Safe life extension management of aged infrastructures networks and industrial plants Safe use and further development of the European transportation, production and energy infrastructures is facing difficulties related to their advanced age. The SAFELIFE--X project proposes new methods, aligned strategic research agenda and a new EN standard helping to cope better with these difficulties. Industrial Technologies © Thinkstock Transport infrastructures such as roads, railroads, tunnels and bridges form the arteries supplying the European region with vital goods produced by its industrial facilities. Dams, pipeline networks, and gas and electricity plants and grids provide the energy to produce all those goods and to light and heat the buildings where the service sector makes its contribution to a thriving European society. All of these infrastructures are ageing, yet called upon to operate beyond planned service lifetimes. The project SAFELIFE-X (Safe life extension management of aged infrastructures networks and industrial plants) addresses the need to improve ageing management for these infrastructures, so that their availability is maximised and their management even more cost effective. With this goal in mind, the project has decisively contributed to the development of a new European EN Standard providing the aligned a Risk-Based Inspection Framework (pwi00319020 CEN TC 319, maintenance). This standard correspond to the US API580/581 and is of a crucial interest for the European industry. The basis for these activities is the CEN CWA 15740:2008/2011, was provided also in the EU context, in the FP6 project RIMAP. The final text of the new EN standard will be released in autumn 2015. In addition, it has provided a basis for the more cost-effective solutions for handling the problem of ageing infrastructures and setting up a reference source within Asset Integrity Management, in which a catalogue of the good/best practices and the new solutions for the cost-benefit analysis are provided. The project strategic research agenda aims to clearly specifying the priorities and identifying the Research, Technology Development and Demonstration (RD&D) efforts required to achieve the goal of further improved, safe life extension process. This will significantly improve the European capacity to deal better, with challenges posed to the maintenance and management of aging infrastructures, networks and plants in a globalised context. Keywords Ageing management, ageing infrastructure, life extension, aged infrastructures, industrial plants
