A Material Verification Process for Dealing with PHMSA’s “Mega Rule”
An Overview of Heat Treatment in the Refining, Power, and Petrochemical Industry - Part 1
Composite Repair of Equipment and The Practical Applicability of ASME PCC-2
Damage Control: Thermal Fatigue Assessment
Integration of Integrity Operating Windows into Process Safety Management
11 Primary Elements to Ensure Asset Integrity in the Lifecycle of Oil and Gas Facilities
Damage Control: Thermal Fatigue Detection
Digital Transformation in 5 Guided Steps
How Many Inspectors Do You Need at Your Operating Site?
Implementing an Effective Mechanical Integrity System
Importance of 3D Modeling in High-Definition Remote Visual Measurement Systems
RBI Pitfalls to Avoid and Helpful Advice
Design of Pressure Vessels to Increase Equipment Reliability
Digital Solutions to Improve Workforce Connectivity
FFS Forum: Dealing with Multiple Damage Mechanisms in an FFS Assessment
High Temperature Hydrogen Attack in API RP 581 RBI Methodology: A Commentary
How COVID-19 and the Decline in Oil Prices have Affected Mechanical Integrity Programs
How Valves Flow Into Your Integrity Program - Part 2: Mechanical Integrity Considerations
Processing Lower Cost Crudes with Greater Confidence & Improved Reliability
Rapid Ultrasonic Gridding and Its Impact on RBI Effectiveness
Advanced Methods for More Accurate Brittle Fracture Screening Assessments
Continuous Thickness Monitoring: Precise Corrosion Rates in Less Time
FFS Forum: When is a Brittle Fracture Assessment Needed?
How to Pivot Your Program During an Economic Downturn
How Valves Flow Into Your Integrity Program - Part 1: Introduction to Valves
Practical Guide for Auditing a Chemical Treatment System in an Operating Oil and Gas Facility
Refinery Critical Infrastructure Management: Compressor Foundations
Risk Based Management of Corrosion Under Insulation
A Smart Approach to Inspecting Fired Heater and Boiler Coils
Acoustic Emission Testing for Corrosion Monitoring and Deferral of Storage Tank Turnarounds
Effective Reliability and Safety Management of Steam Reformer Tubes
FFS Forum: Field Metallographic Replication (FMR) - When it helps, and when it doesn’t
FRP Corrosion Barrier Inspection: Non-Destructive and Non-Intrusive Technique
Leading Edge Inspection Data Practices — Acquire It Faster, Manage It Better, and Improve Its Use
Practical HTHA Experience and Time-Based Nelson Curves for Improved Equipment Life Management
The Inspection Paradox: Adding Value Through Quality Control
Understanding Hard to Interpret Field Hardness Values for Common Pressure Vessel and Piping Steels
2020 Inspectioneering Journal Article Index
Understanding asset integrity and its management framework is important to sustaining the integrity of assets in the oil and gas industry. This article will discuss eleven primary elements that make up an asset integrity management program.
Through a combination of new ILI technology and non-destructive in-situ techniques, all the necessary tools and processes are now in place and available to operators around the world to proactively improve their integrity management systems.
Universally, smart or intelligent pigging is now a standard practice for the inspection of fired heater and serpentine boiler coils. Understanding this technology can greatly assist with maintenance planning and the prevention of unexpected failures.
In the author's experience, one of the largest gaps in plants is a lack of understanding of what the entire fixed equipment mechanical integrity group does. This article will shed light on the many roles and responsibilities within these groups.
This article reviews the effectiveness of AET for inspecting tank bottoms in two ways; namely, benchmarking regulations in different countries and comparing AET and MFLT results through a case study.
This article provides an overview of brittle fracture, details on several industry failures, and a summary of deficiencies and concerns with current published methods for screening susceptibility of equipment to potential brittle fracture failures.
Heat treatment has been used by mankind for centuries. This article details reasons to heat treat, the types of heat treating available, methods of heat treating to achieve specific material properties, and the role of MI in heat treating.
Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) platforms are a great way to structure, standardize, and streamline maintenance management. But how can you make sure you get a CMMS that effectively delivers on exactly what you need?
The author estimates that, if the composite repair approach is implemented properly in place of welding repairs, approximately 70-80% of hot work at operating sites could be eliminated.
