API 572 Study Guide

Practice Questions
This following is a study aid that you can use to learn the details and content of API RP-572, Inspection of
Pressure Vessels. There will be about 15-25 questions from this document on the API 510 exam.

1. Most pressure vessels are subjected to internal or external pressure that exceeds:
15 psig.

2. External pressure is usually caused by a vacuum or by using a ____________________ vessel.

Jacketed

3. Vessel shell rings are normally made by:

rolling plate at either elevated or ambient temperatures.

4. Shells constructed with multi-layers (a number of thin cylindrical sections) are normally used for vessels having:

high design pressures.

5. Match the material with the service:

A. Carbon Steel ___3___
B. Copper Alloys ____1_____
C. Titanium ____2_____
1. Cooling Water
2. Sea Water
3. Most common material

6. What is the primary purpose for installing a lining on the inside of a vessel?
Resist corrosion

7. When should a pressure vessel shell normally made from an alloy material?
Corrosive service

8. List two major types of Metallic Liners.

Stainless Steels and Nickel

9. What are the two primary purposes for non-metallic liners?

Resist stress corrosion cracking, insulate to reduce shell temperature

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10. What is the most common feature of vessels that operate with a vacuum?
Stiffening rings

11. An optionally part of an exchanger that is used to protect the tubes at the inlet nozzle is called a(n):

impingement plate.

12. What code is often used when constructing vessels that operate at high pressures?

ASME B&PV Code Section VIII Division 3

13. What codes are used when constructing a heat exchanger that is used in the petrochemical industry?
API 660, API 661, ASME Section VIII, TEMA

14. All vessel manufacturers that build vessels to ASME Section VIII must have:

a written quality-control manual

15. The vessel manufacturer stamps the vessel with the code symbol U. What is the meaning of a this code
stamp?
All applicable requirements of the ASME Code have been met

16. A vessel should be maintained in accordance with the:

code that was last used to rate the vessel.

17. An inspector should be familiar with any _____________________ that govern the inspection and maintenance
of pressure vessels.

Codes and Regulations

18. List the 2 basic reasons for inspection of pressure vessels

1) determine the condition
2) determine the causes of deterioration

19. Where are the forms of vessel deterioration described?

API 571

20. Selecting appropriate inspection locations for equipment subject to localized deterioration is as critical as
applying the appropriate technique. Predicting where localized damage will occur is _____ when potential damage
mechanism(s) are well understood.

not difficult

21. _______is allowed to determine inspection intervals and the type and extent of future inspection/examinations.
RBI (Risk Based Inspection)

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22. A vessel service history should be established after the ___________________

first vessel inspection

23. The actual time for inspection will usually be determined through the collaboration of process, mechanical, and
inspection groups, or by:

legal jurisdiction mandate

24. Unscheduled shutdowns offer the opportunity to __________________:

perform maintenance

25. Which of the following is not required for on-stream inspections?

a) government inspectors
b) scaffolds
c) rope access
d) removal of insulation

26. The use of NDE devices for inspection is subject to safety requirements customarily met in gaseous
atmospheres, which are listed in _______

API 2214

27. For entry into a vessel that requires breathing air there must be ____________________.

two independent sources of air supply

28. Before starting the inspection of a pressure vessel, especially one in severe service, the inspector should
determine_________________________________________.

the pressure, temperature, and service conditions under which the vessel has been operated

29. There are many tools designed for measuring metal thickness. The selection of tools used will depend on several
factors such as __________________________________

the time available to inspect

30. When corrosion or erosion is causing deterioration, the rate of metal loss can usually be obtained by_________

comparing consecutive inspection records

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31. Since they are not considered as part of the pressure-retaining boundary, no minimum thickness is set for applied
_______________.

metallic linings

32. What should be done to reduce the amount of downtime for a vessel during a turn-around?

perform on-stream inspections prior to shutdown

33. When major cracks appear and propagate, and measurements indicate that no settlement has taken place, the
cracks are probably the result of___________.

fatigue

34. What is a common cause for high-cycle fatigue?

Excess vibrations from mechanical equipment

35. Deaerators on boilers should have their welds and heat-affected zones checked for possible deaerator
cracking._________ testing is the primary recommended inspection method.

