API 570 - Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Rerating of

In-service Piping Systems

1.2 Specific application

1.2.1 Included fluid surfaces

Except as provided in 1.2.2, API 570 applies to piping systems for process fluids, hydrocarbons, and similar flammable or toxic fluid
services, such as the following:

a. Raw, intermediate, and finished petroleum products.

b. Raw, intermediate, and finished chemical products.
c. Catalyst lines.
d. Hydrogen, natural gas, fuel gas, and flare systems.
e. Sour water and hazardous waste streams above threshold limits, as defined by jurisdictional regulations.
f. Hazardous chemicals above threshold limits, as defined by jurisdictional regulations.

1.2.2 Excluded and Optional Piping Systems

The fluid services and classes of piping systems listed below are excluded from the specific requirements of API 570 but may be included
at the owner’s or user’s (owner/user’s) option.

a. Fluid services that are excluded or optional include the following:

1. Hazardous fluid services below threshold limits, as defined by jurisdictional regulations.
2. Water (including fire protection systems), steam, steam-condensate, boiler feed water, and Category D fluid services, as defined in
ASME B31.3.
b. Classes of piping systems that are excluded or optional are as follows:
1. Piping systems on movable structures covered by jurisdictional regulations, including piping systems on trucks, ships, barges, and
other mobile equipment.
2. Piping systems that are an integral part or component of rotating or reciprocating mechanical devices, such as pumps, compressors,
turbines, generators, engines, and hydraulic or pneumatic cylinders where the primary design considerations and/or stresses are derived
from the functional requirements of the device.
3. Internal piping or tubing of fired heaters and boilers, including tubes, tube headers, return bends, external crossovers, and manifolds.
4. Pressure vessels, heaters, furnaces, heat exchangers, and other fluid handling or processing equipment, including internal piping and
connections for external piping.
5. Plumbing, sanitary sewers, process waste sewers, and storm sewers.
6. Piping or tubing with an outside diameter not exceeding that of NPS 1/2.
7. Nonmetallic piping and polymeric or glass-lined piping.

Section 2 – references

API
510 – Pressure vessel inspection code
Publ 2201 – Procedures for welding or hot tapping on equipment containing flammables
RP 574 – Inspection of piping system components
RP578 – material verification program for new & existing piping system
RP 579 – Fitness for service
RP 651 – Cathodic protection for
RP 750 – Management of process hazards
Std598 – Valve Inspection & Testing
Guide for inspection of refinery equipment.
Chapter II (This document will be replaced by API RP 571, conditions causing deteroration or failures, currently Under
development)
API 570 Inspector certification exam body knowledge

ASME
B16.34 Valves – Flanged, Threaded and welding end
B31.3 – Process piping
B31G – Manual for determining the remaining strength of corroded pipelines
BPV Code Sec VIII Div 1 & 2 / Sec IX

ASNT
SNT-TC-1A Personnel Qualification and certification in Non Destructive testing
CP-189 Standard for qualification and certification of NDT Personnel

ASTM
G57 – Method for field measurement of soil resistivity using the wenner four electrode method

NACE
RP0169 control of external corrosion on underground or submerged metallic piping systems
RP0170 Protection of austenitic stainless steel from polythionic acid stress corrosion cracking during shutdown of refinery equipment
RP0274 High voltage electrical inspection of pipe line coatings prior to installation

RM.Muthuvelan
 API 570 - Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Rerating of
In-service Piping Systems

RP0275 Application of organic coatings to the external surface of steel pipe for underground service

NFPA
704 Identification of the fire hazards of materials
Repairs & alterations – principles of ASME B31.3 or the code to which piping system was built shall be followed

Authorization

All repair work & alterations must be authorized by inspector prior to its commencement

Authorization for alteration work may not be given without prior consultation with and approval by, the piping engineer

The inspector may give prior general authorization for limited or routine repairs & procedures, provided inspector is satisfied with the
requirements of API 570

Approval

All proposed methods of design, execution, materials, welding procedure, examination and testing must be approved by the inspector or
by the piping engineer, as appropriate

Owner/user approval required for on-stream welding

Welding repairs of cracks that occurred in service should not be attended without prior consultation with the piping engineer inorder to
identify and correct the cause of the cracking

The inspector shall approve all repair & alteration work at designated hold points and after the repairs & alterations have been
satisfactorily completed in accordance with th requirements of API 570

Temporary repairs

If the repair area is localized and the SMYS of pipe is not more than 40,000 psi and fitness for service analysis shows it’s acceptable, a
temporary repair may be made by fillet welding a properly designed split coupling or plate patch over the repair area.

The material used for repair shall match the base metal, unless approved by piping engineer

A fillet weld patch shall not be installed on top of the existing fillet welded patch.

