Section 15 — Inspection

Shop Inspection and Testing for New Refinery Equipment

IPE Engineering Practice IPE-EP-15-1-1

Document number: IPE-EP-15-1-1 · Section: 15 — Inspection

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SCOPE

This Practice covers general procedures for maintaining the Approved Bidders List for IPE preparing equipment specifications and bid packages, performing shop evaluations and audits shop inspection administration and carrying out shop inspections.

Procedures for both plant and major project shop inspections are included in this document.

These procedures shall be used for all fabricated equipment, rotating equipment, electrical equipment, instrumentation and major commodity items.

A revision bar indicates all changes made to this Revision.

REFERENCES

The latest edition of the following standards and publications are referred to herein.

STANDARDS AND PUBLICATIONS

IPE Engineering Practices
EP 1–1–3 Deviations to IPE Engineering Practices EP 5–3–24 Valve Inspection and Testing EP 7–1–3 Heavy Wall and Special Service Pressure Vessels EP 15–1–2 Quality Assurance for the Manufacture of Plant Equipment
ASME Code
Sec VIIIPressure Vessels, Division 1 Sec VIIIPressure Vessels, Alternative Rules, Division 2

DEFINITIONS

Bidder - Manufacturer bidding on the Requisitioner’s inquiry.

Code Authorized Inspector - An inspector who holds a valid National Board Commission and has qualified by written examination under the laws, rules and regulations of a jurisdiction of a state of the US or a province of Canada and is regularly employed as an inspector of an Authorized Inspection Agency.

Mechanical Specialist - A Inflection Point Engineering, LLC approved engineer specializing in pressure vessels, heat exchangers, piping and tankage.

Specialist – A Inflection Point Engineering, LLC approved discipline engineer.

Manufacturer - The recipient of a direct or indirect purchase order for materials and/or equipment. In this context, a direct order is one issued to a manufacturer by a contractor or the Owner. An indirect order is one issued to a manufacturer by a vendor (recipient of a direct order) for materials, fabricated components, or subassemblies.

Owner’s Engineer - A Inflection Point Engineering, LLC appointed engineer.

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Plant Inspector - The person or persons appointed by management to be responsible to the Plant Inspection Authority for the inspection of equipment within the Plant.

Procurement - The person or persons appointed by management as responsible for purchasing and materials management in the plants and for maintaining the Approved Bidders List.

Quality Assurance Plan for Plant Projects – A Inflection Point Engineering, LLC issued document outlining engineering QA procedures for major projects.

Quality Control Plan - The Manufacturer’s job specific documented plan for ensuring that all specified technical requirements will be followed. The Quality Control Plan shall include, as a minimum, the following; fabrication schedule including all heat treatment requirements, forming and rolling procedures, and an inspection and test plan with a schedule identifying all inspection points required by the Owner.

Requisitioner - A Inflection Point Engineering, LLC employee responsible for requisitioning an item(s) of equipment.

Shop Inspector - An engineer or inspector appointed by Inflection Point Engineering, LLC to carry out shop inspection of Plant equipment.

IPE APPROVED BIDDERS LIST

General

Procurement shall maintain a current IPE Approved Bidders List which is a compilation and classification of manufacturers who are considered acceptable to supply fabricated equipment, rotating equipment, electrical, instrumentation and major commodity items.

Procurement shall make available to the plants an Approved Bidders List upon request.

The Plant Inspection Authority(s) will be responsible for maintaining a record of manufacturer performance, which will be based on shop inspection report results.

Adding a Manufacturer

Manufacturers with whom Inflection Point Engineering, LLC has no direct experience or limited experience, may be added to the Approved Bidders List as a “Try” Manufacturer upon formal request from at least one of the following individuals, and agreement by the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority and Procurement:

A Plant Inspection Authority
A Plant Project Engineering Supt.
A Inflection Point Engineering, LLC approved Specialist
The Project Purchasing Supervisor (major projects)

The new Manufacturer shall be requested to complete a IPE Manufacturer Information Questionnaire (see EP 15–1–2) which shall be filed with Procurement and copied to the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority.

The appropriate Plant Inspection Authority or any of the individuals listed in paragraph 4.2.1 may request that a formal shop evaluation be performed.

The Manufacturer shall be added to the Bidders List as a “Try” Manufacturer upon a favorable shop evaluation. If a shop evaluation is not performed the Manufacturer may be added as a “Try” after the completed questionnaire is approved. The Manufacturers position on the Bidders List will be restricted to those products/services for which the Manufacturer is believed to be acceptable.
A “Try” Manufacturer may be elevated on the Approved Bidders List after satisfactory completion of a IPE order. The appropriate products/service restrictions shall apply.
Removing a Manufacturer
With time, information on certain Manufacturers may indicate poor performance or may become out of date. In these cases, the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority may request that a shop reevaluation is performed.
With agreement from Procurement, a Manufacturer may be dropped from the Approved Bidders List due to poor performance on a job or an unacceptable shop reevaluation.