WFMPT
36. The bulges are formed either by the expansion or buildup of a material that seeps behind the lining during
operation or by________________.

differential thermal expansion

37. What NDE method checks for cracks by increasing the vessel pressure above its normal operating pressure?
Acoustic emission

38. Why is it difficult to find fatigue cracking?

It takes many cycles to initiate the crack, but relatively few cycles to propagate the crack all the way
through the vessel wall.

39. Catalytic reformer equipment operating at temperature more than 900 oF may___________________________

experience creep embrittlement damage during operation

40. Depending on operating conditions and alloy (or if hydrogen attack is possible), or if temperatures in the creep
range are suspected,_________________________________.

an experienced metallurgist or engineer should be consulted

41. At high temperatures:

molecular hydrogen disassociates to form atomic hydrogen.

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42. A vessel has a refractory lining. During the internal inspection, a small area of damaged refractory is found. It
is now important to:

remove enough of the refractory to determine the condition of the base metal.

43. Ladders and platforms should be inspected:

.
by visual examination and hammer-testing.

44. Small depressions on platforms are of concern since these can:

collect and hold water, potentially causing accelerated corrosion.

45. Very small openings or cracks in concrete or fireproofing caused by high temperature or by temperature changes
can usually be identified by their _____________.

hair like appearance

46. A distorted anchor bolt is usually the result of:

serious foundation settlement.

47. What examination method is normally used to examine in-service anchor bolts?

Hammer-testing

48. What is the best way to prevent external corrosion on structural steel?

Galvanizing

49. What is a good way to check for disbonded fireproofing?

Hammer-testing with light taps

50. What is one important item to check during an External inspection of an exchanger?

The floating end of the exchanger is free to slide on its support

51. Guy wires supporting tall vessels should be examined using:

Visual examination.

52. Guy wire clips should be placed at a spacing of at least:

6 rope diameters apart.

53. What should be done if shell distortion is found at a nozzle?

Check for cracking on all nozzle welds

54. The grooves on an existing ring-joint flange should be checked for ___________________.

cracks

55. Grooves on existing stainless steel flanges should be checked for:

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 stress corrosion cracking

56. Existing slip-on flanges should be checked for:

crevice corrosion

57. Vessel grounding connections are primarily needed to provide a path for electrical current from:

a lighting strike or from static electricity.

58. The maximum permitted resistance-to-ground for a vessel grounding system is:

25 ohms.

59. Which of the coating failures is easily missed during a visual examination?
Film lifting

60. Pit depth is normally measured with a ________________________________.

pit gauge or a depth gauge

61. A vessel operates in a cyclic temperature service. The vessel support-to-vessel welds should be checked using
MT or PT to check for:
Fatigue cracking.

62. ______________is NOT a significant factor in atmosphere corrosion?

Vessel operating pressure

63. In a caustic storage vessel, caustic embrittlement is least likely at:

Internal baffles or vortex breakers.

64 Caustic that seeps through a crack will often leave a:

White salt

65. A vessel contains an acid corrodent. The areas directly below the liquid level are likely to be subject to:
Hydrogen blistering.

66. Blisters on a vessel shell can be easily detected with:

Visual exam using a flashlight beam parallel to the shell.

67. Small blisters can be easily detected by:

Feeling the surface with your fingers

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68. Why is wet fluorescent magnetic particle testing often used to detect certain types of cracking?

More sensitive technique as compared to dry MT

69. The temperature of a hot-spot on a refractory lined vessel should be periodically checked. All of the following
are an acceptable method for checking the temperature?
Portable thermocouple
Thermography
Temperature indicating crayons

70. Vessel require extra cleaning methods are necessary when ____________________________________

Stress corrosion cracking, wet sulfide cracking, hydrogen attack, or other metallurgical forms of
degradation are suspected

71. An internal inspection will be performed on a vessel. What is the initial step to be performed?

Read the previous inspection reports

72. If steam is injected into a vessel, a likely place for corrosion is ___________________________

directly opposite the steam inlet

73. When a reboiler is used with a tower (fractionating column), a common place for corrosion is:

in the tower where the hot process returns.

74. Exchangers in cooling water service have the highest corrosion rates where the:

Water temperature is the highest.

