INSIDE THE INDUSTRY: PROJECT SPOTLIGHT
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Project Spotlight:
Autoclave Inspection Project Overview • • • •
Company: JVA Engineering Client: Confidential Date: February 2015 to current Services Provided: engineering design, fabrication, installation, repair, turn key maintenance, plant shutdowns, specialised welding in all material grades and pressure equipment inservice inspections
Project Background JVA Engineering was initially contacted to inspect a new autoclave, air receiver, air dryer and cooling tower. The majority of the items had been ordered from China directly by the client, with very little information or supporting documentation supplied. Upon inspection, JVA Engineering discovered that neither the autoclave nor the cooling tower complied with Australian standards for registration. In light of this lack of compliance, JVA Engineering requested Quality Assurance (QA) documentation from the accredited Chinese manufacturer. After numerous requests, JVA Engineering eventually received a blanket accreditation certificate and endorsement from the original manufacturer for the autoclave design. Left with few options, JVA Engineering contacted the QA accrediting body, supplied photos of the poor quality workmanship and requested that the Chinese manufacturer’s QA accreditation be revoked and audited.
Faced with the threat of losing QA accreditation, the Chinese manufacturer began corresponding with JVA and supplying the necessary documentation. This documentation claimed that they had magnetic particle examined all welds on the vessel, radiographed all longitudinal butt welds and hydro-tested the vessel. In view of the poor quality workmanship, JVA Engineering soon realised that the remainder of the documentation was inaccurate as the vessel and all welds did not meet any of the design and designated standards or requirements. After reviewing the design drawings and details of the vessel, JVA Engineering had all the nozzles ultrasonic and magnetic particle examined. Test results revealed a complete non-compliance to the design criteria, which called for a set-through, full penetration weld for all nozzles. The ultrasonic examination revealed 100% lack of penetration and compliance to the design standard, together with the magnetic particle examination revealing excessive undercut and lack of fusion. There were many structural locations that (according to the design drawings) required full seal weld, which were not completed. There were also numerous structural components and attachments that did not comply with AS1554. The detailed drawings provided were generally conflicting, with multiple variations between the actual vessel and the design.
JVA Engineering’s Solution The vessel was completely stripped externally. All nozzle flange welds were cut off, all nozzle to shell welds were gouged out, re-prepped to 100% penetration and welded in compliance with the actual design requirements. All the flanges were re-installed and welded out in accordance with the JVA Engineering approved weld procedures, complying to appropriate standards. The vessel and piping installation is now almost complete. The original vessel design code has been reviewed by WorkSafe, but is not recognised as an accepted design and construction code for registration within Australia. The vessel is still required to undergo complete design verification prior to registration, commissioning for integrity and acceptance by WorkSafe. The vessel arrived in Australia in February 2015, and will not be in use, due to heavy fines, until the design is verified, accepted and registered by WorkSafe in February 2016. Unfortunately, the client’s intention to save money by buying cheaper Chinese imports has not gone to plan. The end result is inadequate quality that does not meet required registration standards, production loss, time blowout due to lengthy re-work (estimated at 8 weeks but now 12 months) and a substantial amount of money. There is much to be said about collaborating with highly qualified, local Australian suppliers that understand and deliver on quality requirements.
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AUSTRALIAN WELDING | DECEMBER 2015