Combining NDE and Engineering Analysis to Optimize Tube Life in Steam Reformers
New API Inspector Certification Endorsement Program
Pressure Vessel Corrosion Damage Assessment
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Creep and Creep Cracking
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Sigma Phase Embrittlement
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Spheroidization
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Strain-Aging
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Temper Embrittlement
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Titanium Hydriding
Combining NDE and Engineering Analysis to Optimize Tube Life in Steam Reformers
Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Fossil Electric Power Industry
Developments in Integrity Management with TOFD Inspection
Stress Corrosion Cracking in SA304 Stainless Steel Phenolic Resin Reactors
Uncertainty in Flaw Sizing by Radiography Method - A Primer Plus
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Boiler Feed Water Corrosion
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Carbon Dioxide and Condensate Corrosion
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Cooling Water Corrosion
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Flue Gas Dew Point Corrosion
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Microbiologically Influenced Corrosion (MIC)
Avoiding PWHT - Can It Be Justified?
Microwave NDE Method - Application Examples
Microwave NDE Technique - Testing of FRP and PE Piping - Examples
The Importance of Integrity Operating Windows in the Process Safety of Pressure Equipment
The Inspectioneering Journal Marks 10 Year Anniversary
Trials Using Instrumented Indentation Technique (IIT) for Tensile Properties Determination
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Amine Cracking
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Corrosion Fatigue (Deaerator Cracking)
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA)
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Hydrogen Stress Cracking
99 Diseases of Pressure Equipment: Polythionic Acid Stress Corrosion Cracking (PASCC)
Inspection Engineers Require New FFS Competencies Illustrations from a Pressure Vessel Failure
Magnetostrictive Sensor Technology - How it's Grown in the Last 10 Years
Specific Application NDE Method Leads to Development of Novel Microwave NDE Technique
2005 Inspectioneering Journal Article Index
Amine cracking is a form of stress corrosion cracking, which is related to alkaline and carbonate stress corrosion cracking. Amine cracking is often intertwined with wet H2S and carbonate cracking, as amines, carbonates and wet sulfides often exist...
Boiler feed water (BFW) corrosion is mostly the result of dissolved oxygen in the feed water, but is also related to the quality of the BFW and the quality of the treatment system.
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Carbon dioxide (CO2) corrosion is most typically found in boiler condensate return systems that are not adequately treated with corrosion inhibitors (typically amines). Dissolved CO2 in condensate forms carbonic acid (H2CO3) which corrodes steels...
Cooling water (CW) corrosion may be the oldest form of corrosion in the petrochemical industry, yet the industry still struggles with it for two primary reasons.
Corrosion fatigue is closely related to mechanical and vibration fatigue cracking, except that it is initiated and accelerated by a corrosion mechanism, especially one that gives rise to pitting, from which cracks often initiate. But that...
Metals will slowly deform under stress and higher temperatures by the mechanism known as creep. The amount of creep deformation that will be experienced is highly dependent upon the level of stress, level of temperature and material properties....
Most all flue gases produced by the combustion of fuels contain contaminants that can condense into acid droplets. The amount of contaminants will determine the concentration of the acid droplets.
HTHA falls into multiple categories of corrosion mechanisms, including environmentally assisted cracking, hydrogen assisted cracking, and high temperature degradation. Sometimes HTHA is confused with low temperature hydrogen cracking mechanisms...
Hydrogen stress cracking occurs when corrosion from acids like wet hydrogen sulfide or hydrofluoric acid (HF) cause atomic hydrogen to penetrate hardened or higher strength steels and cause stress cracking.
MIC is caused by biological growth, i.e. organic slime (typically bacteria, algae, and fungi) in water under low flow or stagnant conditions. The industry experiences it in cooling water systems, piping, vessels and storage tank bottoms where the...
Polythionic Acid Stress Corrosion Cracking (PASCC) is an affliction of many refineries processing sulfur containing feedstocks, and since that is the norm these days, most refiners reduce their susceptibility to PASCC by selecting resistant alloys...
Equity Engineering Practices® (EEPs) are a collection of design and maintenance focused corporate standards that include >850 engineering standards, and >300 piping classes. Enhance your mechanical integrity programs, improve equipment...
Another form of metallurgical degradation at higher temperatures is called sigma phase embrittlement. As the name implies, a metallurgical phase change occurs in some stainless steels when they are heated above about 1000F (540C).
