Introduction to Fitness-For-Service applications for the Pulp & Paper Industry, TAPPICon26

Across many industries, Fitness-For-Service (FFS) is utilized to evaluate damaged in-service pressure retaining equipment such as pressure vessels, piping, and storage tanks. Processing facilities are often faced with aging infrastructure susceptible to damage mechanisms that require engineering, repair, or replacement. The joint committee publication between API and ASME; API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 (API 579) provides engineering procedures to evaluate such equipment which promotes safe operation while often allowing cost-effective solutions regarding future mechanical integrity decisions of equipment [1].

FFS methodology uses a combination of detailed inspection data and engineering to determine if the damaged equipment can demonstrate adequate protection against relevant failure modes (collapse, buckling, fracture, etc.). The results of FFS evaluations can be used by equipment owner/users to support run/repair/replace decisions. The results from the assessment may also be used to optimize future inspection plans and estimate equipment remaining life.

API 579 is composed of 14 parts, with each part covering assessment procedures for different damage mechanisms. Within each part, three assessment levels are provided:

• Level 1 – Provides conservative screening criteria within minimum inspection information. Typically consists of original design code calculations and fabrication tolerances.
• Level 2 – More detailed calculations using numerical methods resulting in more precision than Level 1.
• Level 3 – Produces the most precise result and less conservative than Levels 1 and 2. Typically involves finite element analysis (FEA) and requires detailed inspection information.

This presentation will focus on some of the damage mechanisms typical to the pulp and paper industry; dents/gouges (Parts 12) and laminations (Part 13) with attention to the Level 2 procedures of these parts. The FFS methodologies discussed in this paper are for the general cases and the applicability and limitations of the methods are not discussed in detail. In practice, the analyst performing the FFS assessment is responsible for employing these rules within the limitations of API 579.

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