An owner-operator intends to perform a repair or alteration on a pressure vessel that will require post weld heat treatment (PWHT).  The owner-operator must ensure that the PWHT operation will not result in distortion, buckling, and/or excessive residual stresses.

Perform an engineering assessment to assess the structural stability of the equipment at PWHT temperatures and ensure the PWHT layout is adequate to prevent distortion, buckling, and excessive residual stresses that may result in future cracking in certain operating environments. For local “bullseye” heating, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is typically required to determine acceptable thermal gradients.