Qualification test

Diesel Fuel. Eederal diesel specifications were changed to specify a maximum of 0.05% sulfur and a minimum cetane index of 40 or a maximum aromatics content of 35 vol % for on-road diesel. Eor off-road diesel, higher sulfur is allowed. CARB specifications require 0.05% sulfur on or off road and 10% aromatics maximum or passage of a qualification test. Process technologies chosen to meet these specifications include hydrotreating, hydrocracking, and aromatics saturation. 

Most users require extensive composite qualification testing programs to assure acceptable end use product properties. The magnitude of the qualification depends entirely on the end use requirements and may range from extensive testing of laminates and final parts made from several production lots of fiber, to a single lot laminate evaluation or test coupon verification of properties. 

Majumdar. S., Seismic qualification testing of switchboards , Siemens Circuit, m Vol. XXVI April (1991) and 1/92 Vol. XXVI January (1992). 

Design validation may take the form of qualification tests which stress the product up to and beyond design limits - beta tests where products are supplied to several typical users on trial in order to gather operational performance data, performance trials, and reliability and maintainability trials where products are put on test for prolonged periods to simulate usage conditions. 

As the cost of testing vast quantities of equipment would be too great and take too long, qualification tests, particularly on hardware, are usually performed on a small sample. The test levels are varied to take account of design assumptions, variations in production processes and the operating environment. 

Procedures for controlling qualification tests and demonstrations should provide for ... 

The test sample to have successfully passed all planned in-process and assembly inspections and tests prior to commencing qualification tests... 

Test reviews to be performed following qualification tests to confirm that sufficient objective evidence has been obtained to demonstrate that the product fulfills the requirements of the test specification... 

This requirement was addressed above under Procedures for contolling qualification tests and demonstrations and needs no further discussion. 

All processes and equipment should be proven capable of performing the task for which they were designed and so should either be subject to qualification tests or process capability tests. There may be documentation available from the supplier of the equipment which adequately demonstrates its capability, otherwise you may need to carry out qualification and capability tests to your own satisfaction. In the process industries the plant is specially designed and so needs to be commissioned and qualified by the user. Your procedures need to provide for such activities and for records of the tests to be maintained. 

Materials selection for low-temperature service is a ecialized area. In general, it is necessary to select materials and fabrication methods which will provide adequate toughness at all operating conditions. It is frequently necessary to specify Charpy V-notch (or other appropriate) qualification tests to demonstrate adequate toughness of carbon and low-alloy steels at minimum operating temperatures. 

Materials With Limited Service. The desirability of specifying some degree of production impact testing, in addition to the weld procedure qualification tests, when using materials with limited low-temperature service experience below the minimum temperature stated in Table IX-2. 

The procedure specifications and personnel qualifications, testing, and certification shall conform to the requirements of this Chapter and the following ... 

The construction organization has at least one currently employed welder or welding operator who, while in its employ, has satisfactorily passed a performance qualification test using the designated WPS. 

Welder operator qualifications with or without filler material (autogenous welding) shall be limited to the mechanized WPS/PQR and ASME BPV Code Section IX, or API Standard 1104. Three consecutive, acceptable samples shall be required to support welder operator qualification testing. 

Electrodes and filler metal shall conform to the requirements of ASME BPV Code Section II, Part C. An electrode or filler metal not yet incorporated in Section II, Part C may be used with the owner s approval if a procedure qualification test is first successfully made. (See Nonmandatory Appendix A of ASME B31.12.)... 

In addition, appropriate tests shall be conducted, including WPS qualification tests. 

Hardness testing shall be conducted for welding and brazing procedure qualification tests, hot and cold bent formed piping, pipe components, production weldments, and brazements. 

The intent of this section is to set out requirements to allow an operator of a pipeline previously used for service not covered by this Code to qualify that pipeline for service under this Code. For a dual service pipeline used alternately to transport natural gas under ASME B31.8 or hydrogen under this Code, only the initial conversion to hydrogen service requires qualification testing. The following procedure shall be followed ... 

The degree of lot-to-lot reproducibility you require from a column is ultimately a function of the needs of a particular assay, which makes it impossible to state definite limits that will be appropriate in every case. Whatever the level of variation, it is important that it be documented. As new lots of media are brought into use over the course of years, their performance vs. the established reference should be included in a master database begun with the original qualification testing. Among other factors, this will allow you to track the column manufacturer s performance over time and possibly detect trends that could affect your assay performance — before a problem occurs. 

An example qualification test for CE—MS involves the simple separation of two small pentapeptides Leu-enkephalin (miz 556) and Met-enkephalin (mlz 589). The sample mixture is composed of 100 pmol/pL of each component in 100% H20,1% acetic acid. The CE column is a 50 im ID x 65—80cm bare fused silica pre-washed with O.IM NaOH and H2O, and then pre-rinsed with the running buffer solution of 100% water, 1% acetic acid. The injection method is pressure at 50mbar for 10 s and an ESI sheath liquid in the ratio of 60/40 IPA/water, 1% acetic acid at 2 tL/min. The spectra are collected every 3 s over a 350—3000 mlz scan. 

Method qualification is based on ICH method validation guidelines. Method type (purity or identity) will dictate the level of qualification testing necessary. Several strategies for method qualification and validation exist and are based on needs, resources available, and the project timeframe. One approach is to perform minimal development and qualification, which may be necessary for projects with shorter timelines, but it may place more burden and risk on future validation activities for robustness testing, and can result in failure. As discussed in Chapter 4, an alternate approach would invest more time and resources into method development, followed by extensive qualification and robusmess testing to determine if further development is... 

Separation conditions in general refer to the entire system, including sample, instrument, detection, capillary, buffer, separation voltage, time, and polarity. Again, due to the flexibility in development that CZE methods afford, special attention to each of these variables may be necessary. Once the method has been optimized, qualification testing... 

In this paper we are concerned with the adhesive systems beneath thick rubber adherends. Unlike the technology for the paint industry, where the science of qualification testing for durable thin coatings has produced paints with 10, possibly 20 years life... 

---