Fitness for Service is defined as the ability to demonstrate the structural integrity of an in-service component containing a flaw. The rapidly becoming standard for conducting fitness-for-service assessments is API 579, Fitness for Service. Our focus in Fitness-for-service assessments is to provide useful economic and safety benefits to end users and operators.
Fitness-for-service assessments provide useful economic and safety benefits to end users and operators including:
- Ensuring the safety of plant personnel and the public while older equipment continues to operate
- Helping to optimize maintenance and operation of existing facilities to maintain the availability of older plants and enhance long term viability.
The procedures can be used for evaluation and re-rating of pressure vessels designed and constructed to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code; piping systems designed and constructed to the ASME B31.3 Piping Code and above ground storage tanks designed and constructed to API 650 and API 620.
Typical scenarios requiring a fitness for service assessment include:
- Assessment of equipment for general metal loss;
- Assessment of equipment for local metal loss
- Assessment of equipment for brittle fracture;
- Assessment of equipment for pitting corrosion;
- Assessment of equipment for blisters and lamination;
- Assessment of equipment for crack-like flaws;
- Assessment of fire damage.