When installing fillet weld patch adjacent to an existing fillet weld patch, minimum distance between the toe of the fillet weld shall not be
less than

d=4
√Rt
For minor leaks, properly designed enclosures may be welded over the leak while the piping system in service , provided the inspector is
satisfied that adequate thickness remains in the vicinity of the weld and the piping component can withstand welding without likelihood of
further material damage, such as from caustic service.

Temporary repairs should be removed & replace by suitable permanent repairs at the next available maintenance opportunity

Temporary repairs should may remain in place for longer time only if approved & documented by Piping Engineer

Environmental cracking

Chloride SCC- Austenitic SS due to moisture & chloride

Polythionic acid SCC – Sensitized austenitic SS due to exposure of sulfide, moisture condensation, or oxygen
Amine SCC – not stress relieved

Fatigue cracking
1. Detected at the points of high stress intensification such as branch connections
2. Metals having different co efficient of thermal expansion are joined by welding may be susceptible to thermal fatigue
3. PT or MT acoustic emission also may be used to detect the presence of cracks.

Creep Cracking
1. Creep is a dependent on time, temperature, and stress
2. Areas of high stress concentration
3. Has been experienced in the industry is in 11/4 Cr steels above 900° F
4. PT, MT, RT, UT & in - situ metallography. Acoustic emission testing also may be used to detect presence of cracks.

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 API 570 - Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Rerating of
In-service Piping Systems

Brittle fracture
1. Carbon, low- alloy, and other ferritic steels may be susceptible to brittle failure at or below ambient temperature.
2. Most brittle fracture have occurred on the first application of particular stress level
3. Special attention should be given to low alloy steels (especially 2¼ Cr – 1 Mo material) because they may be prone to temper
embrittlement
Temper embrittlement
A loss of ductility and notch toughness in susceptible low- alloy steels, such as 1¼ Cr and 2¼ Cr, due to prolonged exposure to high
temperature service (700°F – 1070°F)

Inspection of Valves

Bodies of valves that are exposed to steep temperature cycling should be examined periodically for thermal fatigue cracking

If gate valves are suspected for corrosion / erosion, thickness readings should be taken between the seats, since this is an area of high
turbulence & high stress

Control valves or other throttling valves, particularly in high pressure drop – and slurry services, can be susceptible to localized corrosion/
erosion of the body downstream of the orifice. If such metal loss is suspected, the valve should be removed from the line for internal
inspection.

Critical check valves should be visually and internally inspected to ensure that they will stop flow reversals, the normal visual inspection
includes
1. Checking to ensure that the flapper is free to move, as required, without excessive looseness from wear.
2. The flapper stop should not have excessive wear. This will minimize the likelihood that the flapper will move past the top dead
central position and remain in open position when the check valve is mounted in a vertical position
3. The flapper nut should be secured to the flapper bolt to avoid backing off in service
Leak checks of critical check valves are normally not required

The owner/user shall specify industry qualified UT shear wave examiners when they requires the following

1. Detection of interior surface (ID) breaking planner flaws when inspecting from external surface (OD) or
2. Where detection, characterization, and/or through-wall sizing is required of planar defects

The requirement for use of industry-qualified UT shear wave examiners becomes effective two years after publication in this code or
addendum

Section 9
 Above-grade visual surveillance - Approximately 6 month intervals

 Poorly coated pipes with inconsistent cathodic protection potentials have a pipe-to-soil potential survey made - Every 5 years
 Frequency of pipe coating holiday surveys- It is usually based on indications that other forms of corrosion control are ineffective.
 For a piping buried in lengths greater than 100 feet and not cathodically protected, evaluation of soil corrosivity should be performed at 5-
year intervals.
 If buried piping is cathodically protected, the system should be monitored at intervals in accordance with Section 10 of NACE RP0169 or
Section 9 of API RP 651. API RP 651 specifies Annual interval.
 Piping inspected periodically by excavation shall inspected in lengths of 6 feet – 8 feet
 After excavation of buried piping, if inspection reveals damaged coating or corroded piping Additional piping shall be excavated until the
extent of the condition is identified.

An alternative or supplement to inspection of buried piping is leak testing with liquid at a pressure at least 10 % greater than the
maximum operating pressure at intervals ½ the length of those shown in Table 9-1 of API 570 for piping NOT cathodically protected and at
the same intervals as shown in Table 9-1 for cathodically protected piping. The leak test for buried piping should be for a period of
____8______ hours.

Patches
 When Temperature is below 50° F(10° C), low hydrogen electrodes - AWS EXX16 or E-XX18,shall be used
 These electrodes should also be used on lower grades of material when the temperature of the material is below 32 °F
 The piping engineer should be consulted for cases involving different materials.
 The diameter shall not exceed 5/32 “
 Size of the patch should not exceed ½ the pipe diameter, a full encirclement sleeve should be used if the corroded area exceeds ½
the diameter.

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