Cleaning some of my high voltage technical files, found this writeup on a small item causing great loss…
PIPE NIPPLE FAILURE
On 26 September 1974, the American flag tanker TRANSHURON drifted aground on <!—-> <!—->Kiltan<!—-> <!—->Island<!—-> in the <!—->Indian Ocean<!—->. This vessel, a T-2 tanker with a 6000 SHP turbo-electric-drive propulsion plant, had suffered a fire in the propulsion control cubicle 2 days earlier. When finally extinguished by ship’s force, the electrical propulsion switchboard was beyond repair.
The cause of this casualty was the failure of a 3/8-inch diameter, black iron pipe nipple which was threaded into the head of a heat exchanger to accommodate a pressure gauge. This pipe nipple, placed in salt water service, corroded and broke away from the heat exchanger head, allowing salt water, under pressure from a circulating pump, to spray upward and come in contact with high voltage electrical components. Thus, the scene was set for the electrical fire which followed.
The engineers aboard the TRANSHURON fought bravely in the early hours of the morning and managed to extinguish the fire. After drifting ashore two days later, the TRANSHURON became a total loss, along with much of her cargo. Her crew was able to get away safely in lifeboats and they suffered no injuries.
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Had this pipe nipple been of a nonferrous material, and similar to the material in the head of the exchanger to which it was connected, this casualty would not have occurred. Instead, this failure resulted in the total loss of a ship.
Replies
Let that be a warning to all those 'pack rats' who save all manner of stuff, then recklessly cobble together 'it'll work' repairs.
While frugality is a virtue, miserly behaviour is not. Yet. some folks become so obsessed with saving a penny that they refuse to ever go back and correct what might have started as a temporary, emergency repair.
Can't count the times I run across that in our concrete plants on water piping. No excuse.
MikeInsert initially amusing but ultimately annoying catch phrase here.
Steel pipe in a salt water. Even in 1974 they knew better than that. A $3 stainless steel nipple and that tanker would probably still be in service.
Stainless is a less than optimum option for seawater service.http://www.tpub.com/doechem1/chem139.htm
Not much 18-8 pipe around in marine pleasure and commercial service. Not sure I have ever seen any......
Lots of the preferred 316 though. Shafting, piping and UW hardware.
JimNever underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Maritime history is full of stories like that. Fascinating stuff. A few hundred years from now, spaceflight history will probably be similar (altho I hope I'm wrong about that).
What it boils down to is, Mother Nature doesn't forgive small errors when naked apes venture out into a hostile environment.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
< when naked apes venture out into a hostile environment. >
Uhh - given some sartorial rumors I've heard . . .
Oh, nevermind.
Forrest
Doesn't Jawjah count as a hostile environment?
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
At a former job I was associated with Naval Propulsion systems. We went to great lengths to control repair parts and materials to ensure they were rated for the intended service.The carrier Iwo Jima had a similar casualty in 1990 when a sailor used the wrong grade fasteners on a superheated steam valve. You can guess what happened. 10 people killed. The less fortunate did not die instantly.
Dinosaur
You are certainly right about space flight. Think of the news trickling out after the Challenger disaster - O-rings, for Chrissake! And the Columbia - some sort of glorified tile adhesive failure.
Ron
T-2's are getting kinda old these days:
http://www.t2tanker.org/t2-history.html
Inspecting one in enough detail to catch every issue as subtle and dangerous as that gauge nipple would not be a trivial job.
-- J.S.
.....black iron + salt water.....
Does make me wonder though.....
I wonder if this was an "at sea" repair which was intended to be replaced with suitable material upon arrival at port.....which never got recorded in the engineer's "attention" log......crew changed and the info was lost.....
There have been countless successful jury rigs done at sea which were "good enough" to safely bring the vessel to port and access to a better parts supply. I have done a bunch of them myself......
I brought a 31' Bertram home from an offshore fishing trip in rapidly deteriorating sea conditions (~80 miles) using a surgical eel (fishing lure) for a fuel line. We ran with the engine hatch open and a watchman with a fire extinguisher watching that hunk of "unknown formula" plastic. It did OK!
"You can buy bigger boats and smaller boats, faster boats and slower boats, but a Bertram will always bring you home."
Jim
ur too funny.... :-)