Joel Andreani, P.E.

A pressure-containment and structural specialist, Joel Andreani has worked in various refinery technical service groups, providing engineering support to refineries and chemical plants worldwide.  Joel performs fitness-for-service (FFS) evaluations; code compliance calculations; interpretations for storage tanks, piping, pressure vessels, structures, and foundations; engineering specification and design support; engineering training development; and project consulting on a wide variety of refinery and chemical plant equipment.

Joel has also managed company specification and training programs.  He has developed over 50 design, fabrication, inspection, and testing specifications for tankage, piping, and structures, and specifications for wind, seismic, and blast load criteria for petrochemical equipment and structures for U.S. and international petrochemical facilities.  Joel has also developed mechanical integrity practices and MI implementation programs.  He performs design reviews for tankage, piping, pressure vessels, structures, and foundations as part of major refinery capital projects, including expansions, revamps, and de-bottlenecking projects.  He has also developed and managed training programs for refinery and petrochemical plant engineers and has instructed courses in aboveground storage tank design and evaluation; FFS, including the API University API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Fitness-For-Service course; and risk-based inspection (RBI). 

Since 2003, Joel has served on the Design subgroup of the API Subcommittee on Aboveground Storage Tanks (SCAST).  He is an expert in tank settlement and RBI assessment of storage tanks.  Joel was one of the primary developers of the current edge settlement procedures in Appendix B of API 653.  He was the leader of the API project that re-wrote API 653 Appendix B rules on differential shell settlement.  Joel was also involved in the development of the current tank module in the API RBI software.  He has performed a number of RBI assessments of storage tanks, including comprehensive evaluations of tanks that have combined FFS and RBI assessments to develop inspection plans.  Most recently, Joel has developed new Tank RBI procedures for API 581 and for storage tanks designs outside the limitations of API 581.  Joel also served as a member on the Design subgroup of the ASME B31.3 Process Piping Code Committee from 1993-2000.

Publications:

1. Andreani, J.L.,“Midstream Engineering Practices: Similarities and Differences to Downstream Engineering Practices,” Inspectioneering Journal, March 2024.
2. Andreani, J.L. and Szymanski, S., “Capturing Corporate Memory with Internal Best Practices – Retaining Knowledge After the Great Retirement/Resignation,” Inspectioneering Journal, November 7, 2022.
3. Andreani, J.L. and Gustoff, K.J., “Fitness for Service of Aboveground Storage Tanks – Applicability of API 579,” Inspectioneering Journal, The Woodlands, TX, May-June 2022.
4. Andreani, J.L., “Tank RBI: Not Just an Inspection Deferral Tool,” Inspectioneering Journal, The Woodlands, TX, July-August 2021.
5. Andreani, J.L., “The Use of Fitness-for-Service Methodologies in the Life Cycle Management of Equipment in the Fertilizer Manufacturing Industry,” World Fertilizer Magazine, United Kingdom, April, 2020.
6. Andreani, J.L., “An Effective Structural Integrity Program as Part of a Comprehensive Mechanical Integrity Program,” Inspectioneering Journal, The Woodlands, TX, November-December, 2019.
7. Andreani, J.L., Carr, N.A., “Final Report on the Study of Out-of-Plane Tank Settlement,” API, Washington, DC, 2007.
8. Andreani, J.L., Buchheim, G.M., Conley, M.J., Stevens, K.J., “A Rigorous Assessment Procedure for Developing Inspection Plans for Ammonia Units,” AIChE Ammonia Safety Symposium, Denver, CO, 2004.
9. Buchheim, G.M., Andreani, J.L., “A Rigorous Assessment Procedure for Developing Inspection Plans for Refrigerated Ammonia Storage Tanks,” AIChE Ammonia Safety Symposium, Orlando, FL, 2003.
10. Andreani, J.L., “An Evaluation of Fatigue Damage and Fatigue Life Improvements of Repairs to a Rotating Paper Drying Machine,” ASME PVP Conference, Seattle, WA, 2000.
11. Andreani, J.L., Osage, D.A., Parikh, P.D., Horwege, J.A., “An Evaluation of Procedures for Determining the Fitness-for Service of Settled Aboveground Storage Tanks,” Proceedings of the ASME PVP Conference, Honolulu, HI, 1995.
12. Davis, R.C., Andreani, J.L., “Stress Analysis of a Double Bottom Retrofit of an Aboveground Storage Tank Including Effects of Soil/Structure Interaction,” Proceedings of the ASME PVP Conference, Honolulu, HI, 1995.
13. Andreani, J.L., “Non-Linear Finite Element Analyses of Edge-Settlement in Riveted Aboveground Storage Tanks,” Proceedings of the ASME PVP Conference, Honolulu, HI, 1995.

