3rd Party Joint Integrity Inspections: Compliance and Leak Free Facilities

Introduction

With the increasing demand for oil, gas, and petrochemical products in a highly competitive market, products and services irrespective of their origin must satisfy customer quality requirements. Additionally, the needs to ensure quality control and regulatory compliance are now more scrutinized and critical than ever.

Manufacturers, regulatory authorities, contractors, and other parties impacted by bolted joint leaks often require third party inspection agencies to ensure that the quality of the bolted joint is maintained. That is from flange assembly through the tightening process, to integrity testing and final record keeping.

Why is Quality so Important?

You might be saying to yourself: “It’s just nuts and bolts right; surely it’s not that important or difficult.” Well, you are mistaken. Ensuring the quality and integrity of bolted joints is imperative to profitability and public safety. We have all seen the catastrophic accidents that have been caused by a leaking bolted connection. These incidents such as Piper Alpha in the UK’s North Sea have resulted in significant loss of life, negative financial impact to the asset owner, and lost production. Companies require vendors to confirm the flange assemblies they create are reliable and safe. Having experienced, well-trained, and competent personnel to provide assurance of a leak free bolted flange joint assembly is paramount.