API 580 EXAM
STUDY GUIDE
absolute risk - Answers-An ideal and accurate description and quantification of risk.
acceptable risk - Answers-A level of risk that is acceptable to the owner-user.
ALARP - as low as reasonably practical - Answers-A concept of minimization that
postulates that attributes (such as risk) can only be reduced to a certain minimum under
current technology and with reasonable cost.
components - Answers-Parts that make up a piece of equipment or equipment item. For
example a pressure boundary may consist of pipe, elbows, nipples, heads, shells,
nozzles, stiffening rings, skirts, supports, etc. that are bolted or welded into assembles
to make up equipment items.
consequence - Answers-An outcome from an event. There may be one or more these
from an event. They may range from positive to negative. However, they are always
negative for safety aspects. They may be expressed qualitatively or quantitatively.
corrosion specialist - Answers-A qualified person in the specific process chemistries,
corrosion degradation mechanisms, materials selection, corrosion mitigation methods,
corrosion monitoring techniques, and their impact on pressure equipment.
deterioration - Answers-The reduction in the ability of a component to provide its
intended purpose of containment of fluids. This can be caused by various damage
mechanisms (e.g. thinning, cracking, mechanical).
equipment - Answers-An individual item that is part of a system. Examples include
pressure vessels, relief devices, piping, boilers, and heaters.
, event - Answers-Occurrence of a particular set of circumstances. They may be certain
or uncertain and can be singular or multiple. The probability of this occurring within a
given period of time can be estimated.
event tree - Answers-An analytical tool that organizes and characterizes potential
occurrences in a logical and graphical manner and shows the event's relationship to
each other. This begins with the identification of potential initiating events. Subsequent
possible events (including activation of safety functions) resulting from the initiating
events are then displayed as the second level. This process is continued to develop
pathways or scenarios from the initiating events to potential outcomes.
external event - Answers-Events resulting from forces of nature, acts of God, sabotage,
or events such as neighboring fires or explosions, terrorism, neighboring hazardous
material releases, electrical power failures, forces of nature, and intrusions of external
transportation vehicles, such as aircraft, ships, trains, trucks, or automobiles. These are
usually beyond the direct or indirect control of persons employed at or by the facility.
facility - Answers-Any location containing equipment and/or components to be
addressed under this RP.
failure - Answers-Termination of the ability of a system, structure, equipment, or
component to perform its required function of containment of fluid (i.e. loss of
containment). These may be unannounced and undetected at the instant of occurrence
(unannounced failure). For example, a slow leak under insulation may not be detected
until a pool of fluid forms on the ground or someone notices a drip or wisp of vapor. A
small leak may not be noticed until the next inspection (unannounced failure), e.g. slow
leakage from buried piping or small leak in a heat exchanger tube, or theymay be
announced and detected by any number of methods at the instance of occurrence
(announced failure), e.g. rupture of a pipe in a process plant or sudden decrease in
pressure in the system.
failure mode - Answers-The manner of failure. For RBI, the failure of concern is loss of
containment of pressurized equipment items. Examples are small hole, crack, and
rupture.
Fitness-For-Service Assessment - Answers-A methodology whereby damage or
flaws/imperfections contained within a component or equipment item are assessed in
order to determine acceptability for continued service.
hazard - Answers-A physical condition or a release of a hazardous material that could
result from component failure and result in human injury or death, loss or damage, or
environmental degradation. This is the source of harm. Components that are used to
transport, store, or process a hazardous material can be a source. Human error and
external events may also create this.