Remaining Life Assessment
Know how much life your tubes have left. With TubeLife, FOERSTER provides an innovative software tool for assessing the remaining service life of reformer tubes. By combining real inspection data from eddy current and laser measurements with a proprietary material model, TubeLife enables accurate, realistic and data-driven lifetime predictions – far beyond conventional standards.
TubeLife is FOERSTER’s proprietary software for determining the remaining service life of reformer catalyst tubes. Developed to close a major industry gap, it offers a practical and precise alternative to conventional standards such as API 579 or BS7910, which cannot fully capture the complex degradation mechanisms occurring in centrifugally cast reformer tubes.
At the core of TubeLife lies a modified Dyson model, which evaluates strain accumulation and material degradation over time. The software integrates measured data from FOERSTER’s inspection systems – including strain, wall damage from eddy current signals, and outer diameter changes from laser measurements – along with process information and shutdown history.
By combining these parameters, TubeLife analyzes multiple degradation mechanisms simultaneously: thermal ageing, strain softening, grain coarsening, carbide growth, dislocation density, and creep void formation. This holistic approach delivers a realistic prediction of each tube’s residual life and its expected behavior under continued operation.
The result is a comprehensive life overview for every individual tube, providing a reliable basis for maintenance planning, replacement strategy and fitness-for-service decisions. Successfully implemented at plants worldwide, TubeLife helps operators extend service intervals, reduce downtime, and optimize asset integrity.