remote digital video inspection case studies case studies.pdf · a 10mw gas turbine was inspected...
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Asset Longevity / Plant & Pipeline Performancewww.QuestIntegrity.com I [email protected]
Remote Digital Video Inspection case studies
• WaterTubeBoilers• HRSGBoilers• CondensateReturnSystems• PressureVessels• Tanks• PressurePiping• HeatExchangers• FinFans• GasTurbines
• SteamTurbines• Engines• Generators• Headers• SeaWaterCasions/Pumps• Aircraft• BacterialTrackandTrace• QAandQC• CIPEvaluation
• Transformers• AirHeaters• ElectricMotors• DebrisRetrieval• SteamTransportSystems• Tankers• Silos/Tanks/Cyclones• CoolingWaterSystems
RDVITM Case Studies
Water Tube Boiler
Duringawatertubeboilerinspection,largeamountsofdepositionwerefoundtobepresentthroughouttheunit.Fortunatelythisdepositionwasdetectedbeforeseriouscorrosionanddegradationhadoccurred.Therisksofhighdepositionlevelstoassetreliability,efficiency,emissionlevelsandlife-spanwerediscussedwiththeclient.Thisinformationpromptedmodifiedboileroperationandenhancementstothewatertreatmentprogramme.
Thiswatertubeboiler,alongwithotheroperationalunits,wasscheduledforannualRDVIinspectionsaspartoftheplantmaintenanceandinspectionschedule.Overthenextthreeyearsthedepositionwasremoved,resultinginnolong-termdamage.Thisprocesswascompletedwithouttheapplicationofexpensivechemicalcleaning.
Afterthreeyearstheclientreportedincreasedperformancealongwithreducedemissionsandenergycosts,andnocostsassociatedwithexpensiverepairs.TheyattributedtheirsuccesstoearlydetectionthroughtargetedQuestIntegrityRDVIwhichgavethemtheopportunitytomakeamendmentstotheiroperationalproceduresandimplementsimplesolutions,mitigatingtheriskofprematuretubefailures,subsequentrepairsandproductionlosses.
Asset Longevity / Plant & Pipeline Performancewww.QuestIntegrity.com I [email protected]
HRSG Boilers
AninspectionofanHRSGwasteheatboilerrevealedheavydepositionbuildup,flowassistedcorrosionandareasofisolatedcorrosion.Noindicationsofwaterorsteambornematerialhadpreviouslybeendetectedinthewatertreatmenttesting.Duetotheextentoftheflowassistedcorrosionandisolatedcorrosion,manytubeswererequiredtobereplaced.HRSGboilersareofa“cutyourwayinandweldyourwayout”constructionmakingthemexpensivetorepair.
Withtheresultsoftheinspectionhighlightingthedepositionandcorrosion,theclientalteredtheflowratesandvelocitiesinsidetheunitandimplementedtighterwateroperationalparametersformakeupwaterandcondensatereturntosuittheuniquecharacteristicsoftheirHRSGunits.
Condensate Return Systems
Theinspectionofacondensatereturnsystemthatwasfedfromsevendifferentplantsrevealedthepresenceoftwotypesofcorrosionandexcessivedepositionlevels.Chemicalsusedintherespectiveplantshadbeenenteringthecondensatesystemaswellasproductmaterial.Thisresultedinprematurereplacementofthecondensateline,whichrequiredsevenplantstoshutdownandcausedextensiveproductionlossesduringapeakproductionseason.
Regularinspectionofthislinepriortoleakdetectionwouldhavedetectedminorcorrosionandidentifiedthesourceoftheproblem,providingtheclientwithinformationtocompleteearlyremedialworkandextendingthesystem’slifeformanyyears.
Pressure Vessels
AnonshorefacilityplannedashutdowntocarryoutanRDVIinspectionprogramme.Theprimaryissueswehadtoconsiderwerethelengthoftimerequiredtoinspectallvesselsandtheavailabilityofthemanpowerrequired.