Spheroidization is a rather technical term that describes a metallurgical aging phenomena that results in loss of mechanical and creep strength. It occurs when carbon and low alloy steels are exposed to temperatures in the range of 850F - 1400F...
Strain-aging problems are another form of metallurgical degradation and thankfully are not very common and becoming less so; but since strain-aging does still occasionally occur, it still makes the list of one of the “99 diseases of pressure...
Temper embrittlement is another form of metallurgical degradation resulting from exposure of susceptible low alloy steels to higher temperature ranges, usually in service, but can occur to some extent even during heat treatment. And, once again, if...
Titanium (Ti) hydriding is another somewhat unusual metallurgical degradation phenomena that can result in brittle fracture. Unlike many other steel embrittlement phenomena, this one most often occurs in thin wall Ti tubes that have been selected...
Current BSI and ASME codes for the construction of pressure vessels, boilers and piping specify that post-weld heat treatment is required if the thickness of the components being welded exceeds a specified value. This value depends on the type of...
Having the ability to substantially extend tube life in Steam Reformers is essential in maximizing use of capital investments in Methanol, Hydrogen, and Ammonia Plants. With the price of nickel at an all time high, the cost of installing a single...
Part 1 in this 2 parts series laid the technical foundation for the methodology and technology. Part 2 will now demonstrate both through actual applications.
This bulletin is part of a series of WRC Bulletins that contain the technical background and other information to evaluate damage mechanisms in various industries to facilitate the use of API 579. These bulletins, shown below, will be updated based...
The ultrasonic Time of Flight Diffraction (TOFD) technique was developed for the UK nuclear industry during the 1970s to provide a method for measuring the height of planar flaws. TOFD is now generally recognized as the most accurate ultrasonic...
The number of FFS assessments carried out by inspection engineers is expected to increase in the future, as operators "sweat" their ageing process equipment. The parameters required for assessments can be quite complex and interdependent. Therefore,...
Is calibration of NDT or any other equipment necessary? The answer is certainly Yes! But a question still arises. Why? Because in the case of NDT it is required by national and international standards. Many NDT standards require that a system of...
Nearly ten years ago the magnetostrictive sensor (MsS) technology was reported in this journal (July/August 1996 Issue, Volume 2 Issue 4) as a method to detect corrosion in insulated piping. At that time, the MsS Technology consisted primarily of...
The figures included in this article provide visual evidence of the effectiveness of the microwave NDE technique. Note the clarity of the internal defects and structures of interest apparent in all of the scans.
Once the microwave inspection method was determined to be capable of providing reliable and meaningful inspection results for defects located on the exterior, interior, and interior surfaces of non-metallic components, potential industry...
The API Subcommittee on Inspection, Task Group (T/G) on Inspector Certification is starting to roll out a new program for Inspector Certification Endorsements (ICEP). This program will cover each of several new API Recommended Practices and cover...
API is preparing to release the next edition of API 579 Fitness-For-Service (FFS) the first quarter of 2006. The many major enhancements that have been made to the next edition of API 579 will permit Owner-Users to evaluate new types of damage...
A few years ago, TWI investigated a corrosion failure in a 30 inch crude oil pipeline that regrettably led to an explosion and fire, and the death of several operating personnel. The pipeline was designed to ASME B31.4 and the investigation found...
Several years ago, a need was identified to develop an improved nondestructive inspection method to volumetrically inspect dielectric materials. Specifically, an inspection method for detecting defects in rubber expansion joints was needed to assist...
Aging phenolic resin reactors built in the 1960's were constructed of SA304 stainless steel, many of which were originally fabricated to ASME Section VIII standards were never registered as such nor with the National Board. Some of these reactors...
One of the more important uses of the 99 Diseases of Hydrocarbon Process Equipment is to determine how to safely operate process pressure equipment. Such a work process thereby minimizes the impact of any potential degradation mechanisms (the 99...
We are happy to announce the 10-year anniversary of the inaugural issue of the Inspectioneering Journal!
TWI's Members recently requested an evaluation of the instrumented indentation technique (IIT). IIT is claimed to be capable of determining tensile properties from a local indentation similar to a hardness test. TWI subsequently investigated the...
Radiography is the most widely used volumetric examination technique for non-destructive evaluation of components, as it offers the advantage of direct viewing of the flaw image, judging the type of flaw and provides a permanent record. Flaw...
Have you ever thought of a more definitive way to express what we need today from people in all walks of life than INTEGRITY? As engineers and inspectors, have you stopped to think of how much you depend on the integrity of those charged with...
