May 2014
Special Report: Maintenance/Reliability
Evaluate piping for displacement-controlled loading
In a Canadian case study, new piping under construction suffered some settlement in the underground portion, as evidenced by soil movement and slight deflection of the above-ground section.
The Authors
John Tharakan is a Static Equipment SME at Suncor Energy Inc.’s Enterprise Technical Department. He has a post-graduate degree in mechanical engineering design and more than 30 yr of experience in the oil industry. Mr. Tharakan renders consulting services to various business units of Suncor on complex problems involving static equipment and piping. He also leads a Suncor-wide static equipment and piping excellence network that develops best practices and proactively drives mechanical integrity. He previously worked for Kuwait Oil Co. in Kuwait and for Kochi Refineries in India.
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