CBIA Conference 2017

API 579 Fitness For Service Overview

October 18, 2017

Dexter Nigos
Agenda

• Fitness for Service Background

• Introduction
• Joint API/ASME FFS Standard (2000 edition)
• Jurisdictional Requirements
• Fitness For Service Overview
• Scope and Applications
• Procedure
• Example Problems
• Section 4 – General Metal Loss
• Section 5 – Localize Metal Loss
• Section 6 – Pitting Corrosion
• Section 9 – Crack-Like Flaws

• Overview of 2007 FFS Edition

• Technical Basis and Validation of 2007 Edition
• API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 2016 Edition
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Fitness for Service Introduction
• ASME and API codes and standards provide guidelines for design,
fabrication, inspection and testing.

• These codes do not provide guidelines for evaluating equipment

that have been in service.

• ASME formed Post Construction Main Committee (PCC) in late

1990s to develop standards for in-service fixed equipment

• API CRE Task Group continued to develop API 579, many

committee members served on both committees.

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Fitness for Service Introduction
• The first edition of API 579 Fitness-For-Service (FFS) produced by
API CRE FFS Task Group was issued in 2000 and became the de
facto international Fitness-For-Service (FFS) Standard for pressure
containing equipment in the refining and petrochemical industries

• In order to streamline development efforts, pool resources, and

promote widespread regulatory acceptance, API and ASME agree
to form a joint committee to produce a single FFS standard that can
be used for pressure-containing.

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Joint API/ASME FFS Standards Committee
• Joint API/ASME Committee formed, first meeting takes place on
February 5, 2002
• Polices and procedures manual developed covering
• Charter
• Organization
• Officers
• Membership
• Meetings
• Committee Actions (Voting and Balloting)
• Public Review and Submittal to ANSI
• Interpretations
• Appeals
• Records
• Polices and procedures manual approved by API CRE and ASME
BPTCS

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Jurisdictional Requirement
• CCR Title 8, Chapter 4, Subchapter 15 Petroleum Safety Orders,
Article 18 – Unfired Pressure Vessels, Boilers and Fired Pressure
Vessels, §6857(c)(3):

• Program to include (summary):

• Acceptance by signature of the plant management
• The type of vessels covered
• Documentation
• Involvement of Operations, Engineering, Inspection, and maintenance
• Procedure for notifying the Division.

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Fitness for Service Overview

Scope
• Supplement and augment requirements of API
• Evaluation of both the present integrity of an equipment –
given present state of damage – and projected remaining
life.
• Evaluate equipment constructed and designed to;
• ASME Section VIII D1/D2, Section I, B31.3 and B31.1
• API 650 and 620
• International and Internal Corporate standards

• Assessment techniques include, but not limited to;

• Brittle fracture, local & general metal loss, crack-like
flaws, pitting, blistering, fire damage, etc.
• Provide in-service monitoring and NDE guidelines
• Documentation

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Fitness for Service Overview

Application
• Equipment constructed and designed to;
• ASME Section VIII D1/D2, Section I, B31.3 and B31.1
• API 650 and 620
• International and Internal Corporate standards
• Determine if an equipment may be operated at the original
Maximum Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP).
• Determine the minimum required thickness
• Reduced temporary MAWP based on the found
damage/flaw.
• Evaluate equipment that is discovered to be lacking
appropriate docs
• Evaluate equipment found to have not been designed or
constructed to original design criteria

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Fitness for Service Overview

Procedure
• Step 1 – Flaw or Damage Mechanism Identification

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Fitness for Service Overview

Procedure (cont.)
• Step 2 – Applicability and Limitations

• Step 3 – Data Requirements

• See Table 2.2 in API 579 for overview of data required
• Examples; Thickness profiles, pitting depth, dimensions
of crack-like flaws, etc.
• Extent of information and data required depends on
level of assessment and damage mechanism being
valuated.

• Step 4 – Assessment Techniques and Acceptance Criteria

• Level 1, 2 and 3 assessments

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Fitness for Service Overview
Procedure (cont.)
• Step 5 – Remaining Life Calculation
• Use to establish inspection plan, intervals and any
remediation
• Estimates with adequate safety factor

• Step 6 – Remediation
• Coating/lining to isolate the environment
• Drilling of blisters, monitoring, repair, etc.
• Changes to the process stream

• Step 7 – In-Service Monitoring

• Increase confidence in the remaining life assessment

• Step 8 – Documentation
• All calculations and documentation used to perform the
analysis. 11
Example Problems

Example #1 – General Metal Loss

• Result from corrosion, erosion or both.
• Based on thickness averaging approach.

