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Pressure equipment: one day to understand the changes
The French Association of pressure equipment engineers (Afiap) organised a technical day to present the latest changes and trends in the materials for fixed and transportable equipment. Read our presentation of this day below.
On 14 October 2014, the French Association of pressure equipment engineers (Afiap), founded by Institut de Soudure (IS), the French union of boiler work, pipework and industrial maintenance (SNCT) and Cetim, organised a day in FIM in order to present the latest changes and trends in the materials used in fixed and transportable equipment.
Two main themes stand out from the various contributions made during this day. First of all, the pressure equipment field has undergone significant changes in a few years: the crisis has continued, the nuclear sector has slowed down its development, shale gas has come to light. As a consequence, petrochemical developments are appearing almost everywhere throughout the world, new suppliers have emerged and prices are falling. Now the question related to the real cost of “Low-Cost” needs to be asked!
Losses of technical knowledge are also starting to show up among some prime contractors. As a result, the technical specifications are becoming less explicit, or even erroneous. This phenomenon also adds to sometimes “borderline” tenders submitted by suppliers which do not completely master the technical field. In Europe, a gap is starting to appear between the material standards and the construction rules such as the Codap. In order to face these changes, the European standardisation needs to be more reactive and to adapt itself to the changing practices and cultures.
The rise of composite materials
Composite materials were the second main theme of this day. They are increasingly used in pressure equipment since they are light and withstand chemical attacks. But this use has significant consequences on the practices to be applied, in terms of specifications and inspection. Some non-destructive testing techniques, in particular acoustic emission, are well‑suited to composite structures. Research is performed everywhere in order to optimise the testing procedures, improve the identification and classification of defects, specify the acceptance or rejection criteria, etc.
Moreover, national and international standards have already been updated many times to reflect these changes. However, in order to ensure the best inspection reliability, especially in the case of complex composites such as laminated multi-ply, the use of additional techniques (guided waves, ultrasonic imaging, etc.) is now becoming necessary.
Mention should also be made of a new appendix (composites) to the Afiap guideline, concerning the acoustic emission testing of pressure equipment.
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