API 510 Code Compliance & Safety Regulations 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under API 510, which organization has the authority to establish the inspection interval for a pressure vessel in a jurisdiction that has adopted the code?
- The vessel owner/operator
- The Authorized Inspection Agency (AIA)
- The state or local jurisdiction (Correct answer)
- The original equipment manufacturer
Correct answer: The state or local jurisdiction
In jurisdictions that have adopted applicable codes, the state or local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) holds final authority over inspection intervals.
Question 2: API 510 defines a 'fitness-for-service' assessment as evaluating whether a vessel:
- Meets original design specifications exactly
- Is adequate for continued operation in its current condition (Correct answer)
- Has been repaired to new construction standards
- Passed a hydrostatic test at 1.5 times MAWP
Correct answer: Is adequate for continued operation in its current condition
Fitness-for-service (FFS) per API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 determines if a vessel with flaws or damage is adequate for continued safe operation.
Question 3: Which ASME code section governs the construction of most unfired pressure vessels in the United States?
- ASME Section I
- ASME Section IV
- ASME Section VIII (Correct answer)
- ASME Section IX
Correct answer: ASME Section VIII
ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII covers rules for construction of pressure vessels, divided into Divisions 1, 2, and 3.
Question 4: When a pressure vessel's MAWP is to be increased, API 510 requires the inspector to verify that:
- A new nameplate is installed immediately
- The vessel meets all applicable code requirements for the new MAWP (Correct answer)
- Only an external inspection is performed
- The owner notifies OSHA within 30 days
Correct answer: The vessel meets all applicable code requirements for the new MAWP
Increasing MAWP requires verification that the vessel design, materials, and condition satisfy code requirements at the higher pressure.
Question 5: According to API 510, 'major repairs' to a pressure vessel must be authorized by:
- The plant manager
- An Authorized Inspector (AI) (Correct answer)
- The welding foreman
- The local fire marshal
Correct answer: An Authorized Inspector (AI)
API 510 requires that an Authorized Inspector review and authorize major repairs before work begins and inspect upon completion.
Question 6: OSHA's Process Safety Management (PSM) standard 29 CFR 1910.119 applies to pressure vessels containing highly hazardous chemicals when the quantity on site exceeds:
- Any amount above zero
- Threshold quantities (TQ) listed in Appendix A (Correct answer)
- 500 pounds regardless of chemical
- One gallon of liquid at any pressure
Correct answer: Threshold quantities (TQ) listed in Appendix A
PSM applies when a facility has chemicals at or above threshold quantities specified in 29 CFR 1910.119 Appendix A.
Question 7: Under API 510, when an inspector finds a defect exceeding acceptable limits during an inspection, the correct first action is to:
- Immediately shut down the vessel
- Document the defect and notify the owner/operator for evaluation (Correct answer)
- Weld repair the defect before the vessel resumes service
- Issue a citation to the plant safety officer
Correct answer: Document the defect and notify the owner/operator for evaluation
The inspector documents findings and communicates them to the owner/operator, who then determines the appropriate course of action (repair, alter, or retire).
API 510 Code Compliance & Safety Regulations 2
Under API 510, which organization has the authority to establish the inspection interval for a pressure vessel in a jurisdiction that has adopted the code?