Highlighting the need for periodic inspection of critical equipment and structures…

Many catastrophic failures of equipment in the industry have highlighted the need for periodic inspection of critical equipment and structures. Acoustic Emission (AE) testing is a nondestructive inspection technique that can be used either as a stand-alone inspection method or to complement other NDE techniques. AE testing takes advantage of high-frequency transient elastic waves emitted by active flaws in materials under stress. Using special sensors and data acquisition instruments, these emissions can be detected and utilized to accurately triangulate the location of each source. 

Bulging is a common damage type in coke drums that can lead to cracks, leaks, and fires. It is also one of the primary causes of premature drum replacement. In the 2013 API survey of coke drum operators, 98% of respondents reported using laser scanning, which has effectively become the starting point of most coke drum mechanical integrity management programs. 

Ameriscan specializes in providing both AE testing and internal coke drum Laser Scanning simultaneously for refineries.

“The interpretation of the data relies heavily on the operator's experience. We have many years of field experience in refineries and chemical plants and have performed many AE tests on equipment around the world.”

– Steven Garcia