Fitness-for-service (FFS) and engineering critical assessment (ECA) of piping, pipelines and process equipment
FFS/ECA/FEA course based on the latest DNV code revisions and software development
About this course
Codes for design and construction of pressure vessels, piping, pipelines, onshore/offshore structures, bridges, and buildings, process plants etc. contain acceptance criteria that are based on workmanship standards that may be somewhat arbitrary. During the construction phase or in service, there may be situations where materials properties or observed defects do not meet the strict code requirements. In such cases a FFS or ECA can be applied.
Such an approach is increasingly accepted by many codes, as it is recognized that the requirements or acceptance criteria inherent in the codes may be unnecessarily conservative. Using this alternative approach, it can be shown that the structure or component can be acceptable if the conditions for failure are not reached within its service life.
Engineering structures and process equipment may be subjected to various damage or degradation mechanisms such as corrosion fatigue, environmental assisted cracking, and creep at higher temperatures etc. Failures can manifest as either brittle or ductile fractures once when the critical conditions are exceeded. For FFS or ECA it is therefore imperative to identify the driving degradation mechanisms so that these can be accounted for in the engineering analysis.
The first 3 days of the course (day 1 to day 3) cover the theoretical background for elastic and elastic plastic fracture mechanics and the fracture assessment diagram (FAD) methods, fatigue crack growth, and tearing analysis. The course also provides insight into the practical aspects of elastic - plastic fracture toughness testing (CTOD, J-integral) testing of weldments, as well as the requirements for non-destructive testing for flaw sizing and the development of alternative flaw acceptance criteria for pipeline installation.
Additionally, the course addresses applications involving high strain due to lateral buckling, reeling installation, and high temperatures in clad pipelines as well as effect of fatigue loading caused by vortex induced vibration (VIV) associated with free spans. The course covers inspection methods for FFS and ECA used in integrity and remaining life assessments. It also addresses integrity assessment of corrosion damage detected in pipelines and process equipment based on DNV-RP-F101 Corroded pipelines and API 579/ASME FFFS-1.
The fourth day (day 4) of the course introduces finite element analysis for FFS and ECA. The course primarily focuses on the practical applications of fracture mechanics analysis using advanced finite element methods and Level 3/Option 3 assessments for pipelines and pressure vessels. In the final part of the course, a live demonstration of fracture toughness and FCGR testing will be conducted in the DNV laboratory, followed by a guided tour.
Learning objectives
You will gain confidence in performing Option 1 and 2 analyses according to BS 7910: 2019 and will also be introduced to Option 3, which uses numerical analysis to generate a FAD and ductile tearing assessments. You will also become familiar with strain-based analyses based on DNV-RP-F108: 2019 and alternative methods.
Target group
The course is aimed at welding and inspection, structural, mechanical, construction, design, and maintenance engineers who require more knowledge of the application of fitness-for-service assessment methods for piping, pipelines, and process equipment.
About the trainers
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Dr. Jens P. Tronskar M.Sc., PhD, CEng, IWE, FWeldI, FSWS Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Materials and Testing |
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Dr. Jens P. Tronskar M.Sc., PhD, CEng, IWE, FWeldI, FSWS obtained his M.Sc. degree in Materials’ Physics and Physical Metallurgy from the Technical University of Norway (NTH) in 1980 and was conferred Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Applied Fracture Mechanics by the National University (NUS) of Singapore in 2002. Dr. Tronskar is a certified International Welding Engineer (IWE), and a UK‐Engineering Council Charted Engineer (C.Eng.). He was elected Fellow of Singapore Welding Society (FSWS) in 2015 and Fellow of The Welding Institute in Cambridge, UK in 2018. Presently he is Chief Technology Officer for DNV’s Energy Systems in Singapore. He has more than 44 years of experience of materials technology research, failure investigations and deterministic/probabilistic fracture mechanics analyses/fitness‐for‐service analyses of structural, piping/process components and pipelines for the offshore and onshore oil and gas industry. Dr. Tronskar has been involved in materials evaluation and testing for many North Sea field development projects since the early 80s. Dr. Tronskar has presented papers at international conferences in Europe, North America, South America, Australia, Asia and North Africa. He has published more than 90 journal articles and peer reviewed conference papers on materials technology, welding and deterministic and probabilistic fracture mechanics analyses. |
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Dr. Yang, Zhengmao Principal Engineer Materials Advisory |
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Dr. Yang, Zhengmao, PhD received his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in Structural Engineering from the School of Civil and Environment Engineering (CEE), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in 2005. Prior to his PhD degree, he received a Bachelor (B.E.) Degree in Engineering Mechanics from Tong Ji University in 1991, and a Master (M.E.) degree in Structural Engineering from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in 2002. |
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