Joint SPE and AMPP Monthly Meeting
“Testing the Metal Without Destroying the Vessel”
Neil Burns, Failure Investigation Manager - Viking Engineering/A GATE Energy Company
October 08, 2024; Noon – 1 PM CST Lunch Served at 11:30 AM
Petroleum Club of Lafayette - 111 Heymann Blvd, Lafayette, LA
Abstract
We often inherit old or undocumented equipment. How can you determine its condition or key materials data without removing it from service or taking invasive samples?
You might need answers to questions like:
- How can I identify the materials used in the equipment?
- Will welding this vessel lead to cracking?
- What’s the tensile strength of this pipe?
- Is the unusual substance on the vessel's surface problematic?
- Could that be a crack in the vessel sidewall?
In this presentation, we will cover:
- How metal shavings from a vessel’s surface can be used to assess weldability and obtain accurate chemical analysis.
- How residue scraped from a vessel’s surface can be tested to determine its origin and whether damaging bacteria are present.
- How field metallurgical replication (FMR), along with surface metal sampling, can answer a variety of questions about your vessel's condition and any surface imperfections
Biography
Neil Burns is a metallurgist with over 25 years of expertise in failure analysis, materials assessment, and corrosion testing. His extensive career includes authoring over a thousand failure analysis reports on products ranging from heat exchangers and valves to firearms and medical devices.
Neil holds a BEng in Mechanical Design, Materials & Manufacture from Nottingham University, UK, and an MSc in Corrosion Science and Engineering from UMIST, Manchester, UK. He began his career as a metallurgical laboratory manager for a Sheffield-based oilfield material supplier in the UK. Later, he moved to the USA to work for IMR Test Labs (now part of Curtiss-Wright), where he conducted comprehensive failure analyses on various commercial and industrial products. Neil then brought his expertise to Stress Engineering, where he served as an Associate II, advising on failure analysis and materials selection for clients across upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors.
Neil now works for Viking Engineering, as a Failure Investigation Manager, operating out of their New Orleans office.
Meal headcount DEADLINE IS WEDNESDAY, October 2nd.
Anyone with an interest in this subject is very welcome to attend.
*Note Pricing Details
SPE Members:
$30 if paid by Wednesday, October 2, 2024.
$35 if registered by October 2, 2024, and select Pay at Door.
Note the email invoice will show $30, but $35 will be charged at the door.
$35 if no pre-registration.
If you use a Petroleum Club Membership to pay, please register and choose Pay at Door. Your Petroleum Club account will be charged $35.
NON-SPE Members:
$40 if paid by Wednesday, October 2, 2024.
$45 if registered by Wednesday, October 2, 2024, and select Pay at Door.
Note the email invoice will show $40, but $45 will be charged at the door.
$45 if no pre-registration.
For Petroleum Club Membership to pay, please register and choose Pay at Door.
Your Petroleum Club account will be charged $45.
Students/Faculty: First ten (10) are free; >10, then $10 / $15 at the door. Students/Faculty must email David Boucher for lunch vouchers by Wednesday, October 2, 2024, and there is no need to register on the SPE website. Valid for current SPE Evangeline Section SSPE members only.
Members in Transition (looking for work): $0 in-person if pre-registered by Oct 2, 2024. Join us to network and keep your industry knowledge current at no cost if you are not currently employed. Please email David Boucher to request a voucher. Valid for current SPE
Evangeline Section members only.
To receive a Continuing Education Credit Certificate by email, please email Continuing Education Credit by October 8, 2024 or sign the roster at the meeting. You will be emailed after our meeting. Monthly Meeting = 1 CEU.
For questions: SPEEvangelineSection@gmail.com or Heather Hodges or 337-849-3914.