Dr. Mahmod Samman - Houston Engineering Solutions
Since its introduction three decades ago, internal laser scanning of coke drums has become a standard inspection tool for these failure-prone vessels. The key question that operators needed to answer is: how can we utilize resulting laser data for assessment of bulging severity? Several approaches have been attempted such as geometric features, elastic stress concentration analyses, pattern recognition methods, standard API 579/ ASME FFS assessments, and the Plastic Strain Index (PSI) method. In this presentation, we review and compare these methods and discuss the correlation between their results and observed bulging-induced cracks in light of published industry data. The presentation ends with an overview of what the state-of-the-art can and cannot do in regards to coke drum bulging.
Dr. Mahmod Samman is the president of Houston Engineering Solutions. He has thirty years of industry experience mostly in damage assessment, repair, and life extension of coke drums. His state-of-the-art techniques in this field are utilized around the world. A licensed professional engineer in Texas, he has a Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics from Duke University.