How do you plan and schedule piping inspection activities?

Piping inspection is a vital part of maintaining the safety, reliability, and performance of piping systems in various industries. Whether you are a piping inspector, a plant manager, or a maintenance engineer, you need to plan and schedule your piping inspection activities effectively to ensure compliance with standards, avoid failures, and optimize resources. In this article, we will share some tips and best practices on how to do that.

1 Assess the risks

The first step in planning and scheduling piping inspection activities is to assess the risks associated with the piping systems. You need to identify the potential failure modes, the consequences of failure, and the likelihood of failure for each piping component. You can use various methods, such as risk-based inspection (RBI), failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), or hazard and operability study (HAZOP), to perform this assessment. The results will help you prioritize the piping systems that need more attention and inspection frequency.

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2 Define the scope

The next step is to define the scope of the piping inspection activities. You need to determine what type of inspection you will perform, such as visual, non-destructive testing (NDT), or destructive testing (DT), and what parameters you will measure, such as corrosion, thickness, pressure, or temperature. You also need to specify the locations, lengths, and diameters of the piping segments that you will inspect, and the reference points, such as flanges, valves, or supports, that you will use to locate them. You can use a piping inspection checklist to document the scope and ensure consistency.

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Syed Fadzil Syed Mohamed

Fellow of The Institution of Engineers, Malaysia (FIEM)
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Effective piping inspection starts with categorising systems based on their application criticality. Prioritise pipe testing for hazardous, high-pressure, or thermally extreme fluids. Determine inspection methods, such as radiography for welds, ultrasonics for thickness, and visual and mechanical integrity tapping. During annual outages, schedule more thorough inspections. Focus on legs with previous corrosion difficulties or places prone to erosion from flow turbulence for frequent monitoring. Implement a management system to track inspection dates, document pipe conditions, and initiate follow-up exams following repairs.

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3 Select the methods

The third step is to select the methods and tools that you will use to conduct the piping inspection activities. You need to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each method, such as accuracy, cost, time, accessibility, and safety, and match them with the requirements and objectives of the inspection. For example, you may use ultrasonic testing (UT) to measure the thickness of the piping walls, radiographic testing (RT) to detect internal defects, or magnetic particle testing (MT) to identify surface cracks.

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Prateek Srivastava

Solution Engineer @ AsInt
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Various inspection methods can be employed for conducting comprehensive piping assessments. The selection of these methods hinges on factors such as the material type, specific cracking mechanisms under consideration, accessibility of the piping components, safety considerations, budget constraints, and the desired level of sensitivity in defect detection. For instance, Ultrasonic Testing (UT) is well-suited for accurately measuring the thickness of piping, ensuring high precision. Conversely, methods like Eddy Current Testing or Liquid Penetrant Testing find application in detecting cracks. Therefore, the choice of inspection methods is contingent upon the specific damage mechanisms observed in the piping system.

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4 Allocate the resources

The fourth step is to allocate the resources that you will need to execute the piping inspection activities. You need to estimate the manpower, equipment, materials, and budget that you will require, and ensure that they are available and adequate for the inspection. You also need to consider the training, certification, and supervision of the personnel involved, and the calibration, maintenance, and transportation of the equipment and tools. You can use a work breakdown structure (WBS) or a Gantt chart to organize and visualize the resources.

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5 Coordinate the schedule

The fifth step is to coordinate the schedule of the piping inspection activities with the other stakeholders and operations. You need to communicate and negotiate with the plant owners, operators, contractors, and regulators to determine the best time and frequency for the inspection, and to minimize the disruption and downtime of the piping systems. You also need to account for the weather, site conditions, permits, and contingencies that may affect the inspection. You can use a critical path method (CPM) or a PERT chart to plan and monitor the schedule.

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6 Document the results

The final step is to document the results of the piping inspection activities and report them to the relevant parties. You need to record and analyze the data and findings that you obtained from the inspection, and compare them with the baseline, standards, and expectations. You also need to identify and recommend any corrective or preventive actions that are needed to improve the condition and performance of the piping systems. You can use a piping inspection report template or software to format and present the results.

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Prateek Srivastava

Solution Engineer @ AsInt
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For documentation of the results, various 3rd party contractors conventionally use the means of inspection reports where in they log the thickness readings manually and then enter the data in their analysis tool. At AsInt, we have created a CMLs application which has the ability to pull data directly through data loggers as well. This decreases the amount of manual paperwork and removes the data quality issue aspect. The "pulled" readings can be used for data analysis to get corrosion rates and remaining lives.

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7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you plan and schedule piping inspection activities?

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1 Assess the risks

2 Define the scope

3 Select the methods

4 Allocate the resources

5 Coordinate the schedule

6 Document the results

7 Here’s what else to consider

Mechanical Inspection

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