FFS/FFP

FFS – Fitness For Service or Fitness For Purpose is the activity that is performed to decide whether a piece of plant or component can continue to be used for its intended purpose. The decisions made at the end of the FFS process are:

• Can a component continue in operation and, if so, for how long? The answer to this question  may define when the next inspection needs to be performed.
• Can the component be repaired?
• Does the component have to be replaced?

FFS is a key activity in the ageing management of plant that is subject to a particle degradation mechanism, such as corrosion or fatigue. FFS supports the management of ageing plant by predicting the possible damage sites and modes of failure, estimating remaining life and justifying the extension of life beyond the design life. FFS can be performed once the results of NDT have been obtained, or it can be performed prior to the NDT, to provide charts for assessing the results as they are obtained. The FFS is sometimes referred to as Engineering Critical Assessment (ECA).

For more information on FFS see: http://www.ndt.net/article/mendt2007/papers/anderson.pdf

What the hec?! articles are not intended to be the definitive account on the topic or acronym in question. Readers’ comments and contributions are welcomed. Email: ndtnews@bindt.org