This article dives into continuous thickness monitoring, which in the opinion of the author is one of the more innovative technologies for corrosion control in the refining industry to come about in the last two decades.
Conventionally, three primary fatigue analysis methods have been used to estimate fatigue life; these are the stress-life (S-N) approach, the strain-life (ε-N) approach, and the fracture mechanics (crack growth) approach.
This article reflects the first in a series on damage mechanisms that will appear in this recurring Inspectioneering column entitled “Damage Control.” The inaugural topic discussed in this column is thermal fatigue.
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...
Pressure vessel design is crucial in ensuring compliance with safety regulations and facilitating reliability and integrity. This article provides an overview of the ASME Section VIII approach to designing pressure vessels.
The utilization of digital tools, such as the one outlined in this article, will go a long way in assuring that work will proceed in a timely manner, based on accurate information and with involvement of connected and knowledgeable personnel.
This article provides a guide through the actual execution of digital transformation. The author explains what digital transformation is and helps you understand the benefits you will achieve and the challenges that arise.
The health of piping and piping supports is critical to processing facilities, however there are very few facilities where a documented inspection program exists for spring supports. This article outlines some issues surrounding spring supports
This article presents a comprehensive integrity management program for catalyst tubes, including elements on monitoring, inspection, data analysis, remaining life assessment, and control of human factors.
Inspectioneering and PinnacleART co-hosted their 5th Meeting of the Minds roundtable last November in Atlanta. This meeting’s focus was on notable technologies and how they are changing the MI landscape.
Assessment procedures in API 579 are organized by damage mechanism. But what happens when different damage mechanisms are in play since the evaluation criteria may not be compatible?
Discover Creaform's 3D scanning technology to enhance pipeline inspection, surface damage assessment, and preventive maintenance with accurate, user-independent data. Improve diagnostics, reduce technician stress, and build expertise.
There are many sources and occurrences of metal fatigue in the chemical and refining industries. They range from low-cycle thermal stresses in an FCCU, to the relentless pressure cycling of a PSA, to the ultra-high cycles of a rotating pump.
FMR is a useful tool in many situations. It allows nondestructive evaluation of the surface microstructure that is entirely adequate in many cases. However, it is not a panacea, and there are many conditions where it is inadequate.
Fracture mechanics is a branch of engineering that describes the behavior of cracks – how they grow and when they fracture. Fracture of cracks is particularly dangerous because it can happen without warning under normal operating conditions.
Every fitness-for-service (FFS) assessment must have a well-defined acceptance criterion. For many damage mechanisms, it’s the “remaining strength factor” (RSF). But for crack-like flaw assessment, it’s the Failure Assessment Diagram, or FAD.
There are many places where brittle fracture risk can sneak into your plant and many reasons why a new or revised brittle fracture assessment may be required when reviewing your pressure systems. Don’t overlook this dangerous failure mechanism.
This article describes the construction of corrosion-resistant fiber reinforced polymer (FRP), commonly used for pressure vessels and piping in the chemical processing industry, and the practices used for inspecting corrosion-resistant barriers.
This article explores the API RP 581 third edition approach to HTHA damage factor calculations to obtain a probability of failure that subsequently affects risk. Sample calculations are provided to affirm an understanding of the concept.
Inspectioneering and Pinnacle co-hosted their 6th bi-annual Meeting of the Minds roundtable discussion earlier this year. This meeting’s focus was on how Covid-19 and the decline in oil prices have affected MI programs across the industry.
This case study discusses costly repairs that were needed on newly fabricated pressure vessels as a result of poor UT practices. The author shines a light on some industry problems that can be fixed with an understanding of what is actually required.
TEAM provides full inline, onsite and, shop valve repair services and maintenance programs for virtually all valve types, brands, sizes, materials, pressures, and operating conditions, including actuators and operators. Our valve repair solution...
This article presents a methodology for calculating and understanding how many qualified API inspectors you need to staff in order to improve fixed equipment mechanical integrity and reliability at your operating site.
Despite the recent challenges that the oil and gas industry has faced over the past couple of months, facilities have the unique opportunity to embrace change in company culture, build data-driven processes, and focus on measuring value.
The authors have written a two-part series covering valves and their role in the overall MI process. In this first article, they discuss the various valve types, their common uses, and the governing standards and recommended practices that apply.
