Area of examination & Reference Documents
In this module, you shall learn about:
In this module, you shall learn about:
Introduction:
The API Source Inspector certification program is one of a kind certificate for rotating equipment between certification bodies; that is, there is no other similar certification developed by any other organization in the world.
It gives a complete overview of package inspection management of rotating equipment.
It qualifies individuals who perform the important task of supplier quality surveillance.
The Source Inspector has been defined as an individual who is responsible for:
API SIRE – Source Inspector Rotating Equipment focuses primarily on Rotating Equipment such as pumps, gears, compressors, turbines and associated appurtenances.
No prequalification (education, experience) is required.
The API SIRE – Source Inspector Rotating Equipment certification is open to applicants with any experience in the petroleum and petrochemical industries, as well as applicants wishing to gain industry experience.
The exam is 3.25 hours long and there are 110 questions, of which only 100 are scored.
The remaining 10 are pretest, which are not scored. Scored and non scored questions are shuffled and unmarked, so, you need to answer all questions.
All questions are multiple-choice and closed-book. Paper and reference materials are not allowed into the examinations.
Although exam scores are scaled in order to standardize the level of difficulty, you are required to answer roughly 70 scored questions correctly (minimum 400 on a scale of maximum 500).
API SIRE covers a wide range of inspection activities, codes, recommended practices and standards.
You are scored for your performance in the following areas during the examination.
The following standards and recommended practices need to be studied for API SIFE examination:
As you can see, it touches a wide range of subjects that a rotating equipment inspector shall be familiar with; although not as an expert with an in-depth knowledge.
API provides a very useful guide for SIRE that covers all the possible activities for inspection management of rotating equipment packages.
You can download the ‘’Study Guide for Source Inspection and Quality Surveillance of Rotating Equipment’’ for free from below link:
The following modules are presented during our e-learning course to cover the body of knowledge or reference study materials.
According to Study Guide for Source Inspection and Quality Surveillance of Rotating Equipment (section 7.2.6), you should know the following codes and standards as am API SIRE Inspector:
API 610 specifies requirements for centrifugal pumps, including pumps running in reverse as hydraulic power recovery turbines, for use in petroleum, petrochemical, and gas industry process services.
API 610 is applicable to overhung pumps, between bearing pumps, and vertically suspended pumps.
Clause 9 provides requirements applicable to specific types of pumps. All other clauses of API 610 apply to all pump types.
Illustrations of the various specific pump types are provided, as are the designations assigned to each specific pump type. It does not cover seal less pumps.
NOTE For seal-less pumps, reference can be made to API 685.
API 611 specifies the minimum requirements for general-purpose steam turbines, including basic design, materials, related lubrication systems, controls, auxiliary systems, and accessories.
General-purpose turbines are horizontal or vertical turbines used to drive equipment that is usually spared, is relatively small in size (power), or is in noncritical service.
They are generally used where steam conditions will not exceed a pressure of 700 psig (48 bar) and a temperature of 750 °F (400 °C) or where speed will not exceed 6000 rpm.
API 612 specifies the minimum requirements for special-purpose steam turbines, including basic design, materials, related lubrication systems, controls, auxiliary systems, and accessories.
It also covers the related lube oil systems, instrumentation, control systems, and auxiliary equipment.
API 614 specifies the general requirements for lubrication systems, oil type shaft-sealing systems, dry-gas face-type shaft-sealing systems, and control-oil systems for general- or special-purpose applications for equipment such as compressors, gears pumps, and drivers. General-purpose applications are limited to
lubrication systems.
This edition of API 614 is the adaptation of ISO 10438:2007, Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries – Lubrication, shaft-sealing and oil-control systems and auxiliaries.
API 616 specifies the minimum requirements for open, simple, and regenerative-cycle combustion gas turbine units for services of mechanical drive, generator drive, or process gas generation.
All auxiliary equipment required for operating, starting, controlling, and protecting gas turbine units are either discussed directly in this standard or referred to in this standard through references to other publications.
Specifically, gas turbine units that are capable of firing gas or liquid or both are covered by this standard.
This standard covers both industrial and aeroderivative gas turbines.
API 617 specifies the minimum requirements for axial compressors, single-shaft and integrally geared process centrifugal compressors, and expander-compressors. This standard does not apply to fans or blowers that develop less than a 5-psi rise above atmospheric pressure. This standard also does not apply to packaged, integrally-geared centrifugal plant and instrument air compressors. Hot gas expanders over 500 °F are not covered in this standard.
API Std 618 specifies the minimum requirements for reciprocating compressors and their drivers for handling process air or gas with either lubricated or nonlubricated cylinders.
Compressors covered by this standard are low- to moderate-speed machines. Also included in this standard are related lubrication systems, controls, instrumentation, intercoolers, aftercoolers, pulsation suppression devices, and other auxiliary systems.
This standard does not cover integral gas engines, compressors with single-acting trunk-type pistons that also serve as crossheads, and plant or instrument-air compressors that discharge at or below 125 psig.
API 677 covers the minimum requirements for general-purpose, enclosed single- and multistage gear units incorporating parallel shaft helical and right angle spiral bevel gears for the petroleum, chemical, and gas industries.
Gears manufactured according to this standard shall be limited to the following pitch-line velocities. Helical gears should not exceed 60 m/s (12,000 ft/min), and spiral bevels shall not exceed 40 m/s (8000 ft/min).
Spiral bevel gearsets shall be considered matched sets.
