FIRE DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS

Fire near any pressure or structural bearing components can render the equipment unsafe. The equipment owner/user has the difficult task of determining which equipment remains fit for service after a fire. IRISNDT personnel can assist in this task by:

• Visually assessing the fire zones. Assessments are performed to meet the guidelines given in MTI Publication No. 30 and in API 579, "Fitness for Service of Piping, Vessels and Tanks".



• Determining which areas are visually free of heat related damage.



• Performing in-situ metallography and hardness testing.



• Comparing the microstructure and hardness test results of suspect areas against those areas visually free of damage.

IRISNDT has assisted our customers in fire damage assessments on tanker trucks, building structural components, valves, piping, tanks, pressure vessels and other items.

An example of fire damage detectable with in-situ metallography is illustrated below. The pressurized component examined was exposed externally to fire. Our investigation showed that the fire exposed a section of the component to temperatures greater than 140° F. During fabrication, the component had undergone a normalizing heat treatment to optimize its low temperature impact properties. The fire had annulled the beneficial annealing effect and the section was replaced.