Advanced Methods for More Accurate Brittle Fracture Screening Assessments
Continuous Thickness Monitoring: Precise Corrosion Rates in Less Time
FFS Forum: When is a Brittle Fracture Assessment Needed?
How to Pivot Your Program During an Economic Downturn
How Valves Flow Into Your Integrity Program - Part 1: Introduction to Valves
Practical Guide for Auditing a Chemical Treatment System in an Operating Oil and Gas Facility
Refinery Critical Infrastructure Management: Compressor Foundations
Risk Based Management of Corrosion Under Insulation
A Smart Approach to Inspecting Fired Heater and Boiler Coils
Acoustic Emission Testing for Corrosion Monitoring and Deferral of Storage Tank Turnarounds
Effective Reliability and Safety Management of Steam Reformer Tubes
FFS Forum: Field Metallographic Replication (FMR) - When it helps, and when it doesn’t
FRP Corrosion Barrier Inspection: Non-Destructive and Non-Intrusive Technique
Leading Edge Inspection Data Practices — Acquire It Faster, Manage It Better, and Improve Its Use
Practical HTHA Experience and Time-Based Nelson Curves for Improved Equipment Life Management
The Inspection Paradox: Adding Value Through Quality Control
Understanding Hard to Interpret Field Hardness Values for Common Pressure Vessel and Piping Steels
Don’t Forget About Your Spring Supports
Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on Mechanical Integrity
FFS Forum: Fatigue Mitigation Strategies
Plan for the “What-Ifs” – A Tubular Example
Potholes on the Road to IOW Implementation
A Quest for Defect-Free Plant Operation - Part 3
An Effective Structural Integrity Program as Part of a Comprehensive Mechanical Integrity Program
CUI Robotics: Pushing the Envelope
FFS Forum: Thickness Grids & Critical Thickness Profiles
How Inferior UT Procedures and Practices on Pressure Vessels Cost $1 Million in Turnaround Repairs
Lessons from a Risk-Based Career
Maximizing the P-F Interval with Predictive Maintenance
The Current and Future State of Industry Training
The Eight Pillars of Excellent FEMI Programs
Automating and Optimizing the CML / TML Data Collection Process
Extended RBI for Exchanger Bundles
FFS Forum: What is a Major Structural Discontinuity?
Piping Leaks and Failures Can Be Substantially Eliminated – Here’s How
The Evolution of Robotics in Inspections
The Inspection of Mechanical Insulation Systems: More Important Today than Ever Before
The Significance of Piping Color Codes
The Value of a Baseline Inspection on New Fired Heater Tubes
A Framework for Conducting Analysis of Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion Failures
An Inspired Approach to Storage Tank Inspection Practices
Bridging Acoustic Emission Testing and Ultrasonics for FRP
Corrosion Damage Mechanisms Review and Inspection Guidelines For Gasification Units
Qualitative Risk Assessment of a Commercial Refrigeration System
Tales of Storage Tank Failures, Damage and Inspections of Storage Tanks
The Importance of Turnaround, Shutdown, and Outage Assessments
The Real Expense and Liability of a Dated Engineering Standards Program
Article Index
-
July/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Richard B. Eckert at DNV GL, and Dr. Susmitha Purnima Kotu at DNV GLA significant number of pipeline failures due to external or internal corrosion have resulted from MIC, some with catastrophic consequences. This article demonstrates a three-step failure analysis process used to investigate the failure mechanism.
-
November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalThis article wraps up the three part series by combining management systems to work towards the ultimate goal of achieving a defect-free operation in process plants.
-
March/April 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Tim Haugen at Quest IntegrityUniversally, smart or intelligent pigging is now a standard practice for the inspection of fired heater and serpentine boiler coils. Understanding this technology can greatly assist with maintenance planning and the prevention of unexpected failures.
-
March/April 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Muhammed Al-Lutfallah at Saudi Aramco, and Tamim O. Felemban at Saudi AramcoThis article reviews the effectiveness of AET for inspecting tank bottoms in two ways; namely, benchmarking regulations in different countries and comparing AET and MFLT results through a case study.
-
May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Phillip E. Prueter at The Equity Engineering Group, Inc., Brian R. Macejko, P.E. at The Equity Engineering Group, Inc., and Seetha Ramudu Kummari, Ph.D., P.E. at The Equity Engineering Group, Inc.This article provides an overview of brittle fracture, details on several industry failures, and a summary of deficiencies and concerns with current published methods for screening susceptibility of equipment to potential brittle fracture failures.