TheQuestRDVIIn-SpecprogrammewasimplementedacrossallplantvesselsusingourRDVIspecificITPsandVAPs.Ourreviewwiththeclientrevealedthat95%ofthevesselswereabletobeinspectedforGVIandCVIpurposesanddidnotrequireaconfinedspaceentrytobeperformed.ForthosevesselsthatwereselectedfortheapplicationofRDVI,strategicallyselectedaccesspointswerechosentoensurekeytargetareascouldbeaccessedtoensuretheintegrityoftheinspection.Theseinspectionpointsrequiredminimalmechanicalintervention,scaffolding,cranesandriggers.Astherewerenoconfinedspaceentryelementsandsmalldiameteraccesspointswereused,areducedlevelofisolationswasrequiredwhichfurtherreducedthecosts,personnelinvolvedandtheHSEriskprofile.
Theresultwasashutdowndurationreducedby51%alongwith85%reductionofassociatedcosts.TheresultsfromtheRDVIinspectionswereusedtoformpartoftheclient’songoingRBIrequirementsandstrategyforallfutureshutdownsforbothonshoreandoffshore.
Asset Longevity / Plant & Pipeline Performancewww.QuestIntegrity.com I [email protected]
Tanks
Alargehydrocarbonstoragetankrequiredinspection.Thereweretwomainchallengeswiththistank:• ithadamethaneatmosphereandcouldnotbeshutdownforinspection, • theonlysuitableaccesspointavailable(6inches)wasintheuppercentreof thetank.
Wecustombuiltalargecameraunitwithhighintensitylightstoenableuseoftheavailableaccesspointandclearlyidentifyalltheareasthatrequiredinspection.Aprocedurewasdevelopedtoenablenon-ISelectricalequipmenttooperateinahydrocarbonatmosphere.
Theinspectionwascompletedsafely,quicklyandwithoutanydisruptiontotheclient’sproductionschedule.AllrelevantinformationwasobtainedandtheclientwasableintegratethetankinspectionprocedureintohisRBIsystemsothatfutureinspectionscouldbecompletedwiththesamehighlevelofaccuracy.
Pressure Piping
Aseriesofhighpressurepipingsystemswereinspectedfromawellheadthroughandbeyondaprocessplant.Aseriesofcamerasystemswereusedtoensureaccurateresults.Approximately95%oftheentireprocesspipingwascoveredfromstrategicallylocatedaccesspoints.
Theclientcommentedthatthehighlevelofcoverageandsubsequentresultsprovidedthemwithahighlevelofconfidenceregardingtheconditionoftheplant,andputtingitbackintoservice.TheseresultsenabledtheclienttobettertargetotherNDTtechniquestospecificareaswhereindicationsorcorrosion/erosionhadbeennotedsothatfutureremedialworkcouldbescheduled.
TheresultsfromthisinspectionfurtherassistedtheirRBIprogrammingandallowedforextendedsurveyperiods.Theclientalsocommentedthatthecostpermetretoinspect,whencomparedtootherNDTtechniquescoveringthesamearea,providedexceptionalsavings.
Heat Exchangers
AseriesofshellandtubeheatexchangerswereinspectedusingRDVItechniques.
Tube side–RDVIinspectiondeterminedthatallexceptoneoftheunitswerefreefromdepositsandotherissuesrelatingtotheintegrityandefficiencyofthetubebundle.Fortheonetubebundlethatrequiredfurthercleaning,theheadwasremoved,thetubescleanedandre-inspectedtoascertaintheeffectivenessoftheclean,andtheheadre-instated.
Shell side–RDVIinspectiondeterminedtheinternalconditionofthevesselandtubebundlewithoutremovalofthebundle.
Asnoneoftheworkassociatedwithremovalofthetubebundleswasrequired,theclientsavedvaluabletime,resourcesandmoneyinascheduledoutagewithanextremelyshortduration.
Asset Longevity / Plant & Pipeline Performancewww.QuestIntegrity.com I [email protected]
Fin Fans
RDVItechniqueswereutilisedtoinspectaseriesoffinfanunitsthatcontainedvaryinglevelsofdeposition.TheseunitswerethencleanedandanIRISinspectionwasperformedwhichdetectedsomelargepittinginsomeareas.Theclientrequestedwere-inspectthecleanedtubesusingRDVI.OurinspectionoftheareasofpittingindicatedbytheIRIStestsfoundsomedepositionremainingandnopitting.FurthercleaningandRDVIwasundertaken.WewereabletopositivelyprovethattherewasnopittinginthetubesandshowthattheIRISwasunabletodifferentiatedepositionandpitting.
