Static Equipment on a Process Site
What counts as static pressure equipment, why it matters, who looks after it, and how the course fits together.
11 min
Activities: 0 of 2
Equipment that does not move, but can still fail
On a process site, rotating equipment such as pumps and compressors makes noise and attracts attention. Static equipment is quiet. Separators, drums, columns, filters, air receivers and heat exchangers sit in place for decades. Yet they hold most of the site’s hydrocarbon inventory, often at high pressure and temperature. When a vessel or exchanger fails, the release can be large and sudden.
Static equipment rarely fails without warning. Damage builds up slowly: corrosion, cracking, fouling, erosion. The skill is to know which damage to expect, to find it in time, and to run the equipment inside its design limits so the damage stays slow.
Who does what
Run the equipment inside its operating limits, watch levels, pressures and temperatures, and report leaks, vibration and damaged insulation.
How the course is built
- 1
Module 1
Foundations
Stress in a shell, design records and the codes.
- 2
Module 2
Pressure vessels
Construction, separators, sizing, level control and protection.
- 3
Module 3
Heat exchangers
Types, heat transfer calculations, fouling, tube leaks, air coolers and plate exchangers.
- 4
Module 4
Operating safely
Thermal stress, brittle fracture, preparing for entry and pressure testing.
- 5
Module 5
Integrity and inspection
Damage mechanisms, inspection, remaining life and external corrosion.
- 6
Modules 6 and 7
Cases and consolidation
Real problems worked through, then the complete picture.
Why does static equipment need active management even though it has no moving parts?