Piping Systems: Failures, Failure Prevention and Repairs

Module 1:

Process Equipment and Piping Systems: Application, Design & Operation

Day 1:

Key Design Considerations, Guidelines and Practices

• Process Equipment - An Overview

• Plant Integrity and Reliability

  • Interdependence of engineering, operation and maintenance

  • Management of change

• Fitness for Purpose

  • Service conditions, equipment sizing, and functional performance

  • Business-Focused-Facilities – Appropriate quality at lowest life cycle cost

• Safety by Design

  • Worst foreseeable credible scenarios, safeguarding, best industry practices

  • Codes, Standards, Industry Practices

• Compliance with Regulations and Acts - HS&E requirements and considerations

Day 2:

Design and Operation of Pressure Equipment

• Pressure Vessels and Reactors

  • Materials of construction and standards

  • Basic Design Methodology

  • ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Sections 2, 5, 8 and 9

  • Worked examples

• Storage Tanks

  • Types and application; cone roof tanks, floating roof tanks

  • Basic design methodology

  • Overview of API 650

• Piping Systems

  • Materials of construction and standards

  • Basic Design Methodology – hydraulic design, pressure integrity, mechanical integrity

  • ASME B31.1 and B31.3

  • Piping flexibility and support

  • Piping system components – valves and fittings; classes, ratings

  • Worked Examples

• Overpressure Protection

  • Types and application of pressure-relieving devices

  • Code requirements

  • Sizing methodology: API 520 and 521

  • Specific operation and maintenance requirements: API 576

Day 3:

Design and Operation of Thermal Equipment

• Process Heaters

  • Types and configuration; box type, vertical cylindrical type

  • Thermal and mechanical design

  • API 560, API 530

• Boilers

  • Types and configuration; water tube, firetube, and waste heat recovery boilers

  • Fundamentals of design and operation

  • Operating efficiency and testing

  • ASME B&PVC Section 1 and Section 4, ASME PTC-4

• Heat Exchangers

  • Types and application; Shell & Tube Heat Exchangers, Plate Heat Exchangers, Air Cooled Heat Exchangers

  • Thermal and mechanical design

  • Overview of TEMA standards, API 660, API 661

  • Operation, fouling, and effectiveness

Day 4:

Design and Operation of Fluid Handling Equipment

• Pumps

  • Types and application; Centrifugal, Positive Displacement

  • Performance characteristics

  • Selection and design considerations and standards; ANSI, API 610

  • Worked examples

• Compressors

  • Types and application; Centrifugal, Screw, Reciprocating

  • Design considerations and standards

  • Operation and troubleshooting

• Electric motors

  • Types and application

  • Operation and troubleshooting

• Condition Monitoring

  • Vibration monitoring

  • Lubricating oil analysis

• Troubleshooting

  • Methodology and guidelines

  • Reliability improvement

Day 5:

Degradation and Condition Assessment of Process Equipment

• Degradation processes
  • Corrosion, erosion, fatigue, hydrogen attack
  • Overview of API 571
• Industrial Failures and Failure Prevention
• Inspection and Testing
  • Inspection strategies, plans and coverage – Real function of inspection
  • Nondestructive Testing (NDT) methods and their characteristics and applicability
  • Risk-Based Inspection (RBI)
  • Overview of API 580 and API 581
• Fitness-For-Service Assessment
  • Overview of API 579
  • Worked examples
• Maintenance Strategies and Best Practices
  • Optimum mix of reactive, preventive and predictive methods
  • Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)

Module 2:
Day 6:

Process Equipment & Piping Systems: Failures, Failure Prevention & Repairs
Failure Mechanics

• Wear & Failure Mechanisms

  • Imperfections and Defects

  • Corrosion Mechanisms

• Failure Modes

  • Fatigue

  • Fretting

  • Creep & Thermal fatigue

  • Stress Corrosion Cracking, Other modes

• Material properties, and selection

  • Carbon & Alloy steels

  • Nickel, Titanium, and Specialty alloys

  • Aluminum, aluminum alloys

  • Copper, copper alloys

  • Plastic piping

  • Alternative options-linings, cladding

  • Limitations and safeguards

  • Material selection - economics-life cycle costing

Day 7:

Failure Prevention By Design

• Failure Causes - Design, Operation; Maintenance, Other Causes

• Material properties, and selection

  • Physical properties and limitations of components

  • Physical properties of steel and alloy piping and tubing

  • Physical properties of fittings

• Basic Design

  • Pressure Vessels

  • Piping Systems

  • Liquid Storage Tanks

• Operation and Maintenance of Process Equipment

• Damage Mechanisms Affecting Process Equipment

Day 8:

Process Equipment Failures

• Failures in Pressure Vessels, Piping and Boilers

  • Strength reduction through material loss

  • Case histories

• Piping System Vibration

  • Mechanical & Flow-Induced Resonance

  • Transient Hydraulic pulsation

  • Pipe supports and restraints

  • Wind Loading

• Industry Practices for Failure Prevention

Day 9:

Inspection, Assessment and Maintenance

• Inspection Strategies Plans and Procedures - Risk-Based Inspection (API 580)

  • Developing an RBI Plan

  • Fitness-For-Service Assessment(API 579)

• NDT Methods and Techniques

  • Probability of Detection

  • Damage Characterization

  • Selecting the correct technique(s)

• Pigging of Pipelines

  • Smart pigging

  • Cleaning

  • Operational procedures

Day 10:

Operation and Maintenance

• Maintenance Programs

• Repair and Alteration of Pressure Equipment and Piping

  • Rerating Piping and Pressure Vessels

  • Estimation of the the Consequences of Pressure Vessels and Piping Failures

• Failure Analysis Techniques