API 571 – Damage Mechanisms Affecting Equipment in the Refining Industry

Inspection and corrosion engineers

Reliability and asset integrity professionals

API 510, 570, and 653 certified inspectors

Maintenance planners and RBI specialists

Engineers involved in equipment design and materials selection

Basic understanding of corrosion principles and metallurgy

Familiarity with refinery and process plant equipment

Knowledge of API inspection codes (510, 570, 653) is advantageous

Introduction & General Corrosion Mechanisms

Overview of API 571 and its role in inspection planning

General corrosion vs. localized corrosion

Uniform corrosion and factors affecting corrosion rates

Localized corrosion types: pitting, crevice corrosion, galvanic corrosion

Workshop: Identifying corrosion types from field photos

High-Temperature Corrosion Mechanisms

Oxidation, sulfidation, carburization

High-temperature hydrogen attack (HTHA)

Fuel ash corrosion and chloride stress corrosion

Case study: Sulfidation failure in refinery heaters

Environmental Cracking & Metallurgical Damage

Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) – chloride, caustic, ammonia

Hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) and sulfide stress cracking (SSC)

Graphitization, temper embrittlement, sigma phase embrittlement

Workshop: Interpreting metallographic images of damage

Mechanical Damage Mechanisms

Erosion and erosion-corrosion

Fatigue – mechanical and thermal

Mechanical overload and creep damage

Vibration-induced damage in piping and equipment

Hands-on: Analyzing damage patterns to determine root cause

Inspection & RBI Integration

Selecting inspection techniques per mechanism (UT, RT, PT, AE, etc.)

Damage mechanism review for common refinery units

Linking API 571 to RBI software and planning

Group activity: Building a damage mechanism matrix for a sample plant

Final review and certification preparation tips