Levels and experience are guidelines based on topic-specific experience. All courses support foundational and advanced learning.

This course provides plant engineers with the essential knowledge needed to manage pressure equipment throughout its lifecycle. Participants develop a practical understanding of pressure vessels, piping, heat exchangers, fired heaters, tanks, bolted joints, maintenance, rerating, fitness-for-service, and damage mechanisms while learning how design codes, inspection programs, and integrity management practices support safe and reliable plant operation. The course emphasizes practical application through case studies, examples, and engineering exercises rather than detailed code calculations.

Explain the design principles, codes, and standards governing pressure equipment used in process facilities.

Evaluate pressure vessels, piping, heat exchangers, fired heaters, tanks, and bolted joints using practical engineering approaches.

Apply maintenance, rerating, inspection, and fitness-for-service concepts to improve equipment reliability.

Recognize common refinery damage mechanisms and understand how integrity management programs reduce equipment failures.

The Pressure Equipment Engineering Fundamentals is designed for mechanical and process engineers, maintenance and reliability engineers, inspection and integrity specialists, plant operators, and supervisors responsible for the design, operation, maintenance, and inspection of pressure equipment.

Pressure Equipment Fundamentals

Regulations, Codes, and Standards

• Jurisdictions, RAGAGEP, design responsibilities, and company standards
• NBIC, ASME, API 510, and API 570
• Design versus in-service requirements; Fitness-for-Service versus rerating
• Resolving conflicts between guidelines and codes

Pressure Vessels

• Code Cases
• Design loads
• Creep, fatigue, hydrogen, and cryogenic service
• Vessel supports, internals, rerating, and flange ratings
• Legacy materials, undocumented equipment, and new equipment specifications

Piping Systems

• Codes, design limits, supports, and vibration mitigation
• Piping versus pipelines

Heat Transfer Equipment

• Heat exchangers
• Fired heaters: design and in-service codes, tube rupture
• Fired boilers and unfired steam generators: ASME I versus VIII

Bolted Joints and Storage Tanks

• ASME VIII Appendix 2 and PCC-1
• Bolting and gasket selection, integrity programs, and troubleshooting
• Tank codes, damage mechanisms, and inspection

Mechanical Integrity and Maintenance

• Integrity programs, RBI, API 510/570, and ASME PCC-2 repairs
• NDE and refractory-lined equipment
• Fitness-for-Service: assessment levels, Level 3 triggers, data requirements, brittle fracture, hot spots, fracture mechanics, and creep
• Maintenance packages, turnarounds, and third-party reviews

Damage Mechanisms (Last Day)

• Metallurgy, material properties, and heat treatment
• Crude/vacuum units: desalter and overhead corrosion, sulfidation, naphthenic acid, ammonium chloride, and HCl corrosion
• Hydrotreaters/reformers: HTHA, oxidation, creep, H₂/H₂S and sour water corrosion, and REACs
• Embrittlement, wet H₂S cracking, chloride/polythionic acid/caustic/carbonate/amine SCC
• FCC erosion, CUI, thermal fatigue, carburization, and amine corrosion

Additional Applications

• Hydrogen plants, HF and sulfuric acid alkylation, and NDE applications

Collin Davis

Colin Davis leads Becht’s Simulation and Modeling Group and brings more than 14 years of fixed equipment engineering experience in refining and petrochemicals. Before joining Becht, he spent a decade at ExxonMobil in roles spanning Research & Engineering, operating facilities, and licensor engagements.

The training will be held in New Orleans, LA. Please check back for updates.