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Metallurgical Lab – Industries

SPECIALIZED ANALYSIS

SPECIALIZED ANALYSIS

Structural Integrity has been providing services to the power generation industry since our founding in 1983. Our Materials Laboratory provides metallurgical services to hundreds of power industry clients, and often works in support of SI’s various engineering groups. At SIA, we have the ability to combine engineering principles across multiple disciplines (metallurgical, mechanical, chemical, etc.) to ensure clients receive the most accurate and comprehensive results and recommendations in the industry. We work with power industry OEMs and owners/operators and have performed thousands of metallurgical analyses of component failures from power plants throughout the world. SIA is well known for helping clients assess damage mechanisms, determine failure root causes, and provide successful, cost-effective asset management solutions. Typical components include:

  • Boiler Tubes
  • Turbine Components
  • Piping
  • Valve Components
  • Rotating Equipment Parts
  • Welds
  • Bolts/Fasteners
  • Structural Components
  • Metallic Hoses
  • Headers/Vessels
  • Gears/Bearings
  • Shafts and Pins
Petrochem/Process Plants

Petrochem/Process Plants

The chemical processing industry covers a broad range of manufacturers and processes, and numerous chemical substances and products. SIA’s scientists, engineers, and technicians have many years of experience evaluating components from petrochem and process facilities, from rotating equipment to furnace tubing to exotic alloy parts in specialty processes. In addition, SIA’s background in power often comes into play in support of electrical and steam generating systems within these facilities. Our knowledge also encompasses common equipment and components, such as fans, pumps, fasteners, shafts, structural sections, welds, and many other plant components.

Oil & Gas

Oil & Gas

SIA’s Materials Laboratory supports the oil and gas transmission pipeline industry by performing a variety of metallurgical testing and analyses on damaged pipe and equipment. Our knowledge of pipeline manufacturing history, longitudinal seam and butt weld issues, and common corrosion mechanisms allows us to effectively support clients in the oil and gas transmission industry. In many cases, our metallurgists coordinate directly with engineers from our Oil & Gas Pipelines division to provide metallurgical testing and field support related to material verification and assessment.

General Industry

General Industry

The failure analysis process is essentially a standard methodology for assessing damage mechanisms and causative factors. SIA’s Materials Laboratory staff applies this process within a variety of general industrial environments related to manufacturing facilities and products, construction sites and equipment, and commercial property assets. Our materials expertise is often applied to failures involving equipment and components that are common to multiple industries, including fans, pumps, piping and tubing, fasteners, shafts, structural sections, welds, etc. Industries supported include:

  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Architectural and Engineering
  • Consumer Products
  • Food
  • Medical/Biomedical
  • Mining
  • Metal/Material Processing
  • Government
Insurance

Insurance

SIA’s independent scientists and engineers can provide technical support to claims adjusters evaluating complex losses. Our experience can be leveraged to understand the cause and extent of damage to industrial components or facilities. Our staff of metallurgical experts understands the importance of assessing damage and failures in the framework of multi-party investigations, and, when necessary, our technicians can provide independent laboratory testing services under the direction of non-SI metallurgists and consultants.

Legal Support

As an independent laboratory with extensive expertise in component evaluation, failure analysis, and materials engineering, SIA offers litigation support services that range from providing technician and laboratory support to preparing and managing unique and complex test protocols with multiple parties present. SIA also has engineers and scientists with expert witness experience, including giving deposition and trial testimony. Many of these individuals are licensed engineers and/or have advanced degrees.

CASE STUDIES

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Managing-High-Energy-Piping

Managing High Energy Piping: The Fundamental Approach, Integrating NDE and Engineering (Part-1)

By: Eric Jones and Matt Dowling High Energy Piping (HEP) programs help ensure safe and reliable operation of piping operating at elevated temperature and pressure at power and process facilities by identifying and inspecting critical locations and evaluating fitness for service. Seamless integration between Nondestructive Examinations (NDE) and engineering helps optimize inspection targets, minimize surprises, and accelerate serviceability evaluations. This maximizes value for owners/operators, enabling confident asset management and avoiding unnecessary downtime. High Energy Piping (HEP) programs, also known as

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SIIQ Online Monitoring – Solutions to Transform Your Operations

SIIQ Online Monitoring – Solutions to Transform Your Operations SIIQ™ is part of the next-generation approach for managing assets through online monitoring and diagnostic (M&D) systems. Advancements in sensor technology, signal transmission (both wired and wireless), data storage, and computing power enable the increasingly cost-efficient collection and analysis of ‘Big Data.’  Our SIIQ™ program is a turnkey online monitoring solution that can help transform your operations with access to real-time data, condition assessments, and operating trends. The consultants at SI

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Cathodic Protection for SLR: Lessons Learned from System Implementation

By: Curtis Strauss and Isaac Hall SI was engaged to design, install, and commission a site-wide impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system for the Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station (PTN) to meet the site’s ongoing subsequent license renewal (SLR) commitments. Prior to its SLR application, PTN did not have a cathodic protection (CP) system for buried piping; designing and installing an all-new ICCP system at this legacy facility posed unique challenges and required more support than a typical refurbishment project.

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