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Notes from the workshop

Writing about engineering, interfaces, and what I'm learning in public.

Infographic of the API 581 methodology built around the equation R(t) equals Pf(t) times Cf, with panels covering the fundamental risk equation, probability of failure by the GFF method and Weibull distribution, consequence of failure at Level 1 and Level 2, and a risk matrix driving inspection planning

RBI fundamentals: the API 581 methodology

Risk is probability times consequence, and inspection moves only one of them. The API 581 concepts that decide where inspection effort is worth spending.

Jul 24, 20261 min read276 words

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Two radiographs of the same jar of glass shards side by side, labelled X-ray and N-ray. The X-ray image shows only bright overlapping glass fragments; the N-ray image renders the glass nearly transparent and reveals a plastic toy figure standing inside the jar.

Jul 24, 20261 min read

Neutron-based inspection: finding corrosion under insulation

X-rays see metal and miss water. Neutrons invert that contrast, which is what lets N-ray and neutron backscatter find CUI without stripping the cladding.

CorrosionNDT

Cross-section schematics of the four wet H2S damage morphologies — stepwise HIC cracking, a surface blister, a weld-toe SSC crack, and a stacked SOHIC array beside a weld

Jul 24, 20265 min read

Wet H2S damage: blistering, HIC, SOHIC and SSC

Four cracking mechanisms attack carbon steel in wet sour service. What drives each one, and why plate steel quality, hardness and residual stress decide who cracks.

CorrosionDamage Mechanisms

Drone photographs of corroded piping, vessels and structures, the corrosion mask predicted for each, and the same mask outlined in red over the original photograph

Jul 24, 20261 min read

Detecting corrosion from drone images with computer vision

External visual inspection is manual, subjective, and often blocked by access. An AI-based computer vision model reading drone imagery changes what a screening pass costs.

AIComputer Vision