Leveraging NDT’s True Value:
10 Game-Changing Benefits
Just like the queen in chess, data wields immense power and versatility, capable of moving in any direction to influence strategies and decisions across the board. This article delves into the true value of NDT, beyond merely meeting compliance requirements, and demonstrates 10 ways to purposefully leverage your results and get the most for your money.
We all recognize that performing non-destructive testing (NDT) on covered process piping systems is crucial for complying with OSHA and EPA regulations.
Conducting and documenting non-destructive testing (NDT) on your system’s piping and vessels at regular intervals to meet guidelines serves two key purposes. First, it ensures compliance by providing verifiable records of testing. Second, it protects you from potential fines by demonstrating that you have exercised due diligence.
However, hiring an NDT contractor solely to “check the box” for your safety program can make non-destructive testing feel like a tedious or unnecessary expense. Too often, results are filed away and never revisited once the initial compliance requirement is met. This approach not only leads to incomplete compliance but also forfeits the real advantage of NDT – because the true value of NDT lies in the data.
Non-Destructive Testing for Piping and Vessels
Non-destructive testing (NDT) is the use of technology to examine an object or material’s structure, imperfections, composition or properties without destroying or compromising the object or material’s future use.
Employing NDT techniques to assess the quality of material allows its user to determine the stability, infrastructure, and more of a subject without jeopardizing the integrity of assets in-operation, and in some cases can ‘no-touch test’ materials in their operating state.
NDT methods vary in their ability to address the specific needs of different types of systems, and the scope of a project will also affect the amount of information available. Once you have selected the most suitable method and capacity to test your piping and/or vessels, the resulting data collection and analysis provide valuable insights—enabling you to verify, understand, and quantify the condition of your system components, so you can make fast, informed decisions with confidence.
Put the Data to Work for You
Testing results offer numerous ways to enhance and stabilize mechanical integrity, perfect planning, and control costs. Here are the top ten benefits of NDT data our customers have leveraged to make significant improvements in their operations.
1. Confirm areas fit for service
Having definitive information that demonstrates the excellent condition of the piping and vessels in your system equips you to confidently defend an audit. The more detailed the information, the stronger your position. Additionally, it provides you with peace of mind and validation of a job well done.
2. Quantify suspect areas
Areas on piping, such as rust on the jacketing, corrosion on bare pipe, and moisture dripping from vessel insulation, will be flagged for further investigation during daily walk-downs and third-party inspections. Instead of removing the jacketing and insulation for a closer look or replacing pipe based on assumptions, the data provided by NDT (non-destructive testing) will give you precise information for planning.
Quantify suspect areas
Example
A cold storage facility in Texas stripped the wet insulation off a section of a hot gas defrost header line. The pipe (as seen in Figure A) was visually corroded to the point that the site planned for replacement. However, testing revealed the pipe wall measured at a 4% loss, well within acceptable limits to keep in service after a good clean and coat before re-insulating.
This approach allowed the facility to avoid the costs associated with system shutdown and replacement, enabling them to redirect their budget to higher-priority areas. Had testing been performed prior to insulation removal, this piping could have been scheduled for maintenance at a future date.
Figure A
3. Find hidden issues
Early detection and failure prevention are a preeminent priority for covered processes. Visual indications of a problem, such as biological growth on the jacketing or excessive ice build-up, do not always occur and will undermine even the best MI programs if overlooked.
Often, corrosion can thrive without any visible indications, hidden by the jacketing and insulation that facilitate its growth. Thorough testing methods are essential to identify risks in areas where there are no visible signs of trouble.
Find hidden issues
Example
An operator at a cold storage facility in Virginia detected an ammonia odor emanating from the middle of a nested header rack of pipes. Despite the pipe jacketing in the area appearing to be in excellent condition with no visible signs of trouble, the operator decided to investigate further. After carefully removing the insulation, it was discovered that the hot gas defrost line, the center pipe of the five, was leaking due to a deteriorated, porous wall.
Had NDT been conducted on the line, the organization would have detected the deterioration early, enabling timely intervention. This proactive approach could have prevented the leak, saving significant time, cost, and stress associated with locating, resolving, and reporting the urgent issue.
4. Avoid or postpone unnecessary replacement or maintenance
The lack of definitive information about the state of your system requires you to make assumptions regarding maintenance, repair, and prioritization. For instance, it is common practice to replace older piping in a system that has been left unattended for some time. Additionally, pitting and metal displacement, common manifestations of corrosion, can create the impression that a pipe has lost enough metal to warrant replacement. However, these blanket assessments can lead to the misallocation of funds.
NDT data can help avoid unnecessary costs by providing clarity on where maintenance funds should and shouldn’t be allocated. Further, this intelligence enables you to strategically plan intervention and monitoring over time.
