Mike Badeen: About the Author
Reliability Manager, Phillips 66 Co.

Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) is an emerging technology available to plant engineers and managers as theyapply risk directed activities to prioritize work and available resources for equipment management. This paper describes the learning of highly experienced RBI users, sharing results of implementation in their plants. The advantages of making and documenting reasonable assumptions will be explored.

Risk-Based Inspection (RBI) is an emerging technology available to plant engineers and managers as they apply risk directed activities to prioritize work and available resources for equipment management. This paper describes the learning of highly experienced RBI users, sharing results of implementation in their plants. The advantages of making and documenting reasonable assumptions will be explored. Additional benefits of the program will be shared, such as streamlined process reliability studies where RBI information can significantly impact time required for completion. Results of using the API RBI methodology for storage tank analyses will also be presented. The presenters have a combined refinery experience of over 40 years and RBI experience of over 10 years with responsibility for over 20,000 pressure vessels and overall responsibility for equipment integrity in two large refineries.

New inspection technology, when added to the proven practice of using tell tale holes (TTHs), proves effective in reducing significant releases and or catastrophic events that are related to internal corrosion / erosion of process piping. In fact, one facility's experience indicates that this practice, when used in conjunction with current and newly advanced technology such as automated ultrasonic (AUT) and profile radiograph (PRT), is more effective than using only new technology.