A U.S. Energy Information Administration’s post, When was the last refinery built in the United States?, reveals that more than half the “newest refineries” in their list were built in the 1970s or 1980s, or 30 to 40+ years ago. And, with 137 operating U.S. oil refineries, the rest are even older. A lot has […]
Piping and vessel corrosion and erosion typically occur from the inside out, making it difficult to spot problems without some type of ongoing material thickness measurement program. A piping or vessel breach can lead to disastrous consequences, especially in processes with toxic or flammable materials. Traditionally, the maintenance staff has performed periodic manual measurements with […]
Technology advances have disrupted many markets including photography, music, video and communications to name just a few. These disruptive innovations have improved usability and reduced costs for those taking advantage of the technology advancements. In our world of industrial instrumentation and automation, Emerson’s Roel Van Doren notes: …the introduction of microprocessors and digital communications led […]
With the diversification of crude oil types brought about by U.S. shale production, refineries have increased risk for vessel and piping corrosion. Many of the aging refineries also are operating past the design life of some of their plant assets. In a Chemical Processing article, Refineries: Rethink Corrosion Monitoring, Emerson’s Jake Davies describes some of […]
The integrity of process piping is paramount to safe operations. Corrosion and erosion monitoring, especially for processes with challenging fluids, play an important role. This short 2:10 YouTube video, Permasense ET210 Integrity Monitoring System, shows how piping erosion and corrosion can be monitored with pipe wall thickness measurements with non-intrusive wireless sensors strapped to the […]
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