ASME BOILER AND PRESSURE VESSEL CODE (BPVC): LARGEST ASME STANDARD

The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) is the largest ASME standard, running to 14 volumes.

Pressure vessels are found everywhere and have a variety of applications in both industry and the private sector. Uses include industrial compressed air receivers, domestic hot water storage tanks, diving cylinders, recompression chambers, distillation towers, autoclaves and many other vessels in mining, oil refineries and petrochemical plants. Other applications are road and rail vehicle airbrake reservoirs, pneumatic reservoirs, and storage vessels for liquefied gases such as ammonia, chlorine, propane, butane and LPG.

Their usefulness is surpassed only by the hazardous consequences if they are not properly constructed and maintained. Indeed, it was the fatal consequences of a boiler explosion at the R. B. Grover shoe factory in Brockton, Massachusetts on March 20, 1905, that led to stringent safety laws and eventually, in 1914, the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) governing the safe operation of steam boilers.

The BVPC is the largest ASME standard, both in size and in the number of volunteers involved in its preparation. It is an international standard that provides rules for the design, fabrication, and inspection of boilers and pressure vessels. Consisting of fourteen volumes, the BPVC is reviewed every three years.

This ASME code and standard provides engineering professionals with critical information covering design, materials, fabrication, and testing of structures, systems, and components. It establishes rules of safety governing the design, fabrication, maintenance and inspection of boilers and pressure vessels, power producing machines (and associated subsystems), and nuclear power plant components.

The BPVC is divided into the following 14 sections:

• Section I – Power Boilers
• Section II – Material Specifications
• Section IID – Material Specifications Part D
• Section IIDM – Material Specifications Part D, metric
• Section III – Rules for Construction of Nuclear Power Plant Components
• Section IV – Heating Boilers
• Section V – Non-destructive Examination
• Section VI – Recommended Rules for Care and Operation of Heating Boilers
• Section VII – Recommended Guidelines for Care of Power Boilers
• Section VIII – Pressure Vessels
• Section IX – Welding and Brazing Qualifications
• Section X – Fiberglass, Reinforced Plastic Pressure Vessels
• Section XI – Rules for In-Service Inspection of Nuclear Facility Components
• Section XII – Rules for Construction and Continued Service of Transport Trucks

ASME regularly updates the Code to reflect advancements in design, materials, construction methods and applications, and issues a new edition every three years. The current Code is the 2007 version. It includes a completely revised and updated section covering the construction of pressure vessels, including rules, requirements, specifications and other information relating to material toughness, stress and fatigue in components, multiple loading and other conditions in pressure systems.

The BPVC is kept current by the Boiler and Pressure Committee, a volunteer group of more than 950 engineers. The Committee meets regularly to consider requests for interpretations, revision, and to develop new rules.  Addenda are published annually and are sent automatically to purchasers of the applicable sections up to the publication of the 2010 Code.

Purchase and subscription options include individual sections, collections of various sections, and the complete ASME BPVC with or without the referenced ASME standards. In addition, ASME Code Cases are available. These are provisions which have been adopted by the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Committee that cover all sections of the Code other than Section III, Divisions 1, 2 and 3 and Section XI to provide, when the need is urgent, rules for materials or constructions not covered by existing Code rules.

THE 20TH CENTURY: IS IT ALREADY HISTORY?

The history resources section of the ASME website contains a wealth of fascinating information. Subjects include patents held by women inventors, mechanical engineering museums, and quotes by and about engineers. Another topic is 20th century mechanical engineering achievements. From agricultural mechanization to xerography, it briefly outlines key inventions or developments, including the following snippets:

• Power Generation … the growth in size, efficiency, safety, and reliability of power generating machinery is rarely appreciated by the public. Indeed, an uninterrupted supply of electricity is now considered as the norm, and the interruptions that do occur are rarely the fault of machinery at the generating stations.

• Bioengineering … in no other field has engineering and technology become so intimately wedded to life itself. The heart-lung machine made heart surgery, and ultimately transplants, possible, while artificial hearts keep patients alive until suitable donors can be found. Numerous other machines include the high-speed dental drill, the infant incubator, and nuclear magnetic resonator.

• Codes and Standards … safety is the paramount consideration for all engineers. Unknown and unappreciated by the public, codes and standards have proven to be an unsurpassed agent for public safety and welfare.  

For more information on all mechanical engineering achievements please visit:
http://www.asme.org/Communities/History/Resources/20th_Century_Achievements.cfm

ASME CODES AND STANDARDS –IMPACTING INDUSTRY

Crude Oil Processing and Treatment Plant

ASME Codes and Standards used by NATCO UK are the B31.3 Process Piping and B16.5 Pipe Flanges and Flange Fittings. “We use these codes for establishing our piping specifications (including wall thickness and branch calculations), within the Oil & Gas Industry. We also use non-metallic pipe work for the water treatment industry (GRE pipe work). The code has allowed us to establish and confirm with our clients optimum wall thicknesses for pipes of different materials. We constantly refer to the Code on access and safety issues. See the image for a reference project produced (using latest 3D technology)”, Philip Caplin, Design Office Manager

CONTRIBUTE!
This section of the ASME EMEA eUpdate is open for your comments, news and issues on the use and implementation of the ASME Codes and Standards in the EMEA region. Write a short one to two paragraphs of a maximum of 200 words answering the question: "How have you been implementing the ASME Codes and Standards, and which ones? How has it made a difference?"

