Fitness-for-service (FFS) assessment procedures, which can be used to establish the acceptability of flaws in pressure retaining equipment (e.g. pressure vessels, piping, and storage tanks) that exceed conventional new construction workmanship standards, can have a significant beneficial impact on the cost of operating such equipment. The use of FFS assessment procedures involves making an evaluation of a structure containing flaws to ensure that its structural integrity is adequate for its intended design purpose for its remaining design life. A margin of safety is generally applied in the FFS assessment to account for uncertainties and unexpected occurrences. The benefits of FFS analyses are that the existence of flaws more severe than permitted by conventional workmanship standards does not automatically warrant the repair or replacement of the component, and more importantly, there is a consensus method for flaw evaluation to prevent catastrophic failures from occurring in aging plants.
Product Details
Published: 1998 Number of Pages: 173 File Size: 1 file , 15 MB