API Qualification of UT Examiners Program Debut Refining and Chemical Industry
NDT Personnel Certification within Service Industry
Profile on AGIP Refinery Inspection Department-Livorno, Italy
A New Law Requiring Inspection Engineer Redundancy
Evaluation, Reporting and Trending of Ultrasonic Thickness Data from Recovery Boiler Inspections
Evaluation, Reporting and Trending of Ultrasonic Thickness Data From Recovery Boiler Inspections
2000 Inspectioneering Journal Article Index
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101 Essential Elements in a Pressure Equipment Integrity Management Program for the Hydrocarbon Process Industry
May/June 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at IntertekThis is the first of a series of articles that outlines the 101 essential elements that need to be in place, and functioning well, to preserve and protect the reliability and integrity of pressure equipment (vessels, exchangers, furnaces, boilers, piping, tanks, relief systems) in the refining and petrochemical industry.
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101 Essential Elements in a Pressure Equipment Integrity Management Program for the Hydrocarbon Process Industry Part 2
July/August 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at IntertekThis paper outlines the 101 essential elements that need to be in place, and functioning well, to effectively and efficiently, preserve and protect the reliability and integrity of pressure equipment (vessels, exchangers, furnaces, boilers, piping, tanks, relief systems) in the refining and petrochemical industry.
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September/October 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at Intertek
This article continues to outline the 101 essential elements that need to be in place, and functioning well, to effectively and efficiently, preserve and protect the reliability and integrity of pressure equipment (vessels, exchangers, furnaces, boilers, piping, tanks, relief systems) in the refining and petrochemical industry.
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November/December 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at Intertek
Part 4 of this article continues to outline the 101 essential elements that need to be in place, and functioning well, to effectively and efficiently, preserve and protect the reliability and integrity of pressure equipment (vessels, exchangers, furnaces, boilers, piping, tanks, relief systems) in the refining and petrochemical industry.
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September/October 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy Russel T. Mack at National Association of Inspection Companies (NAIC)
In the petrochemical industry, we have noticed that many separate organizations are attempting to improve the quality of engineering and inspection. For example, many readers are familiar with the efforts of ASME (Post-Construction Code Requirements for Qualification & Certification of NDE Personnel), ASNT (ACCP NDT Central Certification Program), AWS/TWI (CSWIP NDT certification program), API (initiative for certification of NDT UT shear-wave weld inspectors), and NACE (Corrosion Engineering Personnel Qualification & Certification).
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November/December 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy C.P. Hsiao
The recently released API RP-579 Fitness-for-Service Recommended Practice highlights the need for a measurable degree of reliability in NDE results. In fact, the industry has been asking for a process to assure a minimum level of inspection quality for some time.
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Damage Mechanisms Leading to Deterioration or Failure of Refinery, Chemical, E&P and Petrochemical EquipmentMarch/April 2000 Inspectioneering Journal
An API task group is working on the total revision of this API reference document 571.
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July/August 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy T.C. Ridgeway & Staff at TCRI
The American Paper Institute Recovery Boiler Reference Manual Volume 1, October 1979, indicates that the two main goals of conducting ultrasonic thickness (UT) inspections are to determine (1) the current tube wall thickness and (2) the rate of tube wall metal wastage. The analysis of tens of thousands of UT readings from black liquor recovery boilers is an intimidating and time-consuming task. Problem areas in the boiler are easily identified and many engineering hours of labor are saved. The graphical prensentation permits the quality (accuracy and consistency) of the UT data to be carefully examined.
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September/October 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy T.C. Ridgeway & Staff at TCRI
In part 1 of this article we covered the importance of quality assurance of UT data, that is, understanding for each particular application, the accuracy required of the UT data, and new ways/graphical program to analyze and show the interrelationships of data by location for trending. Part 1 article areas then included: -UT Data Reporting and Evaluation -Imaging UT Data Evaluating the Quality of Static UT Data -Visual Trending of UT data -Mathematical Trending of UT Data Now, in Part 2, we will cover data quality issue statistics and possible sources of poor quality UT data.
