Overview of API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 - Fitness-For-Service (FFS)
API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, Fitness-For-Service, Third Edition, is a standard developed and published jointly by the American Petroleum Institute (API) and ASME. It describes several fitness-for-service (FFS) assessment techniques that help ensure the safe and reliable operation of pressurized equipment used in oil & gas, petrochemical, and chemical facilities. The latest edition was published in June of 2016.
API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 provides procedures for performing proper fitness-for-service assessments and/or rerating of equipment that is designed and constructed to recognized codes and standards. This standard contains numerous sections on assessment procedures for calculating the impact of damage mechanisms such as brittle fracture, general metal loss and local metal loss, pitting corrosion, blisters and laminations, weld misalignment and shell distortion, crack-like flaws, creep damage, and fire damage.
This standard has procedures for evaluating several different types of equipment (pressure vessels, piping, and tankage) that may contain flaws or damage. These include the evaluation and rerating of pressure vessels designed based on the the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, and piping systems that were constructed to either the ASME B31.3 Piping Code or those constructed under API 650 and 620, along with pressure containing equipment constructed to any other codes that are recognized in the publication.
It covers both the present integrity of the component, given a current state of damage, and the projected remaining life. Qualitative and quantitative guidance for establishing remaining life and in-service margins for continued operation of equipment are provided in regards to future operating conditions and environmental compatibility. 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.
API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 also has appendices on several other important topics, such as equations for determining MAWP, thickness, and stress in components, methods of stress analysis for Level 2 and Level 3 FFS assessments, a compendium of stress intensity solutions, guidance on material properties, failure modes and damage mechanisms, validation of assessment procedures, and information on submitting technical inquiries to API, among other things.
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July/August 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
Assessment procedures in API 579 are organized by damage mechanism. But what happens when different damage mechanisms are in play since the evaluation criteria may not be compatible?
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May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Phillip E. Prueter at The Equity Engineering Group, Inc., Brian R. Macejko, P.E. at The Equity Engineering Group, Inc., and Seetha Ramudu Kummari, Ph.D., P.E. at The Equity Engineering Group, Inc.
This article provides an overview of brittle fracture, details on several industry failures, and a summary of deficiencies and concerns with current published methods for screening susceptibility of equipment to potential brittle fracture failures.
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May/June 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
There are many places where brittle fracture risk can sneak into your plant and many reasons why a new or revised brittle fracture assessment may be required when reviewing your pressure systems. Don’t overlook this dangerous failure mechanism.
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BlogJune 25, 2020 By John Reynolds at Intertek
A summary of some of the important topics that were discussed at the API Spring Refining and Equipment Standards Meeting that was held via virtual conferencing.
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March/April 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
FMR is a useful tool in many situations. It allows nondestructive evaluation of the surface microstructure that is entirely adequate in many cases. However, it is not a panacea, and there are many conditions where it is inadequate.
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January/February 2020 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
There are many sources and occurrences of metal fatigue in the chemical and refining industries. They range from low-cycle thermal stresses in an FCCU, to the relentless pressure cycling of a PSA, to the ultra-high cycles of a rotating pump.
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BlogDecember 26, 2019 By John Reynolds at Intertek
A summary of some of the important topics that were discussed at the API Fall Refining and Equipment Standards Meeting in Atlanta.
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November/December 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
A cornerstone of Level 1 and 2 metal loss assessment methods in API 579 is the concept of measuring thickness on a grid and constructing a “critical thickness profile.” These concepts are fundamental to Level 1 & 2 assessments in both Parts 4...
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September/October 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
MSDs are an important, but often misunderstood, element of FFS analyses. This column will help readers understand what an MSD is and why it is so important to Fitness-For-Service analysis under API 579.
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FFS Forum: Creep in Heater Tubes and Other Components – Part II: Strategies for Evaluating & Managing Remaining LifeJuly/August 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
This is the second of a two-part column on “Creep.” This second part discusses the approach to creep assessment in plant equipment.
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BlogAugust 20, 2019 By John E. Bringas, P.Eng. at Codes and Standards Training Institute (CASTI), and Kimberley Meszaros, P.Eng. at Codes and Standards Training Institute (CASTI)
This blog article provides examples on addressing widely scattered pitting through the performance of a fitness-for-service assessment using the three conditions set out in the API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspection Code.
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May/June 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
This is the first of a two-part column on “Creep”. It presents an engineering overview of the phenomena, answers the question: “What is Creep?”, and provides readers with foundational knowledge for evaluating and managing remaining equipment...
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Fitness-for-Service Forum: Minimum Pressurization Temperature (MPT) Curves: Why and How they are Going to ChangeMarch/April 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
Brittle fracture and material toughness issues are important concerns in equipment design and FFS. These issues increase when temporary start-up and shutdown conditions require more detailed assessments than provided for in vessel and piping codes.
