Technical guides, standards and industrial comparisons

API 510 completes the in-service trilogy with API 570 (piping) and API 653 (tanks): it governs pressure vessels after they enter service. For maintenance teams, it frames the run-repair-replace decision when inspection finds damage — and it is the strictest of the three about what a repair must demonstrate. A practical read, Canadian context included.

API 570 is the code your inspector is applying when a thickness reading on a process line comes back low. Understanding how it classifies piping, where it measures, and what it requires of a repair is the difference between a planned intervention and an unplanned shutdown. A practical read for maintenance and reliability teams.

ASME PCC-2 is the standard most often cited to justify a composite repair on piping or pressure equipment. It is also the standard most often misunderstood: PCC-2 designs and qualifies a repair — it does not, by itself, make that repair acceptable. Here is what Part 4 actually covers, how it relates to ISO 24817, and where its authority ends.

"3,000 hours salt spray" is the most quoted number on coating datasheets — and the most misread. ASTM B117 is a controlled comparison tool, not a service-life predictor. Here is what the test actually does, why hours do not convert to years, and how to use B117 results intelligently when selecting or specifying a coating.

Crevice corrosion needs no film defect, no unusual chemistry, no mistake in alloy selection — just a tight gap where fluid can enter and stagnate. It is the mechanism behind failed flange faces, perforated lap joints and corroded bolted connections on alloys that were "rated for the service". Here is how the occluded cell works and what design can do about it.

Every corrosion course shows the galvanic series; few explain how to use it. Here is the full table in seawater, ordered from noble to active, and the three rules — potential gap, area ratio, electrolyte — that turn a list of metals into real design and maintenance decisions.

Half the world's coating specifications describe blast cleanliness with ISO 8501 Sa grades; the other half with SSPC/NACE designations. Projects that mix suppliers, applicators and inspectors from both worlds end up with both systems in one document — and disputes at handover. Here is how the two frameworks relate, and how to keep one of them in charge.

Microbiologically influenced corrosion is responsible for a remarkable share of unexplained perforations — firewater lines, tank bottoms, dead legs, heat exchangers. It is not a new chemistry of corrosion but an acceleration of familiar ones, driven by biofilms. Here is how it works, how to recognize it, and what actually controls it.

Pitting is the corrosion mechanism with the worst ratio of damage to metal loss: a tank can perforate while 99.9 % of its wall is intact. Here is how the autocatalytic pit works, why chlorides and stainless steel are the classic pairing, how PREN helps compare alloys, and which defenses actually change the outcome.

API 653 governs the inspection, repair and alteration of atmospheric storage tanks. Here is how composite repairs fit within it, how to decide between welding and composite, and what you must document to stay compliant.

CSA Z245.30 governs external coatings applied to steel pipelines in the field — girth weld joints, repairs and rehabilitation. This guide explains the FC1 to FC7 system classes, the qualification and testing requirements, and how the standard fits with CSA Z662 and the Z245.20 series.

A leaking graphite heat exchanger is not automatically scrap. Between tube plugging, crack sealing and composite resurfacing, restoration puts years of service back into the unit at a fraction of the cost and lead time of a new one. Here is how to decide — and how the work is actually done.

ISO 12944 is the global bible of steel structure anti-corrosion protection. This guide decodes the 6 atmospheric corrosivity categories and how to choose the right coating system.

NACE International and SSPC merged into AMPP in 2021, yet purchase orders, project specifications and coating procedures still cite the old designations. This map shows how the legacy names relate, what AMPP kept, and how to write a specification that no bidder can misread.

An immersion epoxy coating can last 5 years or 25 years depending on conditions. Here are the 7 factors that make the difference — and how to optimize them to maximize your investment.

Per-litre price is not enough to compare coatings. This method includes installation, downtime, inspection and maintenance scenarios in a total-cost analysis.

Composite repair avoids an intentional flame and welding arc, but it does not eliminate ignition hazards. These are the HSE controls to consider before work in a hazardous location.

Alumina ceramic and AR (Abrasion Resistant) steel are the two dominant anti-wear solutions. But one does not replace the other. Here is how to choose by your wear mechanism.

The junction of cupro-nickel or titanium tubes rolled into a carbon-steel tube sheet creates a perfect galvanic couple. The cooling water does the rest — and the sheet gouges. Here is the mechanism and how to stop it.

Welding is not always possible, or desirable. In ATEX zones, on cast iron, or to save days of downtime, epoxy cold bonding is often the better option. Here is a quantified comparison.

Surface preparation has a major influence on adhesion and durability. This guide presents NACE 2 / SSPC-SP10, anchor profile and inspection points to adapt to the selected system.

Cavitation and erosion-corrosion destroy pump casings long before the pump itself reaches end of life. Here is how to rebuild the original geometry with an epoxy mastic, without hot work or heavy machining.