DRAFT - Section 1: Introduction

DRAFT - API Recommended Practice for Fitness-For-Service

SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION
(DRAFT - Revision 14 - MS Word 7.0) 1.1 Introduction The ASME and API design codes and standards for pressurized equipment provide rules for the design, fabrication, inspection and testing of new pressure vessels, piping systems, and storage tanks. These codes do not address the fact that equipment degrades while in service and that deficiencies due to degradation or from original fabrication may be found during subsequent inspections. Fitness For Service assessments are quantitative engineering evaluations to determine the suitability of damaged equipment for continued use. This Recommended Practice provides guidance for conducting Fitness-For-Service assessments, specifically geared towards equipment operating in the petroleum and chemical industry. The guidelines provided in this recommended practice can be used to make run-repair-replace decisions to ensure that pressurized equipment containing flaws which have been identified by inspection can continue to operate safely. 1.2 1.2.1 Scope The Fitness-For-Service assessment procedures in this recommended practice cover situations involving flaws commonly encountered in the refining and petrochemical industry in pressure vessels, piping and tankage. The procedures are not intended to provide a definitive guideline for every possible situation that may be encountered. However, flexibility is provided to the user in the form of an advanced assessment level to handle uncommon situations that may require a more detailed analysis. The Fitness-For-Service assessment procedures in this recommended practice cover both the present integrity of the component given a current state of damage and the projected remaining life. Assessment techniques are included to evaluate flaws including; general and localized corrosion, widespread and localized pitting, blisters and laminations, weld misalignment and shell distortions, and crack-like flaws including environmental cracking. In addition, evaluation techniques are provided for condition assessment of equipment including resistance to brittle fracture, long-term creep damage, and fire damage. Analytical procedures, material properties including environmental effects, NDE guidelines and documentation requirements are included in the fitness-for-service assessment procedures in this document. In addition, both qualitative and quantitative guidance for establishing remaining life and safety margins for continued operation of equipment are provided in regards to future operating conditions and environmental compatibility. The assessment procedures in this recommended practice can be used for fitness-for-service assessments and rerating of pressure vessels designed and constructed to the ASME B&PV Code, Section VIII, Divisions 1 and 2, piping systems designed and constructed to the ASME B31.3 and B31.1 Piping Codes, and storage tanks designed and constructed to API 650 and API 620. This Recommended Practice may also be applied to pressure containing equipment constructed to other recognized codes and standards including international standards and internal corporate standards as provided in each section of this document. The Fitness-For-Service assessment procedures in this standard apply to all components covered under the scope of the original design code The methods and procedures in this recommended practice are intended to supplement and augment the requirements in API-510, API-570 and API-653: (i) to ensure safety of plant personnel and the public while older equipment continues to operate; (ii) to provide technically sound fitness-for-service assessment procedures to ensure that different service providers furnish consistent life predictions; and (iii) to help optimize maintenance and operation of existing facilities to maintain availability of older plants and enhance long-term economic viability.

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The methods and procedures in this recommended practice can also be used in conjunction with the National Board Inspection Code (NBIC) to the extent currently permitted by that document and the local statutory regulations. Organization and Use The organization, applicability and limitations, required information, analysis techniques and documentation requirements are described in Section 2.0 of this document. In addition, an overview of the acceptance criteria utilized throughout the document to qualify a component with a flaw is provided. First time practitioners of the FFS technology in this document are urged to carefully review Section 2.0 prior to starting an analysis.

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Jurisdiction If any provision of this standard presents a direct or implied conflict with any statutory regulation, the regulation shall govern.

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Responsibilities 2ZQHU8VHU The owner-user of pressurized equipment shall have overall responsibility for fitness-for-service assessments completed using the procedures in this recommended practice.

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(QJLQHHU The Engineer is responsible to the owner-user for most types of fitness-for-service assessments, documentation, and resulting recommendations. The exception is that screening analyses (Level 1 analyses, see Section 2.4 for definition) may be performed by an Inspector; however, even in this case the Engineer should review the analysis. In the context of this document, the term Engineer applies to the combination of the following disciplines unless a specific discipline is cited directly. In many cases, a fitness-for-service assessment will require several engineering disciplines and some will require input from all of those described below. a.

