This course provides a focused, practical examination of failure mechanisms specific to boilers, heat exchangers, and pressure vessels—three critical equipment groups found across industries including power generation, oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, and chemical processing. It is designed for technicians, engineers, and professionals seeking targeted knowledge of how and why these components fail in service.
Topics include the common failure mechanisms affecting these components, with emphasis on the influence of design, manufacturing methods, and service conditions on failures. Case studies are used throughout to highlight real-world applications and common failure mechanisms.
This 1-day course is the third day of the 3-day course, Principles of Failures Analysis in Engineering Components. For more information on the 3-day course, click here.
Course Outline:
Failures of Boilers and Heat Exchangers
- Failure mechanisms: elevated temperature, corrosion, fatigue, and erosion
- Tube fracture types and causes
- High-temperature corrosion and combustion product interactions
- Role of design and manufacturing in heat exchanger failures
- Material selection considerations
Failures of Pressure Vessels
- Design principles and materials of construction
- Failure analysis procedures, including explosions and overpressurization
- Effects of joining methods, metallurgical discontinuities, and fabrication on failures
- Service-induced failure mechanisms and damage
- Fracture surface characterization: ductile, brittle, and fatigue
- Environmental effects: process flow rate and temperature
Learning Objectives:
- Describe the common failure mechanisms for boilers, heat exchangers, and pressure vessels
- Identify the design, manufacturing, and service characteristics that can lead to failures
- Identify important failure mechanisms, contributing factors, cause(s) of failure, and preventive actions
Who Should Attend:
Prior to taking this course, it is highly recommended that attendees have a foundational understanding of failure analysis or have completed the Principles of Failure Analysis course. This course is also available as Day 3 of the full 3-day course, Principles of Failure Analysis in Engineering Components: Procedures, Failure Modes, and Case Studies in Boilers, Heat Exchangers, and Pressure Vessels.
- Technicians and engineers involved in the design, operation, inspection, or maintenance of boilers, heat exchangers, or pressure vessels
- Quality control and reliability engineers working with pressure-retaining or heat transfer equipment
- Maintenance and operations personnel responsible for troubleshooting equipment failures
- Inspection and integrity engineers involved in fitness-for-service or root cause evaluations
Continuing Education Units: 0.8