Upon Further Inspection
Upon Further Inspection, the mechanical integrity podcast, uses engaging interviews to celebrate the people, stories, and real-world industrial reliability experiences.
Every episode explores topics that matter most to professionals in oil & gas, refining, petrochemical, and other process industries. Through in-depth conversations with industry experts, we discuss themes like continuous improvement, safety, technology advancements, compliance, risk-based inspection, and professional growth.
Upon Further Inspection
When You Know Better, You Do Better (featuring Kelly Schupp)
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In this episode, we sit down with Kelly Schupp, ASME PCC Standards Chair and Consulting Engineer at Equity, to dive into the world of Post Construction Code. Kelly takes us behind the scenes of PCC-1, PCC-2, and PCC-3, explaining why PCC-1 dropped “Guidelines for” from its title, what makes flange criticality ranking so challenging, and where facilities can improve their approach to flange assembly QA/QC.
The conversation also explores FRP composite repairs, including surface preparation, force-curing pitfalls, emerging inspection technologies for detecting laminations, and why understanding the underlying damage mechanism is often more important than the repair itself. We also hear about Kelly's journey into ASME standards development, and her progression from alternate committee member to PCC-1 Vice Chair, along with advice for engineers interested in contributing to the process.
If you enjoyed this discussion, subscribe to Upon Further Inspection to follow our conversation with Kelly Schupp into part 2 and stay informed about upcoming episodes.
01:09 What PCC 1, 2, and 3 Cover
04:22 How PCC-1 Became a Standard
06:15 Criticality Ranking for Flanges
08:21 Building a Flange Program at BASF
12:15 Setting Up a Criticality System
13:48 The Trouble with “Critical” in Codes
16:17 Gaskets in Corrosive Services
19:07 FRP Design and Contractor Reliance
22:56 Watching Fiberglass Layup as a Kid
23:33 New Inspection Tech for Composite Wraps
24:31 Why Surface Prep Gets Overlooked
28:36 Managing Temporary Repairs
29:32 The 15-Year Coating Showdown
31:09 FRP Defined and Flange Hold Points
35:30 Why Flanges Lack NDE Like Welds
37:26 Why Flange Failures Go Untracked
38:10 ASME’s New FRP Design Code
39:06 How Kelly Got Into Codes and Standards
44:00 Bringing End-User Voices to the Table
47:12 Why More End Users Are Showing Up
49:18 What Makes a Good Committee Volunteer
Episode Acronyms & Abbreviations
API – American Petroleum Institute
ASME – American Society of Mechanical Engineers
BASF – Badische Anilin- & Soda-Fabrik
FRP – Fiberglass Reinforced Polymer
HF – Hydrofluoric Acid
NDE – Nondestructive Examination
PCC – Post-Construction Committee
PCC-1 – Pressure Boundary Bolted Flange Joint Assembly
PCC-2 – Repair of Pressure Equipment and Piping
PCC-3 – Inspection Planning Using Risk-Based Methods
PQR – Procedure Qualification Record
PVP – Pressure Vessels and Piping Conference
QA/QC – Quality Assurance/Quality Control
RCA – Root Cause Analysis
SAP – Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing
UT – Ultrasonic Testing
WPS – Welding Procedure Specification
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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.
