
Fitness for service (FFS) is a methodology to determine the adequacy of a structure for continued service when it contains a flaw or is operating in a particular condition where there is risk of failure. Failure conditions and types of flaws may include:
Cracking flaws may include:
API RP 579 provides the methods and procedures intended to supplement and improve requirements of API 510, API 570, API 653 and API 750.
AOC consultants include engineering personnel with expertise in FFS assessments. We offer three levels of assessment per API RP 579.
Level1
Level 2
Level 3
AOC has delivered thousands of sustainable Risk Based Inspection (RBI) programs earning the trust of owner operators.
Key parameters and mitigating actions for variables that may dramatically affect the intended design life of your asset
One of the most important steps in an RBI project is the corrosion study or damage mechanism review.
Create mechanical integrity (MI) program value rather than it being seen as a necessary cost to minimize.
Is your plant's MI program compliant? Use our checklist to assess your current program against industry standards and receive expert recommendations for improvement.
How well do you know RBI? Take this short quiz to test your knowledge of the API 580 risk-based inspection (RBI) work process.
Is your Risk Based Inspection (RBI) program aligned with the API 580 Recommended Practice? Are you ready for certification?
A deep dive into quantitative Risk Based Inspection (RBI) as outlined in API 581.
What impact does Risk Based Inspection (RBI) have on my organization?
What's actually going on inside all of that fancy software? An introduction to the API 581 methodology.
A high level overview introducing Mechanical Integrity and Risk Based Inspection
Practical guide for implementing a Mechanical Integrity and RBI program for U.S. oil and gas wellfield, gathering, and midstream facilities. Aligns lifecycle asset management, inspection, and risk control with API standards, PHMSA pipeline rules, and OSHA PSM requirements.
Organizations that follow the spirit of risk-based inspection rather than its minimum requirements use a definable, structured, auditable process to confirm that an alternate inspection technique provides equal or better risk reduction than a baseline method.
Safety-first organizations consistently outperform on reliability when priorities are truly enforced, not just stated.
Can Non-Intrusive Inspection (NII) finally replace vessel entries? Explore the roadblocks to RBI, validated POD data for UT and RT, and a new framework for technical equivalency in modern refinery maintenance.
MOC fails not from lack of knowledge, but from conflict with operational pressures. Speed is rewarded over rigor, definitions are unclear, ownership is weak, and risk reviews become procedural, allowing changes, cumulative risk, and hazards to go unmanaged.
Don’t let your RBI program become a "paperwork exercise." Learn how to distinguish between a qualified technical partner and a software-only contractor to ensure true operational safety.
This is a practical approach to incorporating the new PHMSA gas well rules into your integrity program with the rest of your surface and subsurface assets.
A formal acceptable risk policy standardizes risk tolerance, assigns decision authority by risk level, and requires escalating approvals for higher risk, improving consistency, transparency, and resource prioritization while preventing unmanaged risk exposure.
Unified framework integrating MI, RCM, PHA, and SIL/SIS into one risk-based system using a common matrix, shared failure modes, and closed-loop feedback to align actions, prioritize resources, and ensure consistent, real-world risk reduction.
"Good inspection" is not defined by technical tools, but by a leadership choice to allow the truth about equipment condition to surface. Learn why management is the most critical variable in mechanical integrity.
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