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November/December 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy Paul Marks at NDT Training and Placement Center
I was certified within days of my entry into the business. Inside three months, I had performed as lead technician on several refinery inspection projects, as well as skid mounted oil and gas compressor units. I had also performed ultrasonic weld inspection of the complex welds used months, I was supervising the operations of that company (because the manager was primarily involved in sales). My progress was meteoric! What a business! How was it that a rookie could progress so rapidly with this new employer? Did he have the NDT education credentials of Robert C. McMaster? Was it his background in science? The answer to all of these is the same. No! I struggled mightily to get through high school level geometry and biology. One year at a state university and three years of night school had not generated a degree. What I did have was what everybody else seemed to have - average intelligence, a hunger to learn, and a need to work a lot of overtime. (Pay was meager, but overtime was plentiful.)
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March/April 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy Paul Marks at NDT Training and Placement Center
Do You Know All You Need To Know About The People Who Perform Your NDT? Could the following scenario be played out in your plant, on your equipment, on your watch? The year is 1968. The time is 3 PM on Friday. Two fairly young men are traveling east-bound on I-10 from Houston, Texas to "Off-Shore", Louisiana. The trip will take about 8 hours, six by car and two by boat. The new hire's supervisor / trainer, hands him a thin booklet that provides a brief description of the nondestructive testing method known as ultrasonics. The last few pages of the book contain glossary terms relating to the test method. The supervisor tells the trainee that he should study the material, especially the glossary terms, while they make the trip to "Off-Shore".
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November/December 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal
Firstly, I want to thank the inspection/materials engineering/ corrosion department manager, Giovanni Graziani, for agreeing to my visit and for sharing experiences with the Inspectioneering Journal community. The hospitiality of Giovanni, two of his senior area inspectors, Alessandro Grassi and Sauro Benini and Edy Sgherri their IT forgotten, nor the excellent food and espresso in the cafeteria.
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March/April 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at Intertek
Two API projects are co-sponsoring an effort to develop a risk based inspection (RBI) method for atmospheric storage tanks (AST). One of the projects is the long standing RBI project that is developing RBI methods for all types of pressure equipment; and the other is the more recently formed group that is focused on developing risk assessment methods for oil and gasoline terminals and other storage tank facilities. This article covers the preliminary model that has been proposed for both projects by the joint contractor for both projects, DNV. As such, this model is a draft and still undergoing review and revision by the two API project groups.
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July/August 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal
Hundreds of risk based inspection analyses have been completed by contractors and owner users worldwide, by now. Much is being learned as the various approaches gain acceptance. This editorial is only one perspective built upon the experiences of many.
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Partner ContentIf you are developing a mechanical integrity program, or you would like to optimize your existing mechanical integrity program, do you have qualified MI consultants to meet your regulatory needs? If you already have a sound, defensible MI inspection system in place, do you have qualified and experienced personnel maintaining your program?
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September/October 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal
In part 1 of this series the importance of keeping the RBI process as simple as possible was stressed. Software, consequence and likelihood issues were covered. Consequences were handled directly while likelihood issues were covered in discussion on damage modules and qualitative versus quantitative sections.
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January/February 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy Gene R. Meyer at The Dow Chemical Company
Part 1 provided a review of RBI for pressure vessels and piping and an introduction to application of RBI to rotating equipment and the differences between approaching the two different types of equipment. As promised, Part 2 will delve more deeply into the details of rotating equipment RBI analysis, highlighting additional differences between this and fixed equipment analysis and cover: - RBI for Rotating Mechanical Equipment: Likelihood - Qualitative Risk Assignment - Forming the Risk Reduction Plan - Moving from RBI to Risk-CM
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The Future Direction of API RP579 and its Relationship with other API Codes and Recommended PracticesMarch/April 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy Gerrit M. Buchheim, P.E. at Becht Engineering Co., Inc.
The release of API RP579 will bring about some changes to other existing API standards. The plan is to offer an integrated suite of API standards, where information is presented once and the other documents refer and are linked to that information.
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January/February 2000 Inspectioneering Journal
This article covers the use of permanently attached ultrasonic transducers for inspection and process plant equipment condition monitoring while in service.
