Coastal's staff is certified by both the The National Board of Boiler & Pressure Vessel Inspectors and the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) to perform visual testing, ultrasonic testing, magnetic particle testing, liquid penetrant examination, remote field eddy current, and other methods to investigate material integrity both on land and underwater. Additional affiliations include the Association of Diving Contractors and the American Welding Society.
Boiler Useful Life Study is made by comparing the present condition of the boiler to the original data on the Manufacturer's Data Report. These two data points determine a rate of change in the boiler condition, and are extrapolated to predict how long the boiler can continue to operate safely.
The useful life will be expressed either in terms of years at a given operating pressure or design pressure for a given life, and will be based on the applicable ASME Codes and Standards at the time of the boiler's construction. A review of the operating conditions along with relevant water chemistry treatments will be analyzed.
Pressure Vessel Life Study A complete internal and external inspection is conducted on the vessel that includes level controls, instrumentation, vent and steam/condensate piping and internal spray nozzles and tray assemblies. Inspection of quick closure devices on autoclaves and retorts to determine if any critical welded or fabricated attachments have significant flaws.
Underwater NDT The use of underwater inspection to determine the structural integrity of dynamically loaded structures has long been an accepted tool of engineers in the offshore oil industry. The introduction of nondestructive test methods begin in the later part of the 1970’s and is still very much an integral part of inspecting offshore oil rigs. The NDT methods used for underwater inspection are evolving to reflect the rapid change in the technology experienced in “topside” NDT.
Bridges, Piers, and Cargo Cranes are dynamically loaded structures that all require extensive inspection to determine their structural integrity. Some of these underwater inspections consist of a “swim by” only, but in most cases this inspection is supplemented with underwater video or still photographic documentation.
In many cases the underwater visual inspection is supplemented by nondestructive testing of the critical welds or selected areas of the support piles of the structure. Underwater sonar is proving an effective to in determining bridge scour that was often left to a system of depth soundings taken in past inspections. Ultrasonics and magnetic particle are routinely used to determine wall thickness and weld integrity on inland as well as offshore structures.
Coastal Inspection Services is a member of the Association of Diving Contractors and inspection personnel are certified commercial divers. All underwater nondestructive testing is performed by cross trained diver/technicians familiar with all phases of both diving and NDT.
Deaerator Inspections are performed as outlined in the National Association of Corrosion Engineers recommended guidelines and ASME Code Section V. All scale and corrosion is removed from the longitudinal and circumferential weld seams and their heat effected zones. All nozzle penetrations and manway openings are also cleaned for inspection. Using the recommended Wet Method Magnetic Particle exam, these areas are visually examined for stress related cracking. Ultrasonic thickness measurements are obtained at equal distances along the vessel shell at 45-degree intervals and at intersecting lines across both heads. Documentation with drawings is provided to easily identify the location of these readings.
Paper Mill NDT Inspection is conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry, TAPPI TIS 0402-16, and includes detailed documentation shown graphically against the plant specified relief valve settings for each section of the machine. In order to facilitate verification of this data in the future a zero position is established for each roll using a permanent point on each roll's tended end.
Inspection Reports document findings from ultrasonic thickness testing of the dryers' shell thickness, wet fluorescent magnetic particle testing WFMT of the dryer heads, and ultrasonic inspection of the dryer roll head bolts.