COADEs PVElite and CodeCalc now address Fitness-for-Service in accordance with API Recommended Practice 579

Fitness-for-Service Assessment
Fitness-for-Service (FFS) assessment is an essential tool in evaluating the operational safety and reliability of process plant equipment. American Petroleum Institute Recommended Practice 579 (API 579) provides detailed criteria for assessing the remaining operational life of in-service components such as pressure vessels, piping and tanks. By calculating the remaining strength of components based on their measured current state (e.g., with existing corrosion or pitting), FFS assessment can validate the extension of design service or provide a de-rated service to ensure safe operation. While general mechanical allowances such as corrosion are considered in setting component wall thickness, most pressure design standards (such as ASME Section VIII Division 1) focus on new equipment design and have little to say regarding the integrity of a pressure vessel with specific, measured metal loss. The API 579 document addresses the needs of plant engineers in assuring ongoing safety of existing equipment. API 579 directly addresses these FFS issues by crediting the area where thickness is greater than the minimum required thickness around the damaged portion.

The typical approach in API 579 analysis provides: 1) Flaw and damage identification 2) Review for applicability and limitation of the FFS procedure 3) Data requirements 4) Assessment technique and acceptance criteria 5) Remaining life evaluation 6) Remediation 7) In-service monitoring 8) Documentation API 579 provides three levels of assessment with their related acceptance criteria. A Level 1 assessment includes simplified methods with conservative assumptions, while a Level 2 assessment requires a more detailed analysis and produces more accurate results. Level 3 evaluation is most advanced and typically uses finite element analysis to qualify a component. If the component is not acceptable, the level of assessment can be increased, the components remaining life could be reduced, or the components service conditions (i.e., operating pressure) could be reduced.

Several options of measurement data can be used: profile, critical thickness profile and point thickness.
These programs currently focus on the three most common flaws of the nine flaw types defined in API 579:

Implementation in PVElite and CodeCalc

COADEs PVElite and CodeCalc address the heart of the API 579 approachassessing the flaw and evaluating the flaw against its acceptance criteria, and then evaluating the remaining life of the component. COADEs programs provide Level 1 and Level 2 metal loss assessments for vessel elements such as cylindrical shells, simple cones and formed heads.

GENERAL METAL LOSS resulting from corrosion and/or erosion of components (defined in API 579 Section 4). Program input takes the form of either point thickness (random-type readings) or profile thickness (grid-type readings). LOCAL METAL LOSS for components with local thin areas such as groove-like flaws or gouges (Section 5). Here, input takes

the form of profile thickness data where the data matrix can be tailored to a set of points in both circumferential and longitudinal directions.

PITTING CORROSION with flaws located on the inside, outside or on both surfaces of components (Section 6). For single layer analysis, the pit size is characterized with diameter, depth, pit-couple orientation and spacing. For the multiple layer analysis, the pit location is also required.

To estimate the remaining life, the program will use the current condition with a user-specified corrosion rate to predict the time at which the component no longer has sufficient strength to meet its service requirements. Additionally, the operating pressure may be adjusted to examine the remaining life subject to different service conditions. The remaining life calculation can use either the maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) approach or the more conservative thickness approach. Where flaws are excessive, COADEs programs will also compute the de-rated MAWP of the component as it currently exists. PVElite and CodeCalc API 579 FFS calculations also include: Consideration of proximity of the flaw to a discontinuity Consideration of external loads and hydrostatic head User overrides for MAWP and the Allowable Remaining Strength Factor (RSFa)

Intuitive, userfriendly interfaces provide guidance for data entry or editing.

The report format is similar to that of API 579 and is color-coded for quick and easy review.

A working demo of these and other COADE Engineering Software products can be downloaded from www.coade.com.

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Detail graphic display for Section 4 and Section 5 flaws.

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