Industrial

The fossil industry shares common challenges with other industries from the point of view of materials, components, structures and (more generally) industrial facilities. Thus, fracture, fatigue or corrosion are phenomena that should be addressed properly.

However, in the same way that corrosion is a specific key issue in the chemical industry, in the case of thermal power stations creep is a highly important phenomenon that may determine the structural integrity of many components. This problem is complex, since it starts with thermal and thermomechanical analyses and continues with the creep itself, but the staff of Inesco Ingenieros, its expertise and our multidisciplinary teams allow creep (fracture, fatigue and corrosion) assessments to be performed, addressing the needs of our clients.

Creep assessments

Creep is a damage mechanism that is very likely to occur in thermal power plants, and it can lead structural components to the final failure or to have excessive deformations that make the in-service performance difficult. Also, it may generate the propagation of pre-existing cracks at constant loading conditions, or accelerate fatigue processes (creep-fatigue).

The analysis of these phenomena requires a high level of expertise that our staff has acquired in recent years through the provision of specialised services to European leader companies, using the main assessment procedure (e.g., R5), and attending training courses at first level universities and institutions worldwide.

Thermal and thermomechanical simulations

The high temperatures occurring in thermal power plants, and the different temperatures existing in the components makes structural analyses of this kind of components more difficult.

Thermal and thermomechanical analyses are, therefore, a key factor in the design and maintenance of thermal power plants, and their adequate implementation requires high levels of expertise.

Inesco Ingenieros offer their clients all their capacities in this area, with the aim of knowing with high precision the actual conditions of their facilities.

Fracture, fatigue and corrosion assessments

Fracture, fatigue and corrosion processes (together with creep) determine the structural integrity of thermal facilities.

Using the main structural integrity procedures and standards (BS7910, FITNET FFS, R6, API579, etc), Inesco Ingenieros performs any kind of assessments in relation to these phenomena, from the evaluation of in-service components (defining safety margins and/or inspection periods) to failure analysis.

Structural analysis

The complexity of the industrial facilities existing in thermal power plants generally requires complex structural analyses that include the specific phenomena occurring in this kind of power plants. Pressures, temperatures, fluids, etc, are just some of these phenomena whose analysis is only possible with the expertise that Inesco Ingenieros offer to its clients.

Fluid simulation (vapour, gases) and fluid-structure interaction

The simulation of the behaviour of fluids, mixture, and the interaction fluid-structure is a service in increasing demand which is needed when accurate stress analysis or the physical understanding of fluid dynamics phenomena are required (e.g., (e.g., vortex in pipeline joints, thermal stratification…).

Because of the implicit high conservatism of many thermomechanical simulations, on some occasions it is necessary to define more accurately the actual state of a structure containing fluids.

Over the last years, Inesco Ingenieros has specialised in this type of simulations, and has actively worked on simulations for thermal power plants.