Failure Analysis and Root Cause Support
What the exam expects
Failure analysis connects the failure to the mechanism and to the program gap. Candidates must know the steps:
- Preserve evidence and document the failure site.
- Characterize the failure: visual pattern, wall loss, deposit chemistry, metallography.
- Identify the mechanism (CO2, H2S, MIC, oxygen, erosion, galvanic).
- Trace the root cause through the program: monitoring, mitigation, design, operations, and records.
- Recommend corrective action with verification.
Traps in questions
- Jumping to a mechanism before characterizing the failure.
- Stopping at the physical cause without identifying the program gap.
- Ignoring operational history (startups, hydrotests, upsets).
- Failing to verify the corrective action.
Worked example
A pinhole leak in a produced-water line shows deep pits under black deposits. The mechanism is MIC or sour pitting; the root cause may be inadequate biocide dosing and missed monitoring. The corrective action is biocide program review plus monitoring verification, not just pipe replacement. Rule of thumb: mechanism explains the failure; root cause explains why the program did not prevent it.