Abstract
The majority of inspection programs for process equipment includes conventional inspections or risk-based inspections; that consider equipment history, inspection records and various checklists etc. On the other hand, there are still numerous failures due to un-anticipated and aggravated damage mechanisms even in the presence of established inspection programs. This article highlights two different case studies where the presence of certain neighborhood conditions (even for short span of time) such as dripping water, dirt scales due to wind, and sandstorms triggered certain damage mechanisms (corrosion under insulation, short term overheating). Neighborhood conditions may also aggravate existing damage mechanisms leading to earlier and un-anticipated failure of equipment. Documentation of potential bad actors from neighborhood conditions as a part of inspection programs can minimize the uncertainties about the presence as well as severity of damage mechanisms. Such documentation will in turn aid the investigation and pro-active mitigative actions even before the occurrence of irreversible failure modes. Finally, this article provides an example of potential measures for minimizing the impact of neighborhood conditions on the occurrence and severity of CUI and short-term overheating.
