MISTRAS has served clients in the pulp & paper industry for decades, supporting their operations with high-quality non-destructive testing (NDT) inspections and engineering support to ensure safe and productive operations.
Operations in pulp & paper mills are often in high-temperature and high-pressure environments, so pulp & paper tanks, vessels, piping, tubes, and other assets are often at high risk of corrosion and cracking.
As an industry leader in providing non-destructive testing (NDT) inspections and engineering reliability services, MISTRAS expertly supports our pulp & paper clients to maximize their facility’s safety and uptime.
MISTRAS provides inspection, engineering consulting, and turnaround management and execution solutions for a wide range of pulp & paper assets, including:
- Metal Pressure Vessels
- Dryers
- FRP Vessels, Tanks and Pipes
- Cokers
- Aboveground Storage Tanks (ASTs)
- Digesters
- Boiler Tubing
- Ammonia Tanks
- O2 Black Liquor Reactors
- Tank Walls and Floors
- Rollers: Suction, Press, Felt
- Steam Valves
Pulp & Paper Mill Inspection Services
MISTRAS offers a wide range of NDT inspection techniques approved by TAPPI, the leading association for the pulp & paper industry worldwide. Our available NDT inspection solutions to detect local over-stress, crack growth, corrosion, and leaks include:
Among other regulatory codes, we inspect your assets to API 510, 570, and 653 codes to ensure your plant remains safe and in regulatory compliance.
TankPAC™ – Tank Bottom Condition Assessment
TankPAC™ is a surveying tool designed to assess the tank bottom condition in aboveground storage tanks (ASTs).
TankPAC is an in-service test that utilizes Acoustic Emission (AE) transducers that are mounted on the outside of the tank wall to listen to the active corrosion inside the tank. Based on the test results and the resulting grade given to the tank, the owner/operator can decide whether or not it is necessary to open the tank for decontamination and internal inspection.
In addition to detecting active corrosion, TankPAC’s AE technology can also be used for detecting and locating active leaks.
Learn more about the TankPAC technology package here.
MONPAC™ – In-Service Pressure Vessel Testing
An acoustic emission "expert system" for evaluating the condition of metal pressure systems and tanks, based on experience from thousands of tests, MONPAC procedures are now widely-used in the oil and chemical industries.
MONPAC uses AE sensors to detect the high-frequency signals resulting from stress-related deterioration, ensuring real-time defect detection of even the smallest faults with high speed and resolution.
In pulp & paper mills, MISTRAS utilizes the MONPAC system for dryers, cokers, O2 reactors, and ammonia tanks.
Learn more about the MONPAC technology package here.
Cool Down Monitoring
Cool down inspections are an alternative to online AE testing for assets that may operate at extreme temperatures. As the internal temp drops, a thermal gradient is established throughout the vessel. The higher the cooling rate, the higher the gradient. The ideal cool down test is one where for a given internal pressure, the thermal gradient stays within 110-150% of normal operating load.
On certain types of thick-walled, high-temperature vessels, the three-dimensional loading resulting from cool down may be sufficient to stimulate defects to emit acoustic emission signals. In this case, monitoring the cool down provides information for scheduling further inspection and maintenance, resulting in considerable reduction of downtime.
Pulp & Paper Mill Process Safety and Engineering Reliability
MISTRAS’ expert engineers help to ensure that on-site personnel remain safe from the potentially-harmful chemicals and environments at pulp & paper facilities.
Our consultants support your operations starting with initial plant design and construction, offering process design auditing and analyses to ensure plants are constructed safely and efficiently.
We’re also available to support in-service operations, through comprehensive Asset Integrity Management (AIMS), Mechanical Integrity (MI), Process Safety Management (PSM) programs, and Fitness-for-Service (FFS) evaluations.
