THE PROCESS OF JOINT INTEGRITY

THE PROCESS OF JOINT INTEGRITY
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To assist in managing a process, ask yourself the following questions: why, what, who, and how? Why do we need a Flange Joint Integrity program? This was addressed in the previous section, ‘‘Cost of a Leak.’’ The stakes are enormous. A Flange Joint Integrity program will help improve plant safety and reliability while reducing its environmental impact. What do we need to control? The operating environment, the components, and assembly all need to be controlled. Who do we need to control? The designers, field operatives, and supervisors. How do we control? Train personnel to required competency. Design components using latest engineering standards. Develop best practices for assembly and maintenance. Implement a quality assurance program that provides traceability and ensures compliance to specifications. There are over 120 variables that affect flange joint integrity. These can be controlled through the following categories:
● Environment (internal and external)
● Components
● Assembly

The internal environment outlines the design and operating conditions of temperature, pressure, and fluid. With the external environment, consideration is given to location of the flange, whether it is operating in air or sub-sea, and externally applied piping loads. An understanding of the environment is crucial to the design and selection of the appropriate components with the correct assembly methods. The components include the most appropriately designed and selected flange, gasket, and bolting, commensurate with the risk dictated by the environment. Assembly includes checking the condition of the components and proceeding according to established procedures. Proper assembly requires that
● Flange faces meet the standards
● Gasket-seating stress is achieved
● Bolts, nuts, and gaskets are free of defects
● Appropriate lubrication is used

Execution requires trained, competent people using the correct tools and following procedures.

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