Determine Limiting Crack Sizes and Remaining Life to Improve Your Next Equipment Inspection
The article explains how identifying limiting crack sizes before an inspection can streamline equipment assessments and guide repair decisions. It highlights the use of the Failure Assessment Diagram (FAD) from API 579‑1/ASME FFS‑1 to evaluate crack stability through the Kr (toughness) and Lr (load) ratios. By plotting a crack’s coordinates on the FAD, engineers can distinguish between stable and unstable flaws and estimate remaining fatigue life. The piece also notes that the author’s FEACrack software automates 3‑D crack modeling for these analyses.
Behind the Bulletin: WRC Bulletin 599 Recommendations for Evaluating Resistance to Brittle Fracture for Carbon and Low Alloy Steel Equipment...
WRC Bulletin 599, released in 2023, delivers a comprehensive set of recommendations for assessing brittle‑fracture resistance in carbon and low‑alloy steel pressure vessels and piping. The bulletin critiques existing screening methods in ASME Sections VIII‑1, VIII‑2, B31.1, B31.3, B31T and API 579, exposing...
Reynolds Wrap Up: Developing and Applying FEMI Wisdom Leads to Success in FEMI Problem Solving
John Reynolds revisits the distinction between fixed equipment mechanical integrity (FEMI) knowledge and FEMI wisdom, emphasizing that accumulating a robust body of knowledge alone does not guarantee effective problem solving. He argues that wisdom—knowing when, how, and what to communicate—transforms...
Sunsetting API RP 581, Part 2: RBI Quantitative POF Model Examples
The Inspectioneering article presents next‑generation quantitative RBI examples that tackle three key limitations of API RP 581: poor CML/TML data utilization, cumbersome piping modeling, and vague inspection recommendations. By applying probabilistic algorithms, the authors demonstrate how historic corrosion‑monitoring data can be...
Progress Toward Fitness-for-Service Assessment of FRP Equipment
The Inspectioneering Journal highlights growing capabilities to perform fitness‑for‑service (FFS) assessments on fiber‑reinforced polymer (FRP) equipment. Since 2017, a series of technical articles have built a data foundation that bridges the gap between construction codes and real‑world operating conditions. While...
Piping and Pressure Vessel Failures Associated with Secondary Stresses
Secondary stresses, often hidden behind welding, temperature changes, and deformation, are a leading cause of piping and pressure vessel failures. The article highlights three case studies—a PWHT carbon steel pipe, a high‑temperature austenitic tube, and a boiler feed‑water system—where secondary...
Restoring Integrity: In-Situ Repair of Circumferential Weld Seams on a Vintage CO₂ Absorber
The Fauji Fertilizer Company’s Port Qasim plant performed an in‑situ rehabilitation of two circumferential weld seams on its vintage CO₂ absorber (C‑208), originally built in 1964 and relocated from the United States. The repair followed ASME Section VIII guidelines, employing heat‑treated...
Material Failure Investigation of High-Pressure Impulse Tubing
A recent investigation uncovered that a ½‑inch high‑pressure impulse line made of Tungum alloy on a North Sea platform failed due to mercury‑induced liquid metal embrittlement (LME). The leak was traced to aggressive mercury in the production fluid, which compromised...
Failure and Residual Life Analysis of Service Exposed Hydrogen Reformer Tubes
The study examines premature failures of service‑exposed hydrogen reformer tubes used in steam‑reforming plants. It identifies creep rupture initiating at dendritic boundaries and localized overheating from burner misalignment as primary damage mechanisms. The research compares a failed bottom section with...