Composite Repair Targeting Corrosion Under Insulation
Corrosion Surveys of NPS 6 and Smaller Lines with High Production Digital Radiography
Damage Control: CUI Mitigation
FFS Forum: Tips and Guidance on FFS in the Aftermath of a Process Plant Fire (Part 1 of 2)
Integrity Management of Wet Sour Gas Clad Subsea Pipelines
Reliability and Risk Management of Pressure Relief Valves in Oil Refineries
Tank RBI: Not Just an Inspection Deferral Tool
Ultrasonic In-Service Detection and Monitoring of Sulfidation Corrosion
Damage Control: CUI Assessment
Evergreening an RBI-Based Inspection Program
FFS Forum: Acoustic Emission Testing - The Least Understood Inspection Technique (Part 2 of 2)
How to Reduce Your Exposure to High Consequence FEMI Events
Inspection and Best Practice in Single Stud Replacement
Into the Grain - Advancements in HTHA Detection Methods - Part 1
Robotics for Internal In-Service Inspection of Aboveground Storage Tanks
Simplifying Complex Failures with EDX Images
Wireless Battery-Free Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement Patches for CO2 Absorber
Combining Drones and Rope Access to Increase Coverage and Data
Data-Driven Reliability – Reliability Done Right
Feasibility Study for Fitness-for-Service Assessment of Reinforced Thermoplastic Pipes
FFS Forum: Acoustic Emission Testing – The Least Understood Inspection Technique (Part 1 of 2)
Identifying and Understanding the Risk of Acoustic-Induced Vibration Failures
Pipeline Ultrasonic Thickness Data Analysis Using Gaussian Distribution
Baseline Inspection of Heat Exchanger Tubing
Composite Repair to Restore In-Plant Piping - A Case Study
Damage Control: Thermal Fatigue Mitigation
How Effective Are Your BIG FIVE FEMI Risk Management Programs?
Lessons Learned from the Rupture of a Steam Superheater Header
Piping CML Optimization: Optimizing the Definition
A Material Verification Process for Dealing with PHMSA’s “Mega Rule”
An Overview of Heat Treatment in the Refining, Power, and Petrochemical Industry - Part 1
Composite Repair of Equipment and The Practical Applicability of ASME PCC-2
Damage Control: Thermal Fatigue Assessment
Integration of Integrity Operating Windows into Process Safety Management
11 Primary Elements to Ensure Asset Integrity in the Lifecycle of Oil and Gas Facilities
Damage Control: Thermal Fatigue Detection
Digital Transformation in 5 Guided Steps
How Many Inspectors Do You Need at Your Operating Site?
Implementing an Effective Mechanical Integrity System
Importance of 3D Modeling in High-Definition Remote Visual Measurement Systems
RBI Pitfalls to Avoid and Helpful Advice
Article Index
Understanding asset integrity and its management framework is important to sustaining the integrity of assets in the oil and gas industry. This article will discuss eleven primary elements that make up an asset integrity management program.
Through a combination of new ILI technology and non-destructive in-situ techniques, all the necessary tools and processes are now in place and available to operators around the world to proactively improve their integrity management systems.
Heat treatment has been used by mankind for centuries. This article details reasons to heat treat, the types of heat treating available, methods of heat treating to achieve specific material properties, and the role of MI in heat treating.
FFS assessment techniques are applicable to a wide range of damage types: LTA's, cracks, creep damage, dents, and more. These are very powerful analytical tools that often allow operators to not only keep the plant running, but to keep it running...
This article discusses the benefits of an established heat treating process with regards to mechanical integrity, as well as certain quality control measures and the importance of a heat treatment plan.
The purpose of baseline inspections is to provide cost savings upfront versus the cost incurred during operations. So, what are the possible heat exchange tubing defects or anomalies and how are they validated?
As more are educated on the benefits of utilizing ropes and drones, skepticism has become far less common, and we’re sure to see adoption grow in the coming years of both of these methods—and, perhaps, of this new hybrid approach to work as well.
