Boiler and pipeline calibration
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1. Now oversight is stricter; inspections cannot be postponed. Is this the case everywhere? 2. If thickness measurement is performed alone, is the pipe temperature required to be 50 degrees or below for testing? I see ultrasonic probes with a range of 300 degrees; if testing can be carried out at high temperatures, many devices won’t need to be stopped or cooled down for testing, which saves a lot of time and makes the process more practical. 3. Some pipes are connected to boilers; some of them are considered part of the boiler and therefore not classified as pressure pipes. However, in the past they were classified as pipes. Is it easy to modify the records? Currently, the Pipeline Room and the Pressure Vessel Room in the business unit are shirking responsibility from each other; how should this be coordinated? 4. Is it possible to conduct inspection when there is steam inside the pipeline? What about the standing water?
I messaged the pipeline and boiler teams but got no reply, so now I’m coming to the production department for help! This question must still have practical significance, right?
The inspection can be postponed, but not for more than half a year (I’m not quite sure about this). Inspections include internal inspections and external inspections; external inspections can be carried out without shutting down the furnace, while internal inspections require the furnace to be shut down. The pipeline connected to the boiler is divided by the first flange; the part near the boiler belongs to the boiler, while the part outside the boiler belongs to the pipeline. Steam is acceptable for external inspection, while water is acceptable for internal inspection.
They said it’s not possible when the temperature is high. How does the pot inspection agency there do it?
As for how to define high temperature, it is acceptable as long as it remains within the process parameters of the boiler.
It refers to the temperature to which the pipeline, as required by the boiler inspection agency, must be reduced
This is how we do it: we get in touch with the boiler inspection agency before shutting down the plant for maintenance (it’s best to have someone from them come to the site to verify things). It is essential to maintain good relations with the welding inspection agency; provide good food and drinks, and keep in touch during holidays), in order to determine the locations of the welds and pipes that need to be inspected. This item should be included in the scheduled maintenance plan before the production is halted for repairs; the areas that need to be inspected should be marked in advance, and a dedicated person should be assigned to remove the insulation layer after production stops (once the steam is properly shut off and the steam pipes are emptied), so that the welds requiring inspection can be polished. We stop production for boiler maintenance and shut down the boilers around 7 a.m., while the people from the boiler inspection team usually arrive after 9:30. Once the insulation layer is removed and the steam supply is cut off, the temperature drops within two or three hours. It’s such a frustrating place; they removed the insulation the day before.
Yesterday we were forced to carry out this procedure for the first time in history under short-term shutdown conditions: we stopped the operation in advance to cool down the pipes, and water was sprayed on the areas where the temperature was high; even on pipe walls subjected to 20 kilograms of saturated steam under pressure, spraying water was effective. Saves a lot on costs related to long periods of idling; it’s safe, environmentally friendly, practical, and legal – haha!