Procedures, Failure Modes, and Case Studies in Boilers, Heat Exchangers, and Pressure Vessels
This course offers a practical foundation in failure analysis, with a focus on 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 who are new to failure analysis or seeking to strengthen their skills.
Topics include general procedures and best practices, key failure mechanisms such as fatigue, corrosion, and creep/stress rupture, and the influence of material properties, component design, manufacturing methods, and service conditions on failures. The course also addresses how to plan and conduct a failure analysis investigation and how to interpret findings to support corrective and preventive actions. Case studies are used throughout to highlight real-world applications and common failure mechanisms specific to pressure-retaining and heat transfer equipment.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe general procedures, techniques, and precautions in failure analysis
- Identify important fatigue, fracture, corrosion, and high temperature failure characteristics
- Describe the common failure mechanisms for boilers, heat exchangers, and pressure vessels
- Identify the design, manufacturing, and service characteristics that can lead to failures
- Describe the process of planning and executing a component failure analysis investigation
- Identify important failure mechanisms, contributing factors, cause(s) of failure, and preventive actions
Who Should Attend:
- 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
- Professionals new to failure analysis or those looking to expand their knowledge in this area
- Maintenance and operations personnel responsible for troubleshooting equipment failures
- Inspection and integrity engineers involved in fitness-for-service or root cause evaluations
Course Outline:
Day 1:
General Procedures for Failure Analysis
Types of Failures and Stress
Day 2:
Fatigue Failures
Corrosion Failures
High Temperature Failures
Day 3:
Failures of Boilers and Heat Exchangers
Failures of Pressure Vessels
Continuing Education Units: 2.0