Axiom specialise in the FFP assessments of process equipment. As part of this, we regularly conduct levels I, II & III API579 assessments for a range of equipment types and clients in high hazard environments. The four main deterioration mechanisms that often contribute to the ageing of equipment such as pressure vessels and pipework are:
Creep
High temperatures often cause creep, which can limit the service life of equipment. We have extensive experience of evaluating this mechanism and helping clients manage and extend the life of high temperature pressure systems.
Corrosion
This can manifest itself as external corrosion such as Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI), typically in the form of general wastage. Alternatively, internal corrosion may occur due to a break-down of a lining or process up-set. We are greatly experienced in the analysis of these mechanisms to quantify if a pressure system retains sufficient structural integrity to remain safely in service.
Fracture
We have extensive experience of applying fracture mechanics codes such as BS 7910 to the analysis of process equipment.
Fatigue
This is a major deterioration mode and needs careful handing to understand and evaluate the consequences of operating plant under cyclic duties. We are extremely successful in correlating our models against real life situations and pride ourselves on our ability to help make accurate predictions and specify modifications that extend equipment life and improve fatigue performance.
Using expert knowledge of design codes combined with both FFP standards and aided by specialist software, we are able to tackle and assess complex deterioration mechanisms to the very highest standards.