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Pipe Inspection

According to API Code, a pipe is a pressure-tight cylinder that is used to transport fluid or transmit fluid pressure.

You may see the maze of pipes joining the vessels together if you look at the refinery or chemical plant. According to statistics, the process pipework causes 40% of all mechanical failures in the units.

This article gives you information on process piping site inspection as well as key details on in-service inspection in processing facilities.

What are the requirements for piping inspection at construction sites?

The ASME B31.3 Code, which specifies the minimum standards for design, materials, fabrication, inspection, testing, and commissioning, is the construction code for process pipe.

Your inspection and test plan (ITP) for process piping must adhere to ASME B31.3 Code as a result of the aforementioned rationale.

For various actions, ASME B31.3 directs you to the other ASME code parts. Consider using ASME Code Section IX for welding, ASME B16.5 for pipe fitting design and selection, and ASME Code Section V for nondestructive testing.

The design and construction of process pipework do not fall under the ASME Code’s system of stamped items.

This means that ASME does not certify construction contractors, and it is the owner’s responsibility to choose a skilled and knowledgeable contractor for their process piping construction project.

Because of this, the phrase “authorized inspector” has been replaced by the phrase “owner inspector” in the ASME B31.3 code.

The owner inspector may be a qualified employee of the owner or an eligible employee of a third-party inspection organization that has a contract with the owner.

When the term “approved inspector” appears in the ASME Construction codes, you’ll notice an ASME Stamp scheme there.

The ASME B31.1 code for power piping (boiler exterior pipe), in contrast to ASME B31.3, uses the ASME stamping scheme. The building contractor must have the “PP” stamp and be certified by the ASME association.

As a result, the term “inspector” in ASME B31.1 is now defined as “approved inspector,” which denotes that the individual in question possesses particular credentials and an NBIC commission card.

What is the In-Service Inspection Requirement for Process Piping?

Your process piping’s In-Service Inspection code is API STD 570.

Piping Inspection Code: In-Service Inspection, Rating, Repair, and Alteration of Piping Systems is the name of the code.

It is also required to apply this Code in conjunction with the other API-suggested practices and codes.

Some of these Recommend Practices are:

  • Inspection Procedures for Piping System Components, API RP 574.
  • Welding Inspection and Metallurgy, API RP 577.
  • Affecting fixed equipment in the refining industry, according to API RP 571.
  • Program for Material Verification for New and Old Alloy Piping Systems (API 578)

It is also possible to apply ASME construction and relevant code sections, such as ASME B31.3 and ASME Code Section IX.

The API STD 570 or ASME PCC-2 requirements must be met for repair.

What are the Important Items in the Piping Inspection?

These are just a few of the process pipe in-service inspection’s key considerations, therefore they shouldn’t be taken to constitute the full inspection process.

A plumbing inspection protocol is a detailed document that, at the least, must contain the inspection techniques to be utilized, the tools and materials to be used, the qualifications of the inspection employees involved, and the order of the inspection activities.

You can use the following information as a bulleted list of points for the pipe system’s in-service inspection.

  • listing the line number, pipe specification class, rating, schedule, pipe origin (from), and pipe destination locations on a piping inventory list (to).
  • Draw out isometric piping diagrams to make inspections and logging corrosion monitoring points easier (CMLs).
  • creating pipe circuits out of the entire unit’s piping based on the process’s state and any potential degradation mechanisms.
  • choosing appropriate NDE methods depending on the circuit damage mechanism for each piping circuit.