Upon Further Inspection

In episode eight, 'The Mountains We Still Need to Climb,' we welcome industry legend John Reynolds to the podcast. Join us and hear about the evolution of mechanical integrity practices through John’s shared experiences and expertise.  In part 1 of this three-part series, John shares how he became a renowned expert in Fixed Equipment Mechanical Integrity (FEMI). Starting his career with...

Upon Further Inspection is pleased to welcome back Andri Orphanides, API’s Director of ICP. We had such a great conversation going with Andri that we extended our chat and split her interview into two parts. Here’s part 2: Part two of our conversation with Andri is centered around the need for developing programs and educational pathways to attract younger generations, particularly Gen Z, to the i...

Upon Further Inspection is pleased to welcome our first podcast guest, Andri Orphanides, API’s Director of ICP. We had such a great conversation with Andri that we split her interview into two parts.  In Episode 6, Greg, Branden, and Andri discuss her 14-year journey with API from an exam coordinator to a director. Andri shares insights into the evolution of the ICP certification programs, the car...

In this episode of Upon Further Inspection , hosts Branden Stucky and Greg Alvarado discuss the evolution of mechanical integrity, exploring its transition from past practices to our current standards and regulations. They recount a couple historical failures (the Union Oil Lemont refinery explosion in 1984 and the Shell Norco explosion in 1988) that highlight the importance of developing stringen...

In this episode of Upon Further Inspection , hosts Branden Stucky and Greg Alvarado discuss the concepts of qualitative and quantitative Risk-Based Inspection (RBI).  They talk about the history of the API 581 RBI project from the early 1990s and explore how the methodologies have evolved from qualitative to quantitative approaches. The conversation highlights the benefits of both methods, the imp...

In Episode 3 of Upon Further Inspection , co-host Greg Alvarado continues to share stories of his career and experiences, particularly focusing on his time with DNV and the significant projects he was involved in. The episode covers detailed case studies on Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC) and Stress-Oriented Hydrogen Induced Cracking (SOHIC), including breakthrough practices and tests from the 198...

In the inaugural episode of Upon Further Inspection , hosts Branden Stucky and Greg Alvarado kick things off with a conversation about their journeys in mechanical integrity and why this podcast exists.  From the power of mentorship to the future of technology, they chat about what’s shaping the reliability and inspection world. They also explore how the industry continues to balance safety, envir...

In this episode of Upon Further Inspection , Branden asks Greg about his extensive career in mechanical integrity and reliability, starting as a chief chemist at Dutch Boy Paints to becoming a key figure at Monsanto, DNV, and finally, at Equity Engineering.  Throughout the episode, Greg discusses his passion for chemistry and metallurgy, the evolution of risk-based inspection (RBI), and the techno...