Overview of Quality Control (QC)

According to industry experts, particle contamination in lubricants is the number one cause of lubricant-related equipment failure. Fortunately, there are steps operators can take to reduce contamination and increase the service life of equipment.

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This article describes some strategies owner/users can implement to reduce failure rates, eliminate wasteful activities, reduce costs, increase capacity, improve safety, and achieve the goal of defect-free operations.

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The quality of the thousands of factory and field welds present in pressure part modules is critical for assuring reliable operation over the life of a plant. Companies should be doing more than paying lip service to quality. Don't just tick a box.

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This article discusses how a technology coupled with API 1177 allows construction crews, inspectors, and pipeline integrity engineers to quickly analyze inspection, NDT, and commissioning data in near real-time, as well as problem solve in the field.

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A quest for a defect-free operation requires an effort to systematically reduce the current equipment failure rates. This series proposes a newer, leaner way of thinking to help discover and eliminate conditions that may lead to defects.

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The Vanta handheld XRF is Olympus’ first full spectrum PMI analyzer that is IP65 rated and drop tested. The analyzer provides accurate, repeatable material chemistry and alloy grade matching in as little as 1–2 seconds. Operation is simple with an intuitive touch screen and swipe interface. Optional Wi-Fi, with the Olympus Scientific Cloud, provides seamless connectivity for efficient data and fleet management.

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The best approach for better inspection confidence and long term asset integrity is to conduct baseline inspections upon receipt of an asset. Baseline inspection can save millions by providing accurate baseline information for later comparisons and preventing safety incidents caused by critical oversights during the construction phase.

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The most valuable unit of measure within a turnaround is not money, but time. Successful turnaround planners are now integrating the Detailed Inspection Planner (DIP) within their teams to increase the accuracy of planning and reduce the time required to complete the turnaround.

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Nondestructive testing (NDT) careers are on the rise in today’s economy. These fields are constantly advancing, and there is an ever-growing need for technicians, quality assurance specialists and inspectors as infrastructure in the United States continues to age.

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There is concern in the industry over recent findings of reduced toughness fittings and flanges at risk of brittle fracture. This article provides an overview; possible contributors; measures taken to address; and a proposed FFS approach to address the issue.

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The goal of achieving effective asset integrity management (AIM) throughout an asset’s life cycle requires certain “integrity enablers.” This article discusses six integrity enablers and their importance to a successful AIM program.

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The Vanta handheld XRF is Olympus’ first full spectrum PMI analyzer that is IP65 rated and drop tested. The analyzer provides accurate, repeatable material chemistry and alloy grade matching in as little as 1–2 seconds. Operation is simple with an intuitive touch screen and swipe interface. Optional Wi-Fi, with the Olympus Scientific Cloud, provides seamless connectivity for efficient data and fleet management.

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Although commonly lumped together as a singular acronym, there are important distinctions between Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC). This article defines and distinguishes the role of QA and, in particular, how source inspection factors into that role.

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Read a firsthand account of how organizing Process, People, Plant, and Performance can reveal breakdowns in your corrosion management practices and drive down corrosion related leaks.

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As the industry strives to maintain PSM/OSHA compliance through owner/user mechanical integrity programs, inspection professionals should fully understand technical standards to generate an adequate repair recommendation or request further inspection and testing

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Having a systematic, proven methodology for effectively qualifying suppliers is extremely important. Supplier Technical Assessments, or “vendor assessments,” help buyers evaluate suppliers’ qualifications when considering their capabilities to manufacture specified industrial components or provide the desired services.

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It is a commonly held belief with oil & gas (O&G), oil sands, and pipeline projects that material test reports (MTRs) are always required for turnover to the owner-user, but that is untrue. In this article I will describe what MTRs are, how these are used during manufacturing, and when these are mandatory for turnover in the manufacturing record book (MRB) or vendor data book (VDB) to the owner-user for retention as a permanent record. I will give specific examples from relevant Acts, Codes, Regulations, and Standards to prove that MTR turnover to the owner-user is usually not required and provide examples to clearly demonstrate how this increases costs but does not add value. I will also describe why this is a much bigger problem than wasted paper and recommend best practices that are easily implemented. With this information, projects and owner-users can reduce costs and eliminate headaches, while still maintaining all of their quality and technical requirements.

