Abstract
Assessing the mechanical integrity of refinery piping circuits can be challenging. Reasons include lack of internal inspection capability, presence of localized vs. uniform corrosion mechanisms, variable corrosion rates over time, potential for multiple damage mechanisms to be present, variable age and quality of thickness data, as well as the large volume of pipe to be inspected and the associated cost and logistics of carrying out extensive inspections. This paper will present examples of how statistical evaluation has been used successfully to enhance assessments of the mechanical integrity of piping circuits in refinery process units. Applications examples include circuits in hydroprocessing units, atmospheric and vacuum crude distillation units, coker units, and will also explore how statistical concepts can help frame inspection scope to managing the challenge presented by low silicon carbon steel.