Equipment performance testing

At the request of an international petroleum company, a major manufacturer and supplier of down-hole equipment performed tests of the various elastomers commonly used in the construction of packers and other oil field tools. Seven of the nine most commonly used thermoplastic materials were found to be completely inert to TKPP solutions. The test included continual immersion in saturated TKPP for 21 days at 280°F. Only two elastomers, Vi-ton and Fluorel, showed any adverse reaction. O-rings made from these two elastomers showed minor cracking at the termination of the test. A listing of the elastomers that tested inert to TKPP solutions include nitrile, saturated nitrile (HNBR), Aflas, Kalrez, PEEK, Glass-filled Teflon, and Ryton. Several of these elastomers are attacked or degraded by conventional clear completion fluids containing calcium and zinc halides. The inertness of commonly employed elastomers to TKPP is an important advantage for TKPP fluids in normal operations. 

The requirements for persoimel are quite demanding and the assessors look in detail at the qualifieation of the persoimel. The laboratoiy management shall ensure the competenee of all who operate specific equipment, perform tests and/or calibrations, evaluate results, and sign test reports and ealibra-tion certificates. When staff are used which are still undergoing training, appropriate supervision shall be provided. 

Ensuring the competence of all who operate specific equipment, perform tests and/or calibrations, evaluate results, and sign test reports and calibration certifbates. 

Equipment performance tests completed during the FAT involves testing to demonstrate that the equipment functions and performs as specified. The tests may mimic those planned as part of the OQ to be conducted at the final installation site. These tests are useful both in assuring that the equipment is constructed according to the specifications and also that the performance is adequate. It is important to acknowledge that utility supplies may affect the equipment performance therefore, the acceptance criteria may be different than in the OQ that will be conducted after the equipment is installed. 

Performance of equipment performance test theory calculations of theoretical performance performance in practice (fit removal for short periods maintenance). 

Statistical Control. Statistical quahty control (SQC) is the apphcation of statistical techniques to analytical data. Statistical process control (SPC) is the real-time apphcation of statistics to process or equipment performance. Apphed to QC lab instmmentation or methods, SPC can demonstrate the stabihty and precision of the measurement technique. The SQC of lot data can be used to show the stabihty of the production process. Without such evidence of statistical control, the quahty of the lab data is unknown and can result in production challenging adverse test results. Also, without control, measurement bias cannot be determined and the results derived from different labs cannot be compared (27). 

Performance testing of heat exchangers is described in the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Standard Testing Procedure for Heat Exchangers, Sec. 1. Sensible Heat Transfer in SheU-and-Tube-Type Equipment. ... 

ASME, Performance Test Code on Atmospheric Water Cooling Equipment PTC 23, 1997. 

Because of safety concerns, all combustible and/or toxic gases must be used in outdoor test loops or in a special indoor test building with the required safety monitoring equipment. The gas cost factor makes the problem even more difficult. The problem of known gas properties adds another complication. Despite all the negative aspects just mentioned, most performance tests are closed-loop tested. 

Other than wipe sampling of elean areas, the Site J eontraetor did not implement proeedures to evaluate the eflfeetiveness of personal deeontamination methods. Deeontaminated equipment was tested by wipe sampling. Further deeontamination was performed as neeessary until wipe samples fell below the eontraetor s trigger levels. 

Todd,J. E, Pield Performance Testing of Air Cooled Heat Transfer Equipment, presented at A.l.Ch.E meeting, Dec. (1958). ... 

There are also two notable research institutes offering information that may assist the engineer in making out the specification sheets. One of these is the Heat Transfer Research Institute (HTRI). Its staff performs tests to optimize the design of heat-transfer equipment. This information is then encoded in computer programs, which are distributed to the companies that support the research. This means that the engineer s company must purchase a membership to obtain these data. The Fractionation Research Institute (FRI) is a similar institution that deals with the separation processes. 

After the flushing and visual checking is finished, the equipment is tested under simulated conditions. Again, safe fluids such as air, water, and steam are used wherever possible. Sometimes inexpensive compounds with similar boiling points to the process chemicals are used to check distillation or other separative steps. For solids-handling equipment sometimes salt, the actual raw material, or product purchased for this test may be used. The purpose of these tests is to see whether every piece of equipment performs properly before more expensive and possibly more hazardous process compounds are charged to the system. It also gives the... 

ISO (2003) Standard 15839 Water quality on-line sensors/analysing equipment for water specifications and performance tests... 

For the purposes of instrument qualification, the PQ involves testing the equipment for overall system functionality. For dissolution equipment, these tests verify that the equipment can perform the entire dissolution process. A sample method should be observed to run properly. This can include running actual chemistry and analyzing the data results. 

Clear management support and commitment for critical equipment maintenance, testing, and inspection, since these activities often require production downtime in order to be performed. 

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