In the world of process safety, pressure vessel safety plays a major role! Yet many facilities do not have engineers available to them and thus some will struggle with which code(s) apply and what must be done to maintain their pressure vessel(s) in tip top safety shape. This is my cheat sheet that I have used for years that helped me when others were talking BPVC lingo. It list each section of the American Society of mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code and provides a brief explanation of what is in each section of the code. In very general terms, most (but not all) pressure vessels used in a PSM/RMP covered process will be built to “ASME Section VIII” – to better understand what this means, see below…
Section I- Power Boilers
Has rules for construction of power, electric, and miniature boilers; high temperature water boilers for stationary service; and power boilers for locomotive, portable, and traction service.
Section II – Materials
Part A – Ferrous Material Specifications
Provides material specifications for ferrous materials adequate for safety for pressure equipment. Includes requirements for mechanical properties, test specimens, and methods of testing.
Part B – Nonferrous Material Specifications
Provides material specifications for nonferrous materials adequate for safety for pressure equipment, including requirements for mechanical properties, test specimens, & methods of testing.
Part C – Specifications for Welding Rods, Electrodes and Filler Metals
Has material specifications for manufacture, acceptability, testing requirements and procedures, operating characteristics, and intended uses for welding rods, electrodes and filler metals.
Part D – Properties (Customary)
A service Code for reference by boiler and pressure vessel construction Codes having tables of design stress, tensile and yield strength values, and tables and charts of material properties.
Part D – Properties (Metric)
A service Code for reference by boiler and pressure vessel construction Codes having tables of design stress, tensile and yield strength values, and tables and charts of material properties.
Section III – Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components
Subsection NCA – General Requirements for Division 1 and Division 2
Contains the glossary and rules pertaining to Duties and Responsibilities, design documentation, quality assurance, Authorized Nuclear Inspection and the use of Code symbol stamps.
Division 1 Subsection NB – Class 1 Components
Contains requirements for assuring the structural integrity of Class 1 items – materials, design, fabrication, examination, testing and overpressure protection.
Division 1 Subsection NC – Class 2 Components
Contains requirements for assuring the structural integrity of Class 2 items – material, design, fabrication, examination, testing and overpressure protection.
Division 1 Subsection ND – Class 3 Components
Contains requirements for assuring the structural integrity of Class 3 items – material, design, fabrication, examination, testing and overpressure protection.
Division 1 Subsection NE – Class MC Components
Contains requirements for assuring the structural integrity of Class MC items – material, design, fabrication, examination, testing and overpressure protection.
Division 1 Subsection NF – Supports
Contains requirements for material, design, fabrication, and examination of metal supports designed to transmit loads from the components or piping to the building structure.
Division 1 Subsection NG – Core Support Structures
Contains requirements for material, design, fabrication, and examination for structures that directly support or restrain the core within the reactor pressure vessel.
Division 1 Subsection NH – Class 1 Components in Elevated Temperature Service
Contains requirements for material, design, fabrication, examination, testing and overpressure protection of Class 1 items when temperatures exceed those covered by Subsection NB.
Division 1 – Appendices
Contains appendices, both mandatory and nonmandatory for Section III, Divisions 1 and 2, including a listing of design and design analysis methods, information, and Data Report Forms.
Division 2 – Code for Concrete Reactor Vessels and Containments
Contains requirements for material, design, construction, fabrication, testing, examination, and overpressure protection of concrete vessels and concrete containment structures.
Division 3 – Containment Systems and Transport Packaging for Spent Nuclear Fuel and High Level Radioactive Waste
Requirements for the design and construction of the containment system of a nuclear spent fuel or high level radioactive waste transport packaging.
Division 5 – High Temperature Reactors
Construction rules for high-temperature reactors, including both gas-cooled reactors and liquid-metal reactors.
Section IV – Heating Boilers
Provides rules for design, fabrication, installation and inspection of steam generating boilers, and low pressure hot water boilers that are directly fired by oil, gas, electricity, or coal.
Section V – Nondestructive Examination
Contains radiographic, ultrasonic and liquid penetrant methods required by other Code Sections, which detect discontinuities in materials, welds, and fabricated parts and components.
Section VI – Recommended Rules for the Care and Operation of Heating Boilers
Has guidelines applicable to steel and cast iron boilers within the operating range for Section IV Heating Boilers, including associated controls and automatic fuel burning equipment.
Section VII – Recommended Guidelines for the Care of Power Boilers
Has guidelines applicable to stationary, portable, and traction type boilers within the operating range for Section I Power Boilers, to assist operators in maintaining plant safety.
Section VIII – Pressure Vessels
Division 1
Provides requirements for design, fabrication, inspection, testing, and certification of fired or unfired pressure vessels operating at pressures exceeding 15 psig.
Division 2 – Alternative Rules
Has requirements for construction and certification of pressure vessels operating at pressures over 15 psig using design by analysis methods, and design stresses higher than Division 1.
Division 3 – Alternative Rules for the Construction of High Pressure Vessels
Provides requirements applicable to the design, fabrication, inspection, testing, and certification of pressure vessels operating at either internal or external pressures above 10,000 psi.
Section IX – Welding and Brazing Qualifications
Has rules for qualification of welding and brazing procedures and welders, brazers, and welding and brazing operators for component manufacture. Data cover variables for the process used.
Section X – Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Pressure Vessels
Has requirements for construction of an FRP pressure vessel including production, processing, fabrication, inspection and testing methods required for two Classes of vessel design.
Section XI – Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components
Provides rules for the examination, inservice testing and inspection, and repair and replacement of components and systems in light water and liquid metal cooled nuclear power plants.
Section XII – Rules for Construction and Continued Service of Transport Tanks
Covers construction and continued service of pressure vessels for transportation of dangerous goods by highway, rail, air or water at pressures up to 3,000 psig and volumes over 120 gallons.