A flashback to that hydrostatic test at the old power plant in Gary

We were bringing a new boiler online, a big Babcock & Wilcox unit. The hydro test pressure was set for 1,200 psi, and everything looked good on the gauges. I was about 50 feet away, checking a secondary valve bank, when I heard a sound like a high-pressure hose popping. It wasn't a big rupture, just a quarter-inch instrument line on a pressure transmitter that gave out. The spray cut a clean line through some insulation about six inches from where the electrician was standing. The guy wasn't hurt, but it was pure luck. The lesson wasn't about the main vessel, it was about trusting every single small-bore connection. Now I walk the entire test perimeter twice, checking every gauge line and drain tap myself before we pressurize. Anyone else have a close call that made you double-check the 'small stuff' on a big job?

2 comments

2 Comments

miles58116d ago

Read a report about a refinery shutdown caused by a single failed o-ring on a hydraulic line. The main system was fine, but that tiny seal let go and sprayed fluid onto a hot surface. It's crazy how the smallest, cheapest part can cause the biggest problems. Your story about the instrument line is the same idea. Makes you wonder how many near misses happen because someone assumed the small fittings were fine.

casey84316d ago

Totally! We had a leak on a small gauge line once. I started using a checklist for every turnaround now, no matter how small the fitting looks. It adds maybe ten minutes to a job but catches those cheap parts before they blow.