Thissavedtheclientthecostofre-tubingasetoffinfansunnecessarily.TheRVDIinspectionwasmoretime-efficientandhadahigherlevelofaccuracyindetectingdepositsthatarecommonlyfoundintheseunits.Thisinspectionshowedthatpreviouscleaningwasnotuptostandard,revealingthatfurthercleaningwasrequiredtoreachoptimumefficiency.
Gas Turbines
A10Mwgasturbinewasinspectedfollowingourgasturbineinspectionprocedures.Thesecondstagebladesinthehotsectionwerefoundtobeseverelydamaged.Thedamagewasconsistentwithheat/flamedamage,howeverthiswouldnottypicallyoccurinthisareaofagasturbine.
Discussionswiththeclientrevealedthattheunithadbeenrunonamixtureofgasfuelandliquidfuelforaperiodoftime.Thisexplainedthelongerthandesignedflamepathandtheexcessiveheatinthesecondstagearea.
Theturbinewasstrippeddownandthedamagedbladesandnozzlesreplaced.Aswewereabletoidentifytherootcauseoftheproblem,theclientwasabletomodifyhisgasfeedsystemtopreventliquidsfrombeingburnedinaturbinethatwasnotdesignedforliquidfuels.
Steam Turbines
Aclientwitha25Mwsteamturbinehadnoticeddecreasedperformanceandsuspectedtherewassomefoulingoftheblades.Productionconstraintsandsupplycontractspresentedsignificantchallengesregardingoff-linetime.Thetypicalcool-downperiodrequiredforournormalRVDIinspectionwasnotdesirable.
Theturbinewasinspectedusingourumbilicalheatexchanger(coolingjacket).Theunitwasstillreading240°Celsiusatthetimeoftheinspection.WedetectedfoulingontheLPsideoftheStage2bladesalongwithindicationsofdepositionpassingthroughtheHPglandsealsystem.Thiscontinuedbuildupofthesedepositsandtheprematureweartheycreateonglandsealsystemswouldhaveresultedinfurtherdecreasedperformanceandmoreextensiverepairs.Earlydetectionprovedtobeinvaluabletotheclient.
Thisinspectionenabledtheclienttoplananoutageatamoreappropriatetimeinordertoreplacethebladesandrepairtheglandsealsystem.Thesourceofthefoulingwasalsotracedandtherootcauseoftheproblemsolved.Thisunitwasonlyoff-lineforapproximatelyeighthoursasopposedtothenormal48hoursplus.
Asset Longevity / Plant & Pipeline Performancewww.QuestIntegrity.com I [email protected]
Engines
Whileon-siteduringascheduledinspectionoutage,aclientaskedustoinspectagasfiredV12enginethatdrovealargecompressor.
Theinspectionrevealedearlyindicationsoftheexhaustvalveseatburning.Thisinformationpromptedtheclienttoinstigatereplacementvalvesimmediatelyandbettertunetheair/fuelratiotopreventfurtherdamagetoothercylinderheads.Theclientwasdelightedthatthefindingshadsavedtheneedforafullheadreconditioning.
Traditionalcompressiontestingwouldnothavedetectedtheseearlyindicationsandwouldonlyhavedetectedtheissuewiththevalve,uponfailure.OurRDVIproceduredetectedthispriortofailure,savingmoneyandtime.TheseenginesarenowinspectedattheregularservicescheduleusingRDVIandsubsequentheadreconditioninghasbeenfullyeliminatedoutsideofenginerebuildschedules.
Generators
Inspectionofageneratorusedinthegeothermalindustryrevealedaparticulartypeofcorrosionassociatedwithhydrogensulphide.Earlydetectionenabledtheclienttoinstallfilter/scrubbersystemsonthegenerator’scoolingducts.Aswewereabletofullyascertaintheextentofthecorrosion,theclientalsoorganisedareplacementunittobebuiltandinstalledatalaterdate.
Withearlydetectiontheclientwassparedthecostsofproductlosses.Theinspectionforthistypeofgeneratortypicallytakesaboutthreehourswhichminimisesthetimetheunitisrequiredtobeoffline.Theclientelectedtomonitorthegeneratorandconductbi-annualinspections.
