Inspection of Fired Boilers and Heaters - API RP 573

API RP 573, Inspection of Fired Boilers and Heaters, is a

recommended practice published and developed by the American
Petroleum Institute (API) that covers the inspection practices for fired
boilers and process heaters (furnaces) used in petroleum refineries
and petrochemical plants.

API RP 573 covers a variety of different topics related to boilers and

heaters, including a list of common boiler and heater designs and
types, mechanical reliability and reliability programs, and various
topics related to inspection, such as the purpose of inspection and
inspector qualifications.

This API RP covers the inspection practices for fired boilers and
process heaters (furnaces) used in petroleum refineries and
petrochemical plants.

The practices described in this RP are focused to improve equipment

reliability and plant safety by describing the operating variables
which impact reliability and to ensure that inspection practices
obtain the appropriate data, both on-stream and off-stream, to
assess current and future performance of the equipment.

The contents of this API RP are as follows:

Common Heater and Boiler Designs

Types of Heaters

Types of Boilers

Heater and Boiler Mechanical Reliability

Reliability Programs
Safety

Purpose of Inspection
Inspection of Fired Boilers
Inspection of Fired Heaters
Inspector Qualifications

Deterioration Mechanisms
Deterioration of Heater Tubes
Deterioration of Boiler Tubes
Deterioration Mechanisms of Other Components

Frequency and Timing of Inspections

Boiler Inspection Frequency
Heater Inspection Frequency

Safety Precautions, Preparatory Work, and Cleaning

General Preparatory Work

Precautions To Avoid Polythionic Acid Stress Corrosion Cracking In
Stainless Steel Tubes
Cleaning

Outage Inspection Programs

Visual Inspection of Heater Coils
Wall Thickness Measurements
Tube Diameter, Circumference, Sag, and Bow Measurements
Pit Depth Measurements
Intelligent Pigs and In-line Inspection Devices
Radiographic Examination
Borescope and Videoprobe
Hardness Measurements
Dye Penetrant and Magnetic Particle Examination
In-situ Metallography and Replication
Detailed Examination and Destructive Testing Of Tube Samples
Testing of Tube skin Thermocouples
Magnetic Test For Carburization
Hammer Testing
Inspection of Reformer Tubes
Inspection of Pigtails

Boiler Outage Inspection

Piping
Drums
Water Headers
Superheater Header
Tubes

On-stream Inspection Programs

Typical Inspection Activities
External Tube Cleaning
Pre-shutdown Inspection

Tube Reliability Assessment

Minimum Thickness and Stress Rupture
Creep Rupture Life

Method of Inspection for Foundations, Settings, and Other

Appurtenances
Foundations
Structural Supports
Setting, Exterior, and Casing
Refractory Linings and Insulation
Tube Supports

Visual Inspection of Auxiliary Equipmen

Stacks
Repairs
Heaters
Boilers
Materials Verification

Records and Reports

Annex A (informative)
Sample Inspection Checklists for Heaters and Boilers
Annex B (informative) Sample Heater Inspection Records
Annex C (informative) Sample Semi-Annual Stack Inspection Record

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Common Heater and Boiler Designs
Heater and Boiler Mechanical Reliability
Purpose of Inspection
Deterioration Mechanisms
Frequency and Timing of Inspections
Safety Precautions, Preparatory Work, and Cleaning

Outage Inspection Programs

Boiler Outage Inspection
On-stream Inspection Programs
Tube Reliability Assessment
Method of Inspection for Foundations, Settings, and Other
Appurtenances
Visual Inspection of Auxiliary Equipmen
Records and Reports
Annex A: Sample Inspection Checklists for Heaters and Boilers
Annex B: Sample Heater Inspection Records
Annex C: Sample Semi-Annual Stack Inspection Record