API 580 Sample Question

Q1. During an RBI assessment, your team starts with a semi-quantitative method, but halfway through you discover the data quality/quantity is not sufficient to support that level. Which statement is MOST consistent with API 580’s expectations about method selection and how the work process should be organized?

• A. The RBI method must never be changed once chosen, even if the data prove inadequate.
• B. The RBI method should be selected at the beginning and carried through, but it may be changed as the analysis progresses due to the quality/quantity of data being obtained, provided consistency and planning controls are maintained.
• C. If data are inadequate, the RBI assessment must be cancelled (not adjusted).
• D. Data quality is only critical for quantitative RBI, so continuing semi-quantitative is always acceptable.

Q2. (Select ALL that apply) You are building the POF portion of an RBI assessment. Which items are explicitly part of the POF determination logic in API 580?

• A. Identify active and credible damage mechanisms expected during the period being considered (including normal and upset conditions).
• B. Determine deterioration susceptibility and rate (or driving forces) for those mechanisms.
• C. Determine the effectiveness of past inspections for detecting/quantifying the credible damage mechanisms.
• D. Convert all safety consequences into monetary values using a required API 581 method.

Q3. A corrosion specialist completes a DMR and recommends IOW limits. Operations later reports repeated deviations beyond those limits. What is the BEST RBI program response that aligns with how DMR/IOWs connect to updating RBI?

• A. Treat IOW deviations as operations-only issues; RBI does not require updates unless a leak occurs.
• B. Immediately re-rate the equipment to reduce POF without changing inspection plans.
• C. Review the impact of operating outside IOW limits on credible damage mechanisms and update the RBI assessment/plan as part of the updating process.
• D. Only adjust the COF model because IOWs influence consequences, not deterioration.