API Standards for Heat Transfer Equipments
API Standard
Title Description
API-530 Calculation of Heater-tube Thickness in Petroleum Refineries
Design procedures and criteria used for calculating the required wall thickness of new tubes and associated component fittings for petroleum refinery heaters. Procedures are appropriate for designing tubes for corrosive and non-corrosive applications.
API-534 Heat Recovery Steam Generators
Guidelines for the selection and/or evaluation of Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) systems. The document indicates areas of design that need attention for HRSG system selection and offers information of various HRSG types.
API-535 Burners for Fired Heaters in General Refinery Services
Guidelines for the selection and/or evaluation of burners installed in fired heaters in general refinery services. This document indicates design areas that need attention for selection of burners and offers description of different burner types.
API-536 Post Combustion NOx Control for Equipment in General Refinery Services
This API standard offers mechanical description along with operation, maintenance, and test procedures of post-combustion NOx control equipment. The document discusses the Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction and Selective Catalytic Reduction methods of post-combustion NOx reduction.
API-537 Flare Details for General Refinery and Petrochemical Service
Guide for the selection, design, specification, operation and maintenance of flares and related combustion and mechanical components used in pressure-relieving and vapor depressurizing systems for petroleum.
API-560 Fired Heaters for General Refinery Services
Guidelines for the design, materials, fabrication, inspection, testing, preparation for shipment, anderection of fired heaters, air preheaters, fans and burners for general refinery service.
API-573 Inspection of Fired Boilers and Heaters
This API standard covers the inspection practices for fired boilers and process heaters (furnaces) used in petroleum refineries and petrochemical plants.
API-660 Shell-and-tube Heat Exchangers
Guidelines for the mechanical design, material selection, fabrication, inspection, testing and preparationfor shipment of shell-and-tube heat exchangers for the petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries. this API standard is applicable to heaters, condensers, coolers and reboilers, but not applicable to vacuum-operated steam surface condensers and feed-water heaters.
API-661 Air-Cooled Heat Exchangers for General Refinery Service
Guidelines for the design, materials, fabrication, inspection, testing and preparation for shipment of air-cooled heat exchangers for use in the petroleum and natural gas industries.
API-662 Part I
Plate Heat Exchangers for General Refinery Services Part I—Plate-and-Frame Heat Exchangers
Guide for the mechanical design, materials selection, fabrication, inspection, testing, and preparation forshipment of plate-and-frame heat exchangers for use in petroleum industries, applicable to gasketed, semi-welded and welded plate-and frame heat exchangers.
API-662 Part II
Plate Heat Exchangers for General Refinery Services Part II—Brazed Aluminum Plate-fin Heat Exchangers
Guide for mechanical design, materials selection, fabrication, inspection, testing, and preparation forshipment of brazed aluminum plate-fin heat exchangers used in petroleum industries.
API Standards for Pressure Relieving Systems
API Standard
Title Description
API-520 Part I
Sizing, Selection, and Installation of Pressure-Relieving Devices in Refineries—Part I, Sizing and Selection
Guide for sizing and selection of pressure relief devices used in petroleum related industries for equipments with maximum allowable working pressure of 15 psig greater. The document is intended for protection of unfired pressure vessels and equipments against overpressure from operation or fire.Pressure relief valves or rupture disks may be used independently or in combination with each other to provide the required protection against excessive pressure accumulation
API-520 Part II
Sizing, Selection, and Installation of Pressure-Relieving Devices in Refineries—Part II, Installation
Guide for installation of pressure relief devices used in petroleum related industries for equipments with maximum allowable working pressure of 15 psig greater.
API-521 Guide for Pressure-relieving and Depressuring Systems Petroleum petrochemical and natural gas industries—Pressure relieving and depressuring systems
This API standard specifies requirements and gives guidelines for determining overpressure causes, relieving rates for pressure relieving and vapor depressurizing systems in petroleum related industries. The standard also discusses selection and design of disposal systems, including such component parts as piping, vessels, flares, and vent stacks.
