Inspection of Pressure Vessels

Under Factory Rules and SMPV Rules.

Presented by
M.K.Divekar, M.E.(Prod), F.I.E.
Mec Elec Industries, Thane 400 602
Fax: 25478006.
E-mail:[email protected]
Requirement of Periodic Inspection
of Pressure Plants under Factories Act

1. External Examination once in 6 months

2. Internal Examination once in 12 months
3. Hydraulic Test Once in 2 years.
If Hydraulic test is Impracticable, it may be
substituted with Non-Destructive test.
However, no such exemptions have been granted by
DISH, Maharashtra. In the other states, Pneumatic Test
as alternative has been mentioned in the Rules.
Continuous Process & many other Industries have
conveyed their difficulties to the statutory authorities in
adhering these schedules.
Requirement of Periodic Inspection
of Pressure Plants under Factories Act
NDT is not required, as long as External/Internal
Examination & Hydraulic Tests are conducted.
There is no mention about the SRV Testing, PG
Calibration, Due consideration for the process
constraints.
Basic Frame of the Rules has not been up-dated in
the last 50 years. There are lots of ambiguities in
the rules for interpretations.
The Rules due not say much about the design and
fabrication requirements.
Requirement of Periodic Inspection
of Pressure Vessels under SMPV Rules
1. SRV Testing once in 12 months (Rule 18).
The set pressure shall be not more than
1.1 times the Design Pressure.
2. Internal Inspection, Thickness Checking &
Hydraulic test once in 2 / 5 years, depending
on the contents in Vessel (Rule 19).
3. Excess Flow Valve Testing shall be Tested
during the Hydraulic test, to check the closing
Flow Rate(Rule 18).
4. The Hydraulic test shall be conducted up to
the First Isolation Valve.
Requirement of Periodic Inspection
of Pressure Vessels under SMPV Rules
However, if Water or any traces of Moisture is not
tolerable, as in the case of Cryogenic Storage Vessels,
Pneumatic Test is permissible. Pneumatic test may be
conducted at 1.1 times the Design Pressure.
Additional NDT for Spherical Vessels,
Thickness Gauging, Ultrasonic Flaw Detection, Wet Fluorescent
MPT, Dye Penetration test, Radiographic Inspection of joints, if
required. Hardness test of Weld joints Foundation settlement.

