API Refining Standards and Publications

Since 1924, API has been a cornerstone in establishing, maintaining and publishing standards and recommended practices for the oil and natural gas industry. API efforts help the industry invent and manufacture superior products consistently, provide critical services, ensure fairness in the marketplace for businesses and consumers alike and promote the acceptance of products and practices globally. The API Refining program promotes and develops safe and proven engineering practices in the design, fabrication, installation, inspection and use of materials and equipment in refineries and related processing facilities.

Within the API Refining Program, the Committee on Refinery Equipment (CRE) is responsible for managing the refining standards program, which currently consists of approximately 100 publications. CRE develops industry documents that promote safe and proven engineering practices in the design, fabrication, installation, inspection and use of materials and equipment in refineries and related processing facilities.

CRE has adopted a set of general objectives that guide their document development efforts. These objectives are:

• To develop and publish essential equipment standards and recommended practices not available from other recognized organizations for the design, fabrication, installation, use, and inspection of petroleum refining equipment.
• Published documents are to be reviewed at intervals of no greater than five years.
• CRE encourages other organizations that sponsor standardization (for example, the American National Standards Institute or the International Organization for Standardization) to adopt API documents when such adoption will be in the best interest of the petroleum industry.
• To arrange for adequate API sponsorship and communication in national and international organizations that prepare codes and standards that significantly impact on the petroleum refining industry.
• To sponsor and administer necessary research projects for developing improved standards and techniques for solving refinery equipment problems.
• To monitor codes, standards and actions sponsored by outside organizations, regulatory agencies, and legislative bodies and identify those that will have significant impact on the petroleum refining industry.
• The CRE will develop and implement, or recommend to the General Committee on Refining, constructive alternatives to evolving refinery equipment issues.
• To provide a forum for dissemination of mutually useful technical information to refiners, vendors, and contractors by sponsoring ad-hoc subcommittees, round table discussions and general technical presentations.
• To discuss and assess industry opinion on technical concerns pertaining to refinery equipment and address these concerns as needed in appropriate standards.
• To work with API member companies to properly staff the CRE subcommittees and achieve "fair share" representation of API member companies on CRE subcommittees and participation in outside organizations.
• To coordinate the efforts of the CRE subcommittees and task forces with other segments of API to achieve optimum results.

Within the CRE, there are nine subcommittees that develop and maintain the refining publications. These subcommittees are:

• Corrosion and Materials
• Inspection
• Electrical Equipment
• Instruments and Control Systems
• Piping
• Pressure Vessels and Tanks
• Mechanical Equipment
• Pressure Relieving Systems
• Heat Transfer Equipment