This standard is not intended to apply to gears in special-purpose service, which are covered in API 613; to gears integral with other equipment; to epicyclic gear assemblies; or to gears with non-involute tooth forms.
API 682 specifies requirements and gives recommendations for sealing systems for centrifugal and rotary pumps used in the petroleum, natural gas, and chemical industries. It is applicable mainly for hazardous, flammable, and/or toxic services where a greater degree of reliability is required for the improvement of equipment availability and the reduction of both emissions to the atmosphere and life-cycle sealing costs.
It covers seals for pump shaft diameters from 20 mm (0,75 in) to 110 mm (4,3 in).
HI 14.6 is for centrifugal, seal-less centrifugal, and regenerative turbine pumps of all industrial types, except vertical multistage diffuser.
It includes detailed procedures on the setup and conduct of hydrostatic and performance tests of such pumps.
There is a wide variety of ASME codes and standards that may be included in the contractual agreements to specify equipment fabrication methods and control the quality of products for the energy industry.
A few of those that the source inspector should be familiar with and apply when specified are shown in the following subsections, but this list is not all inclusive. Occasionally, there may be other sections of the ASME BPVC that will be specified on different projects in which the source inspector will be involved.
This section of the BPVC is divided into four parts covering materials for the construction of piping and pressure vessels.
This section of the BPVC contains requirements and methods for NDT techniques that are specified by other sections of the ASME BPVC and/or contractual agreements.
Most of the common methods of NDT are covered in Section V, including RT, UT, MT, PT, VT, and LT. Appendix A of Section V presents a listing of common imperfections and damage mechanisms and the NDT methods that are generally capable of detecting them.
Section V also provides guidance on methods of evaluating NDT results.
The source inspector should be thoroughly familiar with the contents of Section V for whichever NDT method is specified in contractual agreements and/or ITP.
For the purposes of source inspector examination, some of the content covered in ASME BPVC Section V that applicants should focus on includes:
— Appendix 7, Examination of Steel Casting
Section IX of ASME BPVC Part QW covers the qualifications of welders, welding operators, and the procedures that will be employed during fabrication.
The primary subjects covered include welding general requirements, welding procedure specifications and qualification, and welder performance qualification.
Section IX does not cover acceptance criteria for production welds.
Section IX also covers fabrication by brazing (Part QB); the source inspector should be aware of that section, but will not need to be familiar with it until and unless assigned to a project that specifies brazed construction.
The source inspector should be thoroughly familiar with the contents of Section IX Part QW with regard to the WPS, PQR, and WPQ that are specified in contractual agreements and/or ITP. For the purposes of source inspector examination, the applicants need to focus their attention on the following sections of ASME BPVC Section IX:
ASNT SNT-TC-1A
This recommended practice establishes a general framework for a qualification and certification program for NDT technicians.
In addition, it provides recommended education requirements and training requirements for different test methods. The source inspector should be familiar with this standard, including the duties and responsibilities for each of the three levels of NDT qualified technician.
SSPC-PA 2 Coating Applications Standard No. 2, Procedure for Determining Conformance to Dry Coating Thickness Requirements
This standard describes a procedure for determining conformance to a specified dry film thickness (DFT) range on metal substrates using NDT thickness gauges. The source inspector should be familiar with Sections 1 to 8 of this standard.
This guideline briefly describes the scope of the seven SSPC and NACE surface-preparation standards with application to source inspection.
The source inspector should be familiar with the scope of the standards listed below that are included in this guide, but need not be familiar with the details in the specific standards for examination purposes.
Welding procedure qualifications are the responsibility of the vendor, while it is the responsibility of the source inspector that they be verified as the ones approved by the purchaser.
Prior to verifying welding inspection documents provided by the vendor, the source inspector should confirm that the version of the WPS that was used was the one approved by the responsible person, e.g. engineer/WPS/PQR SME for both the purchaser and vendor.
ASME BPVC Section IX is the appropriate reference for knowledge and understanding of WPS/PQRs.
Development of NDT procedures are the responsibility of the vendor, while it is the responsibility of the source inspector that they be verified as the ones approved for use. Prior to witnessing NDT, the source inspector should confirm that the version of the NDT procedure has been reviewed and approved by the
responsible person, e.g. engineer/NDT SME.
NOTE: The AWS Welding Inspection Handbook, ASME BPVC Section V, AWS D1.1, and ASNT SNT-TC-1A are the appropriate references for knowledge and understanding of NDT procedures and required training and certification of NDT technicians.
Our API SIRE course (E-learning as well as the blended or hybrid (e-learning + classroom training) including our mock exam questions are specifically aimed at covering the reference materials.
Exam & study tips; Inspection management (Equipment Criticality; Metallurgy; Manufacturing; Test; PIM; ITP, PQP; QC Procedures and reports; PO; NCR; Punch List; Inspection Release; MRB; Safety); API Standard 610; API Standard 617
API Standard 618; API Standard 619; API 614; API 677; API 682; ANSIHI 14.6; ASTM A703; MSS-SP-55
ASME Sec. II, V, VIII, IX; ASNT SNT TC‐1A; SSPC; Review of important questions within course material mock exam.
Each day consists of 4 sessions. Each session lasts 2 hours.
Note 1: Quite a few reference documents are the same for both API SIRE & SIFE (see Day 3 itinerary); so it is recommended to register for both courses. That way, you shall become an all rounder mechanical inspector
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Note: there is a flag off bottom below each question.
Note: You can eliminate wrong answers by holding the curser on them and right click therefore short listing the possible correct answers.