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Piping corrosion monitoring system calculating risk-level safety factor producing an inspection schedule

  • US 4,998,208 A
  • Filed: 11/14/1988
  • Issued: 03/05/1991
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/16/1987
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A corrosion monitoring method for monitoring the condition of the walls of corrodible piping and associated vessels in a process plant, comprising the steps of:

  • dividing the piping and associated vessels of the plant into a plurality of circuits, wherein the elements of each of the circuits are expected to be exposed to a common corrosion environment;

    establishing at least one inspection point within each circuit;

    assembling corrosion data, said corrosion data comprising actual measurements of the wall thicknesses of the piping and associated vessels at each of the inspection points, said measurements being associated with corresponding times of measurement for each inspection point thus established;

    determining for each inspection point the highest of several possible corrosion rates which can be expected to occur;

    establishing a risk-level safety factor for each circuit, said risk-level safety factor being calculated from a plurality of factors comprising;

    a design pressure for the circuit,a design temperature for the circuit,the degree of hazardousness to humans of the material in the piping and associated vessels of the circuit,the potential of said material to spontaneously ignite in the atmosphere, andthe location of the circuit relative to valued property likely to be damaged by a pipe wall failure in said each circuit;

    calculating inspection dates one for each of the inspection points within each of the circuits from the determined corrosion rates taking into account the risk-level safety factor using a programmed digital computer; and

    producing an inspection schedule for said piping and associated vessels from the calculated inspection dates.

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