75. An impingement plate is installed on an exchanger bundle. What area is most susceptible to erosion?
Exchanger shell near the impingement plate

76 Cracks in vessel walls or heads may be repaired by chipping, by flame, arc, or mechanical gouging, or by
grinding the crack from end to end and then welding.
If the remaining metal, after defect removal, provides adequate strength and corrosion protection, the
repair may be completed without welding by tapering and blending the edges of the cavity.

77. A very effective means to find cracks in ferrous metals is:

Wet Fluorescent Particle Testing

78. Which the following steels are most likely to crack ____________________________________
Steels with a tensile strength over 70,000 psi and coarse grained steels

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79. Normally tower (column) trays are inspected using:
Only a visual examination

80. The attachment points of baffles to exchanger channels and heads should also be checked closely for
___________________

cracks

81. Areas directly above the liquid level in vessels containing acidic corrodent are subject to:

Hydrogen blistering

82. How can small blisters easily be found?

Feel metal surface with your fingers

83. Existing exchanger shells sometimes become out of round making it difficult to reinsert the bundle. What is the
most common cause of exchanger shell out-of-roundness?

Welded repairs to the shell

84. Vessels containing amines are subject to:

Cracking

85. A deaerator used for boiler feed water is subject to:

Cracking

86. Loose or cracked metallic linings can be found using:

Light taps with a hammer.

87. Bulged linings are often the indication of a _______________ in the liner.

crack or leak

88. Whenever there are indications that a metallic liner has leaked, it is important to determine the:

Condition of the base metal under the liner

89. What type of weld metal overlay is often used for hydrotreater reactors?

a weld metal overlay of Stabilized austenitic stainless steel filler metal

90. What are the two primary purposes for refractory linings?
Insulation
corrosion and erosion resistance

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91. A break or void in a paint coating is called a:

Holiday

92. A common tool used to find breaks in a vessel coating is:

Spark testing

93. Spark testing is being performed on a coating. What happens if the voltage on a spark tester exceeds the
dielectric strength of the coating?

a hole may be created in the coating

94. Extra metal thickness around an opening in a vessel shell or head is:
Sometimes used as nozzle reinforcement

95. When a refractory lining cracks, what is a common problem that occurs to the base metal?
Corrosion behind the lining

96. What method is often used to detect metallurgical changes to the base metal?

In-situ Metallographic examination

97. What method is often used to detect carburization and decarburization?

Hardness testing

98. It is recommended NOT to hammer test vessels that are _________________________.

under pressure

99. Which of the following is NOT a purpose of a pressure test?

A) Validate vessel MDMT
b) Assure equipment tightness
c) Assure equipment integrity
d) Redistribute stresses at discontinuities

100. What is the most important concern when hydrotesting a large vessel that has been in-service?

Assure vessel foundation and supports are adequate for the hydrotest weight

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101. Acoustic emission testing is especially useful on:

Vessels of complex design

102. A pneumatic pressure test is performed on a large vessel. What is a good safety practice?
Limit the number of personnel in the area during the test

103. A vessel is being vacuum tested. What is one negative aspect of a vacuum test?
Location of leak is not easily identified

104. An in-service vessel has a shell thickness of 2.5. The minimum metal temperature allowed during a pressure
test is:

30F above the vessel MDMT

105. An in-service vessel has a shell thickness of 1.25. The minimum metal temperature allowed during a
pressure test is:

10F above the vessel MDMT

106. When performing a pneumatic pressure test, the requirements of which code should be followed?

ASME B&PV Section VIII

107. A shell-side pressure test is being performed on an exchanger with a floating head bundle. The bundle is in the
shell and the channel cover is removed. This test will show overall bundle integrity and can be used to
specifically locate which of the following leaks?
Stationary tube sheet roll leaks

108. A tube-side pressure test is being performed on an exchanger with a floating head bundle. The bundle is in the
shell and the piping connected to a bottom shell nozzle is removed. This test will show overall bundle
integrity and can be used to specifically locate which of the following leaks?

The exact location of any leak cannot be determined with this test

109. Which of the following components usually does NOT have a specified minimum thickness?

Metallic liner

110. If a jurisdiction requires a vessel repair to meet the National Board Inspection Code, what stamp would have to
be used by the Repair Organization?

R
2
111. A corroded shell area that has an area of 2.5 ft is built-up with weld metal. How should the repair area
normally be inspected?

Visual examination and either MT or PT

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