Identification and Analysis of Barriers for In-Service Pressure Vessel and Piping Inspection Using DEMATEL Approach

In-service inspection is performed while the equipment in operation, planned maintenance or breakdown. It entails evaluating the state, functionality, and efficacy of the operational equipment. The pressure vessel and piping are critical components in the process industry. This research study aims to identify and analyze barriers for pressure vessel and piping in-service inspection. This study covers process industry with conventional inspection method/equipment and to overcome this barrier advanced inspection technique or equipment to be established which increases the cost of inspection or equipment downtime. To evaluate and rank various inspection barriers, a Decision-Making Trail and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) based approach is developed and used. Twenty essential inspection barriers for pressure vessel and piping inspection are chosen based on the literature review and the opinions of experts. This study will be supportive for the inspection organization and user/owner of the equipment to implement the proactive measures. The analysis's findings indicate that the lack of manufacturer design parameters (B3), material specifications (B4), and unavailability of the nameplate (B17) are the most important variables. Cause and effect values and the effect of individual barriers over the other barriers are analyzed in this research.