The author estimates that, if the composite repair approach is implemented properly in place of welding repairs, approximately 70-80% of hot work at operating sites could be eliminated.
This article discusses how composite materials can be used to mitigate light CUI damage and/or repair and restore structural strength to the affected piping system.
Restoring process piping within a short time frame requires an innovative approach. This article discusses how a repair using composite materials proved to be successful and enabled a quick return to operations.
This article illustrates the value of digital radiography as an efficient tool to visualize corrosion and other small bore piping anomalies without disturbing insulation, as well as using PRT in conjunction with UTT to survey small diameter lines.
In this article, FFS assessment methods are summarized and practical guidance is offered for qualifying CUI damage on carbon and low-alloy steels.
Corrosion under insulation is a form of external corrosion that is caused by trapped water on insulated surfaces. It is an industry problem affecting equipment in the oil and gas, petrochemical, specialty chemical, fertilizer, and related industries.
Practical steps to mitigate corrosion under insulation (CUI) damage on fixed pressure equipment and commentary on common mitigation techniques and good engineering practices for external insulation or fireproofing system design and application.
Conventionally, three primary fatigue analysis methods have been used to estimate fatigue life; these are the stress-life (S-N) approach, the strain-life (ε-N) approach, and the fracture mechanics (crack growth) approach.
This article reflects the first in a series on damage mechanisms that will appear in this recurring Inspectioneering column entitled “Damage Control.” The inaugural topic discussed in this column is thermal fatigue.
In today's chemical and refining industries, sustained long term reliability of facilities is critical to profitability and competitiveness. In fact, history shows that differences in operating expenses between best-in-class refineries, and poor...
Thermal fatigue, a specific form of fatigue driven by varying metal temperature gradients and ensuing differential thermal expansion, is generally most effectively mitigated by reducing the severity of metal temperature gradients.
The manner by which reliability is achieved is experiencing a much-needed paradigm shift in the way it uses data. In this article, we’ll explain how you can leverage this industry shift to implement data-driven reliability at your facility.
This article provides a guide through the actual execution of digital transformation. The author explains what digital transformation is and helps you understand the benefits you will achieve and the challenges that arise.
This article describes an owner-user’s evergreening process to maintain accurate data to support the mechanical integrity program and assist in planning inspections, turnarounds, repairs, replacements, and upgrades.
Globally accepted FFS procedures for non-metallic components, such as reinforced thermoplastic pipes, do not exist. There may be opportunity in adapting existing procedures for metallic components and their damage mechanisms to composite components.
This article addresses some of the advantages and disadvantages of acoustic emission testing and discusses a few examples of its typical applications.
FFS assessments usually originate from inspection results and often end with a recommended inspection plan. This FFS Forum tries to provide a little better understanding of one particular inspection method: Acoustic Emission Testing.
Part 1 presents a brief overview of the process of assessing equipment in a post-fire "return-to-service" effort and discusses some common issues that may arise during that process.
Fracture mechanics is a branch of engineering that describes the behavior of cracks – how they grow and when they fracture. Fracture of cracks is particularly dangerous because it can happen without warning under normal operating conditions.
Every fitness-for-service (FFS) assessment must have a well-defined acceptance criterion. For many damage mechanisms, it’s the “remaining strength factor” (RSF). But for crack-like flaw assessment, it’s the Failure Assessment Diagram, or FAD.
The first two parts of this series covered the basics of fracture mechanics and how the FAD is interpreted. This article touches on a few practical points regarding the application of fracture mechanics in a plant environment.
How is reliability affecting your bottom line? Download our Economics of Reliability report, where Pinnacle analysts take data from the oil refining industry and dive into how that key sector is being affected by reliability today.
If I suddenly accepted the position of site manager at your operating site, one of the first things I would do is trot on down to the FEMI group and ask questions to assess what we need to be doing to avoid the potential for big FEMI events.
