir interactions. Within the purview of QMS, var ious sub-processes through these inte r-linkages have a d irect or indirec t bearing on final product quality. Thus the fina l product qual ity may be cons idered as a criterion to study the impact of QMS imple mentat ion within an organi zation .

The Uran Plant

O il and Natura l Gas Corporation es tabli shed Uran Processing fac iliti es in 198 1 on the part of main land of Konkan along the eastern shore of Bombay harbour. Uran pl:.!nt receives oi l, gas and associa ted water from western offshore. The plant has in-bui!t

1002 J SCI IND RES VOL 62 OCTOI3ER 2003

Management

Responsibility \ Measurement, Anal)'sis and Improvement

--~ Satisfaction

IWquirement Product Realization

Input

Figure I - Continu al improvement of quality managemcnt systcm

capac ity to handle 16 MMSCMD of gas, 20 MMT/y of crude oi I and 1500 MTld of condensate . It p rocesses natura l gas by cryogeni c techno logy to produce Liquefi ed petro leu m gas (LPG), Gaso line liquid, Low aromatic naphtha (LAN), Propane and ethane-propane mi xture. The plant is a lso engaged in acti vities perta ining to stabili zat ion of crude oil prior to its di spatch to refineries .

[SO Certification

Initia lly 1994 version of ISO: 9000 a ll owed certificati on of th ree standards specific to the areas of acti vities of the organization, viz. IS O: 900 I, 9002 and 9003 . In a ll , there were twenty e l eme~t s in this standard . As per 2000 version of ISO: 9000, certificati on is allowed in ISO : 900 I only, irrespec tive of area of activity. The e lements have been condensed into e ight major clauses in this vers ion.

Uran Plant is the first ONGC unit to get ISO: 9000 certificati on. Quality Management Syste m of 1994 vers ion was launched at Uran in the month of August, 1999. The plant was certified for ISO: 9002 during December, 1999 as well as for ISO: 1400 I , Environment Management Syste m during May, 2000. Presently, both the Management Systems (QMS and EMS) have been integrated and QMS upgraded to the latest ISO: 900 I: 2000 version during March , 2002. Integration of Management Systems has made the system more compact and cost-effecti ve.

Inspection Method and Schedule

In the present study, cont ro l inspecti on of in­process LPG and gaso line liquid samples is carried out every 8h to ensure that process is operating unde r control and to prov ide feedback fo r correc ting any deviati ons to check if the process is giv ing producti on as pe r spec ificati ons. Fina l products a re inspected pri or to di spatc h. The Integra ted M anagement Sys tem is in spec ted by ex ternal audit by Mis DNV , Netherl and at in terva l of six months and inte rna ll y by tra ined auditors hav ing sa me peri odi city.

Product Quality

The achi evement o f sati sfac tory qua lity in vo lves a ll s tages of qua lity loop cons isting of inpu t, process ing, and fin a l product. Result of acti vities or processes is ca ll ed a produc t. A product may inc lude service, hard ware, processed mate ri a ls, software or a combin ati on thereof. It can be tana ibl e or intana ib le to to

o r the ir co mbinati on. Overa ll , it is the fin al product qu ali ty, whi ch is o f utmost importance for the organization and customers both. O ther important features inc lude time ly de li very and after sa les se rvice, etc., from the customer point of view. Worthiness o f QMS co mpli ance can be judged by studying product qu ality improvement trend.

Process o f Improv ing qu a lity is more evo luti o nary ra ther th an revo luti ona ry and the

RALLI et a L.: QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 1003

pursuit of quality is required on organizational level as well as on unit level. Quality may be defined as "fitness for use" and fitness can be measured by four parameters - design , conformance, availability and field service'.

At Uran plant, quality testing stages involve inspection of sour gas, sweet gas, light end fractions, gasoline liquid and final products like, LPG and LAN, etc ., as shown in Figure 2. Sweet Gas is obtained from Sour Gas at Gas Sweetening Unit (GSU).

The present work includes the study of frequency of non-conformance of a particular product tested batch-wise prior to dispatch at Process and Products Control Laboratory, Uran Plant. The averaged out data for the years 1998 to 2002 has been compared to analyze the impact of QMS. Thi s period includes the samples tested during pre- and post­launch of ISO: 9000 at Uran.

