Rotating Equipment
Centrifugal Pump Reliability: The Six Failure Modes That Cost the Most
Mechanical seal failure, bearing degradation, cavitation, misalignment, dry running, and impeller wear — preventable, every one.
Pressure Equipment Integrity
Boiler Maintenance in Ontario: TSSA, NBIC, and What Most Facilities Miss
Ontario boiler compliance is not a checklist — it is a documented programme with regulatory teeth. What TSSA inspectors find and what NBIC requires.
Pressure Equipment Integrity
Storage Tank Integrity: API 653, Inspection Intervals, and Fitness-for-Service
Above-ground storage tank failures have a consistent forensic signature. API 653 establishes the framework — most facilities are not applying it completely.
Pressure Equipment Integrity
Overpressure Protection: Relief Valves, Rupture Discs, and the Gaps That Kill
Relief devices are the last line of defence. API 520, API 521, and ASME Section I/VIII establish the requirements. Most gaps are in testing frequency and documentation.
Pressure Equipment Integrity
Piping Integrity Management: B31.3, CML Strategy, and Corrosion Under Insulation
Process piping failures are rarely sudden. ASME B31.3, corrosion monitoring locations, and CUI management are the framework. Most facilities are underinspecting.
Pressure Equipment Integrity
Valve Integrity and Isolation Assurance: API 598, MSS SP-61, and Double-Block Discipline
Valve failure in isolation service is a process safety event. API 598, MSS SP-61, and documented isolation verification are the standard. Verbal confirmation is not.
Pressure Equipment Integrity
Bolted Flange Joint Integrity: ASME PCC-1, Pipe Strain, and Why Joints Leak
Flange leaks are not random. ASME PCC-1 defines the execution standard. Pipe strain, improper bolt-up sequence, and gasket damage account for the majority of joint failures.
Pressure Equipment Integrity
Heat Exchanger Integrity: TEMA, API 660, Tube Inspection, and Failure Analysis
Shell and tube heat exchangers degrade through erosion, fouling, corrosion, and tube-to-tubesheet joint failure. TEMA and API 660 define the inspection and repair framework.
Pressure Equipment Integrity
Pressure Vessel Inspection: API 510, API 579, and Fitness-for-Service Assessment
Pressure vessel inspection is a regulatory requirement and an asset integrity discipline. API 510, API 579, and API 581 define what must be done and how findings are evaluated.
Pressure Equipment Integrity
Compressor Integrity: Reciprocating and Centrifugal Systems
Compressor failures accumulate before they occur. API 618 and API 617 define the standards framework for reciprocating and centrifugal machines — valve condition, rotor dynamics, and surge control.
Pressure Equipment Integrity
Mechanical Seal Systems: API 682, Seal Plans, and Barrier Fluid Management
A mechanical seal is not a standalone component — it is the terminal element of a system. API 682 seal categories, piping plans, barrier fluid discipline, and failure analysis.
Incident Analysis
The Paria Diving Disaster: Permit-to-Work Failure and the Cost of Procedural Drift
Four men lost. The permit-to-work system existed. The isolation was not executed. A forensic examination of how procedural drift becomes a fatality.
Incident Analysis
The Longford Explosion: What Happens When Engineering Knowledge Leaves the Field
The 1998 Esso Longford gas plant explosion killed two and cut gas supply to the state of Victoria for two weeks. The cause was a heat exchanger failure that operators were not equipped to recognise.
Reference
Industrial Maintenance Standards Hub: RISL Reference Index
A structured reference index of the standards governing pressure equipment, rotating machinery, process safety, and asset management in industrial operations.