American Petroleum Institute

Recommended Practice 2001, Fire Protection in Refineries, includes important revisions on hazard analysis, new ways to improve the design of refineries to help prevent fires, and new information on managing the potential environmental impact of firefighting foams and marine firefighting.

As drones become a more significant part of energy projects, the guide outlines the steps operators should take in assessing their capabilities to run a drone program and the elements such programs should consider, including safety and regulatory concerns.

The American Petroleum Institute announced the publication of its Guide for Developing an Unmanned Aircraft Systems Program, which will help ensure worker and operational safety as the industry introduces drones in its operations.

Recommended Practice 54, "Occupational Safety and Health for Oil and Gas Well Drilling and Servicing Operations," provides procedures for promoting and maintaining safe and healthy working conditions for personnel in drilling and well servicing operations.

Tons of resources are devoted to assure the integrity of facility piping systems, but are the generally accepted methods of inspecting these systems the best way? Complex systems with above- and underground piping sections may require a combination of direct assessment and elements of an API code.

Testing will be performed at DNV’s labs in Columbus, Ohio, and Norway and overseen by experts in fatigue of subsea equipment, bolting connections, cathodic protection, and instrumented tests.

API released an updated valve standard for wellhead and tree equipment, which includes new automatic closure requirements.

Halliburton received API’s risk-based quality management system registration for its Angola facilities and product service lines.

With the API and a multi-operator group passing separate programs aimed at reducing methane emissions, the discussions on what defines an acceptable level of regulation continues within the industry.

The American Petroleum Institute on 5 December launched a voluntary program to cut emissions of the greenhouse gas methane from oil and gas operations, a move environmentalists said was not strong enough to adequately protect the climate.