Headers
Inspectionofasteamheaderwithmultipletubepenetrationsdetectedaligamenttypecrackingbetweenthetubepenetrations.Theapproximatelengthanddepthofthecracksweredeterminedandthisinformationsharedwithengineersandmetallurgists.Theplantwasputbackintoservicebutwithveryshortinspectionintervals.TheinspectionprocedurewaschangedfromanIn-Servicetypetoa“ConditionMonitoring”inspectiontominimisedowntimeandenablethelevelandrateofdegradationtobeascertainedmoreefficiently.
Theseheaderswerere-inspectedonaregularbasisusingacustommadecameratoolandourconditionmonitoringprocedure.Theinspectionswerecompletedefficientlywithminimaldisruptiontoproductionlevels.Thechangesinthecrackindicationsweremonitoredandcheckedagainstminimummateriallevels.Thisgavetheclienttimetoinstigatepermanentrepairorreplacementoftheheadersandcontinueproductionwithoutincurringsubstantialproductionlosses.
Asset Longevity / Plant & Pipeline Performancewww.QuestIntegrity.com I [email protected]
Sea Water Casions/Pumps
Theinspectionofaseawaterliftpumpanddischargecasionprovidedinformationonthefollowing:• theconditionoftheinternalprotectivecoating• theamountofbio-foulingoccurring• theconditionofcorrosioncontrolanodesinsidethecasionanddirectly belowtheinlet• anyissuesinsidethepumpregardingtheshaftsupports,bearings andimpellors.
Thisinspectionwascompletedwithminimaldisruptiontotheavailabilityofthepumpforprocessoperation,anddidnotcauseanylossofproduction.Fromtheinformationgatheredtheclientwasabletodeterminethatnoremedialactionwasrequired.TheinspectionprocedureandresultswerethenenteredintotheclientsRBIsystem.
Aircraft
Anaircraftwassetforascheduledinspection.Thisaircrafthadanumberofoperationalissuesassociatedwithitsworkingenvironment.Theverywindyairportwasadjacenttothesea,andthecraftdidhighaltitudeworkadjacenttoaskifield.
Uponinspectionwenoteddegradationtotheenginefromsaltingestion.Theinformationgatheredfromthisinspectionplacedtheengineon50hourserviceintervalsuntiltheenginecouldbereplaced.Italsoresultedintheenginemanufacturerchangingthecoatingonthebladesinthehotsectionandthematerialusedinthecompressorsectionoftheenginetoonemoresuitedtotheaircraft’soperationalenvironment.Theclientwasabletocontinuetooperatehisaircraftwithminimaldisruptionuntilanewandmoresuitableenginearrivedfromthemanufacturer.
Bacterial Track and Trace
RDVImethodswereemployedtoinspectafoodprocessingfacilitywithhighAPCs,productcontaminationissues,higherCIPcostsandreducedplantavailabilityforproduction.
Twoissuesoccurringwithinthepipingsystemswereidentified.ThefirstwasineffectiveCIPperformanceinsomeisolatedareasofthesystemduetopipingdesign/installation.Thesecondwasaseriesofweldstructureswithdefectsthatharbouredbacteriawhichwerenotabletoberemovedduringthecleaningprocess.
Allthedefectiveweldsweretaggedforremovalandtheareasofpipingthatwerenotbeingcleanedeffectivelywerere-routed.Thisresultedinasignificant50%increaseinproductiontimesbeforeaCIPcyclewasrequired.Italsoreducedtheissuesassociatedwithproductqualityenablingtheclienttosellhisproductforhigherrates.
Asset Longevity / Plant & Pipeline Performancewww.QuestIntegrity.com I [email protected]
QA and QC
Aseriesofweldseamshadbeeninspectedbytorchandmirror,andradiographyinasterilefoodprocesssystem.Theclientwasconcernedwiththedisruptionofworkduringradiographyandthelimitationsofthetorchandmirrormethod.
TheSterileWeldingITPwasusedasittargetsthedefectsknowntocauseissueswithbacterialandqualitycontrol.AseriesofweldstructuresthatwouldharbourbacteriaandbeunabletobecleanedeffectivelyusingtraditionalCIPmethodswasidentified.RDVIwasabletoreachwellbeyondthetorchandmirrorlimitationsandidentifiedweldformationsthathadbeenpassedbyradiographybutwereactuallyformationsthatharbourbacteriaandcannotbeeffectivelycleaned.
