There may come a day when one of our pressure relief valves will need some type of work done on it and when that day comes we need to ensure the contractor/shop doing the work holds an “VR Stamp” from The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors. The “VR” stands for “valve repair” and anyone who makes repairs to pressure relief valves MUST have a current “VR Stamp”.
The National Board offers the Certificate of Authorization and VR Stamp for the repair of pressure relief valves. Requirements are described in NB-514, Accreditation of VR Repair Organizations. Organizations seeking a National Board VR Certificate of Authorization must complete NB-550, Application for National Board VR Certificate of Authorization to Repair Pressure Relief Valves, NB-552, Control Sheet, NB-564, Terms and Conditions and:
- have a written quality system that complies with the requirements of the current edition of the National Board Inspection Code (NBIC) and includes the expected scope of activities,
- have the current edition of all parts of the NBIC. Organizations have the option of using either a printed version or an electronic version, including a subscription from a National Board licensed reseller, to fulfill this requirement; and,
- have available a copy of the code of construction appropriate for the intended scope of work.
Prior to issuance of a National Board VR Certificate of Authorization, the organization and its facilities are subject to a review of its quality system. An important part of that review will be the witnessing of the repair of several sample pressure relief valves. An independent test for operation and capacity of these sample pressure relief valves will be conducted at a National Board-accepted laboratory. The test is to verify the repaired valves meet applicable ASME Code requirements for performance and relieving capacity.
- The National Board Testing Laboratory is available to perform this testing, along with several other major valve manufacturers which operate National Board-accepted testing laboratories.
- A National Board representative will witness the valve testing.
CLICK HERE for the NBIC