Quest Reliability specializes in inspection, assessment, monitoring and optimization of critical assets for the power generation and power transmission industries. Through our global service network, we provide high value Fitness-for-service, plant lifetime optimization and risk-based asset management services to thermal, geothermal and hydro-power plants and power transmission networks worldwide.
Quest Reliability's services and products are responsive to our power generation and transmission customers’ objectives:
- Improve management of asset integrity
- Avoid waste due to unplanned shutdowns and failure of critical equipment
- Maximize the reliable service lifetimes of critical plant and equipment
- Identify greatest failure risks, target maintenance and inspection programs
Benefits We Offer
- Consultation for all material issues in plant and equipment, from conception and design to end of life
- Implementation and use of risk-based inspection programs to reduce inspection and maintenance costs and improve plant reliability
- Information to make better maintenance and repair decisions
- Plant life assessments to safely extend plant lifetimes and reduce costs through deferred replacement expenditure
- Solutions to problems, not just test results
Our Expertise
Quest Reliability, complemented by the resources of its parent company, the Quest Integrity Group, has over 80 engineering consultants including a large percentage with advanced degrees. Our employees have many years of practical experience in the power generation and transmission sectors combined with backgrounds in research and development. The combination of this formal training and extensive experience is what constitutes the technical excellence that our customers value and we deliver.
Core areas of expertise include:
- Reliability management
- Risk-based asset management
- Corrosion
- Metallurgy
- Materials engineering
- Fitness-For-Service and structural integrity
- Finite element modeling and analysis
- Creep rupture analysis
- Remaining life assessment
- Process engineering
- CFD modeling
- Root cause failure investigation
- Specialized NDT (non-destructive testing)
Our specific plant and lines expertise includes:
- Turbine condition and life assessment
- Transmission line condition and life assessment
- Boilers and heat recovery steam generators
- Superheater headers and steam drums
- Pressure vessels
- Steam pipework
- Generators
- Transformers, cables and switchgear
Quest Reliability is involved in many research programs that support our products and services.
Facilities and Equipment
- State-of-the-art diagnostic and non-destructive testing tools
- Research and testing facilities for simulating aggressive environments over a wide range of temperatures and conditions
Advanced Inspection and Analysis Tools
The Quest Integrity Group applies a portfolio of innovative, advanced inspection and Fitness-for-service assessment tools; representative technologies include:
- FTISTM and LOTIS® tube inspection capabilities
- Signal FFSTM - Fitness-for-service analysis software applying the most recent industry standards
- FEACrackTM and FEAFlawTM - advanced finite-element analysis software packages
- LifeQuestTM High Energy Piping – software-driven tool for modeling the creep behavior and remaining life of high temperature and pressure piping
Select Recent Projects
- Fitness-For-Service Assessment of Steam Turbines
An inspection of a steam turbine disc showed indications of defects. Quest Reliability performed a stress analysis and fracture mechanics assessment which proved that the turbines were actually fit-for-service and prescribed a required inspection frequency.
- Remnant Life Assessment in High-Energy Steam Pipework
Defects were discovered in terminal welds in high energy steam pipework. Quest Reliability performed a critical engineering assessment to predict the time for the flaw to grow to the maximum tolerable size, before resulting in prospective failure. The plant returned to service without delay, informed with an appropriate re-inspection schedule for the steam pipework.
- Engineering Critical Assessment of a De-Superheater
Quest Reliability computed allowable flaw sizes, including a crack growth analysis, prior to a scheduled outage for a steam generation unit. During the outage, NDT findings in the de-superheater were then compared with these computations, allowing the unit to be confidently returned to service without delay because of the pre-determined criterion for repair or return to service.
- Remnant Life Assessment of an HP Feed Water Heater
Quest Reliability calculated the safe number of starts required before a known flaw would reach critical size to estimate the remaining service life of a high pressure feed water heater. The client was provided with a recommended inspection schedule to safely manage the heater through its remaining life.
For further information about the consulting services and products that we offer to the Power Generation and Transmission industries, please contact us.