Applied Pressure Technology can be divided into three basic categories:

• Design and Analysis
• Failure Analysis
• Recertification

DESIGN AND ANALYSIS -- Pressure Sciences has worked with many pressure vessel, storage tank, and pressure system component users and manufacturers to solve difficult and unusual problems. This work includes reviewing designs and analyses to resolve safety concerns or to satisfy regulatory requirements.

FAILURE ANALYSIS -- Pressure Sciences has evaluated failures for clients in the engineering, manufacturing, and legal professions. Generally, the purpose is to understand and characterize the cause of the failure to prevent recurrence. However, sometimes the support of claims negotiation and litigation is required.

RECERTIFICATION -- Pressure Sciences is a recognized leader in the area of pressure process equipment recertification. Recertification is a process by which the tanks, vessels, piping and components are evaluated with regard to their safety and reliability in continued service. The components are examined to determine whether they should continue to run, be refurbished or repaired, or replaced so that the system can be returned to service with known and acceptable safety margins.

Recertification entails:

• Obtaining design documentation and/or service records,
• Performing stress, fatigue, and/or fracture evaluations,
• Performing non-destructive examination of selected features and regions,
• Performing corrosion evaluations,
• Determining the most limiting failure mechanism,
• Performing repairs or further analyses to demonstrate the acceptability of any defects,
• Determining the next inspection interval based on the most limiting failure mechanism,
• Calculating the remaining life, and,
• Documenting the conditions for which the system has been recertified.
  

The recertification process typically costs less than 15% of the cost of replacement, and the necessary downtime is minor. Consequently, there is strong economic incentive for recertification rather than replacement of systems and components. To date, it has been necessary to replace only a small number of the components that have been investigated. Because of our involvement with the ASME and other Societies, we are also able to effectively assist clients in developing and pursuing Code Cases and Special Registrations as necessary and prudent to resolve their equipment problems.

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