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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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Overview
TCR Engineering, NABL ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited in Navi Mumbai, assesses fire-damaged plant per API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11: temperature-zone mapping from Zone I to Zone IV by inferred peak temperature, deformation analysis, and post-fire fitness-for-service decisions on which equipment returns to service.
What fire damage assessment is and how TCR delivers it
Fire damage assessment is carried out per API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11, the fire-damage part of the Fitness for Service code.
The workflow maps the damaged plant footprint into temperature zones (Zone I through Zone IV by inferred peak temperature), runs deformation analysis, and adds hardness and in-situ metallographic surveys to map the heat-affected zones. Structural condition assessment and a post-fire Fitness for Service run then 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; fire-damaged concrete is assessed to BS 8408.
| Standard | Scope |
|---|---|
| API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11 | Fire damage assessment of process equipment |
| BS 8408 | Fire-damaged concrete assessment |
The temperature-zone method
The damaged footprint is divided into four zones by inferred peak temperature, from Zone I to Zone IV, so that inspection and repair effort concentrates where the metal actually saw the highest heat.
Zone assignment is supported by 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.
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Frequently asked questions
Which standard governs fire damage assessment at TCR?
API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Part 11 for process equipment, with BS 8408 for fire-damaged concrete assessment.
How does TCR map the extent of fire damage?
By temperature-zone mapping of the damaged plant footprint (Zone I through Zone IV by inferred peak temperature), deformation analysis, and hardness and in-situ metallographic surveys that map the heat-affected zones.
What does a fire damage assessment conclude?
A post-fire Fitness for Service assessment and a repair-versus-replace boundary drawn on measurement.
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, and carried out damage assessment of hydrocracker reactors at Baiji Refinery, Iraq.