Special Section on Decommissioning and Life Extension of Complex Industrial Assets

Abstract

The final phase of the operational life of complex industrial systems leads to a very significant business decision: to engage in life extension, repurpose its use, or decommission the asset. Decommissioning is the ultimate stage of the lifecycle of an industrial system. It comprises the removal and disposal of equipment, structures and residues, environmental recovery and/or remediation, and postdisposal monitoring. Due to the timescale and complexity of the decommissioning activities, it involves many challenges in order to make safe and costeffective decommissioning an achievable objective.