ASME Pressure Vessel Codes

ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers), founded in 1880 is the leading international developer of codes and standards, hereafter referred to as standards, associated with the art, science, and practice of mechanical engineering. ASME is the globally recognized, trusted source of consensus standards since 1884.

The ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) is an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standard that regulates the design and construction of boilers and pressure vessels. The document is written and maintained by volunteers chosen for their technical expertise. The ASME works as an accreditation body and entitles independent third parties (such as verification, testing and certification agencies) to inspect and ensure compliance to the BPVC.

A standard is a set of technical definitions, instructions, rules, guidelines, or characteristics set forth to provide consistent and comparable results, including items manufactured uniformly, providing for interchangeability, tests and analyses conducted reliably, minimizing the uncertainty of the results; facilities designed and constructed for safe operation. Standards are documents that could help provide a reference baseline for making engineering decisions. They are written using engineering experience and generally accepted practices.

Standards are considered a “common language” that benefits manufacturers, designers, and consumers. Having standards helps minimize situations where we could be re-engineering the wheel.

Introduction of a.s.m.e. pressure vessel codes:

The ASME pressure vessels codes were created in response to public outrage after several fatal explosions (58 dead) in the state of Massachusetts, were a fire-tube boiler exploded at the Grover Shoe Factory in Brockton on March 20, 1905. A year later there was a similar blast were a boiler in the factory of the P.J. Harney Shoe Company exploded in Lynn.

Hence the state of Massachusetts enacted the first legal code based on ASME's rules for the construction of steam boilers in 1907. The first edition of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, known as the 1914 edition, was a single 114-page volume. It developed over time into the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel code, which today has over 92,000 copies in use, in over 100 countries around the world. As of March 2011, the document consisted of 16,000 pages in 28 volumes.

Main Events:

1880-The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is founded

1900-First revision of an ASME standard, Standard Method of Conducting Steam Boiler Tests

1919-National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors formed

1956-Committee established for ASME Pressure Vessel Code for Nuclear Age

1989-Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code published on CD-ROM

1997-High Pressure Vessel Code

2015-High density polyethylene plastic pipe incorporated into Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code

What’re the importance if these codes:

ASME pressure vessel codes set the standard for the design, manufacturing, inspection, installation and the maintenance of pressure vessels and boilers keeping up with emerging technology and evolving usage. ASME code doesn’t just indicate the accuracy, performance and efficiency of pressure vessels, it also ensures that during production of pressure vessels in industries, high level of caution and safety is followed to protect the workers from any kind of dangerous situation.

ASME codes were developed in 1900 and enlisted essential rules, regulations and guidelines that provide a direction to all the pressure vessel fabricators. According to these codes, all pressure vessels must be fabricated by following the enlisted regulations and guidelines to ensure accuracy, safety and protection in the usage and reading of the vessel. If a manufacturer fails to follow the ASME code, the pressure vessels will not be ASME certified and their use will be considered illegal. Pressure vessel fabricators are not only required to follow the guidelines of ASME, but they must also comply with regulations that pertain to the regular inspections of the pressure vessels as it can help in avoiding accidents because of an unidentified fault. It is the responsibility of manufactures to ensure that the pressure vessels aid in storing elements for better productivity, rather than lead to loss of property and life as a result of malfunction. By following ASME code, manufacturers can make sure that their pressure vessels meet the recommended standards and are safe for use in all types of settings.

Structure:

The section of the ASME BPVC consists of 4 parts.

• Part A - Ferrous Material Specifications. This Part is a supplementary book referenced by other sections of the Code

• Part B - Nonferrous Material Specifications

• Part C - Specifications for Welding Rods, Electrodes, and Filler Metals

• Part D - Properties (Customary/Metric)