Examining Inspections

The goal of asset management is to effectively manage corporate assets in order to gain maximum value, profitability and returns while safeguarding personnel, the community, and the environment. A true Asset Integrity Management program incorporates design, maintenance, inspection, process, operations, and management concepts, since all these disciplines impact the integrity of infrastructure and equipment. An important part of asset integrity management is inspections and their management. Regularly scheduled inspections, evaluations, and testing by qualified personnel are critical parts of containing HHC (Highly Hazardous Chemicals). Their purpose is to prevent, predict, and readily detect failure of equipment. Inspections are conducted not only on Tanks, pressure vessels, but also on associated piping, valves, and on other equipment and components that could be a source or cause of a release. The purpose of inspections is to: 1. 2. 3. 4. Ensure integrity of the process equipment Maintain a safe workplace and operating area. Ensure the equipment is fit for its intended service Do this at the lowest cost.

Basically there are 2 philosophies to inspections 1. Risk based inspections 2. API based

Risk Based inspections

RBI method prioritizes inspection planning by calculating the risk value, and then it effectively implements an inspection program. Additionally, RBI reallocates the inspection and maintenance resources to high-risk items while paying appropriate attention to the low-risk items as well. Knowledge and experiences of chemical processes, metallurgy, corrosion and damage mechanism, accidental release modeling, fire prevention and maintenance techniques are key factor for an efficient RBI implementation. So the RBI process consists of 1. Performing a risk assessment of the equipment 2. Using these results to determine the inspection frequencies and methods of conducting appropriate inspections on that particular piece of equipment. Implementing an RBI program involves gathering and analyzing large amounts of data. This process lends itself to computerized software programs. There are several programs that have been developed to manage design and inspection data and analyze and calculate risks associated with equipment and plan and schedule inspections. This makes the program dynamic and results from the current inspections feed into the next inspection.

API Codes
Industry standards are technical guidelines created by experts in a particular industry for use throughout that industry. These guidelines assist in establishing common levels of safety and common practices for manufacture, maintenance, and repair. Created by standard-setting organizations using a consensus process, the standards establish the minimum accepted industry practice. Some codes that deal with inspections are:

API Standard 653 Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Reconstruction

API 510 - Pressure Vessel Inspection Code: Maintenance Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration
Covers the in-service inspection, repair, alteration, and rerating activities for pressure vessels and the pressure-relieving devices protecting these vessels.

API 570 - Piping Inspection Code: In-Service Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration of Piping Systems
Covers the inspection, rating, repair, and alteration procedures for metallic and fiberglass reinforced plastic piping systems and their associated pressure relieving devices that have been in-service

API Recommended Practice 574 Inspection Practices for Piping System Components