UOP Materials Engineering Services
INSPECTION, METALLURGY AND DESIGN SOLUTIONS
TO MAXIMIZE OPERATING EFFICIENCY
Reduce system failures with asset
management consulting from UOP
UOP asset management consulting identifies key service
and equipment solutions for optimal refinery operations
As a global leader in the refining
and petrochemical industries, UOP
UOP materials engineering services can
be tailored specifically to your needs, in
three broad areas:
provides superior services and
Fitness for Service
Fitness-for-Service (FFS) is a highly specialized
quantitative engineering evaluation to
determine the suitability for continued service
solutions that help customers
• Inspection
successfully manage their assets
• Metallurgy
flaws or damage. Examples include cracks
in a constantly changing environment.
• Mechanical and Process Design
or geometric imperfections from the initial
or remaining life of equipment that contains
fabrication process and accumulated
Through our efforts to continuously
We focus on increasing on-stream time,
provide the latest industry technology and
identifying and avoiding failures in
expertise, we have identified several key
equipment operation, and saving valuable
service areas that help you maintain your
time and money in repair and start-up costs.
operations under cyclic loads or at sustained
elevated temperatures. The evaluation
combines information from design and
fabrication, operation history, solid mechanics,
assets. One of these key service areas
is materials engineering.
fatigue, or creep damage resulting from
Our services extend beyond the current
operational equipment. We can provide
input into the correct process and
testing, and metallurgy to make a
comprehensive assessment on the service
condition of your equipment.
mechanical design, purchase, installation,
operation, and maintenance of refinery and
petrochemical equipment. Our expertise
and capabilities enable us to assess an
entire system and provide true integrated
solutions, not quick fixes.
UOP is a member of the Materials Properties
Council (MPC) and the American Petroleum
Institute (API). We use state-of-the-art
computer modeling and analysis tools to
provide level 1, 2, or 3 FFS assessments
following API 579-1/ASME FFS-1. This
valuable service can help avoid unnecessary
repairs, equipment replacement and downtime, thus increasing operating flexibility,
profitability and competitiveness while
rates and flow regimes for REAC inlet
and materials engineer with information
maintaining safety. It may also help in
piping, outlet piping and air cooler tubes.
about the long-term corrosion of 92
rerating equipment, securing government
It also provides corrosion rates on 14
commercial alloys exposed to a variety of
certification, negotiation with insurance
commercial alloys over a wide range of
corrosive gases at high temperatures.
companies or accident investigation.
NH4HS concentration, H2S partial pressure,
The ASSET software can predict corrosion
temperature, hydrocarbon content and
mechanism and corrosion rates, and
tubing/piping configurations.
rank materials based on corrosion,
Corrosion Prediction
providing guidance on equipment life
Corrosion calculations can offer you a
and materials selection.
more accurate prediction of performance
With refineries starting to process more
and risk to avoid unnecessary metallurgy
heavy crudes, naphthenic acid corrosion
upgrades and also provide significant
in crude and vacuum units has become a
Failure Analysis
economic benefits. UOP has a license
concern. Naphthenic acid corrosion can
Most failures in a refinery or petrochemical
for the Predict -SW*, Predict -Crude
now be more accurately predicted using
plant are not solely metallurgical, but
and Alloy Selection System for Elevated
the Predict-Crude software. Data is
may involve process stream chemistry,
Temperatures (ASSET )** corrosion
combined with flow modeling calculations
operating conditions, mechanical design
prediction software.
on eight plant tubing/piping configurations
or other factors.
TM
TM
TM
to predict corrosion rates of eight
The reactor effluent air coolers (REAC) in
commercial alloys over a range of Total
UOP draws on in-house expertise in
hydrocracking units can be susceptible to
Acid Number (TAN)/Naphtenic Acid
metallurgy, inspection and mechanical and
corrosion, therefore, the reliability of the
Number (NAT), active sulfur levels,
process design to identify the root cause
REAC directly impacts your profitability.
naphthenic acid type and temperature.
of a component failure and provide an
integrated solution to avoid future failures
Corrosion rates in the REAC can be studied
using the Predict-SW software, which
High temperature gas phase corrosion is
and save money over time. Our field and
shows any actions necessary to optimize
a common problem in equipment such as
laboratory services are at the forefront
the safety and reliability of your equipment.
fired heaters and FCC unit regenerators.
of the industry and support each phase of
Predict-SW software calculates corrosion
The ASSET software provides the corrosion
the analysis.
*Trademark of Honeywell Process Solutions
**Trademark of Shell
Optical Microscopy
Level 3 creep and fatigue damage analysis.
Scanning Electron
Microscopy
Energy Dispersive
X-ray Microanalysis
Metallurgical analysis of failed tubing. Multiple characterization techniques
were employed to identify the failure mechanism as high temperature
sulfidation corrosion.
Consulting Services
Material Characterization
The success of our materials evaluation
UOP’s ability to provide material
goes beyond the actual implementation
characterization service is due, in part, to
of technology. It requires a working
the superior tools and techniques we have
knowledge of the process and technical
developed, which play a key role in our
skills needed to efficiently operate and
ability to ensure total performance reliability
maintain a refinery or petrochemical plant.
and meet your changing needs. Techniques
Our staff of highly qualified engineers and
used in our material characterization
metallurgists provides on-site consulting
process include:
services, including degradation mechanisms,
materials substitution and specifications,
welding and fabrication, and repairs.
• Metallography
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
Our consultants also offer expertise in
• Mass spectroscopy (MS)
inspection and code related issues.
• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)
As part of our consulting service package,
we offer training in general metallurgy,
corrosion prevention, failure mechanisms,
inspection codes, welding techniques, and
general inspections. Customized training
• X-ray diffraction (XRD)
These state-of-the-art tools enable us
• Gas chromatography (GC)
to conduct fractography and surface
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)
morphology studies, corrosion scale
• Scanning transmission electron
microscopy (STEM)
identification, and organic analysis.
We offer our customers several other ways
can be developed to serve your specific
• Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)
needs and training can take place in our
• Field positive material identification (PMI)
refinery or petrochemical plant, including
facilities or at your plant.
• Raman spectroscopy
alloy identification, strength, hardness and
to ensure the successful operation of their
toughness analysis.
Replica of Incoloy 800 piping, showing
intergranular stress corrosion cracking.
Find out more
If you are interested in learning more about
UOP materials engineering, please contact
your UOP representative or visit us online
at www.UOP.com.
UOP LLC, A Honeywell Company
25 East Algonquin Road
Des Plaines, IL 60017-5017, U.S.A.
Tel: +1-847-391-2000
www.uop.com
UOP5514
March, 2011
Printed in U.S.A.
© 2011 UOP LLC. All rights reserved.