Combustible Dust Testing

Laboratory testing to quantify dust explosion and reactivity hazards

Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Gas and Vapor

Laboratory testing to quantify explosion hazards for vapor and gas mixtures

UN-DOT
Classification of hazardous materials subject to shipping and storage regulations
Hydrogen
Testing and consulting on the explosion risks associated with devices and processes which use or produce hydrogen
Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Thermal Stability

Safe storage or processing requires an understanding of the possible hazards associated with sensitivity to variations in temperature

Adiabatic Calorimetry
Data demonstrate the consequences of process upsets, such as failed equipment or improper procedures, and guide mitigation strategies including Emergency Relief System (ERS) design
Reaction Calorimetry
Data yield heat and gas removal requirements to control the desired process chemistry
Battery Safety

Testing to support safe design of batteries and electrical power backup facilities particularly to satisfy UL9540a ed.4

Safety Data Sheets

Develop critical safety data for inclusion in SDS documents

Cable Testing
Evaluate electrical cables to demonstrate reliability and identify defects or degradation
Equipment Qualification (EQ)
Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions
Water Hammer
Analysis and testing to identify and prevent unwanted hydraulic pressure transients in process piping
Acoustic Vibration
Identify and eliminate potential sources of unwanted vibration in piping and structural systems
Gas & Air Intrusion
Analysis and testing to identify and prevent intrusion of gas or air in piping systems
ISO/IEC 17025:2017

Fauske & Associates fulfills the requirements of ISO/IEC 17025:2017 in the field of Testing

ISO 9001:2015
Fauske & Associates fulfills the requirements of ISO 9001:2015
Dust Hazards Analysis
Evaluate your process to identify combustible dust hazards and perform dust explosion testing
On-Site Risk Management
On-site safety studies can help identify explosibility and chemical reaction hazards so that appropriate testing, simulations, or calculations are identified to support safe scale up
DIERS Methodology
Design emergency pressure relief systems to mitigate the consequences of unwanted chemical reactivity and account for two-phase flow using the right tools and methods
Deflagrations (Dust/Vapor/Gas)

Properly size pressure relief vents to protect your processes from dust, vapor, and gas explosions

Effluent Handling

Pressure relief sizing is just the first step and it is critical to safely handle the effluent discharge from an overpressure event

FATE™ & Facility Modeling

FATE (Facility Flow, Aerosol, Thermal, and Explosion) is a flexible, fast-running code developed and maintained by Fauske and Associates under an ASME NQA-1 compliant QA program.

Mechanical, Piping, and Electrical
Engineering and testing to support safe plant operations and develop solutions to problems in heat transfer, fluid, flow, and electric power systems
Hydrogen Safety
Testing and consulting on the explosion risks associated with devices and processes which use or produce hydrogen
Thermal Hydraulics
Testing and analysis to ensure that critical equipment will operate under adverse environmental conditions
Nuclear Safety
Our Nuclear Services Group is recognized for comprehensive evaluations to help commercial nuclear power plants operate efficiently and stay compliant
Radioactive Waste
Safety analysis to underpin decomissioning process at facilities which have produced or used radioactive nuclear materials
Adiabatic Safety Calorimeters (ARSST and VSP2)

Low thermal inertial adiabatic calorimeters specially designed to provide directly scalable data that are critical to safe process design

Other Lab Equipment and Parts for the DSC/ARC/ARSST/VSP2 Calorimeters

Products and equipment for the process safety or process development laboratory

FERST

Software for emergency relief system design to ensure safe processing of reactive chemicals, including consideration of two-phase flow and runaway chemical reactions

FATE

Facility modeling software mechanistically tracks transport of heat, gasses, vapors, and aerosols for safety analysis of multi-room facilities

Blog

Our highly experienced team keeps you up-to-date on the latest process safety developments.

Process Safety Newsletter

Stay informed with our quarterly Process Safety Newsletters sharing topical articles and practical advice.

Resources

With over 40 years of industry expertise, we have a wealth of process safety knowledge to share.

