With the Oil and Gas industry in a state of change many downstream assets, such as pipelines, refineries, and petrochemical plants are continuing to remain in service beyond their originally envisaged design life. Management of the integrity of these assets presents operators with new challengers. These assets may have existing defects but are uneconomic to replace.

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Fitness for service assessment determines if an item of pressure equipment, with a reported defect, is safe to remain in service and for how long.

 

Rhodes Engineering and Design Limited performs fitness for service assessment calculations in accordance AS3788, ASME/API 579-1 or BS7910.

 

We review examination reports of the defect or defects, perform calculations using advanced analysis tools, and produce a report detailing the suitability of the equipment to remain in service. This report may then be supplied to your accredited site Inspection Body’s Pressure Equipment Inspector to assist in the issuing of a Certificate of Inspection. The Inspector can be reassured as to validity of our findings, as these assessments are performed by an engineer certified by Engineering New Zealand as a Pressure Equipment Design Verifier.

 

Level 1 fitness for service calculations, such as general corrosion on cylindrical shells, may be performed by your site Inspectors. However we can assist where more complex (e.g. API-579 Level 2 or 3) calculations are required. Typical examples are:

• Localised corrosion

• Corrosion on or adjacent to flanges, nozzles, lugs, pipe supports, etc

• Fatigue assessment of equipment subject to batch or cyclic operation

• Equipment in high temperature service

• Crack assessment

 

Examples are shown below.