Quality Parameters of Products

I Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

LPG produced at Uran Plant is of commercial propane-butane mixture type with C2 and C5 in minor concentrations. LPG is being tested at in-process stage as well as in a batch prior to dispatch. The in­process stage testing includes: Compositional analysis by chromatography (IP-405), Volatility (BIS : 1448 : P : 72), Reid vapour pressure (ASTM 02598) and Density (ASTM 02598). The specifications of final LPG product are designed to meet customer requirements and follow BIS: 1448 standards.

SOUR GAS

1----+1 SWEET GAS f---~

2 Low Aromatic Naphtha (LAN)

LAN is tested in-process as well as prior to dispatch . Gasoline liquid produced from two LPG plants is blended with that of CFU-II plant to obtain the fin al LAN product. Average values of RVP (at 37.8 DC) of gasoline liquids produced from LPG-I, LPG-II, and CFU-II plants are: 12.6, 12.5 and 9.3 psi, respectively. Average RVP (at 37 .8 0C) of resu ltant blended product is approx. 10.7 psi, thu s meeting the naphtha spec ificat ions.

Inspecti on and testing methods along with prescribed limits and typi cal composition of LPG and LAN products are presented in Table I and 2, respecti vely.

Results and Discussion

Batch samples are drawn and analyzed as per laid down procedures and results are compared with stipulated limits of conformity. Samples failing to meet one or more spec ified limits are designated as non-conforming. Monthl y frequency of non­conformance of LPG for the years 1998 to 2002 has been determined (Table 3). It is worth mentioning here th at QMS was implemented at Uran pl ant during December, 1999 and LAN was evo lved as a product by blending of gasoline liquid produced from LPG Plants I and II and Condensate Fractionating Unit-II in the year 2000 and thereafter the export was undertaken. Data on LAN batches is shown in Table 4. Annual percentage of non-conformance of LPG and LAN products has been computed and dep icted in Figure 3 and 4 , respectively.

'------~ GASOLINE LIQUID

CONDENSATE f-----+I CFU- II PLANT I----.!~

GASOLINE blQ.UI D

I ____ ~ LA N

Figure 2 - Process fl ow diagram and quality testing stages

1004 J SCIIND RES VOL 62 OCTOBER 2003

Table 1- LPG and LAN speciti cations

LPG

Parameter Test method Limit

Density P:76 of IS : 1448 As per actual g/mL

Volatility P:72 2t1C (max)

Vapour pressure at 65 tiC P:71 16.87 (max) kgUcm2 gauge

Copper strip corrosion test P :75 Not worse than I (a) ASTM

Hydrogen sulphide P:73 Absent

Mercaptan sulphur IP-272 20 to 40 ppm

Dryness Vi sual No free entrained water

Doctor test P : 19 Positi ve

LAN

Paraftin s ASTM D5443 75 per cent by vol (min )

Aromatics ASTM D5443 10 per cent by vol (max)

Naphthenes ASTM D5443 15 per cent by vol (max)

Lead ASTM D3237 250 ppb (max)

Sulphur ASTM D4294 250 ppm (max)

RVP at 37.8 tiC ASTM D323 12 psia (max)

Saybolt color ASTM DI 56 +25 Saybolt unit (min )

Residue on evaporati on ASTM DI 353 50 mgl 100 mL (max)

IBP ASTM D86 35 tiC (min )

FBP ASTM D86 150 tiC (max)

Density ASTM DI 298 0.67 to 0.69 g/mL

Calorific value IS 1448 (p :7) As observed cal/g

LPG

Table 2 - Test results of typi cal LPG and LAN products

LAN

Parameter

Density

Volatili ty

Vapour pressure at 65 tiC

Copper strip corrosion test

Hydrogen sulphide

Mercaptan sulphur

Dryness

Doctor test

Value

0.550 g/cc

+2.0 tiC

14.50 kg!cm2

gauge

I (a) ASTM

Nil

20 ppm

No free entrained water

Positi ve

Parameter Value

Paraflin s 78.42 per cent by vol

Aromatics 6.61 per cent by vol

Naphthenes 14.97 per cent by vo l

Lead 74 ppb

Su lphur 40 ppm

RVP at 37.8 tiC 10 ps ia

Saybolt color +29 Saybolt unit

Residue on 4 mgl 100 mL evaporat ion

IBP 39 tiC

FI3P 132 tiC

Density 0.6794 g/mL

Calorific value 11 420 cal/g

Year

Month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

Per cent NC

1998

No. of batches

133

130

138

104

125

137

131

131

103

109

91

94

1426

Year

Month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Total

Per cent

NC

RALLI e/ aL.: QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Table 3 - Liquetied petroleum gas batches