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Auto-refrigeration can impose low temperatures onto process vessels and piping causing them to be at risk of brittle fracture, the sudden break-before leak phenomena that can result in catastrophic rupture of the equipment.

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In numerous industries that require elemental and material testing, including the oil and gas, power generation, and petrochemical industries, positive material identification (PMI) is at the forefront of any operation. In fact, an increasing number of facilities are adopting a 100% PMI program to ensure that every metal component is made up of exactly the desired chemical composition.

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The Quality Assurance Engineer (QAE) provides a safety net for mission-critical hardware. The variety and complexity of hardware, and the many dimensions of the QA inspection process, combine in such a manner that even the most experienced QAE may miss problems.

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While computed tomography (CT) scans are common and well-known as a critical evaluation tool in the medical field, they are becoming increasingly important in industrial settings. Recent automation, speed, and accuracy developments are driving the migration of CT technology onto the production floor.

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Inspectioneering recently had the opportunity to speak with Tom Redlinger about QA/QC practices in the O&G business and what companies can do to create programs that are both effective and sustainable. We hope you find the exchange as interesting as we did.

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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.

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Our proprietary furnace tube inspection system, FTIS™, is an ultrasonic inspection technology capable of rapid, automated fired heater coil inspection in refinery fired heaters. The data captured by our furnace tube inspection system is exceptionally powerful when combined with our LifeQuest™ remaining life assessment capabilities, providing an integrated solution set for refinery fired heaters in the refining and chemical industries.

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Joint integrity programs (JIP) should be an integral part of every refinery, petrochemical, production, or other industrial-complex facility operations.

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In the first article in this series entitled How to Put It All Together - Guide to Organizing a Successful PEI Program, (1) I provided an overview of the necessary Management Systems (MS) for a successful program to achieve excellence in pressure equipment integrity (PEI). This is the sixth article in that series.

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The market around the globe is being opened up. More and more manufacturers are entering the fray from different parts of the world. The competition is tightening at an unprecedented rate causing considerable reduction in profit margins enjoyed by the industry. This prevailing scenario around the globe makes the sustenance of a pressure vessel manufacturer in the fabrication industry a "tight rope walk". Continuance in the same market could only be assured through best quality and best price, both with conflicting interests. In order to maintain both, the manufacturer shall have a reasonably good quality system and shall have adopted the most efficient methodologies and systems, so as to maintain best quality at the lowest possible cost. Regarding the quality versus cost aspects, in my previous article published in April 2007 Issue of the Hydrocarbon Processing, titled "Optimum Specification & Quality requirements for Pressure Vessels", various methods and practices were elaborated. In this article, an effective, sensible and realistic quality audit system for continuously monitoring the quality of various disciplines that contribute to the manufacturing quality of pressure vessels is proposed. Such a system is absolutely essential for the sustenance of the already established stature and reputation of the manufacturer in the industry, by the vigilant and committed involvement of the top management. The QAR is intended to serve as a tool to the management with information on any decline in quality (if any occurs), to initiate timely remedial action, to ward off such occurrences in the future and to prevent a decline in quality of the organization in its functions.

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In the welded condition many stainless steels are susceptible to rapid intergranular corrosion or stress corrosion cracking. This is because the heat from welding sensitizes the base metal heat affected zone (HAZ) and the weld.

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When we talk about welding QA/QC we typically focus on the technical requirements and what QA/QC is needed to assure that the technical requirements are met. Examples include the preheat, interpass, and PWHT temperatures and how to assure that the correct temperatures and hold times are used.

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Among other things, a welding QA/QC program needs to ensure that only qualified welders, utilizing qualified procedures are allowed to weld on any pressurized equipment, including storage tanks and piping.

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Polythionic Acid Stress Corrosion Cracking (PASCC) is an affliction of many refineries processing sulfur containing feedstocks, and since that is the norm these days, most refiners reduce their susceptibility to PASCC by selecting resistant alloys orby neutralizing exposed surfaces during shutdowns.

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Part 4 of 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, boilers, piping, tanks, relief systems) in the refining and petrochemical industry.

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This publication outlines 101 Essential Elements that need to be in place and functioning well in order to effectively and efficiently preserve and protect the reliability and integrity of pressure equipment (i.e. vessels, exchangers, furnaces, boilers, piping, tanks, and relief systems) in the refining and petrochemical industry.

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