Power Plant Piping Mods. What separates "New Construction" & "Repair & Upgrad

[racookpe1978]

Several steam power plant turbines have been destroyed recently - and the number is growing as long term maintenance funding is cut while older plants are kept in use.

Clearly, if the plant is rebuilt from the original drawings to the original positions and supports, and when all support steel and concrete is rebuilt, the work is "replacement in kind". No stamped drawings or calc's needed for structural steel and concrete unless Codes have changed. Rip out the broken concrete, cut out the old and bent steel and pipes, rebuild "as-was".

What is the line when the replacement is "new construction"? Pipe runs are changed to reduce stress? New pipes or new turbines are put in that require rerouting and new supports?

Industrial customer obviously. No public exposure. 31.1 Steam piping for example.

 

[zelgar]

How is this an ethics question? Maybe this would be better in the Pipelines, Piping and Fluid Mechanics engineering forum:

https://www.eng-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=378

 

[MotorCity]

I agree that if this thread was intended to be posted in the Professional Ethics forum, I'm not seeing the ethical issue.

To answer your question, take a look at the IEBC. It clearly spells out how new, upgrade, repair, renovation, etc are defined and what is required for each case.
However, if this is for a nuclear structure, the IEBC may not apply. Not too familiar with the nuclear industry.

 

[racookpe1978]

Question regards the requirements for PE signature on the replacement piping drawings. New concrete, new support drawings. All fold into the differences in original construction signatures and stamps from the fabricator and erector and suppliers.

 

[RVAmeche]

I'd be surprised if anything was truly just put back exactly the way it was originally designed. There's got to be improvements/changes identified, maybe better routings to free up space/access, possibly new seismic loads, etc.

If the project consisted of handing the original stamped drawings to a contractor and saying "remake this stuff from the 70s" then maybe. But assuming that isn't how it actually happens, then you get back to stamped drawings for some level of new design.