Avoiding catastrophic failures in industrial facilities.

Experts in the energy sector have devised a new solution to prevent cracks in plant equipment before they develop.

IMI Critical Engineering, has launched IMI Insyt, a new digital service to improve performance, reliability, and efficiency in industrial plants. This is a digitally based prescriptive engineering service that can prevent structural integrity issues such as cracks and leaks in pipes and equipment. It works to protect industrial processes by optimizing plant operations and minimizes costly and unexpected plant downtime.

The energy industry has changed dramatically since the introduction of renewable energy sources. Historically, industrial and manufacturing plants were designed for continuous, 24-hour operation. The increasing use of renewable energy means that plants are more likely to be stopped and restarted to help supplement the supply of renewable power.

These increased startups and shutdowns can create serious issues within plants. The pipes and valves can crack during the attemperation process (Referring to the control of the required temperature of superheated or reheated steam by water spray injection.), which can cause plant shutdowns, costly repairs, a loss in revenue, and unsafe working conditions.

To combat these problems, IMI Insyt employs system-wide, physics-based analysis. Carried out by highly experienced IMI engineering experts, the service identifies improvements required for de-superheating performance and system control. It can analyze steam flow, spray-water profiling, and thermal cycling.

The data-driven analytics used by IMI Insyt identifies operational problems, design faults, and inadequate maintenance. By rectifying these issues, plants can improve plant safety and performance before any catastrophic failures occur.

The system is cloud-based and can be initiated remotely as well as on-site. Several customers in North America have already tried and tested this service which has helped them to stop cracks occurring in pipes and avoid costly repairs or plant shutdowns. At a Combined Cycle Power Plant, the Insyt team captured and analyzed the data to quickly identify the major issues requiring immediate attention in the plant.

Jackie Hu, Divisional Managing Director at IMI Critical Engineering, said: “IMI Insyt has been developed by our trusted Valve Doctors® and industry experts with decades of experience. We’re excited to launch this solution that can ensure peace of mind for plant owners, keep employees safe, and optimize plant operations to increase revenue.”

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