Brindley Engineering completed a reactor re-rate at a Midwest chemical facility that desired to operate the reactor under greater pressures and temperatures. In addition, the paperwork on the reactor was compromised based on the age of the reactor and due to platforms being added to the reactor in the past with insufficient paperwork. This was made more challenging because the reactor was several decades in services and had standard defects such as some general corrosion loss.
Desire to modify operating parameters required re-rate of existing reactor
BE the Solution
Brindley had to identify reactor design parameters and anticipated current conditions via an analysis of the existing documentation such as repair notifications, some miscellaneous calculations, inspection reports, and other items. We then developed the inspection plan to gather additional data on the reactor while still in service. Using this data, we built a model in PV EliteTM and determined that the reactor required modification to meet the new design and operating conditions. We were then contracted to design these modifications and establish fabrication and inspection work packages for their execution.
Our Challenges
The investigative work on this reactor was particularly challenging due to the relative lack of paperwork that was available on the equipment. This is not uncommon at older facilities / with older pieces of equipment. The field forensic work was also challenging due to access issues, high temperature constraints on inspection techniques, and other challenges.
BE the Result
Brindley Engineering’s Reliability background, knowledge of field NDE techniques, and skills in applying a statistical-based approach to determine likely defects led to an effective and cost-efficient field evaluation that resulted in a sound design and fabrication plan to re-rate the equipment.
0 Comments