SHOP EVALUATIONS

General
A shop evaluation may be requested by any of the individuals in paragraph 4.2.1.
All requests for shop evaluations should be routed to the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority.
The appropriate Plant Inspection Authority and/or Mechanical Specialist will perform shop evaluations for those shops supplying fabricated mechanical equipment.
For shops supplying other products/services (e.g. electrical, rotating equipment etc.) shop evaluations shall be performed by the appropriate IPE approved Specialist.
The appropriate Plant Inspection Authority shall inform Procurement when a shop evaluation has been requested.
Procurement may wish to participate in the shop evaluation for the purpose of ensuring that the Manufacturer is commercially acceptable.
The Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Representative(s) performing the shop evaluation will make arrangements with the Manufacturer for the visit.
The appropriate Plant Inspection Authority shall ensure that a copy of the IPE Manufacturer Information Questionnaire is completed by the Manufacturer prior to the evaluation.
The Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Representative(s) performing the shop evaluation shall observe all shop rules and regulations during the shop visit.
During the shop evaluation, the Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Representatives shall verify that all information on the IPE Manufacturer Information Questionnaire is correct and pursue any points which appear suspicious or incomplete.
The Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Representative(s) shall assess the Manufacturer’s capabilities to perform work to IPE Engineering Practices and complete the IPE Manufacturer Shop Survey Form (see EP 15–1–2).

The Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Representative(s) performing the evaluation shall determine whether or not the Manufacturer is technically qualified to be a IPE supplier according to the requirements of the IPE Manufacturer Shop Survey Form.
Upon completion of the shop visit, the Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Representative shall ensure that both the IPE Manufacturer Information Questionnaire and Manufacturer Shop Survey Forms are properly completed.
The completed forms shall be sent to Procurement and copied to the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority.
Plant Projects

Shop evaluations may be performed by the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority or his designee.

Major Projects
By agreement between the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority and the Project Purchasing Supervisor, shop evaluations may be performed by the Engineering Contractor.
If approved by the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority, the Engineering Contractor may use its own Manufacturer Information Questionnaire and Shop Survey forms.

SPECIFICATION PREPARATION AND BID PROCEDURE

General

Potential bidders shall be selected from the Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Approved Bidders List. One or two “Try” Manufacturers may be included on an inquiry list.

Plant Projects
The Plant Requisitioner is responsible for coordinating input from the following groups as necessary to establish the specifications and requirements for the equipment to be purchased:
Plant Operations Department.
Plant Maintenance Department.
Plant Inspection and/or Reliability Departments.
Plant Operations Development Department.
The Requisitioner shall send a complete package with the following information to Procurement for inclusion in the inquiry package:
Process and Performance Requirements
Referenced IPE Engineering Practices
Equipment Data Sheets
Scope of Work
Materials of Construction
Approved Drawings
Additional Inspection Requirements
Procurement shall recommend a Manufacturer based on an economic review of the bids.
The Requisitioner shall coordinate the technical evaluation of the bids. All groups identified above shall be involved in the review process.

For major purchases, the Requisitioner or Plant Inspection Authority may at this time request that a formal shop evaluation be performed.
If technically acceptable, the Manufacturer selected in Section 6.3 shall be awarded the contract. A Manufacturer shall not be awarded the contract if found technically unacceptable.
The Plant Inspection Authority shall determine the need and extent of shop inspection. A IPE Shop Inspection Checklist Form (see EP 15–1–2) shall be completed and included in the purchase order package.
The Requisitioner shall send copies of the purchase order and a complete information package to the Plant Inspection Authority. The package shall include the following:
Approved drawings package sent to the Manufacturer
Scope of Work
List of referenced IPE Engineering Practices
Copy of Manufacturer quote
Technical correspondence and Manufacturer agreements associated with the order.
If required by the Plant Inspection Authority or the Requisitioner, a pre–award meeting for major purchases between the Manufacturer and IPE representative(s) shall be held to review the technical requirements and quality aspects of the job.
Major Projects
In accordance with the Quality Assurance Plan For Projects, the Engineering Contractor shall send copies of the complete inquiry package with both commercial and technical specifications to the appropriate Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Approved Specialist for review prior to being issued to the bidders.
Potential bidders shall be selected from the IPE Approved Bidders List. Manufacturers recommended by the Engineering Contractor shall be considered for the Bidders List in accordance with section 4.0 of this Practice.
The Engineering Contractor shall include an Inspection Checklist in the purchase order package which shall outline the level and extent of inspection required. With approval from the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority, the Engineering Contractor may use its own Inspection Checklist rather than the Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Form.
The Owner’s Engineer may require a pre-award meeting for major purchases between the Manufacturer, the Engineering Contractor and Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Approved Specialist to review Technical requirements and quality aspects of the job.

