Engineering Evaluations

The engineering staff of Global X-Ray & Testing Corporation has the expertise to evaluate conditions of customers process equipment and piping and to make recommendations based on survey data. We also have experience in evaluating customer processes for Risk Based Analysis. Our operations manager is an expert in evaluating piping and welds based on radiographic films. The Advanced Pressure Vessel Program and PVCalc Program are used as tools in Fitness for Service evaluation and re-rating of pressure vessels. The UltraPIPE Program and a sophisticated Excel Spreadsheet Program developed by Global X-Ray & Testing Corporation are used as tools to evaluate erosion/corrosion rates and maximum allowable operating pressures in pressure vessels and piping.

Recommendations: When there are action items or caution items as a result of a Global X-Ray & Testing Corporation erosion/corrosion survey, we make experience guided recommendations for corrective action.

Fitness For Service: Using a program such as Advanced Pressure Vessel on vessels having current thickness measurements on the shell, heads, nozzles, and reinforcement pads, Global X-Ray & Testing Corporation can determine the calculated MAOP and the corrosion allowance. The vessel is considered to be fit for service if the resulting MAOP is equal to or greater than the design pressure;. if not, the vessel can be re-rated to the calculated value. A full report showing the calculations used is given to the customer to support making a new nameplate for the vessel.

UltraPIPE: The UltraPIPE software is a database program based on Microsoft Access which was developed by S.O.S. Engineering as a corrosion monitoring and control system for above ground piping and pressure vessels. All data from the earlier Pipe+ software program can easily be translated to UltraPIPE without loss of data. The UltraPIPE Program interfaces with CAD drawing programs and data loggers.

Pipe+: The Pipe+ software is a database program which was developed by S.O.S. Engineering as a corrosion monitoring and control system for above ground piping. Global X-Ray & Testing Corporation is one of the earliest companies to use this program for third party inspection services. The program is no longer used because it is not year 2000 compliant. It has been replaced by the UltraPIPE Program. All of the Pipe+ data is easily rolled over into the UltraPIPE Program so there is no loss of data integrity.

APV: The Advanced Pressure Vessel software program was developed by Computer Engineering, Inc. to assist designing pressure vessels in accordance with the current ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII Division 1. A working knowledge of the code is required for using the program. Global X-Ray & Testing Corporation uses the program to determine the MAOP and corrosion allowance of in service pressure vessels.

Excel: Global X-Ray & Testing Corporation has developed an in-house program using Microsoft’s Excel Spreadsheet to quickly determine maximum calculated and allowable working pressures for ambient temperature pressure vessels and piping. This program has been extensively tested for accuracy and is used as a tool to provide fast response to our customers needs. It is not available for sale or loan outside of Global X-Ray & Testing Corporation.

PVCalc: The PVCalc software is a program that was initially developed by Conoco to allow pressure vessels to be evaluated to the ASME codes that were in effect the year they were built. Use of the PVCalc program requires a working knowledge of the ASME Section VIII Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code. Global X-Ray & Testing Corporation has been trained in using the PVCalc program and we have years of experience in applying the program to our customers pressure vessels. The PVCalc Program now interfaces with the UltraPIPE Program.

MAOP: The MAOP (maximum allowable operating pressure) for a pressure vessel or piping circuit is the lesser of the documented design pressure or the calculated allowable operating pressure. The MAOP is never allowed to exceed the design pressure. The MAOP may have been down rated from the original design pressure of a pressure vessel or piping circuit.