Entries by Structural Integrity

News & Views, Volume 52 | Online Monitoring of HRSG with SIIQ™

A CASE STUDY ON IMPLEMENTATION AT A 3X1 COMBINED CYCLE FACILITY (ARTICLE 1 OF 3)  By:  Kane Riggenbach and Ben Ruchte SI has successfully implemented a real-time, online, damage monitoring system for the Heat Recovery Steam Generators (HRSGs) at a combined cycle plant with a 3×1 configuration (3 HRSGs providing steam to a single steam […]

News & Views, Volume 52 | An SIIQ™ Primer

POWER PLANT ASSET MANAGEMENT SI’s technology differs from most systems by focusing on MODELING OF DAMAGE MECHANISMS (e.g. damage initiation and subsequent rate of accumulation) affecting components that, if a failure were to occur, would impact safety and reliability. SIIQ™ is part of the next-generation approach for managing assets through online monitoring and diagnostic (M&D) […]

Structural Integrity Associates and C2C Technical Services Announce the Formation of SI Solutions in Partnership with Jumana Capital

CHARLOTTE, NC – Structural Integrity Associates (“SI”) www.structint.com, a leading specialty engineering consultant in the power and utility industry, and C2C Technical Services (“C2C”) www.c2ctechnicalservices.com, a leading electrical engineering and electrical field service company, are pleased to announce the formation of SI Solutions, LLC (“SI Solutions”) in partnership with Jumana Capital (“Jumana”) www.jumanacapital.com, a Houston, […]

News & Views, Volume 51 | Optical Microscopy Applications and Benefits

By:  Clark McDonald In the world of metallurgical failure analysis, areas of interest on broken parts can be colorful or drab, three-dimensional or flat, and most importantly, very big or very small.  A big part of failure analysis work is telling the story, explaining the failure mode, or in some cases, showing that critical piece […]

News & Views, Volume 51 | Drone Inspections

SI EXPANDED CAPABILITIES By:  Jason Van Velsor and Robert Chambers Structural Integrity (SI) has recently added drones to our toolbox of inspection equipment. Using drones, inspectors are able to complete visual inspections safely and more efficiently. Applications of drones for visual inspections include plant and piping walkdowns, structural inspections and atmospheric corrosion monitoring (ACM) of […]

News & Views, Volume 51 | Materials Lab Featured Damage Mechanism

PITTING CORROSION IN CONVENTIONAL FOSSIL BOILERS AND COMBINED CYCLE/HRSGS By:  Wendy Weiss Pitting is a localized corrosion phenomenon in which a relatively small loss of metal can result in the catastrophic failure of a tube. Pitting can also be the precursor to other damage mechanisms, including corrosion fatigue and stress corrosion cracking. Pits often are […]

News & Views, Volume 51 | Acoustic Emission Testing

STREAMLINING REQUALIFICATION OF HEAVY LIFT EQUIPMENT By:  Mike Battaglia and Jason Van Velsor BACKGROUND Proper control of heavy loads is critical in any industrial application as faulty equipment or practices can have severe consequences.  The lifting technique, equipment, and operator qualifications must all meet or exceed applicable standards to ensure industrial safety.  The significance of […]

News & Views, Volume 51 | Turbine Unit Trip and Event

Recovery Best Practices By:  Dan Tragresser When a unit trips or experiences an event, the site will incur costs associated with the loss in production and regulatory penalties. Based on the severity, the outage scope may include hardware replacement and, if applicable, the purchase of make-up power. These costs can quickly drive the decision to […]

Attemperator Monitoring with Wireless Sensors

Risk and Cost Reduction in Real Time Jason Van Velsor, Matt Freeman, Ben Ruchte Installed sensors and continuous online monitoring are revolutionizing how power plants manage assets and risk by facilitating the transformation to condition-based maintenance routines. With access to near real-time data, condition assessments, and operating trends, operators have the opportunity to safely and […]