Conferences & Training Presentations:

1. “PANEL: Risk Based Philosophies for Management of Aboveground Storage Tanks,” presented by J.L. Andreani et. al. at the API Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit, 2024, San Antonio, TX.
2. “Structural Integrity Assessments and Risk-Based Inspection of Facility Structures,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the API Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit, 2022, San Antonio, TX.
3. “Assessing the Fitness and Suitability of Service of Midstream and Downstream Storage Tanks Course,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the API Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit, 2022, San Antonio, TX.
4. “Findings of Structural Assessments,” presented by J.L. Andreani, T. Calko, and D.E. Slovenec at the 4th Annual Fitness-for-Service, Mechanical Integrity, & Reliability Summit, 2022, Houston, TX.
5. “What’s New in the Pressure Vessel, Piping, and Tank Codes,” presented by J.L. Andreani, et al. at the 2nd Annual Fitness-for-Service, Mechanical Integrity, & Reliability Summit, 2020, Houston, TX.
6. “Changes in the Design Loads and Load Combinations Over the Years and Their Effect on Designs, Modifications, and FFS,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the 2nd Annual Fitness-for-Service, Mechanical Integrity, & Reliability Summit, 2020, Houston, TX.
7. “Benefits of Implementing a Structural Integrity/Risk Assessment Approach to Aging Infrastructure,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the 2nd Annual Fitness-for-Service, Mechanical Integrity, & Reliability Summit, 2020, Houston, TX.
8. “Storage Tanks: Design, Inspection and Assessment Course,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the API Inspection and Mechanical Integrity Summit, 2019, Galveston, TX.
9. “Storage Tank Foundation Case Studies,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the 20th Annual NISTM International Conference, 2018, Orlando, FL.
10. “Storage Tanks: Fabrication and Inspection Workshop,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the API 7th Biennial Inspection Summit Technology, 2017, Galveston, TX.
11. “Storage Tank Life Cycle Integrity Management,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the AFPM Reliability and Maintenance Conference, 2016, San Antonio, TX.
12. “Storage Tank Life Cycle Management,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the 2016 ILTA International Operating Conference & Trade Show, 2016, Houston, TX.
13. “Fitness-for-Service Assessment as Part of the Life-Cycle Management of Fixed Equipment and Piping,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the API AXIS 2016 Conference & Expo, 2016, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
14. “Case Studies of Fitness-for-Service Evaluation of Storage Tanks and Associated Piping and Pipelines,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the API 2015 Tank, Valves, and Piping Conference & Expo, 2015, Las Vegas, NV.
15. “Application of API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 Fitness-for-Service Methods to AST’s,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the NISTM 17th Annual International Conference, 2015, Orlando, FL.
16. “Fitness-for-Service Evaluation of Storage Tank Settlement,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the STI/API Tank Fundamentals Seminar at the 2014 API Tank, Valves, and Piping Conference & Expo, 2014, Las Vegas, NV.
17. “API 653 Storage Tank Overview and Updates,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the AFPM Reliability and Maintenance Conference, 2014, San Antonio, TX.
18. “Case Studies of AST Settlement Fitness-for-Service Assessments,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the NISTM 16th Annual International Conference, 2014, Orlando, FL.
19. “Fitness-for-Service Workshop,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the COTEQ 2013 Conference on Equipment Technology, 2013, Pernambuco, Brazil.
20. “Fitness-for-Service Workshop,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the COTEQ 2011 Conference on Equipment Technology, 2011, Pernambuco, Brazil.
21. “API-U Training Overview,” presented by J.L. Andreani at Bringing API -U Training to Malaysia, 2010, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
22. “Overview of API 580 Risk-Based Inspection,” presented by J.L. Andreani to DOSH, 2010, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
23. “Overview of API 581 Risk-Based Inspection Technology,” presented by J.L. Andreani to DOSH, 2010, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
24. “API RBI Tank Module and an Example or Two of a Tank RBI Assessment,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the NISTM 12th Annual International Conference, 2010, Orlando, FL.
25. “Background on Proposed Revisions to API 653 Appendix B Shell Settlement Evaluation Procedures,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the API Storage Tank Conference and Safe Tank Entry Workshop, 2005, Phoenix, AZ.
26. “Tank Fitness-for-Service Case Studies,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the API Storage Tank Management and Technology Conference, 2004.
27. “Fitness-For-Service Evaluations of AST’s,” presented by J.L. Andreani at the API Storage Tank Management and Technology Conference, 2000, Austin, TX.