scope:

GENERAL APPLICATION

This American Petroleum Institute inspection code covers the maintenance inspection, repair, alteration, and rerating procedures for pressure vessels used by the petroleum and chemical process industries. It is the intent of this code to restrict its application to the organizations which maintain or have access to an Authorized Inspection Agency as dermed in 1.2.5. Except as provided in 1.1.2, the use of this code is restricted to organizations which maintain or have access to engineering and inspection personnel or organizations technically qualified to maintain, inspect, repair, alter, and/or rerate pressure vessels. Whereas other codes (for example, the ASME Sections VI, vn, and XI, and the National Board Inspection Code) exist which cover specific industries and general service applications, this code has been developed by and for the specific requirements of the industries described in this scope.

This code applies to vessels constructed in accordance with any of the several editions of the former API-ASME Code for Unfired Pressure Vessels for Petroleum Liquids and Gases, the several editions of Section vm of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, to other recognized pressure vessel codes, to nonstandard vessels, and to other vessels constructed noncode or approved as jurisdictional special. This inspection code is only applicable to vessels after they have been placed in service, incuding items further described· in 1.1.2, that are inspected by an Authorized Inspection Agency and/or repaired by a Repair Organization as dermed in this inspection code. Adoption of this inspection code does not permit its use in conflict with any prevailing regulatory requirements.

SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS

1.All pressure vessels in natural resource service such as drilling, production, gathering, transportation, lease processing, and treatment of liquid petroleum, natural gas, and associated salt water (brine) may be inspected under the alternative rules set forth in Section 6 of this inspection code. Except for Section 4, all other sections of this inspection code are applicable to these pressure vessels.

These alternative rules are intended for services which may be regulated under safety, spill, emission, or transportation controls by the United States Coast Guard, the Materials Transportation Bureau, and other units of the United States Department of Transportation, the Geological Survey of the United States Department of Interior, and state and local oil and gas agencies, or any other regulatory commission.

2.The following pressure vessels and containers are excluded from the specific requirements of this inspection code:

a. Pressure vessels on movable structures covered by other jurisdictional regulations (see Appendix A).

b. All classes of containers listed for exemption from inspection in the scope of the 1986 ASME Code, Section vrn, Division 1 (see Appendix A)