Once you’ve decided that your equipment is a candidate for reglassing these are the steps you should following for preparing your equipment to send in for service:
1. Clean exterior and interior of the vessel
Many processes involve toxic, flammable, or irritating constituents. It is essential that the vessel be thoroughly cleaned, so that it is free of product residue and contaminants, especially those which may generate flammable or toxic fumes when heated. Reactor jackets need to be cleaned thoroughly as well.
2. Remove all insulation and accessories
Exterior insulation must be removed prior to shipment. Insulation clips, rings, studs, etc. do not need to be removed. All accessories not subject to repair or replacement, such as the drive and agitation system, all split flanges and clamps, baffles, piping, fittings, instrumentation, and so on should be removed. The bare vessel should be shipped as one item; accessories like agitators and baffles should be removed and shipped separately from the bare vessel. You can contact DDPS for clarification if you have any doubts as to what should and shouldn’t be removed.
3. Prepare your vessel for shipment
Properly position and fasten the vessel, and any accessories, on sturdy shipping skids. If any special handling is required, be sure to notify the carrier and DDPS, and mark papers accordingly (read this post for tips on the proper handling of glass-lined vessels). Be sure to identify your equipment, including your company name and address, your vessel number and location and affix it to the vessel or skid. It’s important that a legible nameplate accompanies the vessel in order to preserve the National Board registry and ASME code rating.
4. Fill out a Return Equipment Questionnaire and obtain your Return Material Number
Call DDPS at 908-317-2585. You will be put in contact with the appropriate customer engineer, who will issue you an R/M Number (return material number) and answer any questions you have about the Return Equipment Questionnaire. Give the engineer your shipping information and requested delivery date. Be sure to use your identifying R/M Number on all paperwork, correspondence, bill of lading, etc., as well as marking it directly on the equipment with a weather-resistant crayon or paint.
The Return Equipment Questionnaire will provide your vendor with information about the equipment you plan to send in for reglassing, including last contents of the vessel and method of cleaning. It is required by both OSHA and our plant safety program to assure that all parties are aware of potential hazards. A separate questionnaire needs to be filled out for each major item or each lot of small parts that are being reglassed.