Fitness-For-Service (FFS) assessments are quantitative engineering evaluations which are performed to demonstrate the structural integrity of an in-service component containing a flaw or damage. API 579 has been developed to provide guidance for conducting FFS assessments of equipment in the refining and petrochemical industry. This paper provides an overview of FFS enables the owner-user to operate
equipment with flaws or damage until the next scheduled downtime without compromising safety, thereby minimizing unscheduled downtimes and in many cases avoiding repair and replacement. This
paper provides an overview of API 579, how it was developed, the structure and organization of API 579, the use of API 579, and the role of the corrosion/materials engineer. The corrosion materials engineer is typically part of a multi-disciplinary team and is responsible for identifying the cause of damage, selecting the materials properties used in the assessment, determining a remaining life - including the future corrosion allowance or damage rate, and devising appropriate remediation and
monitoring tasks.
Keywords: API 579, API Inspection Codes, Fitness for Service, Risk Based Inspection, Damage Mechanisms, Remaining Life, Remediation, and Monitoring.