INDUSTRY INSIGHTS NEWSLETTER
Welcome to Equity's Industry Insights Newsletter
Repair decisions in fixed equipment are only as good as the technical basis behind them, and assumptions that go unexamined have a way of surfacing later as failures, compliance gaps, or unnecessary cost. Thismonth, Industry Insights explores maintenance and repairs from multiple angles, with articles covering local PWHT simulation and weld residual stress, proposed new guidance for fillet-welded patch design, and afoundational introduction to the repair process for early-career engineers.Â
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Featured Articles
Local PWHT and Weld Residual Stress: A Case Study in Welding and PWHT Simulation
A local PWHT procedure that fully complies with WRC 452 does not guarantee the residual stress relief assumed in fitness-for-service assessments, and for equipment susceptible to environmental cracking, that gap can be the difference between a successful repair and a repeat failure. This case study presents a coupled welding and PWHT finite element simulation of a fractionator head repair, comparing local PWHT outcomes against furnace treatment and identifying ramp rate as the most powerful lever for improving stress relief.
New Guidance for the Design of Fillet-Welded Patches
The current ASME PCC-2 Article 212 guidance for fillet-welded patch repairs is known to be conservative, frequently driving patch plate thicknesses past the 1.5-inch threshold that triggers mandatory PWHT. This article presents Equity Engineering’s proposed T-min methodology, an FEA-validated alternative that eliminates unnecessary thickness penalties and reduces PWHT risk while remaining technically rigorous and grounded in ASME design-by-analysis principles.
Engineering 101: Run, Repair, or Replace? A Guide to Pressure Equipment Repair
Not every inspection finding requires physical repair, and not every repair that looks straightforward actually is. This article in our Engineering 101 series outlines the full pressure equipment repair process, from characterizing damage and identifying the governing codes to selecting the right method and closing out the work with proper documentation.
Recently Published in the Industry Insights Newsletter
When Pressure Builds: The Science and Engineering of Explosion Venting
Combustible dust explosions are well-documented, well-studied, and entirely preventable, and yet they continue to claim lives, as tragically demonstrated by the July 2025 explosion at a Nebraska biofuels facility. This article introduces the engineering fundamentals of explosion venting, walking through the key parameters, calculations, and judgment calls required to design a compliant and effective deflagration vent per NFPA 68.
Process Design Practices: Closing the Knowledge Gap
Fragmented in-house knowledge and overreliance on third-party expertise are quietly eroding process design capability across the industry. Equity’s Process Design Practices (PDPs) provide a structured, customizable framework for capturing and transferring process design knowledge, supporting everything from equipment sizing and fluid handling to safety systems and basic engineering reviews.
Engineering 101: Codes and Standards: A Working Introduction
Codes and standards are referenced constantly in process facilities, but early-career engineers often lack a clear framework for understanding what they are, how they relate to each other, and why they carry real legal and safety consequences. This article in our Engineering 101 series provides a practical introduction to the codes and standards landscape, covering construction codes, in-service codes, FFS standards, and RAGAGEP, with field examples and common pitfalls to help new engineers build a working foundation, whatever their role.