SHOP INSPECTION

General
Equipment requiring shop inspection is listed in Table 1.
As a minimum, shop inspection and testing requirements shall be per the specified design codes, IPE Engineering Practice(s) and the IPE Inspection Checklist included in the Purchase Order Package.

As a minimum, shop inspection and testing requirements shall be per the specified design codes, IPE Engineering Practice(s) and the IPE Inspection Checklist included in the Purchase Order Package.
The Shop Inspector shall be familiar with the requirements of the IPE Engineering Practices, codes, specifications and drawings pertinent to an order.
The Shop Inspector shall schedule and coordinate shop visits to ensure that all inspection activities required in the Inspection Checklist and in the specified IPE Engineering Practices are completed.
The Inspection Checklist is not intended to limit the scope of an inspection nor limit the reporting of inspection observations.
The Shop Inspector shall never omit a required inspection activity because a Code Authorized Inspector has already made the inspection.
Any deviations or waivers from IPE Engineering Practices must be in accordance with EP 1–1–3.
The Shop Inspector shall send copies of final inspection reports to the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority or his designee.
Plant Projects
The Plant Inspection Authority may require shop inspection of equipment items not included in Table 1.
The Plant Inspection Authority shall determine who will perform the shop inspection, normally from the following groups:
Plant Inspection Personnel
A IPE Approved Contract Inspection Agency
IPE Approved Specialist
IPE Engineering Personnel
The Plant Inspection Authority or the Requisitioner may require a prefabrication meeting for major purchases between the Manufacturer and IPE to finalize the Quality Control Plan, establish schedules for inspection, hold points, tests and final inspection for release of the equipment for shipping.
When a contract inspection agency is used, the Plant Inspection Authority or his designee shall submit an inspection request (refer to EP 15–1–2 for an example of a request form).
The Plant Inspection Authority or his designee shall coordinate all interactions with the contract inspection agency.
All questions concerning the interpretation of any Practice or drawing shall be brought to the attention of the Requisitioner.
Official approval for a change of specification or corrective action shall be communicated to the Manufacturer by the Requisitioner.
The Shop Inspector shall issue a complete inspection report to the Plant Inspection Authority after each shop visit. The report shall describe all inspection activities and results. Any nonconformity with specifications or fabrication problems shall be highlighted.

Major Projects
With the approval of the Owner’s Engineer, the Engineering Contractor may require shop inspection of equipment not included in Table 1.
The Owner’s Engineer may require a prefabrication meeting for major purchases between the Manufacturer, the Engineering Contractor, the Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Approved Specialist and Shop Inspector to finalize the Quality Control Plan, establish schedules for inspection, hold points, tests and final inspection for release of equipment for shipping.
Shop inspectors shall be qualified and Owner Approved permanent employees of the Engineering Contractor. Contract inspection agencies may be used with the approval by the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority. For certain equipment items, Inflection Point Engineering, LLC may use their own employees for shop inspection.
The Engineering Contractor shall issue a biweekly shop inspection schedule to the appropriate Plant Inspection Authority which will provide at least one week’s notice for future inspections.
All questions concerning the interpretation of any Practice or drawing shall be brought to the attention of the Owner’s Engineer.
Official approval for a change of specification or corrective action shall be communicated to the Manufacturer by the Owner’s Engineer.
An inspection report shall be written for each shop inspection visit and issued to the Owner’s Engineer. The report shall describe all inspection activities and results. Any nonconformity with specifications or fabrication problems shall be highlighted.

SHOP INSPECTION AUDITS

In general, a Shop Inspection Audit is performed to assure that equipment is being manufactured in compliance with the job specifications and that the Shop Inspectors being employed by Inflection Point Engineering, LLC are effectively carrying out their responsibilities.
The appropriate Plant Inspection Authority or the Inflection Point Engineering, LLC Approved Specialist may request a Shop Inspection Audit be performed on major jobs or where there is concern about Manufacturer/Shop Inspector performance.
The appropriate Plant Inspection Authority or his designee or a Inflection Point Engineering, LLC

Approved Specialist shall perform Shop Inspection Audits.

