Metallurgical Lab – Industries

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:

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

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

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:

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

Nuclear Plant Resin Optimization

By: Wayne Gibson, Erica Libra-Sharkey, Warner Weber, and Al Jarvis In a nuclear power plant, the quality of water used in the primary and secondary processes is critical for safe and efficient operation. Resin selection plays a key role in maintaining water quality by removing ionic impurities and radioactive contaminants from cooling and wastewater systems to support corrosion control and minimize radiation fields while balancing O&M costs. Over time, resins become exhausted and must be replaced or regenerated, leading to

In-Line Inspection (ILI) Webinar Part 2 – Execution & Field Support and Direct Assessment & Validation

Turn-Key and Custom-Tailored ILI Solutions to Match Your Integrity Plan

Materials Laboratory Failure Analysis

Failure can be defined as any change in a component that prevents satisfactory performance of its intended function. Understanding why a component failed is important for several reasons. First, a determination of the failure mode is an essential component of any root cause analysis. Second, understanding a component failure provides essential information for preventing additional or similar failures. Perhaps most importantly, an erroneous or incomplete analysis can be worse than no analysis at all, since this can prompt inappropriate responses