Inspectioneering

Hot Spots

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Hot Spots are overheated areas in high temperature equipment that are often a sign of ineffective refractory and a potential failure. They are fairly common occurrences in furnaces, boilers, and other refractory lined equipment used in the petroleum refining and chemical processing industries. If left undiagnosed, they can be very dangerous and lead to ruptures, blow outs, and process safety incidents.

A good way to detect hot spots before they become an issue is with an effective thermography inspection program. In cases where that’s not possible, temperature sensitive paints can also serve as an effective advanced warning system against hot spots. Once detected, it’s important that hot spots are examined by experienced inspectors and engineers to ensure that it doesn’t develop into something worse.

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Articles about Hot Spots
March/April 2018 Inspectioneering Journal

Hot spots – localized areas of overheating in pressure equipment – can lead to deformation or even loss of process containment. It is important to understand the effects of elevated temperature caused by hot spots on the mechanical integrity of...

September/October 2000 Inspectioneering Journal

This article continues to outline the 101 essential elements that need to be in place, and functioning well, to effectively and efficiently, preserve and protect the reliability and integrity of pressure equipment (vessels, exchangers, furnaces,...

Authors: John Reynolds
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