After a Fire, Safely Placing a $12M Petro-Chemical Vessel Back in Service
$12M
Vessel Value
95%
Property Retention
Back in Service
Outcome
6-Month Prior
Baseline Comparison
The Challenge
A fire accident exposed a petro-chemical pressure vessel to unknown high temperatures for approximately 30 minutes. The vessel was an 8-14 inch thick forging from the 1950s valued at $12 million. The operator needed to verify that tensile properties, ductility, and fracture toughness had not been degraded before returning the vessel to service. Fortunately, ABI® tests had been performed in-situ on the vessel just 6 months prior to the fire.
The Solution
New ABI® tests were conducted after the fire and compared against the pre-fire baseline measurements taken 6 months earlier. The post-fire ABI® values were within 95% of the pre-fire properties, confirming that the vessel's mechanical integrity had not been significantly compromised. The $12 million vessel was safely placed back in service, avoiding costly replacement.
See ABI® Technology in Action
Discover how nondestructive mechanical testing can solve your most challenging material assessment problems — without cutting a single coupon.