UTComp founder and CTO Geoff Clarkson provided best practices for assessing fitness for service of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) equipment in a talk at The Chlorine Institute’s industry consortium meeting in San Antonio, Texas Sept. 13, 2022.
The CI meeting is a key forum for the transfer of leading technology, safe handling practices and regulatory information for member companies involved in the safe production, distribution and use of chlorine, sodium and potassium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite and hydrochloric acid.
FRP tanks, pipes and other assets are used to store and transport these important industrial chemicals. FRP is ideal for the task due to its superior corrosion-resistance, high strength-to-weight ratios and durability. FRP enables the equipment to withstand constantly changing environmental loads and variable pressures from repeated filling and emptying.
Reliable inspection of these FRP assets is essential to avoid failures and ensure the safety of both workers and the environment.
Geoff’s talk on Fitness for Service of FRP & Composite Assets covered:
- Composite materials overview (standards and codes, construction, definitions)
- Damage mechanisms
- Fitness for service and assessment
Case studies: non-destructive testing of FRP equipment with chlorine applications
See the following case studies for more information on UltraAnalytix non-destructive testing for FRP equipment in industries ranging from pulp and paper to chemical processing to wastewater treatment:
- Inspection of a hydrogen chloride scrubber tank at a combined heat-power plant for one of Denmark’s largest district heating companies.
- Mechanical integrity and engineering review of a FRP tank used to store spent hydrochloric acid.
- Inspection of FRP panels on a bleach washer at a pulp and paper mill.
- External inspection of seal tanks in the bleach plant at a pulp and paper mill.
- Structural evaluation of an atmospheric storage tank used for ferric chloride at a wastewater treatment facility.
- Comparison of UltraAnalytix NDT and destructive testing on a retired FRP scrubber used to clean vented vapours for a multinational chemical corporation.