Predicting FRP damage and reducing failures in the pulp and paper industry
UTComp’s first licensee, Horizon Testing Inc. of Prince George, B.C., has been part of the UltraAnalytix® team since 2011. Horizon Testing is a full-service testing company that also specializes in tubular advanced testing for ferrous and nonferrous materials, and radiography, bringing a wealth of experience and knowledge to clients in the pulp and paper, mining, oil and gas, chemical processing and power generation sectors.
We checked in with Horizon’s owner Daniel Tremblay to talk about the advantages of UltraAnalytix NDT for detecting hidden damage and preventing failures in FRP tanks, piping and other equipment at some of Canada’s largest pulp and paper mills.
Q: What impact has UltraAnalytix NDT had on the industry and your customers? How is it different from what you were doing before?
A: The UTComp system provides clients more information about their FRP equipment from the point of view of reliability. This allows them to better predict failures, and identify damage before it before it leads to problems. At Horizon Testing, we provide UltraAnalytix inspection services on a regular basis to pulp mills and chemical plants in the Prince George area and throughout British Columbia.
Some mills use a lot of FRP in tanks, piping and vessels, and they had no objective, repeatable way to inspect that equipment until UltraAnalytix came along. With the UTComp system, they’re able to determine the condition of their FRP equipment much more efficiently than they could before.
Pulp and paper mills use a lot of chemicals and corrosive materials, especially bleach. Over time, the chemicals attack the corrosion barrier, getting into the structures of the fiber and weakening the FRP to the point that a pipe or vessel starts leaking or fails. So, by using UTComp, we’re able to determine the worst areas that need repair or replacement while the equipment is in operation and without the need for confined space entry. And that’s been helping clients have fewer leaks by preventing failures and they can avoid shutdowns for unexpected repairs. By predicting problems in advance, they can plan for repairs during a regular maintenance shutdown.
Q: Is there a particular UltraAnalytix NDT inspection job that stands out for you? Why?
A: We work with one B.C. pulp that was concerned about a line from the bleach plant and they were trying to figure out how much they had to repair or replace. So, we did ultrasonic testing with UTComp and, even though on a visual basis it looked pretty good, analysis of the data showed that in the bottom section of the pipe, there was basically no corrosion barrier left. So, they were able to determine that they needed to replace more than was anticipated. When they removed that section of pipe and looked at it, it was really pretty bad. If that pipe had failed, the plant would have been down for weeks. So in the end, investing in an UltraAnalytix inspection saved them time and money.
Q: Is there an example of an assessment that clearly shows the value of the UltraAnalytix system in terms of insights for the customer compared to other methods?
A: There was another pulp mill where they brought in an FRP contractor to do a visual inspection of a tank, and they were told they going to have to reline the whole thing. And it going to cost a lot of money — more money than a tank replacement. So, I was asked to come in and have a look at it. And we did the UltraAnalytix inspection that showed the remaining strength was high enough that they didn’t have to do the work they were planning to do. So, it saved them money by avoiding an unnecessary and expensive repair. It’s either one side or the other, right? You don’t want to do a repair that you don’t need, but you want to do a repair that you need. So, we were able to tell them, yes, you do have some problems but they’re not going to cause you any grief or any failure in the near future. So, you have time. Also, there was an area where there was a lot of blistering at the top of the tank. But, because of changes to plant operations over the years, the volume of liquid inside never got to that level of the tank anymore. So, they didn’t need to worry about it. With UltraAnalytix, we were able to tell them yes, you have some things to keep an eye on, but the tank is not going to fail anytime soon.