-
November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Joel Andreani at The Equity Engineering GroupMuch like the equipment and piping they support, structures should be part of a comparable structural integrity (SI) program. This article will examine key components of a comprehensive SI program as an essential companion to an MI program.
-
July/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Elizabeth Brueckner at G.K. Hills Consulting Ltd.Tank inspection to achieve regulatory compliance has often been viewed as just another expense. This article takes the opposite view by utilizing regulatory compliance as a means for enhancing overall efficiency, awareness, safety, and profitability.
-
September/October 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Michael Nugent at LPI, Inc., Steve Strachan at Sensor Networks Inc., and Art Leach at Sensor Networks Inc.Thickness readings are critical for today's inspectors to accurately judge the state of their equipment. Recent advancements in sensors, software, and data management tools have made this easier, safer, and more efficient than ever before.
-
July/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Geoff Clarkson at UTComp, Inc.This article is written to provide a brief case study of an acoustic emission test of an FRP storage tank. A method combining acoustic emission with ultrasonics is proposed to ensure reliable long term operation.
-
January/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Daniel Golub at Hippo CMMSComputerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) platforms are a great way to structure, standardize, and streamline maintenance management. But how can you make sure you get a CMMS that effectively delivers on exactly what you need?
-
May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Spencer Rex at Trinity BridgeThis article dives into continuous thickness monitoring, which in the opinion of the author is one of the more innovative technologies for corrosion control in the refining industry to come about in the last two decades.
-
July/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Rashed Alhajri at Saudi Aramco, Hatim Alhamdan at Saudi Aramco, and Fahad Alhindas at Saudi AramcoGasification technology has emerged in oil and gas due to the high combustion energy of Syngas and less environmental concerns than flue gas. This article discusses proper inspection and corrosion monitoring techniques for gasification units.
-
November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Dr. Timothy Black at Quasset, Maurice Fransen at Shell Global Solutions International BV, and Sieger Terpstra at Shell Global Solutions International BVThis article examines multiple trials that entailed testing robotic systems on different non-magnetic surfaces to identify the feasibility of detecting CUI using robotics in combination with NDE technology.
-
January/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ashfaq AnwerThe health of piping and piping supports is critical to processing facilities, however there are very few facilities where a documented inspection program exists for spring supports. This article outlines some issues surrounding spring supports
-
March/April 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Baher Elsheikh at SAFCOThis article presents a comprehensive integrity management program for catalyst tubes, including elements on monitoring, inspection, data analysis, remaining life assessment, and control of human factors.
-
January/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Jeremiah Wooten at Inspectioneering, LLC.Inspectioneering and PinnacleART co-hosted their 5th Meeting of the Minds roundtable last November in Atlanta. This meeting’s focus was on notable technologies and how they are changing the MI landscape.
-
September/October 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ricardo Gonzalez at Total Refining and PetrochemicalsThe author discusses a method being used in most of their refineries and petrochemical facilities that allows them to optimize the scope of NDT during turnarounds, while improving the reliability of bundles.
-
FFS Forum: Creep in Heater Tubes and Other Components – Part II: Strategies for Evaluating & Managing Remaining Life
July/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.This is the second of a two-part column on “Creep.” This second part discusses the approach to creep assessment in plant equipment.
-
January/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
There are many sources and occurrences of metal fatigue in the chemical and refining industries. They range from low-cycle thermal stresses in an FCCU, to the relentless pressure cycling of a PSA, to the ultra-high cycles of a rotating pump.
-
March/April 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.FMR is a useful tool in many situations. It allows nondestructive evaluation of the surface microstructure that is entirely adequate in many cases. However, it is not a panacea, and there are many conditions where it is inadequate.
-
November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
A cornerstone of Level 1 and 2 metal loss assessment methods in API 579 is the concept of measuring thickness on a grid and constructing a “critical thickness profile.” These concepts are fundamental to Level 1 & 2 assessments in both Parts 4...
-
September/October 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.MSDs are an important, but often misunderstood, element of FFS analyses. This column will help readers understand what an MSD is and why it is so important to Fitness-For-Service analysis under API 579.
-
May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
There are many places where brittle fracture risk can sneak into your plant and many reasons why a new or revised brittle fracture assessment may be required when reviewing your pressure systems. Don’t overlook this dangerous failure mechanism.
-
March/April 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Geoff Clarkson at UTComp, Inc.This article describes the construction of corrosion-resistant fiber reinforced polymer (FRP), commonly used for pressure vessels and piping in the chemical processing industry, and the practices used for inspecting corrosion-resistant barriers.
