Session: OAC-06-02 Continued Safe Operation of Existing Assets - 2

Paper Number: 101682

101682 - Development of Wes 2820 Fitness-for-Service Procedure for Pressure Equipment – Metal Loss Assessment 

In the chemical, petrochemical, and petroleum industries, there is considerable interest in Fitness-for-Service（FFS）as a procedure to rationally evaluate the structural integrity of in-service components affected by metal loss. FFS facilitates decision-making regarding continued operation or the necessity for repair of the damaged pressure equipment. In Japan, to promote the application of FFS in industry, the Japan Welding Engineering Society（JWES）published WES 2820:2015 as an FFS assessment procedure specifically applicable to metal loss. In this paper, the outline and concepts of WES 2820 are described. The metal loss assessment presented in WES 2820 adopts the technical bases of API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 4（general metal loss assessment）and Part 5（local metal loss assessment), which have gained worldwide acceptance. In WES 2820, the two different methods for general and local metal loss assessment are implemented as a single assessment procedure. The assessment procedure is simplified and focuses on the convenience of on-site application. Moreover, WES 2820 has a high affinity with the WES 7700 series of welding repair codes, also published by JWES. Therefore, the necessity for welding repair based on the WES 7700 procedure can be confirmed by the application of WES 2820. In addition, WES 2820 provides example problems for confirming the user’s understanding and improving the convenient application of the method. Revisions to WES 2820 consider the latest techniques and present additional examples to further improve rational assessment and convenience for the user. Additionally, this paper introduces an actual case study of the application of WES 2820.

Presenting Author: Junya Takahashi Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.

Presenting Author Biography: Junya Takahashi studied fracture mechanics and welding engineering at Osaka University and received a master's degree in engineering.
Since joining Sumitomo Chemical Japan in 2017, he has been working as a plant engineer to support the solution of problems of plant materials such as damage due to welding or mechanical loads, in addition, working as a researcher to develop material related technologies using numerical analysis and FFS techniques.
And since 2020, he has been working on the optimization and popularization of the Japanese FFS standard as a member of the WES 2820 Revision Sub-committee of the Chemical Plant Welding Research Committee in the Japan Welding Engineering Society.

Authors:

Junya Takahashi Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd.
Atsushi Yamaguchi National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan