Chad Patschke is back on the podcast to discuss the toughest damage mechanisms in refining and chemical industries. Based on his years of process safety expertise, he emphasizes that the toughest damage mechanisms offer very little warning like HTHA, corrosion under insulation (CUI), and buried piping/soil-to-air interfaces. There are many pros and cons of using drones, robotics, and artificial intelligence (AI) in your inspections; however, Chad warns that these technologies can create an overwhelming amount of data and should never replace human judgment guided by field experience, process knowledge, and IOW exceedances. They address audit findings around insufficient data analysis, managing mountains of data, and using RBI as ongoing surveillance to detect “snakes in the grass.” 

Chad explains barriers to CML optimization, especially liability fears, and stresses documented management systems, cross-functional buy-in, defensibility, and root-cause focus when leaks occur. Building on his pragmatic approach to PSM audits, Chad shares several concerns about the increase in incidents since COVID, recommending that as an industry we need to work together to re-instill the importance of process safety in younger personnel.  Take a listen to a pragmatic approach to mechanical integrity that builds on Chad’s lessons learned after decades of conducting field audits.  

If you missed Part 1 “Don’t Compromise on these Pillars of Mechanical Integrity”, listen today on uponfurtherinspection.com. 

00:00 Damage Mechanisms That Surprise

01:33 CUI Funding and Execution

02:30 Buried Piping Blind Spots

03:07 Drones AI And Human Judgment

04:48 Data Overload and RBI Surveillance

06:37 CML Optimization and Liability Fear

09:59 Defensible Decisions After Leaks

13:07 Making DMR IOWs Actually Work

15:06 Shared Ownership NASCAR Model

16:31 Respect for Process and COVID Effects

21:25 Life at ETHOS And Pragmatic Audits

24:36 Picture of the Week Origin Story

26:24 Travel Fatigue and Hotel Routine

27:34 Life on the Road Balance

28:03 Contract Negotiation Headaches

28:51 Leaping into Entrepreneurship

29:49 Consulting Advice and Ethics

31:45 Communicating Findings Respectfully

32:43 APM Systems and Benchmarking

38:29 Data Migration and Cleanup Reality

41:54 NDE Data Quality and Vetting

43:13 How Audits Really Start

45:40 Best and Worst Site Assessments

46:56 Workbench Wisdom Right Tools

Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations

API – American Petroleum Institute

API 571 – Corrosion and Materials

API 751 – Safe Operation of Hydrofluoric Acid Alkylation Units 

CMLs – Corrosion Monitoring Locations

CUI – Corrosion Under Insulation

DMR – Damage Mechanism Review

HTHA – High-Temperature Hydrogen Attack

IDMS – Inspection Data Management System

IOW – Integrity Operating Windows

NDE – Non-Destructive Evaluation

OFI – Opportunities for Improvement (part of the PSSAP)

PSSAP – API’s Process Safety Site Assessment Program

PPE – Personal Protective Equipment

PSM – Process Safety Management

RBI – Risk-based Inspection

Send a text & tell us what you think!

Thank you for listening to Upon Further Inspection! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow or subscribe so you don’t miss the next one. 

 We’d love to hear from you—connect with us on LinkedIn and share your thoughts on the episode. Have ideas for future topics or guests? Email us at [email protected].

Join us next time, wherever you get your podcasts. Until then, stay safe and stay informed.

Note:  The views and opinions expressed by the guest are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the hosts or the Upon Further Inspection podcast. This podcast is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or professional advice. Listeners should seek their own qualified advisors for guidance.