API Issues New Standard to Further Worker Safety and Protection of the Environment

WASHINGTON  – Today, the American Petroleum Institute issued a new technical report to aid oil and natural gas companies in selecting the right materials for bolting, a key to safe and reliable operations.

“Proper selection of bolting materials used in oil and natural gas exploration and production is vital to the safety of workers and protection of the environment.  API’s new standard provides guidance for proper material selection for this critical component of our industry’s operations,” said Debra Phillips, Vice President of API’s Global Industry Services division. 
 

Bolting is  a critical component of safe offshore operations and this new industry standard, entitled “Materials Selection for Bolting,” is intended to assist companies in choosing the correct materials in manufacturing low alloy, stainless steel, and nickel-based fasteners that are resistant to the effects of harsh environmental conditions faced on land and at sea.  

Choosing the correct bolting based on the environment in which a company is working helps assure that these important components are resilient in their operating environment. 

“Understanding the failure modes and their associated barriers is critical to the proper selection of fasteners for the specific environmental conditions where they will be installed,” the publication reads.

The API bolting guidance references manufacturing standards for bolts, screws, nuts, washers, and studs best suited to the conditions where drillers and pipeline operators will be working. 

The manufacturing standards recommended by the new API publication are API specifications 20E and 20F pertaining to alloy and carbon steel bolting and corrosion-resistant bolting, respectively.

The guidance also includes bolting recommendations for offshore drilling in both shallow and deep water, addressing saltwater corrosion issues faced by facilities.

It also addresses the types of bolts required for onshore operations in desert, tropical and arctic conditions.

API TR 21TR1 seeks to address industry and regulatory concerns regarding connector bolts in all equipment deployed in offshore and other oil and natural gas exploration and production.

API standards are developed under API’s American National Standards Institute accredited process, ensuring that the API standards are recognized not only for their technical rigor but also their third-party accreditation which facilitates acceptance by state, federal, and increasingly international regulators. API’s GIS division is responsible for standards setting, certification, training, events, publications and safety programs for industry operations.

API is the only national trade association representing all facets of the natural gas and oil industry, which supports 10.3 million U.S. jobs and nearly 8 percent of the U.S. economy. API’s more than 600 members include large integrated companies, as well as pipeline, exploration and production, refining, marketing, marine businesses, and service and supply firms. They provide most of the nation’s energy and are backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 47 million Americans. API was formed in 1919 as a standards-setting organization. In its first 100 years, API has developed more than 700 standards to enhance operational and environmental safety, efficiency and sustainability