Why are boiler inspections necessary?
Boilers, storage tanks and other pressure equipment are potentially dangerous objects. They contain large amounts of energy while operating. The energy is released instantaneously if they fail and the results are devastating. When water changes from liquid to steam, it expands 1,600 times its original volume. In other words, one cubic foot of water instantly converts to 1,600 cubic feet of steam. A small boiler having a volume of 10 cubic feet and operating at a pressure of 100 psi (pounds per square inch) has an explosive equivalent of 2,278 grams of TNT-approximately equal to the anti-tank mine used during Desert Storm. In order to ensure the continued safety of pressure equipment, it is inspected by qualified commissioned inspectors on a periodic basis. The purpose of the inspection is to make sure accidents do not happen. Since inspections are a snapshot in time and can only tell how safe the vessel is at the time of the inspection, there is an implied duty on the owner/operator of
