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Proforma Safety, LLC Proforma PSI…when performanance counts Pressure Vessel Fails During HydroTest A pressure vessel failed recently in a hydrotest during post fabrication testing. The vessel was manufactured by Nanjing Yuchuang Co. in China and the plate was of Chinese mill origin. The pressure vessel had reached fifty percent of the required test pressure when the shell ruptured. A metallurgical failure report is not available, but from the photographs, a number of observations could be made regarding the quality of the material and the welding. From the welding (undercut/poor visual/arc strikes), you could determine it is unlikely that this vessel would have conformed to any Pressure Vessel code, let alone be able to withstand a hydrotest. Those closely involved speculated that more than one contributing factor was associated with the failure. Buyers beware: this is another example of serious failures associated with equipment/material sourced out of the rapidly developing economies such as China, Eastern Bloc and others. Some say such failures have not been seen in the mature manufacturing economies since the 1930's. Experts advise everyone to ensure absolute vigilance in the acceptance of manufacturers and complete information on where base materials are sourced.
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