Equipment reliability is especially important if leaks can be caused by

Equipment reliability is paramount when dealing with potential primary failures of the pressure boundary. A leak caused by severe corrosion represents a fundamental failure of the equipment's primary containment function, which is the central focus of RBI and mechanical integrity programs. Such failures can lead to significant consequences. Therefore, reliability programs are especially critical to predict, prevent, and mitigate degradation mechanisms like corrosion that directly compromise the pressure-retaining envelope of the equipment, ensuring it performs its intended function safely over its lifecycle.

A. Loss of utilities is a secondary failure; while it can cause upsets, the equipment's reliability is about withstanding such events, not the utility failure itself.
C. A valve gland packing leak is a minor, non-pressure boundary failure, typically managed by routine maintenance rather than a comprehensive equipment reliability program.

1. API Recommended practice 580, Risk-Based Inspection, 3rd Edition, February 2016, Section 6.5.1, Paragraph 1: "The objective of the POF analysis is to determine the likelihood that a piece of equipment will fail due to one or more specific damage mechanisms." (Corrosion is a primary damage mechanism).

2. API Recommended practice 580, Risk-Based Inspection, 3rd Edition, February 2016, Section 1.1, Paragraph 2: "The intent is for RBI to be used as a key element of a mechanical integrity program."