Applicability And Limitations

• Uniform or local
• Can calculate reduced MAWP if acceptance criteria are not
satisfied
• Some limitations depending on level of assessment (level 1,
2 or 3):
• No crack-like flaws .
• No notches i.e. local stress concentrations
• Not in creep regime
• Not in cyclic service

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Example Problems

Example #1 – General Metal Loss (PART 4)

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Example Problems

Example #1 – General Metal Loss (cont.)

• Follow assessment techniques and acceptance criteria in Part

4 of API 579 (Level 1 => Level 2 => Level 3, as needed).
• Failed Level 1 assessment.
• Passed Level 2 assessment at a reduced MAWP.

• Alternatively, use industry recognized software (Plant

Manager, CodeCalc, etc) to complete the assessment. 14
Example Problems

Example #1 – General Metal Loss (cont.)

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Example Problems

Example #1 – General Metal Loss (cont.)

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 Fitness for Service Overview
Example #1 – General Metal Loss (cont.)

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 Example Problems
Example #1 – General Metal Loss (cont.)

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Example Problems

Example #2 – Local Metal Loss (PART 5)

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Example Problems

Example #2 – Local Metal Loss

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Example Problems

Example #2 – Local Metal Loss (cont.)

• Passed Level 1 Assessment slightly reduced MAWP (Original

Design Pressure = 300psig)

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Example Problems
Example #3 – Pitting (PART 6)

Applicability and Limitations

• Can be used to evaluate general and localized pitting.
• Can calculate reduced MAWP if acceptance criteria are not
satisfied
• For Level 1 and 2, some rules in PART 5 may apply.
• Level 2 assessment if pitting damage is on both sides.
• NOTE: Precise measurement of pitting is difficult.

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Example Problems
Example #3 – Pitting (cont.)

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Example Problems
Example #3 – Pitting (cont.)

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Example Problems
Example #3 – Pitting (cont.)

• Follow Level 1 assessment per Part 6

• Perform Level 2 or 3 assessment as needed. 25
Example Problems
Example #3 – Pitting (cont.)

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Example Problems
Example #3 – Pitting (cont.)

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Example Problems
Example #3 – Pitting (cont.)
• 2007 Edition – Pitting Charts

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API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, 2007 Edition

Overview
• Released on 2Q2007
• Includes new enhancements and new parts covering FFS
assessment procedures that address unique damage
mechanism:
 Part 5 - Assessment of Local Thin Areas
 Level 1 screening procedure modified
 Assessment procedures for gouges have been relocated to
Part 12
 Part 7 - Assessment of Blisters and HIC/SOHIC Damage
 Assessment procedures for HIC/SOHIC damage have been
added
 Assessment of lamination moved to Part 13
 Part 8 - Assessment of Weld Misalignment and Bulges
 Assessment procedures for bulges removed
 Assessment procedures for dents, gouges, and dent-gouge
combinations have been relocated to Part 12

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API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, 2007 Edition

Overview (cont.)
 Part 10 - Assessment of Equipment Operating in the Creep
Range,
 Assessment procedures for remaining life calculations for
components with or without crack-like flaws have been
added, New Part
 Part 12 - Assessment of Dents, Gouges, and Dent-Gouge
Combinations, New Part
 Part 13 - Assessment of Laminations, New Part

• New enhancements to existing annexes.

• New annexes

• API-1/ASME FFS-1 2007 Edition to supersede API 579-2000

Edition.

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API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, 2007 Edition

Technical Basis and Validation

• Joint API/ASME FFS Committee committed to publishing the
technical basis to all FFS assessment procedures utilized in
API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 2007 in the public domain

• NBIC has supporting language for Fitness for Service in NB-

23 Part 2 Inspection.

• Appendix H of API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 2007 provides an

overview of technical basis and validation with related
references organized by damage type; the references are
published in a series of WRC Bulletins and technical papers

• Publication of technical background has been instrumental in

obtaining acceptance from regulatory bodies

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API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, 2016 Edition

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