API RP 687 Chapter 0: Sections 15 thru 17 and a summary of the Annexes

We see the light at the end of the Chapter 0 tunnel!

These three sections provide a comprehensive roadmap for developing a precise work scope, technical proposal and outlining documentation obligations for repair shops and equipment owners.

Section 15: Proposals and Finalized Work Scopes

Once inspections are completed, a repair shop should put together a proposal that would include a description of the relevant findings, proposed repair recommendations, and a price and delivery timeline for the proposed work.

A complete proposal should include a definition of which components could be reused, which components should be repaired, and which components must be replaced.

API RP 687 is clear that if a shop proclaims they follow 687, the repair recommendations should be done in accordance with the document. Exceptions and deviations are allowed but should be listed clearly.

Repair Proposals like many other contemporary business documents are turned into PDFs and e-mailed.

Although repair proposals should be self-contained, self-explanatory documents, API recommends that equipment owners and repair facilities meet in person and discuss the details.

Section 15.2.1 contains a great checklist of topics and information that should be available during this meeting.

Below, I have created a condensed version of this list based on the hundreds of repair proposals I’ve seen.

Table: Information that should be available to be reviewed or included at a minimum

For more complex projects, additional meetings between the repair shop and the equipment owner may be necessary to ensure alignment and proper communication.

These meetings help clarify any deviations from the original specifications, address potential challenges, and confirm that all parties agree on the proposed solutions.

This process ensures transparency, provides a clear history of the equipment’s condition and changes, and keeps everyone on the same page throughout the repair process.

And in a situation where time is of the essence, like during an outage, it may be necessary to have multiple meetings in a day as the inspections are taking place.

Section 16: Repair Shop’s/Vendor’s Data (Documentation)

This section starts by referencing Annex K.

Annex K is an informative annex that contains great suggestions on possible information that may be required based on the scope or extent of the repair project.

A few interesting pieces of information suggested to be included or shared are:

Drawings

An owner should receive information so they can properly install, operate, and maintain the equipment that was repaired. This means clearance sheets, balance records, journal and seal diameters, coupling fit data.

This does not necessarily mean that an owner will automatically receive manufacturing drawings or raw data resulting from reverse engineering.

 

Units 

All technical data should be in accordance to what is specified in the Purchase Order. If needed, alternate units can be included in parentheses.

Rerate Curves

If the scope of the project involved a rerate, curves and discussion on performance testing should be included.

Section 16 also explains in detail how nameplates should be prepared and installed.

First, one should never remove an original machine nameplate.

During the course of repair, shops should add nameplates that identify when and with whom repairs were done. These are especially important if a rerate took place; new operating conditions should be listed on the nameplate.

Photo of a gearbox with OEM and 3rd Party nameplates.

Section 17: Owner’s Data (Documentation)

 When a repair project is completed, the owner should update their equipment files, including all data that reflects any changes to the equipment- upgrades, rerates, modifications.

This is important, because parts may have been modified. So, in order to maintain interchangeability or proper spares, all records of changes should be kept.

Keeping accurate records is also important because operating conditions, including speeds, could have changed. This may have an impact of machinery diagnostics and/or protection systems.

Finally, this section suggests that owners should forward a list of the changes to the original manufacturer of the equipment.

After these three sections, Chapter 0 contains several annexes.

A brief summary of the Annexes in Chapter 0

All the annexes are labeled (informative), which is nice. It shows that they are intended to provide additional guidance and context rather than being stricter suggestions or obligations.

There are a total of 11 Annexes, A through K and contain the following:

Annex A (informative) Selection of a Repair Shop Checklist.

This annex is mainly a checklist for how to audit and select a repair shop.22 pages filled with tables to organize the findings of a shop audit.

I always recommend referring to this annex, especially if you are in the business of rotating equipment repairs. This Annex basically sets the expectations of the competency necessary to be a successful repair shop.

Annex B (informative) Shipping Containers

This annex is all about shipping containers.