Cable Health and Aging Management

Background

Cable integrity is vital to the safe and efficient operation of a nuclear power plant or facility. Despite their importance, cables typically receive little Instrumentation Cablesattention – they are considered passive, long-lived components that are very reliable. However, cable failures have caused plant shutdowns, safety concerns and loss of revenue.

Performance and safety concerns demand proactive and preventative approaches to cable integrity and reliability. A cable health and aging management program anticipates and addresses cable aging issues, helps reduce maintenance costs, avoids unscheduled shutdowns and repairs, incorporates industry best practices and addresses regulatory requirements.

Cable integrity issues must address cables in adverse conditions, including:

  • Being submerged in water or harsh chemicals
  • Being located in areas of high temperature or radiant energy
  • Having high-resistance splices and complex connections

These harsh operating conditions can lead to premature cable degradation. Plant operators must anticipate potential concerns and proactively inspect, repair and/or replace critical cable systems. 

DESCRIPTION

Fauske and Associates, LLC (FAI), a Westinghouse affiliate, delivers Westinghouse’s comprehensive Cable Health and Aging Management Program (CHAMP) to meet the plant operating conditions and demands of today and tomorrow.

CHAMP is composed of six elements that use technical and economic inputs to establish a plant-specific, comprehensive, cable-aging management program for action. 

1.  Cable monitoring is prioritized based on:

  • Initial maintenance rules, anticipation of licensing renewal and other regulatory or operating requirementsElectric Cables
  • Safety classification
  • Criticality to the operation of the plant
  • Initial walkdown and other criteria (which may reduce the number of cables to be monitored) 

2.  Creation of a CHAMP Dynamic Component Database (DCD) comprising:

  • Cable location and routing information
  • Cable information from other databases
  • Plant environmental zones that act as aging stressors (e.g., temperature, radiation, underwater, etc.)
  • Cable health, activities and status, as determined by walkdown and initial test results

3.  Walkdowns provide a basis for determining initial areas of concern. They consist of:

  • Visual inspections for discoloration, hardening, cracking, wet environment and other factors
  • Documentation to include photographs and infrared thermography
  • Measuring environmental parameters such as temperature, radiation, etc.
  • Identifying cables with photographic and/or video documentation
  • Developing recommendations for any adverse conditions that have been found
  • Identifying damaged cables and making recommendations for necessary action
  • Identifying new cables to be monitored based on the existence of adverse conditions
  • Updating the CHAMP DCD 

4.   Field testing (such as tan delta, partial discharge, LIRA, high potential and time-domain reflectometer) and laboratory testing of field samples provide a basis for establishing appropriate maintenance activities and further updating the CHAMP DCD. Full-scope engineering analysis includes weight and thermal calculations for cable trays, rerouting of cables, determination of new shielding requirements and calculation of remaining life and degradation rates to provide a cable health life cycle.

5.   Qualified laboratory to perform commercial grade dedication and/or equipment qualification (EQ) for cables and components. Westinghouse also has complete physical science and experimental laboratories.

6.   Analysis of the CHAMP DCD will provide an assessment of overall cable health. Based on that analysis, damaged cable sections are repaired; new cable sections can be spliced in and/or an entire cable may be replaced. If necessary, a schedule will be established for the next interval testing. Field support includes repair and/or replacement of cables, installation of heat blocks and needed plant modifications. These actions are, once again, used to update the CHAMP DCD.

BENEFITS

By teaming with Westinghouse, customers receive a comprehensive cable program through a responsive single-source partner. The CHAMP DCD organizes the results into a presentable format to monitor and maintain the program and provides documented proof of the efforts associated with a successful program.Cables

The Westinghouse CHAMP is a “living strategy” that is continually reviewed and revised. Regular updating of the CHAMP DCD provides the vigilant monitoring necessary for overall cable health and prioritizes tasks based on both potential risk and cable integrity.

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Learn about FAI's complete Equipment Qualification and Cable Health Aging Management Program Services

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