ASME FFS-2-2009

Fitness-For-Service (FFS) assessments in API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Fitness-For-Service are engineering evaluations that are performed to demonstrate the structural integrity of an in-service component that may contain a flaw or damage or that may be operating under specific conditions that could produce a failure. API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 provides guidance for conducting FFS assessments using methodologies specifically prepared for pressurized equipment. The guidelines provided in this standard may be used to make runrepair-replace decisions to help determine if pressurized equipment containing flaws that have been identified by inspection can continue to operate safely for some period of time. These FFS assessments of API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 are currently recognized and referenced by the API Codes and Standards (510, 570, & 653), and by NB-23 as suitable means for evaluating the structural integrity of pressure vessels, piping systems and storage tanks where inspection has revealed degradation and flaws in the equipment or where operating conditions suggest that a risk of failure may be present.

Example problems illustrating the use and calculations required for Fitness-For-Service Assessments described in API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 are provided in this document. Example problems are provided for all calculation procedures in both SI and US Customary units.

An introduction to the example problems in this document is described in Part 2 of this Standard. The remaining Parts of this document contain the example problems. The Parts in this document coincide with the Parts in API 579-1/ASME FFS-1. For example, example problems illustrating calculations for local thin areas are provided in Part 5 of this document. This coincides with the assessment procedures for local thin areas contained in Part 5 of API 579-1/ASME FFS-1.