Page 482 - Compression Machinery for Oil and Gas

Chapter 13

Standards and Codes

†
Chris Kulhanek*, Matt Taher , Jeffrey Moore*, Greg Phillippi ‡
and Benjamin White*
* †
Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, United States, Bechtel, San Francisco, CA,
‡
United States, Ariel Corporation, Mount Vernon, OH, United States

Introduction

Standards and specifications are necessary in most aspects of the gas compres-
sion industry. Standards are typically developed by industry volunteers for
organizations such as the American Petroleum Institute (API), the American
Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), American National Standards Insti-
tute (ANSI), International Standards Organization (ISO), and several others.
The American organizations have standard development processes that have
been vetted and approved by ANSI. Most standards are written in a collabora-
tive approach with a group that includes representatives from multiple end
users, manufacturers, and industry consultants. The standards are typically
updated every few years as needed.
Many codes and standards are used by manufacturers (including compressor
manufacturers) and users to specify, select, and characterize their equipment. In
general, codes provide design guidelines, definitions, and requirements. Stan-
dards and codes by nature are rather general. Any particular application may
require modifications. It is noted that a code or standard does not itself design
a piece of equipment.
In general, standards, codes, and other specifications exist in order to
improve equipment quality and reliability. API’s philosophy for developing
codes is based on the following principles:
– improve safety
– improve environmental performance
– reduce engineering costs
– improve equipment interchangeability
– improve product quality and reliability
– lower equipment cost
– allow for exceptions within reason

Compression Machinery for Oil and Gas. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-814683-5.00013-4
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