Nondestructive examination (NDE) systems in use on large processing plant components.
Several years ago Fossil Energy Technologies formed a loose-knit working group with industry, including Chevron, Exxon, and Shell, to discuss technical opportunities for understanding and predicting lifetime of components used in the oil and gas processing industry. A number of good ideas came from those discussions, but at the time federal funding could not be located to carry the research forward. Some funding was obtained from industry (Chevron) and some internal funds were dedicated to the problem.
Industry has continued to cooperate with us by sending us large processing plant components removed from service. Our materials technology group has developed some new approaches for detecting and monitoring the growth of cracks in weldments on these large vessels. This approach could provide a method for industry to assess the state of health of their equipment and determine the optimal time for taking it out of service. Having this capability could be a major factor in reducing operating costs.
Fossil Energy Technologies is seeking a path for funding. We intend to approach the DOE Fossil Energy Program again and perhaps the DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Hydrogen Program, but we also will attempt to obtain funding directly from industry to develop a system that can be commercialized in the near future.
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