Chemical Engineering March 2019 - 38

Cover Story
full of surprises, but the NDE guidelines
described here should help engineers to
better tackle the always-changing CUI environment
at their facilities.
■
Edited by Mary Page Bailey
References
1. Delahunt, J.F., Corrosion Under Thermal Insulation and Fireproofing,
an Overview, Paper No. 03022, NACE Corrosion Conference, 2003.
2. Fitzgerald, B.J., Lazar, P., Kay, R.M., Winnik, S., Strategies to Prevent
Corrosion Under Insulation in Petrochemical Industry Piping, Paper
03029, NACE Corrosion Conference, 2003.
3. NACE SP0198, Control of Corrosion Under Thermal Insulation and
Fireproofing Materials - A Systems Approach, 2017.
4. API 571 Section 4.3, Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment
in the Refining Industry, 2nd Ed., April 2011.
5. Nichols, M.O., Townsend, M., Partnering to Zero in on Corrosion Under
Insulation with NDE and In-Touch Software, RMC-18-Paper #RMC18-240,
2018 AFPM Reliability & Maintenance Conference.
6. API Recommended Practice (RP) 583, Corrosion Under Insulation and
Fireproofing, 1st Ed., May 2014.
7. Hecht, A., Bauer, R., On-Line Radiographic Wall Thickness-Measurement
of Insulated Piping in the Chemical and Petrochemical Industry,
ECNDT Conference Paper, May 1998.
Authors
FIGURE 11. Rope access is a
modern method for inspecting
and refurbishing insulation in
difficult-to-access areas
Digital technologies
Today's digital information is a backbone
for CUI projects. Digital information
is available to all key personnel in these
projects - the equipment owner, the inspection
crew and management personnel
- while the projects progress. The findings
and reports provide the most revealing
images of equipment damage that have
been available to date. The prompt communication
allows for technical and costcontrol
discrepancies to be addressed and
managed promptly.
Digitalization and other modern advances
in NDE allow engineers to look into the integrity
of insulated equipment with minimal
insulation removal. Rope access allows us
not only to inspect, but also to refurbish insulated
equipment within affordable times
and budgets. Digital technologies for NDE
and for reporting, such as intrinsically safe
tablets, allow prompt communications that
were not possible a decade ago. Nevertheless,
multiple NDE techniques are still
needed to assess CUI. As well, detailed
planning prior to inspection allows for effective
and efficient CUI inspection projects
Inspecting for CUI is necessary, since
moisture finds its way into insulation via
many mechanisms, leading to sometimes
severe damage, as illustrated in the photos
shown in this article. There is certainly
more than meets the eye when considering
the challenges of CUI. CUI damage is
38
Ana Benz is the chief engineer at IRISNDT
(5311 86th Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
T6E 5T8; Phone: 780-577-4481; Email: ana.
benz@irisndt.com). She has worked for 21
years as a corrosion, failure and inspection
specialist. Her expertise includes inspections
and organizing plant inspection projects using
advanced inspection technologies. Benz has
worked extensively for the chemical process
industries, in petrochemical plants, fertilizer
plants and nickel refineries around the world, as well as oil-and-gas
production sites. She holds a degree in materials engineering from
the University Simon Bolivar in Venezuela and also holds an M.S. in
materials engineering from the University of British Columbia. She
has several Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) NDT certificates,
as well API 510 certifications and Level 3 certification from
the CWB Group. Benz was a member of the NACE Edmonton Executive
chapter for 15 years, and before that, participated in various
capacities for the Edmonton Chapter of the Canadian
Welding Institute.
Fadi Basma is the senior operations director
of IRISNDT (4649 S. Sam Houston Parkway E.,
Houston, TX 77048; Phone: 713-209-2701;
Email: fbasma@irisndt.com). He is known for
advocating the use of innovation and technology
in the NDE industry. He holds a Level 3
certification from the American Society for
Nondestructive Testing. Basma received his
M.B.A. from Lebanese American University in
2006 and his M.S. in electrical and computer
engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 2008.
Mike Townsend is currently operations director
overseeing specialty projects at IRISNDT
(5101 Taravella Road, Marrero, LA 70072;
Phone:
504-328-0070; Email:
michael.
townsend@irisndt.com). Previously, Townsend
inspected F/A-18 aircraft for four years as part
of the United States Marine Corps. After returning
to the civilian sector, he transitioned
into the industrial inspection field starting with
remote-access technologies. He has been in
the inspection field for over 14 years working for chemical plants,
refineries, bridges, towers, stacks, nuclear facilities and more. The
inspections have encompassed basic non-destructive examinations,
structural bridge inspection, API inspection, automated ultrasonic
testing (AUT) and advanced UT inspections, as well as a wide array
of maintenance functions predominantly via rope access. He has
been with IRISNDT for over three years.
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