Whiteboard Discussion: The Importance of API RP 581 Inspection Effectiveness Tables

April 24, 2017

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RBI, Inspection Effectiveness and Human Factors

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Human factors, inspection effectiveness, and RBI all play an important role in running an effective asset management program. This article discusses how each is applicable to inspecting equipment in processing facilities.
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The various factors of the challenge, e.g. creating effective and then efficient inspection strategies, are at the crux of the decision process. Within each of these factors are questions that must be answered. The answers should be well thought...
Risk Based Inspection - Setting Risk Targets

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The question of how to set risk targets is a logical one and should be addressed prior to or in the very early stages of RBI implementation. This article will guide readers through the basic elements required to address this question within an...
Risk-Based Inspection

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An earlier version of this updated article appeared in the January-February 1998 issue of the Inspectioneering Journal. It is hard to believe that nine years have passed so quickly. Fortunately the industry, as a whole, has learned much and...

Video Description

In this latest Whiteboard Discussion, Greg Alvarado discusses the role of grading the effectiveness of inspection strategies and its importance in determining the amount of uncertainty in the Probability of Failure (POF) portion of the risk analysis. The higher the effectiveness, the higher the confidence in the knowledge of the true damage state of the equipment. The strategies should address all credible damage mechanisms that are risk drivers that require attention per the risk analysis.

In addition to the direct link between NDE techniques versus damage mechanisms and amount of coverage to achieve the proper level of effectiveness, this discussion covers how one may also consider using the tables and gradings to address other issues like the qualifications of the NDE operator. For instance, if one is looking for HIC/SOHIC with AUT and the operator has his/her ASNT certifications, internal certifications from the employer, and has passed the API QUTE exam but not taken the owner operator's internal qualification demonstration test for HIC/SOHIC and AUT, one could consider making it a policy to downgrade the effectiveness in such a case. On the other hand, the owner-operator could consider the API QUTE certification as adequate to achieve the level of effectiveness prescribed in their inspection effectiveness tables. It is up to the owner/operator to make these types of determinations and to be consistent in their application.