This article presents a methodology for calculating and understanding how many qualified API inspectors you need to staff in order to improve fixed equipment mechanical integrity and reliability at your operating site.
This article is oriented toward identifying and assessing the risk of potentially high consequence, but usually lower likelihood, FEMI issues that could cause a big event at operating sites if sufficient safeguards or barriers are not in place.
This article provides insights into the AIV damage mechanism, reviews approaches to calculate the probability of AIV failure in piping, provides design practices to prevent AIV failure, and introduces a RBI approach to evaluate risk of AIV failures.
Implementing RBI as part of a Mechanical Integrity system at different sites is not a simple copy and paste project. Each case has its own characteristics and challenges. This article describes implementation in two vastly different facilities.
Advances in charge-coupled device size, optics manufacturing, and point-matching algorithms can all be combined to create a new super wide field stereo measurement system. With measurable areas as much as 4x greater, larger measurements can be taken.
A safety-focused mindset and awareness of the dangers associated with the process, environment, and associated tasks through planning and execution is essential for the safe completion of a single stud replacement campaign.
IOWs are an important component of a world-class mechanical integrity program. In order to have a robust IOW program, the integration of IOWs into other areas of PSM is critical. This article provides four concrete examples of integration.
The scope of the subject case study reviews an inspection and corrosion control assessment conducted on subsea flowlines and includes evaluating the flowlines’ associated inspection programs and identifying all available NDT technology solutions.
Hydrogen-induced damage mechanisms have been studied endlessly, leading to changes in equipment design and development of new inspection practices. However, the highly localized nature and difficulty of detection of HTHA add additional complexities.
This article discusses the header specification, design, fabrication, and inspection processes to identify where opportunities were available to proactively address the vulnerabilities that resulted in the header rupture.
This article will discuss a statistical analysis method that was developed to evaluate the integrity of pipelines that can identify, in a first phase inspection, whether the nature of the active damage mechanism(s) are uniform (general) or localized.
“Condition monitoring location (CML) optimization” is a frequently used term, particularly for piping circuits. Everyone wants their circuits to be “CML optimized,” but what does this truly mean?
Even with significant work to establish standards and codes for FRP vessel design, failures still occur, some of which could have been prevented or mitigated by following a systematic external inspection program.
This article discusses some of the common roles of the RBI team and provides a glimpse of an RBI program gap assessment, while offering helpful advice for improvement.
A risk management approach for relief valves should be able to determine the proper interval of maintenance events and the necessity of installing isolation valves, rupture discs, or 100% spare capacity.
At just 36 years old, Tyler had already established himself as a massively influential force within our industry. His vision for the future of mechanical integrity was progressive and optimistic and he had more ideas than time to implement them.
Asset owners can realize economic and HSE benefits from utilizing internal in-service robots for hazardous fluid tank inspection. Achieving high levels of coverage and collecting enormous amounts of quantitative data are possible for clean tanks.
It can be challenging for failure analysts to present complex information to audiences that don't the same knowledge on specialized subjects. Sometimes, failure mechanisms can be summarized with images that can tell the whole story...
COVID-19 has forced organizations to adapt. The old way of doing business, at least for some, is gone and will not return. In these challenging times, innovation is key. But is implementing a new innovation today any different than twelve months ago?
This article examines the quantitative tank RBI method found in API 581 and discusses uses for tank RBI other than deferral of scheduled internal inspections.
Facilities that can successfully leverage both their data and expertise while effectively integrating this unified model into their core business processes can improve performance and eliminate non-value-added activities.
Recent advances in UT technology now allow for inspection and continuous monitoring of sulfidic corrosion to be undertaken while the components are on-stream, at temperature, with high-resolution thickness data.
This article discusses how Quantitative Reliability Optimization (QRO) can help empower reliability and operations leaders with better data to make smarter and more confident reliability decisions for their facilities.
This case study of a CO2 absorber tower in a remote location investigates the use of a new type of wireless ultrasonic sensor for monitoring the thickness of equipment while on or offline.