And Cathodic Protection Checking for Mounded & Under ground

Vessels, in addition to the above.
Failure Mechanism
Primary reason for failure of a PV may be attributed exclusively to
or the combined effect of two or more of the following
phenomenon:
1. High Stress arising from “Stress Raisers”
2. Corrosion, chemical action, corrosion due to ingredients
in the vessels , stress corrosion
3. Fatigue – Progressive and localized structural damage
that occurs when a material is subjected to cyclic loading
4. Creep – Tendency of a solid material to slowly move or
deform permanently under the influence of stresses, below
the Yield Stress
Failure Mechanism
5. Buckling - Failure mode characterized by a sudden failure of a
structural member subjected to high compressive stresses
6. Thermal shock occurs when a thermal gradient causes
different parts of an object to expand by different amounts. This
differential expansion can be understood in terms of stress or of
strain. At some point, this stress overcomes the strength of the
material, causing a crack to form. Which can propagate through
the material, resulting in failure
7. Mechanical Overload - The failure or fracture of a product or
component in a single event. It is a common failure mode, and
is instantaneous in contrast to fatigue or creep. A Chemical
Explosion within a Vessel, water hammer or a sudden impact
load could also be the cause of an overload
Failure Due to Stress
 When a Vessel is designed, the permissible stress values are
obtained from the material specifications. The stress values can
increase due to:
 Over-Pressurization of the vessel
 Loss of Metal due to the corrosion, Chemical Attacks etc
 Stress Raisers like: Presence of Crack in the Welds and Parent
Metal, Chemical Attack, Abrasion, Wear & Tear, Erosion,
Geometric discontinuities, changes in cross sectional area.
 Certain Stainless Steels crack in the presence of chlorides,
Carbon Steels cracks in the presence of alkalis.
 Sulphide Stress Corrosion cracking – wherein steel reacts
with Hydrogen sulphide. At high temperature, hydrogen can
diffuse into carbon steel, where it combines with carbon and
forms methane. The methane molecules create a pressure
which leads to embrittlement and even cracking of the metal
Corrosion
 The most common reason for deterioration of a vessel is
external and internal corrosion
 The exposure of the Vessel to the water / accumulation of
moisture /condensate and its evaporation due to varying
temperature in presence of oxygen leads to corrosion
 The reduction of the metal thickness is the first and of the
most primary concern for every inspector.
 So, checking the residual thickness measurement using an
Ultrasonic Thickness gauge is the easiest way of checking the
metal loss, which accounts for the reduction in the residual life.
 IS-2825, in Appendix – N gives the details of required Checks,
Inspection and periodicity for corrosion related deterioration.
Defects Inherited
During Fabrication
1. Cracks in Weld zone, Heat Affected Zone, Crater cracks.
2. Slag inclusion, Tungsten Inclusion.
3. Porosity/ Worm Hole.
4. Lack of Fusion / Lack of Penetration.
5. Excess Penetration, Suck back, Globules, Icicles.
6. Mismatch / Mis-alignment
7. Under filling / Under cutting.
8. Centre line crevice / Overlap.
9. Arc Strike / Arc Crater
10. Metal Spatter / Weld Ripple / Cleat Mark
11. Lamination / Laminar Tearing
12. Distortion / Root Oxidation.
Check Lists for Inspection
Visual Inspection is the first preliminary and most
important inspection step. The check lists shall be
prepared on individual’s experience, requirement of
the equipment, process and what to expect during the
Inspection. Acceptance criteria shall be known to the
inspector. The Checklist may be based on :
1. Continuous Process Plant Vessels.
2. Check Lists for Batch Process Vessels.
3. Check Lists for Utility Equipments.
4. Check Lists for Specific Equipments.
External Examination
1. Foundation, Skirt, Anchor bolts, Saddles, Supports, Mounting brackets, Bolts, Earthing etc. 
2) Insulation, cladding, painting, spillages, leaks etc. 
3) Nozzle necks, flanges, gasket joints, hardware (flange bolts and nuts)
4) Lids’ Hinges , Hinge pins, clamps, bolts etc.
5) INSPECTION OF SURFACE: includes
- thorough visual inspection for signs of deterioration due to atmospheric
corrosion, pitting, blistering, deformation and mechanical damage.
- The weld joints and heat affected zones (HAZ) to be checked visually for cracks.
- Hot spots or Local corrosion, which might have developed on the outer surface due
to the failure of internal linings of lined vessels
6) Condition of Safety Fittings and Valves
- Safety valves, Set Pressures, Latest Testing data, SV vent lines, Isolation valves.
- Rupture disc, RD vent lines
- Isolation Valves
- Emergency Shut Off Valves or Remote Operated Valves
- Pressure gauge, Range, Location, Latest Testing data
- Any other device like Temperature, Level, Gauge glass.
Internal Inspection
1) INSPECTION OF SURFACE :
- Thorough visual inspection for signs of deterioration due to
corrosion, pitting, deformation and mechanical damage.
- The weld joints and heat affected zones (HAZ) to be checked
visually for cracks.
- Internal linings of lined vessels, Local corrosion, which might
have developed due to the failure of internal linings .
2) Nozzle necks, obstructions in the Pipelines, Fillet Weld Joints
3) Internal Coils, Trays, Supports, Stirrers, Baffles, clamps, bolts
ladders, dip stick guide / pad plate etc.
Internal inspection is very important for the purpose of knowing
the effect of the process on the metal surface & weld joints & assessing
corrective measures.
ULTRASONIC TESTING
1. Ultrasonic Thickness Gauging.
2. Ultrasonic Tests for Plate Lamination.
3. Ultrasonic Flaw Detection for Surface Cracks.
4. Ultrasonic Flaw Detection of Welds/Crack
monitoring
5. Ultrasonic tests for Sound Attenuation/Absorption/
Diffraction/Scattering/ Beam Spread/ Micro-
structural differences.
6. Ultrasonic Tests for Hardness Check.
NDT Inspections
 Ultrasonic Thickness Measurement Checks for Shell, Dish,
Nozzles to know the loss of metal due to corrosion
 Dye Penetration Test of Welds and Nozzles to know the
presence of any surface cracks.
 Wet Fluorescent MPT or Dry MPT to know presence of any
Surface or Sub Surface Cracks on the welds and HAZ.
 Ultrasonic Crack Detection Tests of the Welds and HAZ.
 Radiographic Inspection, if the Ultrasonic Inspection indicates
presence of any cracks
 Ultrasonic tests for Sound Attenuation / Absorption/ Diffraction
/ Scattering / Beam Spread / Micro-structural Differences. This is
particularly applicable to vessels that are likely to have undergone
microstructure changes.
NDT Inspections
 Hardness Test is carried out to know about the
two important parameters of the metal
a) Tensile Strength of the material.
Tensile Strength in Psi = 515 x BHN (if BHN is ≤ 175)
= 490 x BHN (if BHN is ≥175)
b) Microstructure of a known material and the heat
treatment it has undergone
 The Test is carried out preferably by Rebound hardness tester
on the Vessels in service. The height of the bounce of an
object dropped on the material is related to elasticity. (Poldi
Hardness tester shall not be used)
Hydraulic Testing
After satisfactory External and Internal inspection, the Vessel is
hydrostatically tested at a pressure calculated by applicable code.
If the vessel is designed as per IS code, the pressure for the Hydraulic Test
shall be 1.3 times the Design Pressure [DP] .
In other cases, we generally carry out the hydro-test as mentioned in the
relevant Design code. Temperature correction factor shall be taken into
consideration for vessels working at elevated temperature.
If no details of test pressure are available the hydro-test may be carried out at
1.5 times the Maximum Working Pressure [MAWP] at which the vessel is going
to be used.
The liquid to be used for pressure test is generally Water, however depending
on the process and other practical problems of cleaning, purging and flushing
etc., other fluids like Oil, Thermic fluid, Turpentine, Kerosene etc. can be used.
Each of these fluids has certain risks and necessary precautions have to be
taken.
For better sensitivity for detection/ sweating fluorescent powder may be added
to the Hydraulic test water and leakage checked with developer or black light.
.
Hydraulic Testing Precautions
 All sound Engineering Practices shall be used to prevent over
pressurisation – Calibrated pressure gauges positioned at
correct locations, use of proper hand pump or electrical pump.
 Removal of entrapped air pockets, which leads to accumulation
of energy.
 Use of correct flanges, gaskets, blind flanges, fasteners, nuts,
bolts, studs etc
 If temporary weld caps are used , sufficient weld thickness to
be provided.
 Uneven foundation, uneven loading can lead to un even
settlement can cause stresses, cracks or settlement of
foundation. And more …………
COLLAPSE OF SPHERE
2000 cubic meters LPG sphere - The accident happened
during hydrotest. It can be noticed by the picture severe
corrosion on the legs under the concrete fire protection.
Fracture of Temporary Weld Cap
during Hydro-test
Thank You