The Audit shall verify the following:
All inspections and tests required in the appropriate IPE Engineering Practices and Inspection Checklist are completed and properly documented.
Sufficient inspection coverage was provided to assure that the Quality Plan and fabrication schedule are being met.
That the Shop Inspector is knowledgeable in all Engineering Practices, codes and standards specified in the order.
That the Shop Inspector has all of the current, approved drawings needed for the job.
The Audit team shall issue a report to the Owner’s Engineer (major projects) and Plant Inspection Authority (plant projects) summarizing their findings and recommending further action when necessary.

9.0 TABLES

TABLE 1

EQUIPMENT REQUIRING SHOP INSPECTION

Discipline	Equipment
(1) Electrical Equipment	Motors, greater than NEMA size units or larger orders for NEMA motors. Generators, all orders. All equipment furnished with special controls or relays. Motor–operated valves, will be inspected only if critical and application warrant it. Switchgear 600V to 34.SKV, all orders Motor control centers (new MCC’s only, expansions sections will be inspected based on size and critical use. Switchgear (same criteria as MCC’s). Cable and wire (will be inspected only if criticality and application warrant). Batteries and chargers, all orders. UPS, all orders. Power conditioners, all orders. Lighting systems, larger orders only. Transformers, 500 KVA and above will be inspected, smaller units only is in critical application or specialty. Auto/Manual transfer switches/circuits, all orders. Heat tracing, system type applications only i.e. tracing that has alarms, controllers, etc. OCB’s all orders. Electrical packaged equipment.
(2) Heat Transfer Equipment	Tubular Heat Exchangers, as follows: Same as for pressure vessels in Paragraphs (b) through (g). Exchangers with longitudinal baffles for two shell passes. Exchangers with special flange bolting procedures. Exchangers with tubes welded to tube sheets. Single–pass, floating–head exchangers with internal expansion joint. Waste heat and quench boilers. Plate exchangers, to ensure that plate materials and gaskets are free from defects. Air–cooled heat exchangers, as follows: Same as for pressure vessels in Paragraphs (b) through (f). When tubes are required to be welded to tube sheets. During assembly, run–in tests, and noise tests.

TABLE 1

EQUIPMENT REQUIRING SHOP INSPECTION (CONTINUED)

Discipline	Equipment
(2) Heat Transfer Equipment (continued)	Fired Heaters (including incinerators), as follows: Alloy coil welding. Cast alloy tubes and special fittings. Alloy manifold fabrication and welding. Shop–installed refractory. Shop–fabricated heater sections. Burner inspection and test, including noise test. Air preheater fabrication. Boilers and Steam Drums, as follows: Steam drums, same as for pressure vessels in Para. (b) through (f). Shop–fabricated boiler sections (not structural). Boilers, when assembled.
(3) Instrumentation	Distributed Control Systems Programmable Logic controllers Flame Management systems Control Panels Pre–wired or pipe termination cabinets for electrical and pneumatic interconnections Analyzers and sample conditioning systems All control systems and instruments associated with packaged equipment Repair shops for control valves, safety valves, and instruments Fabricated samplers for process, water, and waste water streams
(4) Piping and Valves	Piping of alloy steel (Cr–Mo) and nonferrous materials such as Monel, Inconel, Incoloy and nickel. Piping requiring full radiographic inspection of welding. Piping subject to halogen or similar leak tests Special equipment such as motor–operated valves for cyclic service; FCC catalyst slide valves and hot gas butterfly valves; castings requiring radiographic examination as specified in EP 5–3–24; headers with multiple, closely spaced openings of the extruded or welded type; expansion joints in critical service; silencers; pulsation dampeners.

TABLE 1

EQUIPMENT REQUIRING SHOP INSPECTION (CONTINUED)

Discipline	Equipment
(5) Pressure Vessels	Vessels designed to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Division 2, or similar advanced design rules; or those conforming to EP 7–1–2. Vessels whose design conditions are > 300 psig and 650F. Vessels in cyclic or corrosive service. Alloy, alloy clad, lined, or weld–overlaid vessels. Vessels of nonferrous material (Hastelloy, Monel, titanium nickel) and vessels of non–metallic materials (plastic or fiberglass). Vessels built by ”Try” manufacturers. Vessels with castable linings, affording insulation and/or erosion protection, or with special epoxy linings.
(6) Rotating Equipment	Centrifugal Compressors. Axial–flow compressors. Rotary Compressors. Gas Turbines. Hydraulic Turbines. Expander Turbines. Special–purpose Steam Turbines. Special–purpose Gears. i. Centrifugal pumps in critical service; for example, pumps in decoking water service, boiler feed pumps, and certain charge pumps. Special fans (blowers). Diesel engines. Reciprocating compressors. Mixers. Lube and seal oil packages for compressors. 1.) Centrifugal pumps should be shop inspected when the following tests are required: Shop head–capacity tests. Suppression tests for net positive suction head (NPSH) performance Equipment built by ”tag” number.

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