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January/February 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
The distinction between primary and secondary loads is certainly important in analysis of pressure systems. But this distinction is also important for plant operations and reliability engineers to keep in mind when dealing with day-to-day problems.
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January/February 2019 Inspectioneering JournalBy Houssam Sabry at ADNOC LNG, and Asad Ali at ADNOC LNG
An effective RBI system implementation results in, not only safeguarding your assets & people, but can also reduce unnecessary inspection activities that may be required due to conventional & nonsystematic approaches.
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November/December 2018 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
In this edition of the FFS Forum, Greg addresses some issues associated with inspection of vessels that have been in service for a number of decades, and offers some tips for reliability and inspection to follow when inspecting these older vessels.
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Reynolds Wrap Up: Highlights from the API Subcommittee on Inspection and Mechanical Integrity (SCIMI) Meetings at the Fall 2018 API Standards MeetingBlogDecember 27, 2018 By John Reynolds at Intertek
A quick summary of some of the important topics that were discussed at the Fall Meeting, including the upcoming API Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit, subcommittee activities, and progress with the API Individual Certification Program.
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September/October 2018 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
In this column, I touch on what I see as an underused FFS technique for corrosion assessment: point assessment of corrosion – a technique that does NOT require a thickness grid. The reason I find this technique useful is largely because it’s so...
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July/August 2018 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Garic at Stress Engineering Services, Inc.
API 579-1 is a complex document covering several different types of equipment that may contain flaws or damage. Due to its complexity, this article condenses it into six things you need to know.
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May/June 2002 Inspectioneering JournalBy Greg Alvarado at Inspectioneering Journal, and C.P. Hsiao
We have discussed various factors that can affect the reliability of NDE techniques (i.e., probability of detection - POD and sizing accuracy) in Part 1. In general, it is difficult to quantify these uncertainties. In fact, it is impossible to fully...
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The Future Direction of API RP579 and its Relationship with other API Codes and Recommended PracticesMarch/April 2000 Inspectioneering JournalBy Gerrit Buchheim, P.E. at Becht
The release of API RP579 will bring about some changes to other existing API standards. The plan is to offer an integrated suite of API standards, where information is presented once and the other documents refer and are linked to that information.
Pro-Surve Technical with subsidiaries ProSource Radiography and ProForce Industrial are an integrated inspection, NDT, reliability engineering, Data management and project controls service provider assisting clients across CapEx/OpEx budgeted projects processes. We concentrate on solutions provided by the integration of engineering and inspection.
Pro-Surve Technical with subsidiaries ProSource Radiography and ProForce Industrial are an integrated inspection, NDT, reliability engineering, Data management and project controls service provider assisting clients across CapEx/OpEx budgeted projects processes. We concentrate on solutions provided by the integration of engineering and inspection.
Stress Engineering Services is an independent, employee-owned consulting engineering firm committed to engineering problem solving. With years of experience in refineries, power stations, chemical plants and pipelines, our focus is on providing engineering solutions to improve plant and refinery on-stream efficiency, safety, and reliability.
Stress Engineering Services is an independent, employee-owned consulting engineering firm committed to engineering problem solving. With years of experience in refineries, power stations, chemical plants and pipelines, our focus is on providing engineering solutions to improve plant and refinery on-stream efficiency, safety, and reliability.
Becht provides comprehensive and technically excellent engineering consulting, and project and turnaround management services to the energy, industrial gas & chemicals sectors, worldwide.
Becht provides comprehensive and technically excellent engineering consulting, and project and turnaround management services to the energy, industrial gas & chemicals sectors, worldwide.
Quest Integrity is a global leader in the development and delivery of asset integrity and reliability management services. Our integrated solutions consist of technology-enabled, advanced inspection and engineering assessment services and products that help organizations in the pipeline, refining, chemical, syngas and power industries improve operational planning, increase profitability, and reduce operational and safety risks.
Quest Integrity is a global leader in the development and delivery of asset integrity and reliability management services. Our integrated solutions consist of technology-enabled, advanced inspection and engineering assessment services and products that help organizations in the pipeline, refining, chemical, syngas and power industries improve operational planning, increase profitability, and reduce operational and safety risks.
E²G, an employee-owned engineering firm specializing in consulting services for new and aging infrastructure in refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries. E²G helps clients improve profitability with consulting strategies and software tools that manage risk & control inspection costs throughout the life-cycle of a facility’s equipment.
E²G, an employee-owned engineering firm specializing in consulting services for new and aging infrastructure in refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries. E²G helps clients improve profitability with consulting strategies and software tools that manage risk & control inspection costs throughout the life-cycle of a facility’s equipment.
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