โครงการวิจัยทุนความร่วมมือทางเศรษฐกิจอาเซียน-นิวซีแลนด์ 43

โครงการร่วมมือระหว่างอาเซียน-นิวซีแลนด์ด้านการกัดกร่อน
ASEAN - New Zealand Corrosion Project

ทุนความร่วมมือทางเศรษฐกิจอาเซียน-นิวซีแลนด์

ดร.นันทน์ ถาวรังกูร
Nandh Thavarungkul. (Lecturer)
อ.นุชธนา พูลทอง
Nuchthana Poolthong. (Lecturer)
อ.นภฉัตร ธารีลาภ
Napachat Tareelap. (Lecturer)
ผศ.ดร.วีระ โลหะ
Veara Loha. (Asst. Prof.)

Abstract

Power Generation and Petrochemical industries had enjoyed an enviable growth in Thailand during the past decades resulting from the country's continuous economic boom for several years until 1997. Millions were invested and scores of plants constructed. Despite current economic turmoil, the fact remains that these plants are still there and must be kept operational. Technical problems associated with these industries are also still alive and have to be alleviated.

One of the major problems in power generation and petrochemical industries is corrosion (and associated deterioration) of critical components in the plants which could lead to premature failures. Such failures could in turn lead to major accidents causing major damages and loss of life. In Thailand, these are real-life problems. Such events happen more and more often these days in petrochemical and power generation plants. Millions ofbahts and several innocent lives have been lost.

Another problem associated with older plants is about the decision to replace certain components which have been in service for some time. This creates the dilemma for the management. Deciding to replace used components means additional expenses which could be a very large sum of money. Deciding not to could save a lot but this could also lead to failures during operation which, in turn, would result in much greater damages, not only in property and life but also in the intangibles such as image and overall societal responsibility. Rational decision is impossible unless one knows, with a fair degree of certainty, the information about the condition or "state" of the components in question.

It can be seen that if one could monitor the "state" of certain critical components and predict their remaining service life with a fair degree of accuracy, life would be much easier. Above-mentioned problems together with undesirable consequences could be avoided or at least reduced to a minimum. Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) technique is one of the approaches attempting to predict service life of engineering components which is gaining wide acceptance in recent years. The technique is relatively new in Thailand and most of ASEAN countries. If such technique is successfully developed and applied, rational decisions can be made and undesirable accidents could be avoided or minimized. Economic and social benefits are obvious.

Although the problems of component deterioration and premature failures are not new in Thailand, the problems are more severe in recent years due to more plants being built and operational. Serious accidents occur more and more frequently resulting in loss of millions of bahts and several innocent lives. Lack of thorough understanding of the problems, lack of awareness, preparedness and experience all contribute to such happening. Effort to tackle the problems is also lacking. We are learning the lessons and gaining experience the hard and expensive way. This project would accelerate our learning process and help us gain experience the better way. Being an ASEAN project, such learning and experience could be shared among participating countries which would enhance the learning process even further. With New Zealand as the dialogue partner and sponsor of the project, hence the overall overseer of the project, it could be expected that Thailand and other ASEAN countries would learn and benefit greatly from the experience and expertise of New Zealand.

Objective

To develop capability in Life-Cycle Analysis (LCA) technique and methodology. LCA technique is relatively new to Thailand. Overall capability is still very limited and the technique is not yet widely understood and applied.
To develop capability in systematic data gathering and monitoring techniques. Although monitoring and data gathering are performed for various components, they are still haphazard and lack of follow-on analysis. Utilization of collected data is limited.
To establish a model or models for predicting service life of selected components. The data from 2. will be systemically analysed and used to develop the model(s). The data to be used are both secondary and primary data.
To provide a tool for effective management decision making regarding maintenance and replacement matters. If the model(s) is successful, management can make informed decisions which would lead to economic and other benefits for the industries.
To disseminate the information and technology learned from the project among participating nations and to relevant industries. This would be accomplished through joint seminars, publications and other means so that the LCA technique is better known and understood with the hope that it will be more widely applied in the future.

Revised: 14 December 2000