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Training for China Offshore Oil Engineering Corporation

In response to the growing demand for training courses on engineering critical assessment (ECA) in China, TWI recently delivered its second training course on the subject for the R&D Department of China Offshore Oil Engineering Corporation (COOEC) at their offices in China.

BS 7910 ‘Guide to methods for assessing the acceptability of flaws in metallic structures’ (2013) is a procedure for the assessment of flaws in metallic structures.  It encompasses failure by fracture, plastic collapse, fatigue, corrosion and creep.  ECA in accordance with this standard is increasingly being used by many industries such as oil and gas, nuclear, pressure vessels, petrochemical and power.  In the offshore industry it is often used to determine the maximum tolerable flaw size in welds.  Following the successful delivery of a training course on this subject to the welding engineers in the Fabrication Department, COOEC then asked TWI to provide the second training course for their engineers in the R&D Department.

The training was held at COOEC’s office in Tianjin, China.  Ten COOEC engineers, with backgrounds in mechanical engineering, materials, numerical modelling and non-destructive testing, attended the course (Figure 1).  The programme covered the principles, methods and assessment procedures of ECA in accordance with BS 7910, and course notes were provided in both English and Chinese.  To enable attendees to solve practical problems and understand assessment methods better, the course also provided case studies and worked examples based on TWI’s experience.  During the workshop, attendees had the opportunity to use TWI’s CrackWise® ECA software which is automated to BS 7910, and the course also encouraged discussion and Q&A (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Training course at COOEC (photo courtesy of COOEC)
Figure 1. Training course at COOEC (photo courtesy of COOEC)

As a result of attending the course, COOEC’s engineers learnt the methods and procedures required to perform ECA in accordance with BS 7910, and were able apply the CrackWise® software to their routine work including using it to solve basic problems.


After the course, TWI continued to provide support, helping attendees to reach a more advanced level in undertaking ECA assessments in accordance with BS 7910.

TWI is planning to provide more training courses in China to meet the ongoing demand.

For more information on our tailored training courses, please email contactus@twi.co.uk.

Figure 2. Discussion between TWI lecturer and COOEC engineers (photo courtesy of COOEC)
Figure 2. Discussion between TWI lecturer and COOEC engineers (photo courtesy of COOEC)
Avatar Yanhui Zhang Consultant – Fatigue Integrity Management

Yanhui has a background in metallurgy, and graduated from the University of Science and Technology Beijing in 1982 with a Bachelor’s degree, before obtaining a PhD from the Open University, UK in 1992. Before joining TWI in 2001, he worked on Ni-based super-alloys as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Cambridge. Yanhui’s expertise includes fatigue design, fatigue and creep life evaluation, engineering critical assessment (ECA), fatigue and creep testing, and failure investigation. He is also highly experienced in establishing relationships between mechanical properties and the microstructure of materials. Yanhui has published over 60 academic papers in journals and at international conferences.

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