Theclientconcludedthatourinspectionsweremoresuitablethanprevioustechniquestheyhademployed.RDVImethodsenabledaccesstoareasrequired,providedahighlevelofdefinition/accuracythatcouldnotbeachievedwithradiography,reduceddisruptiontimeandincreasedthecoverageperday.Thisresultedinsavingsof75%comparedwithpreviousmethods.Italsoensuredthattheiroperationalsystemcouldbemaintainedasasterileenvironmentasrequired.Resultsofthisinspectionwereusedtofurtherup-skilltheweldingcrewstoenableamoreconsistentdefectfreeweldingprocess.
CIP Evaluation
AclientrequestedRDVIinspectiontoprovideinformationontheeffectivenessofaCIPprocess,whichwascurrentlyexperiencingsomeissues.
TheinspectionrevealedthattheCIPprocesswasnoteffectivelycleaningthesystem.Productresidue,solidsandfatswerenotedinthesystemwithwhatappearedtobeabiofilmpresentin40%oftheprocesspiping.SectionsofthepipingwerereplacedandsomemodificationsweremadetotheCIPsystem.TheresultsoftheinspectionpinpointedtheexactlocationswheretheCIPprocesswasnotperformingcorrectlyandsubsequentmodificationsweremadetotheplant.
ThisenabledtheclienttoreducehiseffectiveCIPcycleandtargetaprocessthatwasmoreeffectiveforthetypeofproductbeingmanufactured.Italsoprovidedhimwithlongerproductiontimesandreducedeffluentdischarge,chemicalandenergyuse.Theproductqualitywasincreasedprovidingalongershelflife.
Transformers
AclientwantedtouseRDVItechniquesinanelectricaltransformertoseeifwecouldremoveaforeignobjectdroppedintheunit.Theobjectwassuccessfullylocatedandremoved.Furtherinspectionoftheunitrevealedseriousdegradationtotheinsulationandshowedthatmanyoftheinternalpackershadloosened,withsomefallingtothebottomoftheunit.
Theloadonthisunitwasloweredtopreventacatastrophicfailureandtheclientwasabletoplanandarrangeforareplacementunit.ThisinspectionshowedtheabilityofRDVItechniquestodetectproblemsthatcannotbedetectedwithtraditionaltesting.Asaresultoftheinspectionoutcome,theclientimplementedregularRDVIinspectionstoensurepreventionofprematurefailuresinsimilarunits.
Asset Longevity / Plant & Pipeline Performancewww.QuestIntegrity.com I [email protected]
Air Heaters
Aclient’sairheaterunitsforairdryingoperationswerecrackingcausingsteamandassociatedchemicalstocontaminatethefoodproductbeingprocessed.RDVIinspectionrevealedanumberofissueswiththemethodinwhichthetubepenetrationsweremountedintheheaderandthequalityofthewelds.
Asaresultoftheinspection,theentireairheaterwassettobereplacedandawarrantyclaimwaslodgedwiththemanufacturer.Theinspectioninformationwasalsousedinaredesignoftheunits.AllnewunitsforthisclientarenowinspectedbyusingRDVItechniquestoensurethatthejointtypeiscorrectandinternalweldprofileisuniformtopreventstresspoints,crackingandcorrosion.QuestIntegrityRDVIhavedevelopedaspecificITPfortheseunitsandasetofstandardsfortheinternalweldseamprofilethatisnowusedextensivelyintheseunits.
Electric Motors
RDVIwasusedtoinspectalargeelectricdrivemotorthathadgotwet.Theinspectionrevealedcoronawaspresentinandaroundthewindingsinthemotor.Theinspectionalsodetectedanumberofotherissuesassociatedwiththeconditionofthewindings,supports,insulationanddeposition.
Withtheresultsofthisinspectiontheclientwasabletoplanasuitabletimetocompletetherepairsandreorganiseplantoperationtoreducetheloadsonthemotor.Theclientrequestedourinspectionprogrammetobeimplementedacrossalltheirelectricmotorsaspartoftheirmaintenanceschedule.
Debris Retrieval
Aclientsuspectedthataseriesofrecentplanttripsmaybeassociatedwithaparticularpressurevessel.RDVIwaschosenearlyoninthefaultfindingprocesstohelpdeterminethecause.
