We often get asked, “What’s the value of a risk-based inspection (RBI) program?” or “How much money will an integrity operating windows (IOW) program save my site?” One of the most significant financial benefits from these types of programs comes from preventing operational losses, which, while challenging to quantify, can substantially outweigh the costs of […]
On December 27, 2023, the Washington Division Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) filed a permanent rulemaking motion to adopt changes to how Process Safety Management (PSM) is handled for oil refineries within the state of Washinton. This regulation was approved in response to high-profile industry incidents in the state of Washington in the last 5 […]
As owner-users continue to rely on existing RBI programs, the question of how to keep an RBI program functioning and compliant continually comes up in discussions. Mechanical integrity professional want to know what needs to be done and when it needs to happen. Let’s start with Code requirements: API 510 10th Edition, 2nd Addendum 6.3.2 […]
Risk-based inspection (RBI) methods have been around the refining and petrochemical industry for nearly 3 decades. The concept of focusing inspection programs on areas of highest risk has proven to be an effective approach for managing fixed equipment integrity and optimizing inspection programs. For RBI, risk is defined as the product of probability of failure […]
Risk-based Inspection (RBI) has been around the refining and petrochemical industry for many years. When the original task group was put together to investigate RBI in the early 1990s, lessons learned from other industries that had been practicing this approach even earlier were incorporated into the two standards that API developed, API RP 580 – […]
Global trends towards lowering greenhouse gas emissions has forced energy companies to reevaluate their operating strategies. The challenge is time and concepts to achieve a “net zero,” which means looking at alternative feedstocks and new processes. These pressures are leading towards a global energy transition. While some biofuel processes have been around for approximately 20 […]
With contributing author: Fired equipment is a critical part of most refinery process units. Operating at high temperatures and potentially high pressures make these equipment items particularly risky. Add in the presence of open flames and failures can be dramatic. In today’s refining climate, fired equipment is required to run 5 to 10 years between […]
Integrity Operating Windows (IOWs) are an important component of a world class mechanical integrity program. IOWs are not a new concept, as they have been around in different forms for many years. However, due to some recent high-profile industry indictments and with the publication of the first edition of API RP 584 Integrity Operating Windows […]
Integrity Operating Windows (IOWs) are a key component of a world class mechanical integrity program. IOWs are not a new concept, as they have been around in different forms for many years. However, with the publication of the first edition of API RP 584, Integrity Operating Windows, in 2014 and the more recent first edition […]
The API Inspection Codes were originally based on failure prevention and did not consider the consequences of failure or potential damage mechanisms. Risk-based inspection (RBI) assessments result in an equipment risk ranking based on the probability of failure (a leak occurring) and the consequence associated with that leak. Applied properly, RBI provides the benefit of […]
