Industrial plants in many industries rely upon piping systems that use bolted flanged connections to contain process flow. Accordingly, maintaining piping system integrity can be an important issue that significantly contributes to personnel safety, plant reliability and availability. The aftermath of piping system leaks at chemical plants, such as in Bhopal, india, and petroleum refineries in the United States, have made world news headlines for their safety impact. Research conducted by the Nuclear Maintenance Applications Center (NMAC), operated by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), has resulted in the identification of factors that affect relative piping system integrity inbolted flanged connections, leading to the development of a unique approach to personnel training that dramatically improves piping system integrity and reduces associated leakage incidents. This paper presents key elements of an effective plant leak reduction program, pertinent underlying issues, and their cumulative affect upon piping system integrity.
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