5 pages filled with 6 wonderful isometric illustrations of containers. So, if a picture is equivalent to a thousand words, this annex is equivalent to 6000 words.

Annex

C (informative) Nondestructive Testing Method Guideline

This is an 11-page annex that describes the basic concepts behind the big 3 NDT processes (Liquid Penetrants, Magnetic Particle Inspections, and Ultrasonic Inspections).

The gem in this annex is the Table for Hardness Conversion. Table C.1. It provides a quick cross-reference guide so you can translate from Brinell to Rockwell and get approximations of tensile strength.

Annex D (informative) Component Nondestructive Testing Methods

This annex contains some useful tables that tabulate which NDT methods should be used to inspect which components on various types of equipment.

Annex E (informative) Component Residual Magnetism Inspections

This annex is 8 pages dedicated to the mysteries of magnetism. Rotating components need to be demagnetized so they don’t act like permanent magnet generator fields when they are in operation.

This annex explains how to detect and remove magnetism.

Annex F (informative) Antifouling/Corrosion Resistant/Performance Improvement Coatings

This is another hidden gem that I wish more people knew about and read.

It basically explains everything you need to know to understand the types of protective coatings that are applied to turbomachinery.

This annex is worth expanding in its own post, so expect that in the future!

Annex G (informative) Restoration Methods (Overview)

This is another extremely educational annex that describes the most common methods used for part restoration.

One of my favorite bits from this annex is Table G.1. It contains recommended minimum and maximum thicknesses when using thermal sprays as a means of material restoration.

We will also expand on this in a future post, since there is much to learn from it.

Annex H (informative) Weld Repair Flowcharts

Just like the title implies, this annex has a useful flowchart that guides you step- by- step through the process of considering a weld repair for to repair a defective part.

I really appreciate a couple of things:

The first question one must ask is:

Has the nature of the defect been determined?

This reinforces the fact that you must understand how a part failed or what the root cause of a defect is before prescribing a way to repair it.

The second question is:

Is welding the right decision?

This aligns with the warning, that welding, although a wonderful way to apply material to a part, has its challenges.

You’ve heard me write this many times before: That every time we weld, we introduce a lot of heat to the base material. This means it can affect its original microstructure and mechanical properties.

Welds always have to be evaluated carefully, and one must ask that the processes are certified and verified.

Annex I (informative) Surface Finishes and Contact Percentages

This annex reveals how vast and complex the world of surface finishes can be.

Surface finishes may often be overlooked or unappreciated.

A part can look shiny when polished, dull when it has been grit-blasted, or mirror-finished if burnished. But unless you know the different specifications, methods for measuring, and areas where it should be applied, you may not appreciate their importance.

This applies not only for rotating components, but surface finishes may affect the sealing integrity of fits and split lines.

Annex J (informative) Outage Planning

I’ve mentioned before that this Annex is sort of a bonus that is valuable in that it informs us how much effort it takes to plan an outage.

I’ve mentioned before that this Annex is sort of a bonus that has a lot of value informing us about the effort it takes to plan an outage.

Imagine planning a great wedding, a party, or large event!

The millions of questions to answer, including some things that may not seem important but during the course of an outage consume time!:

• Where to park?

• How long will it take for all the contractors to go through the guard shack?

• Where will everyone eat?

• When and where will all the workers attend safety briefings?

• How many cranes do we need?

During outages, there may be several thousand contractors and workers crawling around equipment during a short window.

There will be cranes and lifts, hot work, cleaning efforts, contingency plants, etc. To ensure safe execution and timely completion, great companies put a lot of effort into planning their outages several years in advance.

This annex paints a great picture of what goes into those efforts.

Annex K (informative) Contract Documents and Engineering Design Data

Annex K is crucial because it outlines the documentation and engineering design data that must be provided by the repair shop or vendor upon completion of work.

It ensures that all necessary information—such as drawings, test results, performance curves, and certification data—is compiled and shared with the equipment owner.

This documentation is essential for transparency, verifying compliance with specifications, and supporting future maintenance or modifications.