API 571 study plan
API 571 · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Uniform, Localized, and Under-Deposit Corrosion
Differentiate uniform, galvanic, and localized (pitting/crevice) corrosion by their electrochemical driving force and physical appearance
Map each mechanism to the process conditions (pH, temperature, velocity, oxygen/chloride content) that make it active
Build a comparison table linking each mechanism to its industry-standard damage morphology and the inspection method that detects it
Identify which of these mechanisms appear in amine, crude, and cooling-water circuits and state why
Your checkpoint
One-page matrix of uniform/galvanic/pitting/crevice mechanisms with cause, appearance, affected alloys, and detection method, scored against a 20-question self-quiz at 80% or better
Uniform, Localized, and Under-Deposit Corrosion & General Principles of Damage Mechanisms and Failure Analysis
Distinguish under-deposit corrosion and concentration-cell corrosion from bulk localized attack by explaining the shielding/crevice geometry involved
Explain how deposit composition (iron sulfide, coke, sand, biological mass) changes the local chemistry beneath it
State why velocity-sensitive mechanisms (erosion-corrosion, impingement) share inspection locations with under-deposit attack
Apply the general damage-mechanism framework: identify the damage type from morphology, then trace it back to the susceptible material/environment combination and the applicable inspection technique
Your checkpoint
Written 400-word case walkthrough of an under-deposit failure (morphology -> mechanism -> contributing process variable -> inspection location) plus 15 flashcard-style Q&A pairs
Environment-Assisted Cracking
Separate hydrogen-related cracking mechanisms (hydrogen blistering, HIC, SOHIC, SSC, hydrogen stress cracking) by the source of hydrogen and the stress threshold required
State the hardness, pH, H2S partial pressure, and nickel-content conditions that raise or lower susceptibility for each
Select the correct inspection method (wet fluorescent MT, UT shear wave, phased array, acoustic emission) for each hydrogen damage type and justify the choice
Explain why post-weld heat treatment and hardness control mitigate some hydrogen mechanisms but not others
Your checkpoint
Hydrogen-damage decision tree that starts from cracking orientation (surface-breaking vs. subsurface, planar vs. stepwise) and terminates in a named mechanism plus inspection method
Environment-Assisted Cracking & General Principles of Damage Mechanisms and Failure Analysis
Contrast chloride, caustic, amine, ammonia, and carbonate/polythionic acid stress corrosion cracking by the specific environment-alloy pairing that produces each
Identify the temperature windows and concentration thresholds where each SCC mechanism becomes active
Explain the role of residual stress, sensitization, and alloying (Ni, Mo, C) in initiating and propagating these cracks
Recognize the cracking morphology (branched transgranular vs. intergranular) that distinguishes SCC from fatigue and hydrogen cracking
Your checkpoint
Environment-assisted cracking reference sheet covering all named SCC mechanisms with environment, susceptible alloy, temperature window, morphology, and mitigation, validated by a timed 25-question set at 80% or better
Milestones
Week 2: Score 80%+ on a 30-question self-test covering Domains 1 and 3; all incorrect items rewritten as corrected statements
Week 4: Explain, without notes, the difference between SSC, HIC, SOHIC, and chloride SCC to a peer or on paper, including one inspection method each
Week 6: Score 80%+ on a 25-question mixed set covering Domains 3, 4, and 5 with no repeated errors from earlier weeks
Week 8: Complete a full 60-question timed mock spanning all six domains at 75%+ overall and no domain below 65%