Ideally, all valves should work when needed; but the truth is that valves fail. This article discusses the common failure mechanisms that affect valves as well as what inspectors should look for during an inspection.
Implementing RBI as part of a Mechanical Integrity system at different sites is not a simple copy and paste project. Each case has its own characteristics and challenges. This article describes implementation in two vastly different facilities.
Advances in charge-coupled device size, optics manufacturing, and point-matching algorithms can all be combined to create a new super wide field stereo measurement system. With measurable areas as much as 4x greater, larger measurements can be taken.
IOWs are an important component of a world-class mechanical integrity program. In order to have a robust IOW program, the integration of IOWs into other areas of PSM is critical. This article provides four concrete examples of integration.
There are tools available that can achieve nearly 100% corrosion monitoring coverage. The use of robotics and ultrasonic inspection methods such as rapid ultrasonic gridding have shown to be highly effective in acquiring these data points.
Decision trees can be used to help with decisions related to nearly any closed loop mechanical integrity or inspection workflow process. This article focuses on how decision trees can be applied to heat exchanger tubular inspection.
The purpose of this article is to describe some of the pitfalls that operating sites have encountered while trying to implement a program of IOWs in accordance with the guidance in API RP 584, plus how to overcome those pitfalls.
For an aging facility, where documents are missing and the operation depends heavily on experience rather than proper engineering designs, auditing a chemical treatment system is a rather challenging task for corrosion professionals.
Nelson curves, which are the foundation of the industry’s HTHA programs, can be tied to mechanistic models from several sources, allowing the recreation of Nelson curves for different operational histories and time durations.
This article presents a model to better predict the corrosivity of hot crude oil streams, which is based on open literature going back for almost 60 years and incorporates published information from joint industry projects (JIPs).
Inspectioneering chats with Gecko Robotics about the new rapid ultrasonic gridding technique and how it can be utilized to increase the speed and effectiveness of equipment inspections.
This article discusses some of the common roles of the RBI team and provides a glimpse of an RBI program gap assessment, while offering helpful advice for improvement.
Compressors are often taken for granted and the integrity of supporting structural foundations may sometimes not receive the attention deserved. This article focuses on essential considerations regarding the integrity of structural foundations.
At just 36 years old, Tyler had already established himself as a massively influential force within our industry. His vision for the future of mechanical integrity was progressive and optimistic and he had more ideas than time to implement them.
A summary of some of the important topics that were discussed at the API Fall 2020 Refining and Equipment Standards Meeting that was held via virtual conferencing.
A summary of some of the important topics that were discussed at the API Spring Refining and Equipment Standards Meeting that was held via virtual conferencing.
There are some significant changes coming in the fifth edition of API RP 751 on Safe Operation of Hydrofluoric Acid Alkylation Units in the section on Mechanical Integrity, Damage Mechanisms and Maintenance Work Practices.
The article describes the results from a recent CUI Joint Industry Project which resulted in an RBI methodology for managing the CUI threat. The methodology assesses 4 CUI barriers: material, coating, water wetting, and design.
COVID-19 has forced organizations to adapt. The old way of doing business, at least for some, is gone and will not return. In these challenging times, innovation is key. But is implementing a new innovation today any different than twelve months ago?
The author will discuss the failure of a dissimilar joint while examining the root causes of the failure along with potential solutions and preventive actions that would not compromise the welding production rate.
EPC projects are complex initiatives with multiple stakeholder interfaces that can be difficult to manage. This article sheds some light on how quality activities add value to a project and when in the value-chain should these activities be executed.
Facilities that can successfully leverage both their data and expertise while effectively integrating this unified model into their core business processes can improve performance and eliminate non-value-added activities.
Ethos has assembled a team of experts who apply what they learned through years of process safety experience in the industry and dealing with OSHA and EPA. Click here to learn more about our services.
This article addresses two failure events where inadequate attention to thermal fatigue led to premature equipment failure while specifying guidelines to help prevent such failures that can be a part of a plant's inspection and maintenance programs.
Field hardness tests can provide valuable information when evaluating piping and pressure vessel anomalies. This article summarizes laboratory examinations designed to gain a better understanding of UCI hardness test results taken in the field.
This article demonstrates how the use of TFM/FMC can be an effective method to screen for potential problem flanges before a planned shut down and can be a very useful tool in planning which flanges require further evaluation.
