11 Things You Need to Know About Hot Spots in Pressure Equipment

By Simon Yuen, P.E., Senior Advisor - Equipment Integrity at Suncor Energy Inc., and Ken Gottselig, Chief Engineer for Mechanical and Civil Engineering at BP America Production Company. This article appears in the March/April 2018 issue of Inspectioneering Journal.

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What are hot spots?

Hot spots are regions on the pressure boundary of process equipment where the surface temperature exceeds the surrounding material temperature. These localized areas of overheating in pressure equipment can lead to deformation, or even loss of process containment, because when overheated, metals lose strength and may become susceptible to damage mechanisms.

Refineries and petrochemical facilities process fluids at temperatures in excess of 600 F. Elevated temperature equipment is often refractory lined internally to keep the pressure retaining wall temperature sufficiently low to permit less alloyed material to be used safely. Refractory degradation or failure exposes the pressure retaining wall to temperature above design and causes hot spots. In addition, equipment may experience higher than design maximum temperatures and form hot spots during runaway reactions, process stream decompositions, and other operational issues.

When a hot spot occurs, it is therefore important to understand the effects of elevated temperature have on the mechanical integrity of the equipment.

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About the Authors

Simon Yuen, P.E., Senior Advisor - Equipment Integrity at Suncor Energy Inc.

Simon Yuen is currently the Senior Advisor of Suncor Energy Inc. in equipment integrity. He has over 35 years of industry experience in structural mechanics, inspection and materials/corrosion control. Read more »

Ken Gottselig, Chief Engineer for Mechanical and Civil Engineering at BP America Production Company

Ken Gottselig is the Chief Engineer for Mechanical and Civil Engineering at BP America Production Company. Ken has over 30 years of experience in fitness for service, mechanical integrity, and risk based inspection. Read more »

Comments and Discussion

Posted by Tim Haugen on April 25, 2018

Good article. Thank you for sharing! Log in or register to read the rest of this comment.

Posted by Muhammed Shoaib on May 21, 2018

Thanks for sharing, any idea when it would be... Log in or register to read the rest of this comment.

Posted by Ahmed Elrasheed on May 22, 2018

Very rich article. Thanks for sharing Log in or register to read the rest of this comment.

Posted by Alain Meneka on June 13, 2018

Thank you for sharing this article. Log in or register to read the rest of this comment.

Posted by HECTOR CALDERON on August 21, 2018

Thanks for the technical information, excellent... Log in or register to read the rest of this comment.

Posted by Abdulrahman Alghamdi on February 3, 2019

Excellent and well stated. it is suggested to add... Log in or register to read the rest of this comment.

Posted by Miten Patel on March 28, 2019

Very informative article, thank you for sharing. Log in or register to read the rest of this comment.

Posted by Jimi Hendrix on November 29, 2022

Good article. Share my experience. People... Log in or register to read the rest of this comment.

Add a Comment

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What are hot spots?

What kinds of equipment do hot spots typically affect in refineries and chemical plants?
How are hot spots detected?
How are hot spots measured?
What is the role of the inspector?
How are hot spots mitigated?
Can equipment continue to operate safely when hot spots are identified?
How serious is this issue for owner-operators?
What is the hot spot FFS assessment going to cover?
Where is this going, hopefully?
How will people have access to the methodology?
References

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