Fitness for Service – Alternatives for equipment validation
Boiler and pressure equipment manufacturers face everyday strict design and manufacturing requirements to supply heat exchangers, pressure vessels or process equipment. The recognized international design and manufacturing codes that are prescribed for this type of equipment (ASME VIII Div. 1 & 2, EN13445, AD2000, etc.) specify those tests, trials, inspections and quality controls to be […]
Aging assets. The big choice of plant owners
Nowadays, many factors are seriously affecting major oil companies. Market conditions and uncertainties, aging assets, or decarbonization requirements will necessarily impact on their future investment strategies and business models. A transformation of their business paradigm is not only a challenge right now but also an opportunity as well, to continue leading the industry of energy. […]
Deformations in storage tanks
When deformations appear in existing storage tanks, both atmospheric and low pressure, which exceed the maximum defined in the API 653 standard, the immediate step is to analyze the serviceability of the equipment (1) to guarantee an acceptable level of safety and accurately determine its remaining life (2) as well. (1) FFS – Fitness For […]
Occurrence of cracks in pressure equipment
The failure mechanism due to brittle fracture in pressure equipment manifests itself as a rapid and unexpected fracture since it occurs without prior plastic deformation. In order to reduce the risk of brittle breakage, the correct evaluation and inspection of this equipment are essential to detect possible cracks that trigger these failure processes. The usual […]
GRP/FRP pipelines. Piping flexibility calculations
FRP (Fiber Reinforced Plastics pipes) or GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastics pipes) , both terms are interchangeable, are composite material pipes consisting of a polymer matrix reinforced with glass fibers. GRP pipes have very high corrosion resistance ability and are used widely for low-temperature corrosion-resistant applications, such as in corrosive water services. Currently, the GRP pipes are slowly […]
Corrosion under insulation (CUI). Damage mechanism description
Tags: Pressure Vessels, Piping, Integrity Engineering Corrosion under insulation (CUI) is defined as a type of corrosion (general corrosion or localised corrosion) caused by trapped water on surfaces covered with insulation. Another type of corrosion similar to CUI is corrosion under fireproofing (CUF), both classified within the same damage mechanism. Content When insulation is required? […]