A bolt: a single part designed to help fasten one piece of equipment to another. Torque one way to tighten and the opposite way to loosen. Simple enough. But as is the case with most small parts, the vital role it plays in the structural integrity of a piece of operating equipment makes the management of them anything but simple. In fact, the number of bolted flange joints found in an average-sized petrochemical facility equates to roughly 50,000 bolted joints. That's 50,000 opportunities for equipment to leak or -- worse -- cause a major catastrophe.
Unfortunately, catastrophes have happened due to poor bolted joint integrity management. Flanges have failed, causing millions of dollars in damage and a preventable fatality. An improperly outfitted connector leaked even after passing a leak test, which ultimately caused an explosion. The risk is great. Surprisingly, however, most major companies still operate without a comprehensive and current set of policies and procedures in place related to bolted joints.
The NCCC is expected to create or sustain nearly 170 jobs that will last the duration of the five-year project.
TEAM Industrial Services is helping companies change this mindset. Its bolted joint integrity services go beyond just tightening. The comprehensive program offering provides analysis, development of procedures, engineering support, training, inspections and more.
"A recent survey of 99 facilities indicated that bolted joints programs are the third-largest opportunity area for improvement on-site and the first level for management improvement strategies at the corporate level," said Neil Ferguson, mechanical bolting integrity service line director for TEAM Industrial Services. "This proves that companies are interested in getting bolted joint integrity right the first time."
Getting it right the first time is what TEAM promotes. This includes proper training and competency management, utilization of the right tools and components, and the development of a set of processes and procedures to ensure each step along the way is clear, concise and repeatable throughout company facilities.
"The cost of a leak is exponential compared to the cost of a bolted joint integrity program," said Ferguson. "Even if the leak does not result in a major incident, to rework an integrity point can cost 10 times the amount it would cost to properly install and maintain the bolted joint the first time. That's why we are aiming to educate on and assist companies with analyzing and determining joint criticalities to develop solid management joint integrity programs."
TEAM's procedures are ASME PCC-1 compliant, ensuring it performs all bolting activity from breakout and assembly to tightening in accordance with a well-defined and industry-accepted standard. Additionally, TEAM can provide joint integrity engineers to manage all items related to flange management as well as certified joint integrity inspectors to support TEAM's work or the work of any contractor on-site.
For more information, visit www.TeamInc.com or call (281) 388-3467.