Themosttime-efficientmethodofinspectionwasrequestedastheplantwouldbedowninacriticalproductionarea.Theinspectionrevealeddebrisblockingthedischargenozzleinthebottomofthevessel.Theclientwasconcernedthataconfinedspaceentrywasrequiredtoremovethedebris.Aconfinedspaceentrywouldrequirefurtherisolation,ventingandpurgingandwouldcausefurtherdelaysingettingtheplantrestarted.
UsingourspecialistRDVIretrievaltools,wewereabletoremoveallthedebriscausingtheobstruction,eliminatingtheneedforaconfinedspaceentry.Thevesselwasclosedupandplantrestartedimmediately.Thisisatechniquewedeployregularlytoremoveforeigndebrisfromprocessplantandalsowithsteamturbinecleanoutandre-assemblyprocedures.
Asset Longevity / Plant & Pipeline Performancewww.QuestIntegrity.com I [email protected]
Steam Transport Systems
Amainsteamfeedlineconnectedtoeightdifferentprocessplantswasinspected.Inspectionrevealedisolatedareasofcorrosioninthesteamlines.Theclientwasabletoinvestigateanddeterminethattherootcauseofthecorrosionwasachemicalusedinthesteamgenerationprocess.Achemicalsubstitutewasfoundandused.
TheclientwasabletotargetotherNDTtechniquesinareaswherewenotedcorrosiontoascertainminimumwallthicknesslevelsandcompleteremedialworkasnecessary.
Tankers
AnRDVIinspectionofmilktankerbodiesrevealedtwomajorissuesaffectinganumberoftankerbodies–aparticulartypeofsprayballwasnoteffectivelycleaningthetankers,andtherewaslooseinternalpipingbeginningtodamagetheinternalsurfacesofthetanker.
Theclientwasabletotemporarilyremovethesetankerbodiesfromservicewhilstkeepingthosewithcorrectsprayballsystemsandpipefasteningsinservice.Theloosepipingwasabletoberepairedeasilyasearlydetectiondidnotallowforextensivedamagetooccur.
Thisinspectiondidnotdisruptthescheduledmilkpickupswhichwouldhavebeenthecaseifeachunithadbeeninspectedusingaconfinedspaceentrymethod.
Silos/Tanks/Cyclones
Aseriesofbalancetanks,silosandcycloneswereinspectedaspartofanannualsurvey.Wewereabletodeterminethatanumberofunitswerenotcleaningcorrectly.Comparisonoftheseresultswiththeresultsfrompreviousinspectionsrevealedthatseveralunitsweredevelopinga“bloom”.
TheclientwasabletoreplacedefectivesprayballsandmodifytheCIPprocesstoensuretheunitwascleanedtoamoresatisfactorystandard.Theywerealsoabletoproduceproductwithamoreconsistentqualityandeliminatecostlyproductdowngrades.
Cooling Water Systems
Acoolingwaterjacketsysteminasteelrollingmillwasinspected.Alargeamountofdeposition,tuberculationandindicationsofunder-depositcorrosionwerefoundinthesystem.Thiswasreportedtotheclientwhodismissedtheinitialfindingsandourdraftreport.Wereturnedtoourofficeandcompiledthefinishedreportwithanextractfromtechnicaljournalsonthetypeofcorrosionandformationswehadnoted.Theclientreadourfinishedreportandbegantoarrangefortheentiresystemtobere-built.
Theclientconfirmedthattheinformationwehadprovidedattheendoftheinspectionwastrueandcorrect.Healsostatedthatiftheinspectionshadbeenundertakenearlier,theinitialindicationswouldhavebeenidentifiedand,throughalteringoperationalprocesses,preventedtheprematuredegradationandreplacementofthesystem.
QUEST INTEGRITY GROUP
We are a global leader in the development and delivery of asset integrity and reliability management services and solutions for our clients. Our solutions consist of technology-enabled, advanced inspection and engineering assessment services and products that help companies in the refining and chemical, pipeline, syngas and power industries reduce operational and safety risks, improve operational planning and increase profitability. Quest Integrity Group, a Team Industrial Services company, is built on a foundation of leading edge science and technology that has innovated and shaped industries for over forty years.
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