Services · Asset Integrity and Engineering Consulting
Fire Damage Assessment per API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11
After a plant fire the question is which equipment can return to service and which cannot. The assessment infers peak metal temperature across the affected footprint and converts that reading into an item-by-item fitness judgment.
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In brief
TCR Engineering Services Pvt. Ltd., Navi Mumbai, India, carries out fire damage assessment of refinery and process equipment to API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11: heat exposure zoning from Zone I to Zone VI by inferred peak temperature, hardness and in-situ metallographic surveys, deformation analysis and a post-fire fitness-for-service decision, with laboratory testing in its NABL ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited laboratory.
What fire damage assessment is and how TCR delivers it
Fire damage assessment is part of TCR's asset integrity and engineering consulting work and is carried out per API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11, the fire-damage part of the Fitness for Service code.
- Governing code: API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11, the fire-damage part of the Fitness for Service code.
- Zoning: the damaged plant footprint is mapped into temperature zones, Zone I through Zone VI, by inferred peak temperature.
- Metallurgical evidence: hardness and in-situ metallographic surveys map the heat-affected zones.
- Mechanical evidence: deformation analysis where members have distorted.
- Closes with: structural condition assessment and a post-fire Fitness for Service run, which draw the repair-versus-replace boundary on measurement.
The governing standards
Fire damage on process equipment is assessed to API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11.
| Standard | Scope |
|---|---|
| API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11 | Fire damage assessment of process equipment |
The temperature-zone method
The damaged footprint is divided into six zones by inferred peak temperature, from Zone I to Zone VI, so that inspection and repair effort concentrates where the metal actually saw the highest heat.
- Six zones: Zone I to Zone VI, assigned by inferred peak temperature.
- Why zone it: inspection and repair effort concentrates where the metal actually saw the highest heat.
- Assignment evidence: hardness mapping and in-situ metallographic surveys of the heat-affected zones, with deformation analysis where members have distorted.
Representative engagements
TCR has assessed fire damage on refinery process assets.
- HMEL Bathinda VGO reactor: Fitness for Service of the VGO reactor following a 2024 fire, under API 579-1 Part 11.
- Baiji Refinery, Iraq: damage assessment of hydrocracker reactors.
- Reliance Industries, Jamnagar: damage assessment after the VGO-HT2 fire.
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Frequently asked questions
Which standard governs fire damage assessment at TCR?
API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11 governs fire damage assessment of process equipment such as pressure vessels, piping, reactors and storage tanks. TCR applies it to map heat exposure across the damaged footprint and to decide, item by item, whether equipment can return to service, needs repair, or must be replaced.
How does TCR map the extent of fire damage?
TCR maps the extent of fire damage by dividing the damaged plant footprint into heat exposure zones, Zone I through Zone VI, by inferred peak temperature, then confirming each zone with hardness and in-situ metallographic surveys of the heat-affected material and with deformation analysis where members have distorted.
What does a fire damage assessment conclude?
A fire damage assessment concludes in a post-fire Fitness for Service assessment to API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11 and a repair-versus-replace boundary drawn on measurement, so that each item of equipment is returned to service, repaired or replaced on evidence rather than on its appearance after the fire.
Has TCR assessed refinery fire damage?
Yes. TCR assessed the HMEL Bathinda VGO reactor following a 2024 fire, a Fitness for Service of the VGO reactor under API 579-1 Part 11, led the damage assessment after the VGO-HT2 fire at Reliance Industries, Jamnagar, and carried out damage assessment of hydrocracker reactors at Baiji Refinery, Iraq.
Can a fire damage assessment support an insurance claim?
Yes. TCR's fire damage assessment anchors post-loss engineering work for insurers and surveyors as well as plant owners. The measured heat exposure zones, the hardness and metallographic evidence and the Fitness for Service result to API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11 give the claim a documented basis for which equipment was damaged and which was not.