Avoid or postpone unnecessary replacement or maintenance
Example
A plant under the umbrella of a national food distributor was audited by OSHA and directed to resolve overdue PSM compliance. The site, built in the 1960’s, had undergone additions and had equipment installed over time. Their mediation approach was to first address 25% of the system over 5 phases. The plan was to remove the insulation, visually inspecting the underlying pipe, and to repair/replace as necessary. The project was estimated and approved at $10M.
Phase 1 addressed the 36 blast cells and their associated piping and valves at the facility. The strategy was to prioritize based on age, assuming the 12 oldest blast cells presented the largest threat, they removed insulation and piping was prefabricated for these cells. While work began to replace piping and equipment, they decided to employ NDT to assess the piping.
The testing results made it clear to the team that estimating for funding based on age was wrong. Work that was performed during phase 1 on 9 of the original 12 blast cells did not need to be done – they overspent by $675,000. Overall, the decision to pivot and apply NDT to the remainder of the 4 phases in the project cut the originally planned expenses by 50%.
5. Zero in on critical issues
NDT represents a highly effective allocation of maintenance resources. By providing quantitative data on the remaining wall thickness of piping and vessels, testing enables precise identification (and therefore, mitigation) of the most significant threats within a system. While reporting and information delivery can vary across different methods and service providers, the most proficient providers will filter areas showing signs of degradation and prioritize locations in need of immediate attention.
6. Verify the full span of damage
Moisture can travel along pipes under insulation, often causing corrosion at points some distance from where condensation initially entered the jacketing. Versatile NDT methods can precisely identify where moisture and degradation begin and end, and the degree of decline at intervals from point to point. This leads to more focused project planning and ensures effective resolutions.
7. Resolve latent piping that does not meet installation code
If piping in the system fails and it was not up to code based on the Standard, you are facing another level of non-compliance. Non-destructive testing can confirm if the piping in your system, most notably those that are concealed, are to code.
Resolve latent piping that does not meet installation code
Example
A food processing plant in Chicago experienced an equipment failure in their relatively new 7-year-old system. To prevent future issues, they decided to perform NDT on the piping throughout the system. Although the P&IDs were well documented and included pipe size and schedule, the results revealed a compelling discovery. The prints were misleading—10% of the installed piping did not meet code requirements. Segments of 2” schedule 10 and under 2” schedule 40 piping were erroneously installed throughout the system.
The system manager replaced the piping to meet code and updated the P&IDs to reflect accurate sizes. This proactive approach helped avoid potential Mechanical Integrity issues that the previously inferior piping could have caused, and also prevented fines for incorrect documentation and unsafe installation.
8. Remedy inaccurate PSI documentation
Failure to document process safety information, including P&IDs as “information pertaining to the equipment of the process,” ranks as the fifth most common violation reported by OSHA. The responsibility for maintaining precise documentation—and the consequences of failing to do so—rests with the system owner, not the contractor or engineer who drafted the P&IDs. While auditors may show varying degrees of leniency for related citations, most violations are documented and fined.
Certain NDT methods can detect discrepancies between the actual piping in your system and what is documented in your P&IDs. This data provides the specifications of the installed piping and alerts you to any necessary corrections.
Remedy inaccurate PSI documentation
Example
A meat processing facility that relocated from Madison, Wisconsin, to Chicago a couple of years ago was fined for inaccurate P&IDs following an OSHA audit. The auditor imposed a $21,000 fine for errors found across three of their P&ID pages, equating to $7,000 per page. The auditor explained to the Plant Manager that instead of imposing the mandated $7,000 per mistake (the three pages contained a total of 16 discrepancies), he fined them per page.
9. Uncover operational deficiencies
Non-destructive testing (NDT) can also highlight operational deficiencies within the system, such as blockages in piping, lines with liquid levels outside acceptable limits, and wet insulation. Although these issues may not directly impact Mechanical Integrity, addressing them can enhance production efficiencies and result in significant cost savings.
10. Justify budgeting
The specific, definitive information provided by NDT supports the justification of maintenance budgets. It empowers decision-making and facilitates approval by clearly explaining why, how, and when projects need to occur, bridging the gap from “might need work” to actionable insights. Unlike an inspection checklist that merely identifies areas requiring further investigation, an NDT report pinpoints the exact locations of wet insulation and corrosion, quantifies pipe wall loss, identifies non-compliant pipes that need replacement, and highlights areas where maintenance can be postponed with monitoring.
The Value of Data
In conclusion, effective data gathering and analysis enable decision-makers to verify, understand, and quantify complex issues, leading to rational and insightful solutions. This ensures that decisions are grounded in facts rather than assumptions or individual perspectives, resulting in more accurate and reliable outcomes.
Today’s most successful organizations leverage data when making high-impact business decisions. A recent survey of over 1,000 senior executives revealed that data-driven organizations are three times more likely to report significant improvements in decision-making compared to firms that leverage data less.
Combining your finely honed instincts—based on expertise, experience, and good judgment—with data guarantees a strategic approach to maximizing the value of non-destructive testing NDT.
