| Date | November/December 2008 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Return to Journal Index | |
November/December 2008 Inspectioneering Journal Article Index
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November/December 2008 Inspectioneering JournalBy Charles L. Foster at Pacific Gas & Electric
A picture is worth a thousand words and thousands of dollars. There are many instances where in-service inspection reports are greatly enhanced by including photographic documentation. Using a conventional high quality 35 mm camera requires cumbersome amounts of equipment and consumes a lot of time. Developing film ASAP is an additional trip away from the inspection site and is an immediate necessity to insure picture quality before the area is no longer accessible. The inspector must then paste these acceptable photos onto report pages and make another trip to obtain color copies for the report.
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November/December 2008 Inspectioneering JournalBy John Reynolds at Intertek
After pressure equipment (aka fixed or static equipment) is designed, fabricated, and constructed to new construction codes and standards (C/S), it is placed in-service, at which time the API In-service Inspection (ISI) C/S and ASME Post-Construction C/S begin to govern. Within the API Standards Organization, the Subcommittee on Inspection (SCI) produces and maintains most of the ISI standards that govern in the refining and chemical process industry. Also within the API, the Corrosion and Materials Subcommittee (CMSC) produced many recommended practices that are referenced in the ISI C/S. Within the ASME, the Post Construction Committee (PCC) produces and maintains most of the post construction (means the same as ISI) standards that govern equipment after it has been placed in-service.
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Learning From the Past: Not Letting the Pendulum Swing to the Opposite Extreme in Our Mechanical Integrity ProgramsNovember/December 2008 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal
It is important to preserve as accurate an account as possible if we are to learn from the past. I believe it is important to protect ourselves from ourselves from rationalizing the past to justify movement toward "rationalization of abnormalities", as explained by Mr. Don Holmstrom from the US CSB, appearing in paragraph 21 of the copy of the presentation given by the US Chemical Safety Board to the BP Independent Panel, headed by James A. Baker III, former US Secretary of State. This presentation immediately follows this article. Each paragraph is numbered. These paragraphs will serve as references further in this editorial.
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November/December 2008 Inspectioneering Journal
High energy piping (HEP) systems, main stream lines and hot reheat lines (typically low chrome molybdenum steels), are susceptible to creep damage can lead to leaks, and in extreme cases, catastrophic rupture. To ensure safe and reliable operation as plants age, utilities periodically inspect critical components, conventional inspection methods for HEP systems are radiographic (RT), ultrasonic (UT), field metallography and replication, and magnetic particle (MT) testing.