Materials or Metallurgical Engineer - responsibilities include identification of the material damage mechanisms, establishment of corrosion/erosion rates, determination of material properties including strength parameters and crack-like flaw growth parameters, development of suitable remediation methods, and documentation. Mechanical Engineer - responsibilities include computations for the MAWP, and any required thermal and stress analysis. Fracture Mechanics Engineer - responsibilities include assessment of crack-like flaws using the principals of fracture mechanics. The Materials or Mechanical Engineer may also perform this function. Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) Engineer - responsibilities include developing methods to detect, characterize, and size or quantify the amount of damage. In addition, the NDE Engineer shall recommend and ensure the accuracy of the NDE technique used for flaw sizing. The Materials or Mechanical Engineer may also perform this function. Process Engineer - responsibilities include documentation of past and future operating conditions including normal and upset conditions, and identification of the contained fluid.

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,QVSHFWRU The Inspector shall be responsible to the owner-user for determining that the requirements of API-510, API-570 and API-653 for inspection and testing are met. In addition, the Inspector shall provide all necessary inspection data required for a fitness-for-service assessment in accordance with the appropriate section of this document. The Inspector shall ensure that the results of the assessment are documented and filed with the appropriate permanent equipment records. In some instances, the Inspector may also be responsible for the fitness-for-service assessment if a screening (Level 1, see Section 2.4 for definition) type of analysis is performed. Qualifications Engineers involved in Fitness-For-Service assessments shall have a degree in engineering and a minimum of two years experience in the inspection and failure analysis, or the design, construction, repair, and operation of pressure containing equipment in the refining and/or chemical industry. Qualifications for the Inspector shall be per API-510, API-570, and API-653, as applicable. Definition Of Terms Definitions of common technical terms used throughout this document may be found in Appendix I.

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Referenced Publications API, "Pressure Vessel Inspection Code: Maintenance Inspection, Rerating, Repair and Alteration," ANSI/API Std. 510, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., 1992. API, "Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Rerating Of In-Service Piping Systems," ANSI/API 570, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., 1993. API, "Design and Construction of Large, Welded, Low-Pressure Storage Tanks," ANSI/API Std. 620, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., 1992. API, "Welded Steel Tanks for Oil Storage," ANSI/API Std. 650, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., 1992. API, "Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Reconstruction," ANSI/API Std. 653, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., 1992. API, "Recommended Practice for Recognition of Conditions Causing Deterioration or Failure," ANSI/API RP 571, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., (In Progress). API, "Recommended Practice for Inspection of Pressure Vessels," ANSI/API Std. RP 572, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., 1992. API, "Recommended Practice for Inspection of Fired Boilers, Fired and Heaters," ANSI/API Std. RP 573, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., 1992. API, "Recommended Practice for Inspection of Piping, Tubing, Valves, and Fittings," ANSI/API RP 574, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., 1992. API, "Recommended Practice for Inspection of Atmospheric and Low Pressure Storage Tanks," ANSI/API RP 575, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., (In Progress).

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API, "Recommended Practice for Inspection of Pressure Relieving Devices," ANSI/API RP 576, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., 1992. API, "Recommended Practice for Inspection of Welding," ANSI/API RP 577, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., (In Progress) API, "Recommended Practice for Risk Based Inspection," ANSI/API RP 580, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C., (In Progress). API, "Recommended Practice for Positive Materials Identification," ANSI/API RP 578, American Petroleum Institute, Washington D.C.,(In Progress). ASME, Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Pressure Vessels Division 1, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, NY, 1992. ASME, Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section VIII, Pressure Vessels Division 2 - Alternative Rules, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, NY, 1992. ASME, Process Piping ASME Code For Pressure Piping, B31, ASME B31.3, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, NY 1992. ANSI, National Board Inspection Code, ANSI/NB-23, The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, 1992.

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