Fitness for Service (FFS) Assessment

Need to plan the maintenance or replacement of your plant assets?

Matrix applies FFS to help make optimal replacement decisions 
Fitness for Service (FFS) Assessment can help you make replacement decisions about your plant and process assets. Components with defects or damage such as fatigue, cracking, corrosion or laminations can be checked to ensure fitness for service. This means you can make optimised replacement decisions about your equipment ensuring minimum plant disruption and safety risk.  Additionally, the remaining life of your component is determined and operating procedures optimised to help you get the maximum remaining life out of your plant assets.

Business Benefits

  • Improve ROI of current assets
  • Quantify when to replace or repair
  • Minimise risk of premature component failure
  • Improved plant safety

Who Could Benefit? 

  • Plant process engineers
  • Asset managers

Solution Specifics
FFS is well established internationally in codes such as API579/ASMEFFS-1 and BS7910.  In the API579/ASMEFFS-1 code there are 3 levels of assessment.  Levels 1 and 2 are procedural methodologies which step an engineer through such items as gathering original design data, quantifying the damage and determining operating load history. Level 1 and 2 assessments are inherently conservative in their approach and give a quantitative assessment based on gathered data.

A Level 3 assessment can be applied if your structure does not meet the assumptions of either a Level 1 or 2 assessment. This generally occurs if the level of damage is significant or the lower level FFS assessment is marginal.  The level 3 assessment employs a finite element model of your equipment with any defects included in the model. Using FEA simulation along with guidelines in API579/ASMEFFS-1 the remaining life and safety of your asset can be assessed.

Simulation Tools
Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a simulation technique that can calculate the response of materials and structures to loads. In FFS this often involves modelling material plasticity, geometric nonlinear effects and thermal stresses. 

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is the default technology where the engineering of fluid dynamics is required. In the case of FFS assessments, CFD enables transient thermal and fluid loads can be accurately established as is commonly required during start-up and shutdown scenarios.

Why Matrix?

We are able to provide you with considerable expertise in the application of Level 3 FFS assessments.  Our depth of knowledge in non-linear FEA and the requirements of the code such as checking against gross plastic deformation, ratcheting and fatigue ensure you get the right answer without delay.  We have carried numerous of FFS studies looking at issues such as local and general corrosion, plate laminations and cracks in brittle materials.

Leading-edge technology tools are employed.  Abaqus is considered the worlds leading finite element solver with strengths in contact, composite materials, material nonlinear, failure and explicit impact analysis. Simcenter Star-CCM+ provide the world’s most comprehensive Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) solutions. Click on the products listed right for more detail.

More Information
Contact Matrix

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Services

  • FFS Assessment to Level 3 API579 / ASME-FFS
  • Projects – to solve your engineering problems
  • Implementation – of world-leading CAE products
  • Training - Introductory and advanced training courses on CAE methods
  • Benchmark evaluations of CAE methods, applications, and software
  • On-site CAE best practices seminars, workshops, and tutorials

Professional Affiliations include:

  • NAFEMS (International Finite Element Methods and Standards Quality)
  • CPEng (Chartered Professional Engineers, Engineering NZ)
  • ACE New Zealand (Association of Consulting and Engineering)
  • ADA (Australia Defence Association)
  • ARMA (Association of Rotational Moulders) 
  • ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
  • CEAS (Consulting Engineers Advancement Soc.)
  • HERA (Heavy Engineering Research Assoc.)
  • NZDIA (New Zealand Defence Industry Association)