Condition/Remaining Life Engineering Assessment and Metallurgical Analysis
Whether it be compressor (“cold”) section components or combustion/turbine section parts subjected to extremes of operating temperatures and environment, Eta Technologies LLC (Eta Tech) can provide expert inspections and analyses to assess components and provide valuable information for informed repair, replace or life extension decisions.
Eta Tech can offer state-of-the-art inspections on either a destructive or nondestructive basis to accurately assess component condition and answer your questions, such as:
- What damage mechanisms are prevalent, given the specific operating parameters?
- Could there be latent manufacturing defects present which could adversely affect part life?
- Is there significant metallurgical deterioration of hardware not evident by visual or NDT inspections?
- Are components capable of being refurbished, and if so, how many HGPI or CI intervals will they last?
- How are the coating systems being used holding up, and are there better coating systems commercially available for the specific operating conditions?
- Is there significant risk in running certain components for the currently employed service interval?
Eta Tech can also manage and assist in providing analytical engineering studies to model the steady state and transient operating conditions of any given component. Conducting these analytical design reviews can provide or allow:
- A “sanity check” on the life limits posed by the OEM.
- The establishment of remaining life limits based on sensible (not overly conservative) safety factors.
- The disposition of findings from rigorous inspections.
- The establishment of critical flaw sizes as a function of location.
And through these efforts, a very important question can be answered - are the OEM’s recommendations for service intervals, component repair and parts life realistic, or geared toward selling new parts?
