Functional Location

A structured, multi-level organization of assets that reflects the functional and physical relationships between equipment items, from the site level down to maintainable components. A typical hierarchy follows: Site > Plant > Unit > System > Equipment > Component. Asset hierarchies enable roll-up of reliability data, cost allocation, and maintenance planning at different organizational levels.

A specific physical piece of equipment identified by its manufacturer, model, and serial number, as distinct from the functional location it occupies. Technical objects are movable — they can be installed at, removed from, or transferred between functional locations. The technical object carries equipment-specific data: nameplate data, material certifications, and individual maintenance history.

A physical item of plant, equipment, or infrastructure that has value to an organization and is subject to management decisions regarding its acquisition, operation, maintenance, modification, and disposal. In asset integrity management, assets include pressure vessels, piping systems, storage tanks, rotating equipment, structural components, electrical equipment, and instrumentation systems. Each asset has an identity, a defined function, and documented attributes.

A designated, permanently marked point on equipment where thickness measurements or other condition assessments are taken at regular intervals. CMLs (also called TMLs — Thickness Measurement Locations) are positioned at locations where degradation is expected to be most severe or most representative — areas of high velocity, turbulence, impingement, deadlegs, injection points, and heat-affected zones. Each CML has a unique identifier and documented coordinates.