API RP 576, Inspection of Pressure-Relieving Devices, is a recommended practice developed and published by the American Petroleum Institute (API) that describes inspection and repair practices for automatic pressure-relieving devices commonly used in the oil and petrochemical industries, and is intended to help ensure these devices perform properly. This RP was originally published in 1992, and the most recent 4th Edition was released in April of 2017.
The equipment specifically covered under API RP 576 includes things such as: pressure-relief valves, pilot-operated pressure-relief valves, rupture disks, and weight-loaded pressure-vacuum vents. API RP 576 explicitly excludes from its coverage any devices that are either manually operated, or depend on an external power source. This includes things such as weak seams or sections in tanks, explosion doors, fusible plugs, or control valves, among others. Moreover, this RP does not cover any inspections or tests performed at the manufacturer’s plants, which are primarily covered by codes or purchase specifications.
Another thing to note is that API RP 576 only covers the actual inspection and repair of automatic pressure-relieving devices, not the inspector qualification or inspection interval requirements. These requirements are laid out in API 510, Pressure Vessel Inspection Code: In-Service Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration. Along with establishing standards for the in-service inspection, repair, alteration, and rerating activities for pressure vessels, this document also gives the requirements for a quality control system for such devices and establishes how to set up a training program for the same. This is the best way to ensure that inspectors and engineers are properly trained to implement API RP 576 at a facility.
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- API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 - Fitness-For-Service (FFS)
- API 594 - Check Valves: Flanged, Lug, Wafer, and Butt-Welding
- API 620 - Design and Construction of Large, Welded, Low-Pressure Storage Tanks
- API 650 - Welded Tanks for Oil Storage
- API 660 - Shell-and-Tube Heat Exchangers
- API 661 - Petroleum, Petrochemical, and Natural Gas Industries Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers
- API RP 1160 - Managing System Integrity for Hazardous Liquid Pipelines
- API RP 1173 - Pipeline Safety Management Systems
- API RP 1176 - Assessment and Management of Cracking in Pipelines
- API RP 1188 - Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Facilities Integrity Management
- API RP 538 - Industrial Fired Boilers for General Refinery and Petrochemical Service
- API RP 571 - Damage Mechanisms Affecting Fixed Equipment in the Refining Industry
- API RP 572 - Inspection of Pressure Vessels
- API RP 573 - Inspection of Fired Boilers and Heaters
- API RP 574 - Inspection Practices for Piping System Components
- API RP 575 - Inspection Practices for Atmospheric and Low Pressure Storage Tanks
- API RP 577 - Welding Processes, Inspection, and Metallurgy
- API RP 578 - Material Verification for New and Existing Alloy Piping
- API RP 580 - Risk Based Inspection (RBI)
- API RP 581 - Risk Based Inspection Technology
- API RP 583 - Corrosion Under Insulation and Fireproofing
- API RP 584 - Integrity Operating Windows
- API RP 585 - Pressure Equipment Integrity Incident Investigation
- API RP 651 - Cathodic Protection of Aboveground Petroleum Storage Tanks
- API RP 75 - Safety and Environmental Management System for Offshore Operations
- API RP 751 - Safe Operation of Hydrofluoric Acid Alkylation Units
- API RP 754 - Process Safety Performance Indicators for the Refining and Petrochemical Industries
- API RP 934 - Materials and Fabrication of Heavy Wall Pressure Vessels for High-Pressure Hydrogen Ser
- API RP 939-C - Guidelines for Avoiding Sulfidation (Sulfidic) Corrosion Failures in Oil Refineries
- API RP 941 - Steels for Hydrogen Service at Elevated Temperatures and Pressures
- API RP 970 - Corrosion Control Documents
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
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