In this section of the site contributing authors submit interesting articles relating
to the various services, industries and research & development efforts of Becht.
There are numerous challenges that Inspectors and Reliability Engineers face when developing Risk Based Asset Integrity Plans, such as: Identifying the applicable Damage Mechanisms Picking the correct Failure Mode(s) Determining the Probability of Failure Deciding how to mitigate risks to acceptable levels Industry documents give some guidance (i.e. API-571, API-580) but not the whole picture. […]
Integrity management of piping systems involves functional testing, inspection and maintenance of components which are identified as “safety critical”. Typically, these component types include control valves, isolation valves, pressure relief valves and instrumentation – but exclude check valves. However, recent incidents involving check valve failures have resulted in fatalities, equipment damage and toxic releases. These […]
The world of reliability is shifting from a calendar based approach to a smarter, risk-based approach in the hydrocarbon production and refining world. The leadership teams are now expecting a risk-based program in place for minimizing the HSE (Health, Safety and Environment) and economic consequences as much as possible. Some states have mandated the use […]
Every Refinery whether small or big, isolated or a part of a larger group generally has practices to improve reliability of operations. However, refineries who are known to be world class performers have well defined Reliability Management Systems (RMS) which focus on improving equipment reliability for piping, pressure vessels, rotating equipment, electrical distribution system, instrumentation […]
Have you noticed, looking at the famous ASME B31.1 support spacing Table 121.5, that the spacing between pipe supports is roughly “size + 10”, in other words, the spacing between supports on an 1 inch instrument tubing would be “1 + 10” = 11 ft, while the spacing on a 6 inch line for example […]
FAILURE MODE – When an explosion (either a subsonic deflagration, or a supersonic detonation) occurs in a metallic vessel, one of three things can happen: Case 1 – Containment: The vessel can contain the explosion, elastically as if nothing happened, or with plastic bulging. Case 2 – Rupture: The vessel can rupture, without ejecting fragments. […]
Ingersoll Rand Cone Oil Seals Compressor process shaft end seals are designed to seal the rotating assembly in the stationary compressor case to prevent the process gas in the compressor from escaping to the atmosphere and to prevent the atmosphere from getting into the process gas. Shaft end oil seals, as compared to the relatively […]
My previous blog on Equipment Health Monitoring (EHM) explains why EHM can be used to improve fatigue life of a coke drums. As explained in this blog, one of the critical locations to be monitored are the circumferential weld seams – where high thermal stresses occur during the operation of the drum. These high stresses over […]
Gerrit Buchheim, Manager of the Pono Division of Becht Engineering, has developed a practical and simple-to-use approach to prioritizing the inspection and replacement of equipment in High Temperature Hydrogen Attack (HTHA) service. This approach utilizes the existing and accepted “Nelson Curve”, but adapts it to better fit the realized operating conditions at an individual facility, […]
I have been receiving many inquiries recently from individuals and companies concerned about the status of OSHA Rule 1926.1427 – All wondering if they are in compliance. Bottom Line – There is currently a nationwide controversy regarding OSHA regulation on crane operators. Background OSHA enacted a new crane rule in 2010. The part 1926.1427 (Crane Operators) […]
