Inventors:
Robert P. Buhrow - Lima OH
Ronald J. Schuster - Strongsville OH
Gary G. Leininger - Solon OH
Assignee:
The Standard Oil Company - Cleveland OH
International Classification:
G06F 1520
Abstract:
A piping corrosion monitoring system is disclosed which is implemented by software run on a personal computer or the equivalent. The system generates inspection dates for individual piping and other elements, such as pressure vessels, in a process plant. The process plant is divided into circuits made up of piping and associated vessels expected to be exposed to a common corrosion environment. Corrosion data for individual inspection points within each circuit is used to estimate likely corrosion rates for other elements of the particular circuit. The estimated corrosion rates are used to calculate inspection dates for elements within the circuits. Also factored into the inspection date are the risk factors such as the toxicity of the substance being carried, the proximity of the circuit to valuable property or to control rooms, laboratories, or the like, and other factors relating to the security assigned to the circuit. The system evaluates a large number of possible corrosion mechanisms for each inspection point and chooses that which leads to the highest anticipated corrosion rate in calculation of the inspection date, thus providing a very conservative inspection date schedule, while not overinspecting circuits likely to exhibit low corrosion rates or in which failure would be relatively less critical.