The primary objective of the evaluation process is to determine the suitability of the equipment to continue operating under current operating conditions. If it is determined to be suitable, the equipment can continue to operate. Otherwise, a requalification will be required.<\/p>\n
The standard is made up of different parts, where the evaluation procedures are organized according to the type of defect and\/or the damage mechanism. In certain cases, when the type of damage is not evident, it may be necessary to jointly apply evaluation procedures from different parts.<\/p>\n
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The general evaluation procedure consists of eight steps. Each part of this standard is based on this methodology to determine the procedure for each specific defect type.<\/p>\n
- \n
- STEP 1 \u2013 Identification of failure and damage mechanism<\/li>\n
- STEP 2 \u2013 Applicability and limitations of FFS evaluation procedures<\/li>\n
- STEP 3 \u2013 Data requirements<\/li>\n
- STEP 4 \u2013 Evaluation Techniques and Acceptance Criteria<\/li>\n
- STEP 5 \u2013 Remaining life evaluation<\/li>\n
- STEP 6 \u2013 Remediation<\/li>\n
- STEP 7 \u2013 In-Service Monitoring<\/li>\n
- STEP 8 \u2013 Documentation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
EVALUATION LEVELS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
Each part provides three levels of evaluation. In general terms, each level of evaluation provides a balance between a conservative criterion, the amount of information required for the evaluation, the skills of the personnel who carry it out, and the complexity of the analysis required. Ideally, practitioners typically progress sequentially from a Level 1 analysis to a Level 3 analysis, whenever feasible.<\/p>\n
Level 1<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
Procedures at this level are intended to provide conservative selection criteria that can be applied with the least amount of component inspection or information possible.<\/p>\n
Level 2<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
These procedures involve a more detailed evaluation. Although the inspection information is similar to that of Level 1, more extensive calculations are performed during the evaluation at this level.<\/p>\n
Level 3<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
These procedures are designed to provide a more detailed evaluation and more accurate results. They require more detailed inspection information and typically involve the use of numerical analysis (FEA).<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\nEVALUATION TECHNIQUES<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n
When carrying out the evaluation, various techniques are used, including:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Allowable stress<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
This method is based on the calculation of stresses generated by different loading conditions, as well as the classification and superposition of the results of said stresses. The calculated stresses in an assigned category or class are then compared to an allowable stress value. It is important to note that this method has limited applicability due to the inherent complexity of establishing adequate stress ratings on components that exhibit defects.<\/p>\n
- Allowable stress<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n