This standard is primarily used by:
| Technology | Principle | Application | |------------|-----------|--------------| | | Pulsed laser at two wavelengths (on/off VOC absorption peak) to create 3D concentration maps. | Large facility surveys, flux quantification from areas (tank farms, flares). | | OGI with quantification (QOGI) | Infrared camera visualizes gas plumes; software quantifies leak rate using plume velocity, path length, and atmospheric conditions. | Component-level leaks (valves, flanges, pumps) and small area surveys. | | TDLAS (open-path) | Fixed laser beam across a fence line or process unit; measures integrated concentration along the path. | Continuous fence-line monitoring, early warning. | api rp 586
addresses this specific gap. It consolidates specialized NDE methodologies, explicit technique limitations, and selection variables to give reliability engineers high-confidence data for Fitness-for-Service (FFS) modeling. Structure and Section Breakdown This standard is primarily used by: | Technology
| Section | Title | Critical Content | |---------|-------|------------------| | 1 | Scope | Laser-based fugitive monitoring, not stack or indoor | | 3 | Terms & Definitions | MDLR, QOGI, DIAL, TDLAS, background, plume | | 6 | Performance Requirements | 5 g/hr MDL, ±50% accuracy, 5% false alarm max | | 7 | Instrument Specifications | Laser class, spectral range (3–5 µm or 8–12 µm for IR), wind sensor accuracy | | 8 | Measurement Procedure | Survey design, meteorology, leak rate calculation | | 9 | QA/QC | Daily zero/span, annual recertification, blind release test | | 10 | Reporting | Required fields and uncertainty statement | | 11 | Limitations | Environmental and physical constraints | | Annex A | Example Calculation | Step-by-step leak rate from QOGI data | | Component-level leaks (valves, flanges, pumps) and small
The primary goal of API RP 586 is to move away from prescriptive, time-based inspection intervals (e.g., "inspect every 5 years") toward a more strategic, risk-based approach. It provides a methodology for:
Refinery tank farm (50 tanks, 200 valves, 50 flanges). Goal: Identify and quantify methane leaks >10 g/hr for internal reduction target. Using API RP 586 QOGI approach:
The American Petroleum Institute (API) suite of fixed equipment standards—such as API 510 , API 570 , and API RP 571 —traditionally dictates what damage mechanisms look like and when to inspect them. However, plant inspectors frequently struggled to find standardized, granular guidance on how to execute Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) for those mechanisms.