-
November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Dave Holthaus at Comprehensive Procedure Reviews, LLC (CPR), and Kevin Gaskin at CHS, Inc.This article helps shine light on some common industry problems that can occur by having inferior UT procedures and practices, while providing several lessons learned through a case study that resulted in nearly $1 million in turnaround repairs.
-
How Inferior UT Procedures and Practices on Pressure Vessels Cost $1 Million in Turnaround Repairs – Part 2
January/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Dave Holthaus at Comprehensive Procedure Reviews, LLC (CPR), and Kevin Gaskin at CHS, Inc.This case study discusses costly repairs that were needed on newly fabricated pressure vessels as a result of poor UT practices. The author shines a light on some industry problems that can be fixed with an understanding of what is actually required.
-
May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Lewis Makin at PinnacleARTDespite the recent challenges that the oil and gas industry has faced over the past couple of months, facilities have the unique opportunity to embrace change in company culture, build data-driven processes, and focus on measuring value.
-
May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Evan M. Sparks at TEAM Inc., and Mike Pelezo at TEAM Inc.The authors have written a two-part series covering valves and their role in the overall MI process. In this first article, they discuss the various valve types, their common uses, and the governing standards and recommended practices that apply.
-
March/April 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ed Bryner at Gecko RoboticsThere are tools available that can achieve nearly 100% corrosion monitoring coverage. The use of robotics and ultrasonic inspection methods such as rapid ultrasonic gridding have shown to be highly effective in acquiring these data points.
-
November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Brent Ray at Marathon Petroleum CorporationI have been involved with risk-based inspection and risk-based work process development for much of my career. The one thing I have learned as I’ve walked this path is that the concept of ‘risk’ extends far beyond our industry.
-
Partner ContentLet Pro-Surve identify corrosion on your flange raised faces while your unit remains in operation. Using phased array TFM, custom transducers and proven procedures Pro-Surve technicians identify corrosion on flange raised faces from the flange...
-
November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Bryan Christiansen at Limble CMMSThis article introduces the P-F Interval and its importance in predictive maintenance, describes methods to detect failures early, and maps out a path to begin an effective Predictive Maintenance program at one’s facility.
-
September/October 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at IntertekEveryone wants fewer leaks and failure of their equipment and piping; but I find very few sites that effectively use one method to make substantial reductions in their piping leaks and failures.
-
January/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Zach Burnett at Pro-Surve Technical Services, LLCDecision trees can be used to help with decisions related to nearly any closed loop mechanical integrity or inspection workflow process. This article focuses on how decision trees can be applied to heat exchanger tubular inspection.
-
January/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at IntertekThe purpose of this article is to describe some of the pitfalls that operating sites have encountered while trying to implement a program of IOWs in accordance with the guidance in API RP 584, plus how to overcome those pitfalls.
-
May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Abdulaziz Moshaweh at Saudi AramcoFor an aging facility, where documents are missing and the operation depends heavily on experience rather than proper engineering designs, auditing a chemical treatment system is a rather challenging task for corrosion professionals.
-
March/April 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Gerrit Buchheim, P.E. at Becht, Dave Dewees, P.E. at Becht, Charles Becht V, P.E. at Becht, and Jeremy Staats, P.E. at BechtNelson curves, which are the foundation of the industry’s HTHA programs, can be tied to mechanistic models from several sources, allowing the recreation of Nelson curves for different operational histories and time durations.
-
Partner ContentWhat do you need: CONSULTING - Subject matter experts, consultants, or team of highly skilled engineers to help solve my problem. SOFTWARE - My team requires software, products, or resources that will solve the problem. TRAINING - I require...
-
July/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Robert Sladek at Asset Optimization Consultants, Inc.This case study is intended to demonstrate how a Qualitative Risk Assessment can be a cost-effective and resource-efficient means to prioritize equipment which is often “under the radar”.
-
May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Edwin A. Merrick, PE at The Augustus Group, O.S. Ali, Ph.D., P.E. at engNoveX, Inc., J.R. Demitz, P.E. at engNoveX, Inc., and M.C. Johnson at Béton, LLCCompressors are often taken for granted and the integrity of supporting structural foundations may sometimes not receive the attention deserved. This article focuses on essential considerations regarding the integrity of structural foundations.
-
May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Frode Wiggen at DNV GLThe article describes the results from a recent CUI Joint Industry Project which resulted in an RBI methodology for managing the CUI threat. The methodology assesses 4 CUI barriers: material, coating, water wetting, and design.