NC

37

29

26

25

II

37

40

36

15

22

7

12

297

20.83

1999

No. of batches

117

132

115

115

131

104

128

119

116

128

146

119

1470

NC

33

47

19

7

8

6

22

12

13

4

16

8

195

13.27

No. of batches

114

90

118

106

101

97

117

104

99

102

96

102

1246

2000

NC

15

16

25

4

2

4

II

3

4

2

3

90

07.42

Table 4 - Low aromatic naphtha batches

No. of batches

101

43

88

179

139

39

4

o 4

235

223

246

130 1

2000

NC

o 12

16

8

2

4

o o o 5

II

59

04.53

No. of batches

241

208

239

217

199

178

194

198

199

198

178

184

2433

2001

NC

o 7

10

o 3

18

7

o 2

2

2

o 51

02.10

No. of batches

110

97

103

96

91

88

108

89

91

94

85

79

1131

2001

NC

9

7

3

12

13

18

23

2

2

5

9

6

109

09.64

2002

No. of batches

226

190

205

*

* 214

235

202

199

213

208

208

2100

NC

II

8

II

* * o o o o o o o 30

01.43

* Data not incorporated as tluid invasion took place during pigging; corrective acti ons were taken to mitigate the effect

No. of batches

99

86

89

87

91

88

110

106

88

93

93

97

11 27

2002

1005

NC

7

3

2

6

8

3

13

5

4

2

4

7

64

05.53

1006 J SCIIND RlES VOL 62 OCTOBER 2003

25

20·83

Figure 3 - Trend analysis of non-conforming LPG product

5

4·53

4

£. ..... v :::> 3 0 0 a:: a.. z ~ ...J

\!)

Z .::1: a:: 0 u.. z 0 v Z 0 Z

Figure 4 - Trend analysis of non-conforming LAN product

Quality improvement trend in LPG product is indicated by reduction in non-conformity from 20.83 per cent to 05.53 per cent from the year 1998 to 2002. Similar trend is observed in case of Naphtha where non-conformity fell from 4.53 per cent to 1.43 per cent.

25 -r-------------,

I- tS

I!l

::: to Z o Us

[J RVP

~ Mt-rcaptan

UlIlJ Fr .. wat~r

~ Volatility

a ~~L-L19L~A-~200~0~~u-~200~2-YEAR

Year Volatility Free Water Mercaptan RVP

1998 20.06 0.07 0.14 0.56

1999 12.45 0.00 0.00 0.82

2000 5.86 1.28 0.08 0.00

2001 8.49 0.27 0.80 0.09

2002 4.88 0.35 0.00 0.44

Figure 5A - Contribution of LPG quality parameters towards non-conformity

z ~

o f-::> (!)

a:: f-z o u

Year

2000

2001

2002

RVP

2.23

1.69

1.18

~ 50yboll Colour

~RVP

Saybolt Colour

2.30

0.41

0.24

Fi gure 5B - Contribution of LAN quality parameters towards non-conformity

In the case of LPG Volatility is the major contributing parameter towards non-conforming product while other parameters contribute marginally. Whereas in LAN, RVP contributes more than Saybolt Color for the occurrence of non-conformance, and all other parameters are within prescribed limits (Figure 5 A and B) .

RALLI et al.: QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM 1007

Conclusions

There is found to be a diminishing trend of non­conformity from 1998 to 2002 in the case of LPG. Major portion of non-conformance is due to volatility . Pre-QMS launch shows greater percentage of non­conformity as compared to post-QMS launch. Likewise, non-conformity in naphtha quality declined appreciably from 2000 to 2002. RVP caused more non-conformity than Saybolt color in naphtha samples. .

The reduction in non-conforming products is mainly attributed to the rigorous audit procedures in tandem with management review meetings (MRM) under the purview of QMS. The quality improvement trend justifies the effectiveness of the system and top-

management commitment towards implementation and maintenance of QMS.

Acknowledgements

Authors are thankful to Shri M L Pan war, Group General Manager, Head Uran Plant and Shri K Raman, Dy General Manager, Operations Manager for their encouragement and technical guidance during the course of study.

References I Taguchi G, Introductioh. to qualiry engineering (Asian

Productivi ty Organization , Tokyo) 1986 , p I. 2 ANSIIASQCA3-1978 , Quality systems terminology, by W I

Milwaukee (American Society for Quality Control). 3 Juran J M, The quality trilogy, Qual Prog, 19 ( 1986)

pp 19-24.