OpenRBI Pipe Circuit App Released

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A file-based RBI workflow for assessing piping by corrosion circuit

OpenRBI has released its new Piping Analysis by Circuit application.

The app is designed to bring the main stages of a piping risk-based inspection assessment together in a single structured workflow. Rather than treating every pipe spool as an isolated item, the application allows the user to define and assess a complete piping circuit, including its connected line segments, design information, process chemistry, degradation mechanisms, release scenarios, consequences, risk ranking and inspection plan.

The current application is organised into a continuous series of modules:

• Module 0 — RBI Data and Configuration

• Module 1 — Asset and Circuit Definition

• Module 2 — Process Chemistry

• Module 3 — Damage and Minimum-Wall Assessment

• Module 4 — Release Assessment

• Module 5 — Consequence Assessment

• Module 6 — Probability, Consequence and Risk

• Module 7 — Inspection Planning

• Module 8 — Inspection and Assessment History

• Module 9 — Reporting

• Module 10 — Inspection Test Plan

These modules form a single-file workflow extending from the initial asset definition through to inspection planning and reporting.

Build the circuit from the line list

A piping circuit rarely consists of only one uniform pipe size or one physical configuration.  The Pipe Circuit App allows multiple pipe segments to be entered under the same circuit. Each segment can carry its own line information, including nominal diameter, service, piping class, line number, insulation and notes.  The line-number format can also be configured to reflect the organisation’s existing plant convention. This makes it possible to represent lines such as:

20-HO-B1-11-PP-C321
50-HO-B1-12-PP-C321
100-HO-B1-13-PP-C321

while retaining them within one corrosion circuit and one assessment record.  The asset record also supports site, area, system, design conditions, operating conditions and multiple pipe segments.

Configuration belongs to the owner-user

OpenRBI does not force every organisation to adopt the same plant hierarchy, pipe specification or risk matrix. Module 0 allows the user to configure the supporting RBI information used throughout the assessment. This includes location data, materials, pipe schedules, piping specifications, line-number structure, probability mapping and the risk matrix. The purpose is to allow the application to reflect the owner-user’s approved engineering and risk-management system rather than replacing it with a fixed generic model.

File-based records rather than a remote database

The Pipe Circuit App uses a file-based approach. A complete circuit can be saved as an XML file and reopened later through the application. The saved file can contain the full piping assessment, the data from each module and the associated Module 0 RBI configuration snapshot. The application can also produce a combined HTML handout containing the assessment information. A read-only viewing mode is available for controlled review or distribution.

This approach provides the owner-user with a portable engineering record that can be stored within its normal document-management environment, including controlled project folders, SharePoint or OneDrive. There is no requirement to maintain a separate commercial RBI database merely to assess a single piping circuit.

Designed for practical engineering use

The application includes features intended to support training, review and engineering traceability. The modules and sections can be collapsed or expanded as required, and the complete assessment can be viewed as a long-form scrolling document. The user can select light, dark or soft-blue display themes and adjust the text size to suit the working environment.

Optional field numbering is available for training and demonstrations. Technical notes can be entered throughout the assessment, and the completed file can be opened in read-only mode for review. XML save and reload, report generation and inspection test-plan preparation are all included within the same application. The left-hand navigation provides direct access to every assessment stage, from the disclaimer and RBI configuration through to the final inspection test plan.

Engineering remains the responsibility of competent people

The Pipe Circuit App is an engineering support tool. It does not make the engineering decision and does not replace competent inspection, process, materials or mechanical-integrity personnel. The quality of the assessment depends on correct design and operating data, reliable inspection findings, appropriate damage-mechanism selection, verified material and pipe-schedule information, suitable consequence assumptions, an approved corporate risk matrix and competent engineering review.

Demonstration values, default entries and calculated outputs must be checked before they are used for an operating plant. The responsible engineer, inspector, owner-user or statutory duty holder retains responsibility for the assessment, inspection interval, repair decision, fitness-for-service decision and continued operation of the equipment.

A more accessible way to perform piping RBI

The new Pipe Circuit App extends OpenRBI from individual equipment calculations into a complete circuit-based assessment workflow. It provides a practical way to assemble the engineering information for one piping circuit, carry the data through each stage of the RBI process and retain the result as a portable controlled file.

The application is not intended to hide uncertainty behind a coloured risk box. Its purpose is to make the inputs, assumptions, calculations, inspection history and engineering decisions visible in one place.

OpenRBI Pipe Circuit App — released for demonstration, evaluation and engineering development.