Refinery Piping Mechanical Integrity: Enhancing Assessments Using Statistical Tools

Refinery Piping Mechanical Integrity: Enhancing Assessments Using Statistical Tools

Type	Conference Paper
Author	Doug Milton
Author	A. C. Gysbers
URL	https://www.onepetro.org/conference-paper/NACE-2015-5441
Date	2015-05-12
Conference Name	CORROSION 2015
Abstract	Assessing the mechanical integrity of refinery piping circuits can be challenging. Reasons include lack of internal inspection capability, presence of localized vs. uniform corrosion mechanisms, variable corrosion rates over time, potential for multiple damage mechanisms to be present, variable age and quality of thickness data, as well as the large volume of pipe to be inspected and the associated cost and logistics of carrying out extensive inspections. Authors offer examples of how statistical evaluation has been used to enhance assessments of the mechanical integrity of piping circuits in refinery process units. Examples include circuits in hydroprocessing units, atmospheric and vacuum crude distillation units, and coker units. They also explain how statistical concepts can help frame inspection scope to manage the challenge presented by low silicon carbon steel.