API-526 Flanged Steel Pressure-relief Valves
The standard covers specifications for flanged steel pressure relief valves (PRVs) by presenting basic requirements such as orifice designation and area, valve size, pressure rating, materials etc. for direct spring-loaded pressure relief valves and pilot-operated pressure relief valves.
API-527 Seat Tightness of Pressure Relief Valves
Describes methods of determining the seat tightness of metal- and soft-seated pressure relief valves (PRVs), including those of conventional, bellows, and pilot-operated designs.
API-576 Inspection of Pressure-relieving Devices
Describes the inspection and repair practices for automatic pressure relieving devices commonly used in the oil and petrochemical industries. This API standard covers pressure relief valves, pilot-operated pressure relief valves, rupture disks, and weight-loaded pressure-vacuum vents, with regards to inspection and repair.
API-2000 Venting Atmospheric and Low-pressure Storage Tanks Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries—Venting of atmospheric and low-pressure storage tanks
Guide for normal and emergency vapor venting requirements for above ground petroleum and petroleum product storage tanks, above ground and underground refrigerated storage tanks. The tanks discussed in the document are designed for low pressures ranging from full vacuum through 15 psig. This API standard discusses causes of overpressure and vacuum, venting requirements, means of venting, selection,and installation of venting devices and testing and marking of relief
devices etc for storage tanks.
API Standards for Tanks
Following table lists the API standard which are relevant to design, operation and maintenance
activities for petroleum and petroleum product storage tanks.
API Standard
Title Description
API-620 Design and Construction of Large, Welded, Low Pressure Storage Tanks
Guide for construction of tanks with internal pressures up to 15 psig. For large tanks which are assembled in field and are used for storage of petroleum intermediates and petroleum products.
API 650 Welded Steel Tanks for Oil Storage
This document governs the construction of tanks storing hydrocarbon products at low operating pressure (up to 2.5 psig).
API-651 Cathodic Protection for Above Ground Petroleum Storage Tanks
Discussion on corrosion problems in above ground petroleum storage tanks and associated piping. Plus description of two commonly used methods of providing cathodic protection against corrosion.
API-652 Lining of Above Ground Petroleum Storage Tanks
Guide effectively limiting corrosion by lining the tank bottom, for hydrocarbon storage tank made of steel. Guidelines are given regarding lining materials, their applications, inspection of tank bottom lining etc.
API-653 Tank Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Reconstruction
Guideline for inspection, repair, alteration, and reconstruction of above ground hydrocarbon and chemical storage tanks, made of steel. Minimum requirements for maintaining the integrity of welded or riveted, non-refrigerated, atmospheric, above ground storage tanks, are discussed.
API-2000 Venting Atmospheric and Low-Pressure Storage Tanks
Guide for normal and emergency vapor venting requirements for above ground petroleum and petroleum product storage tanks, above ground and underground refrigerated storage tanks. The tanks discussed in the document are designed for low pressures ranging from full vacuum through 15 psig.
API-2015 Cleaning Petroleum Storage Tanks
Guide for preparing, emptying, isolating,ventilating, atmospheric testing, cleaning, entering into, hotwork and recommissioning activities in, on and around atmospheric and low-pressure (up to 15 psig) above ground storage tanks containing flammable, combustible or toxic materials.
API-2517 Evaporating Losses from External Floating Roof Tanks
Guide for estimating the total evaporation losses or atmospheric hydrocarbon emissions from external floating roof tanks containing multicomponent hydrocarbon mixtures or single component storage stocks.
API-2519 Evaporating Losses from Internal Floating Roof Tanks
Summary of performances of internal floating covers to prevent evaporation losses. Effects of internal floating covers on tank operation as well as the provisions for gaging, sampling, and temperature reading are described in the document.
API-2350 Overfill Protection for Petroleum Storage Tankss
Covers overfill protection for all aboveground storage tanks in petroleum facilities, including refineries, terminals, bulk plants and pipeline terminals that receive Class I (flammable) or Class II (combustible) liquids.
API-2550 Measurements and Calibration of Petroleum Storage Tanks
Procedures for calibrating upright cylindrical tanks which are larger than a drum or a barrel. Procedures for making measurements are discussed in Part I of the document and methods of calculating the tank volume are given in Part II.