-
July/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ana Benz at IRISNDTTanks are ubiquitous and essential in industrial societies. When they fail, the consequences can be dire if products/volumes they store are explosive and/or toxic.
-
November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalIn this article, Inspectioneering interviews Tye Beard at ASTM, a leading standards organization that develops and publishes consensus standards for the process industries, to discuss the current and future state of industry training.
-
Partner Content
Our proprietary furnace tube inspection system, FTIS is an ultrasonic inspection technology capable of rapid, automated fired heater coil inspection in refinery fired heaters. The data captured by our furnace tube inspection system is...
-
The Effect of High Pressure High Temperature and Sour Service Environment on Subsea Dissimilar Joints
January/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Samer E. Ibrahim at Robert Gordon UniversityThe author will discuss the failure of a dissimilar joint while examining the root causes of the failure along with potential solutions and preventive actions that would not compromise the welding production rate.
-
November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Steven R. Bolinger at BechtA refinery or process facility FEMI program consists of eight Pillars that are fundamental to achieve FEMI excellence. This article describes these Pillars in detail and suggests what distinguishes good Pillars from those that are less than adequate.
-
September/October 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ed Bryner at Gecko RoboticsThe refining and petrochemical industries will continue to benefit from the evolution of robotics and data management. The biggest hurdle will be to accept this evolution and embrace the new capabilities that come with it.
-
Partner ContentInspectioneering and API have teamed up to create the Mechanical Integrity Professional Initiative. The goal of this project is to raise the benchmark on industry knowledge and develop the next generation of SMEs. We believe that equipping MI...
-
July/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Stephen J. Thomas at PK TechnologyMajor maintenance events require proper planning, scheduling, and execution to achieve a successful outcome. An outage assessment process can deliver an effort that is safe, on budget, on schedule, and ensures long term plant equipment reliability.
-
September/October 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ron KingThere are inspection requirements in many construction disciplines, including electrical, welding, coating, and the list goes on, but not for mechanical insulation. The need for a certified mechanical insulation inspection program is long overdue.
-
March/April 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Joey Poret at Chevron ThailandEPC projects are complex initiatives with multiple stakeholder interfaces that can be difficult to manage. This article sheds some light on how quality activities add value to a project and when in the value-chain should these activities be executed.
-
July/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Jeannie Lewis at The Equity Engineering GroupThis article provides a case study showing the real costs and effects of having a dated engineering standards program, as well as the financial benefits through increased reliability of having a thriving engineering standards program.
-
September/October 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ashfaq AnwerIf an inspector knows both the content and material of construction of piping, it would be useful when performing inspection. However, this is only possible when there’s a system in place at the site for identifying piping.
-
September/October 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Tim Haugen at Quest IntegrityThis article presents two cases studies demonstrating how properly conducting baseline fired heater tube inspection aids in early discovery and correction of defects, avoiding unexpected in-service failures, and more.
-
September/October 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering JournalA damage mechanism review, or DMR, is a structured process performed by a qualified team to gain a better understanding of unit operations, corrosion loops, materials of construction, and potential damage types and locations.
-
January/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ahmad RK Rana at Integrity Products and Supplies, Inc., and Dr. Zoheir Farhat at Dalhousie UniversityThis article addresses two failure events where inadequate attention to thermal fatigue led to premature equipment failure while specifying guidelines to help prevent such failures that can be a part of a plant's inspection and maintenance programs.
-
March/April 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ana Benz at IRISNDTField hardness tests can provide valuable information when evaluating piping and pressure vessel anomalies. This article summarizes laboratory examinations designed to gain a better understanding of UCI hardness test results taken in the field.
-
May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Mark Schramm at Pro-Surve Technical ServicesThis article demonstrates how the use of TFM/FMC can be an effective method to screen for potential problem flanges before a planned shut down and can be a very useful tool in planning which flanges require further evaluation.
-
November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Ryan Myers at PinnacleART, and Sean Rosier at PinnacleARTToday's operators are implementing a myriad of Mechanical Integrity and Reliability programs to realize greater results from their facilities. However, for each of these programs to be effective, they must be fueled by quality and up-to-date data.
-
Work Smarter, Not Harder: Cloud-Based Mobile Tablets Streamline Inspection Reporting and Asset Management Enterprise Systems
July/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Stephen P. Webb, P.E. at MetegrityThis article demonstrates how substituting inspection reports that originate from pen and paper to reports generated using a stylus and tablet at the time and location of inspection can eliminate data entry errors and other common mistakes.
