Advisian has considerable experience in the design, design verification, re-rating, and fitness-for-service assessment of pressure vessels and boilers to design codes (ASME Section I and Section VIII Div. 1 and 2, PD5500, AS1210, and AS1228); piping codes (ASME B31.3, B31.4, B31.8, and AS4041); and fitness-for-service codes (API 579/ASME FFS-1, AS3788).
Our internationally experienced and practical experts covering the following capabilities:
- Pressure vessel design and design verification capability that includes in-house members of the AS1210 Pressure Vessel Standards committees, and Australian National Engineering Register (NER) and Queensland (RPEQ) registered verifiers, and API510 Certified Pressure Vessel Inspector
- Specialist piping design and pipe-stressing engineers
- Mechanical engineers with specialist skills and experience in finite element analysis (FEA) of mechanical and structural components
- On-site shutdown support, providing expedited support during inspections and conducting immediate fitness-for-service assessments to reduce shutdown windows and ensure rapid equipment closing and restarting
The group has the ability to handle all forms of pressure equipment work from vessel design and the production of fabrication drawings to third-party verification, re-rating, and fitness-for-service assessment and the detailed analysis of failed equipment for likely causes and efficient repairs or re-design.
Design
The core competency is in the detail design of pressure vessels, boilers, gas cylinders, transportable vessels and piping to the following local and international codes:
- AS1200, AS1210, AS1228, AS2971, AS4041
- ASME BPVC Section 1, Section VIII Division 1 and 2, ASME B31.3, 31.4 and 31.8
- PD5500, EN13445, IMDG, ADG, TEMA
In addition to detailed design calculations using the latest industry standard software (such as PVElite, Finglow, NozzlePro) and our own customised and validated software, we can prepare detailed fabrication drawings and specifications and provide guidance on manufacture, inspection testing, and quality control documentation.
Advisian has demonstrated significant advantage in cost and schedule by preparing partial or full detail designs on behalf of the end-user prior to issuing requests for tenders to vessel fabricators. Such methodology has the benefit of:
- Highlighting potential design problems and confirm design data and interfaces between the equipment and other discipline.
- Fabricators bid for fabrication only with very clear scope of supply, thus costs are closer, more accurate, and with a reduced opportunity for claiming future cost variations.
- The end-user can potentially free-issue materials to the fabricator and dramatically reduce schedule.
The design and drafting of piping systems from conceptual layout to fabrication isometrics can be completed with pipe stress analysis using the Caesar II software package.
Design Verification
As part of the registration of high-risk classified plant, all Australian state and territory Occupational Health and Safety Regulatory Authorities require the independent design verification of pressure vessels with AS4343 Hazard Level A, B, C, or D.
Advanced analysis contains several highly experienced pressure vessel design verifiers with certification under the National Engineers Register (NER) and Register of Professional Engineers Queensland (RPEQ) for mechanical engineering and pressure equipment design verification.
Independent design verifications are conducted against the requirements of AS3920 Pressure Equipment – Conformity Assessment and AS4481 Pressure Equipment – Competency of Inspectors. We can be engaged by the fabricator or by the end-user, and can provide guidance on correcting non-compliant designs. In addition, our experts can liaise directly with regulatory authorities and provide assistance with equipment design registration of unusual designs or gaining regulatory exemptions where strict code compliance has not been met.
Fitness for Service
Our Subject Matter Experts can review pressure vessels and piping for compliance with the applicable design codes and conduct a fitness-for-service (FFS) assessment based on NBIC API-570 Inspection and Repair, API-579 /ASME FFS-1 Fitness-for-Service or AS3788 Pressure Equipment In-service Inspection.
We conduct FFS assessments to API-579 levels 1 or 2 by calculation or level 3 by Finite Element Analysis after wear or damage, to determine the severity of the damage, the necessity for repair, and the remaining life. We have assisted in the assessment of the following:
- General material loss due erosion or corrosion
- Local metal loss and critical path analysis
- Crack-like flaws: Crack severity and propagation rate
- Dents, bulges, and blisters
- Required frequency of inspection based on deterioration rate of the vessel
Advisian’s experts have conducted dozens of fitness-for-service assessments for various hydrocarbon, chemical, mineral, power, and infrastructure clients across Australia. We have conducted design reviews and fitness-for-service assessment of pressure equipment on the OKHA and Vincent FPSOs for Woodside, prior to the refurbishment of those vessels.
Advisian have also assisted oil and gas customers with on-site FFS assessments during plant shutdowns. We have provided on-demand FFS assessments to Level 2 or 3, in conjunction with vessel inspectors to assist in the rapid close-out of inspector’s queries and thus the reduction in time off-line.
Risk-Based Inspection and Inspection Strategy Development
In addition to design and assessment work, Advisian can also assist in the preparation of inspection strategies and Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) assessments. Such strategies may allow clients to reduce the scope of their pressure equipment inspections by a combination of risk assessment and targeted non-destructive examination, or to increase the nominal intervals between inspection per AS3788, using Risk-Based Inspection techniques per API RP 580 and RP 581. These assessments can potentially reduce shutdown times, eliminate the need for intrusive inspection and reduce long-term plant inspection costs.
Advisian has the capability to perform detailed design of pressure vessels, boilers, gas cylinders, transportable vessels and piping to the following international and Australian codes:
- ASME BPVC Section 1, Section VIII Division 1 and 2, ASME B31.3, 31.4 and 31.8
- PD5500, EN13445, IMDG, ADG, TEMA
- AS1200, AS1210, AS1228, AS2971, AS4041
The strength of the group lies in its ability to utilise extensive knowledge of local and international design codes, combined with a thorough understanding of the intent and limitations of these codes. Where designs do not fit the basic templates of these standards, the group is able to call on numerous pipe-stress analysis, finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and pressure vessel design software packages to provide an integrated and efficient solution to design, reliability, and fitness-for-service issues. The group can also draw upon an established network of industry contacts to provide additional expert opinions on code interpretation to ensure compliance with the requirements.
The group aims to provide practical solutions to customers’ problems rather than simply an analysis of the problem’s cause. During design and verification, alternative design concepts are often put forward to either reduce fabrication costs or improve design efficiency and fitness-for-purpose.
For more information, contact:
John Davidson – Singapore
David Mair – Sydney
David Naeser – Perth