Fire Damage Assessment

Assessment for Continued Service

Equity’s Metallurgical Engineers and fire damage specialists have extensive experience in fire damage assessment in refineries and chemical process plants. We perform assessments in accordance with API-579/ASME FFS-1 including Part 11 guidelines.

Our team of experienced specialists will provide rapid deployment to your site to direct the evaluation. In addition to the determination of the cause of a fire or incident, one of the primary purposes is to assess the suitability of piping and equipment for continued service. In the event that fire-damaged equipment requires replacement or major repair, it could have a significant effect on the time required before a unit can be returned to operation.

The goal of such an evaluation is to quickly and decisively sort equipment exposed to a fire into different categories. One of the first primary goals is to identify Heat Exposure Zones based on observations and discussions with plant personnel. This information is used to help further classify piping and equipment into different categories. For example:

• Piping and equipment with limited fire exposure which can be recommended for continued service that can be returned to service without further testing.
• Piping and equipment with limited or moderate exposure which are strong candidates for continued service but which may require some additional analysis (i.e. hardness testing, metallographic replication, etc). Some minor repairs may be required.
• Piping and equipment that may have had moderate or severe localized exposure but which may be strong candidates for continued service subject to the results of additional testing and analysis. Items falling into this category may require some combination of fitness-for-service analysis; metallurgical analysis; and or partial repair.
• Piping and equipment that appears to have been significantly damaged and is not believed to be suitable for service without extensive analysis and or repair.
• Piping and equipment that must be scrapped and replaced.
• Piping and equipment that require additional Level 2 or Level 3 Fitness-For-Service evaluation before being returned to service.
• Equipment that may need to be re-rated.

The general forms of damage that are considered in the investigation include but are not limited to:

• a) Degradation of mechanical properties such as embrittlement and or loss in toughness or strength due to degradation of metallurgical microstructure
• b) Degradation in corrosion resistance and or increased susceptibility to environmental cracking
• c) Mechanical distortion and structural damage
• d) Creep damage
• e) Presence of crack-like flaws in the pressure boundary

A typical scope of work for a fire damage assessment includes:

• On site visit of fire damage assessment team to meet with fire response team to investigate to better understand the size, scope and duration of the fire, to better understand the extent of damage.
• Meet with plant personnel to investigate operating conditions to help determine the cause of failure.
• The API 579 FFS Level 1 assessment will identify Heat Exposure Zones based on observations and discussions with plant personnel. Perform visual inspection and provide recommendations for additional non-destructive examination needed to complete a Level 1 assessment. Identify hardness testing requirements.
• Perform API 579 FFS Level 2 and Level 3 assessment of items which do not pass Level 1 scrutiny.
• Identify components to be shipped off site for testing and or metallurgical analysis. Devise a plan for further inspection/testing based on assessment categorization outlined above.
• Perform Level 3 fitness for service analysis in conjunction with our Fitness For Service Mechanical Engineering colleagues to determine suitability for continued service.