This could be an excellent opportunity for you or your company / organisation to share your experience / success stories with over 27.000 mechanical engineering professionals in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Please also enclose your photo, company logo or a company photo (jpg format, high resolution if possible). Send it to fortesc@asme.org

CONTINUING EDUCATION

If you need specific training on ASME codes and Standards then don’t miss the new ASME Training opportunities in Stockholm. Book now to benefit from the early bird fees and gain the knowledge you need on:

• ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code - Section VIII, Division 2: Pressure Vessels
• B31.1 Power Piping Design
• B31.1 Power Piping Materials, Fabrication and Examination

To register visit: http://www.asme.org/Education/Europe/

Testimonials from previous Trainings:
"Great course in terms of content; it will help me dealing with my contractors and suppliers"
(Mohammad El Oraby, BP Egypt, attended a course on Section VIII Division 1 in Amsterdam, March 2009)

"The best thing about this course was the professional experience of the instructor"
(Manuel J M Martinez, Felguera Calderería Pesada, Spain, attended a course on Section III in Barcelona, Nov 2008)

In Partnership with ALITUR (Associazione dei Laureati in Ingegneria di Tor Vergata, Università di Roma); BSMEE (Belgian Society of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering); Coordinamento Mecanica; DMS (Danish Society of Mechanical Engineers); FABI (La Maison de l'Ingénieur); SNE (Spanish Nuclear Society).

 

All details and information related to these courses will shortly be available at www.asme.org/education/europe. In the meantime, we are already pleased to share with you - in exclusivity - the dates, locations and course titles that will be offered by ASME Europe in 2009-2010.

Copenhagen, Denmark, 14-18 September 2009
Hotel: Copenhagen Island, Kalvebod Brygge 53, 1560 Copenhagen V, www.copenhagenisland.dk
Venue: Ingeniørforeningen IDA, Kalvebod Brygge 31-33, 1780 Copenhagen V, www.ida.dk

Courses

• PD014 B31.3 Process Piping Design
• PD184 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section III, Division 1: Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components
• PD389 Non-Destructive Examination - Applying ASME Code Requirements (Section V)
• PD401 The Layout of Piping Systems and Process Equipment
• PD441 Inspection, Repairs and Alterations of Pressure Vessels
• PD442 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section VIII, Division 1: Design & Fabrication of Pressure Vessels
• PD443 Course Combo:
  Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section VIII, Division 1: Design & Fabrication of Pressure Vessels + Inspection, Repairs and Alterations of Pressure Vessels
• PD570 Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing Fundamentals

Barcelona, Spain, 07-11 December 2009
Hotel: Casanova by Rafael Hotels, Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes 559, 08011 Barcelona, www.casanovabcnhotel.com
Venue: Hotel Casanova by Rafael  

Courses

• PD190 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section IX: Welding & Brazing Qualifications
• PD192 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section XI: In-service Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components
• PD616 API 579: Recommended Practice for Fitness-For-Service and Continued Operation of Equipment
• PD448 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section VIII, Division 2: Pressure Vessels
• PD615 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section III, Division 1: Class 1, 2 & 3 Piping Design

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 01-05 March 2010
Hotel: NH Amsterdam Centre, Stadhouderskade 7, 1054 ES Amsterdam, www.nh-hotels.com 
Venue: Hotel NH Amsterdam Centre

Courses

• PD013 B31.1 Power Piping Design and Fabrication
• PD115 The Gas Turbine: Principles and Applications
• PD184 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section III, Division 1: - Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components
• PD190 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section IX: Welding & Brazing Qualifications
• PD441 Inspection, Repairs and Alterations of Pressure Vessels
• PD442 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section VIII, Division 1: Design & Fabrication of Pressure Vessels
• PD443 Course Combo:
  Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section VIII, Division 1: Design & Fabrication of Pressure Vessels + Inspection, Repairs and Alterations of Pressure Vessels
• PD570 Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing Fundamentals

Turin, Italy, 21-25 June 2010
Hotel: Mercure Torino Royal, Corso Regina Margherita 249, 10144 Turin, www.hotelroyaltorino.it
Venue: Hotel Mercure Torino Royal

Courses

• PD014 B31.3 Process Piping Design
• PD192 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section XI: In-service Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components
• PD389 Non-Destructive Examination - Applying ASME Code Requirements (Section V)
• PD616 API 579: Recommended Practice for Fitness-For-Service and Continued Operation of Equipment
• PD410 Detail Engineering of Piping Systems
• PD448 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section VIII, Division 2 : Pressure Vessels
• PD615 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code: Section III, Division 1: Class 1, 2 & 3 Piping Design

 

Upcoming Courses
Don’t miss the upcoming educational opportunities in Europe to gain the necessary know-how and expertise to advance in your career!

Other Educational Activities
ASME organises a variety of educational activities worldwide. Check the upcoming dates and locations and further your knowledge and ensure the next steps in your professional future.

For the Online Educational opportunities please click here

CONFERENCE AND EVENTS

ASME EMEA Events Calendar
See all the events in EMEA and select the event you want to attend.

ASME EMEA Events

The International Conference on Nuclear Engineering (ICONE) is the premier global conference for addressing the needs of the nuclear industry. The conference will take place July 12-16, 2009 and will be held at the Sheraton Brussels Hotel.
Topics are divided into 15 tracks:

• Plant Operations, Maintenance, Engineering, Modifications and Life Cycle
• Component Reliability and Materials Issues
• Structural Integrity
• Advanced Applications of Nuclear Technology
• Next Generation Systems
• Safety and Security
• Codes, Standards, Licensing and Regulatory Issues
• Fuel Cycle and High & Low Level Waste Management and Decommissioning
• Balance of Plant for Nuclear Applications
• Thermal Hydraulics
• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), Neutronics Methods and Coupled Codes
• Current Advanced Reactors – Plant Designs, Construction, Workforce and Public Acceptance
• Instrumentation & Controls (I&C)
• Student Paper Competition
• Nuclear Industry Forum - Panel Sessions on Current Topics

There are also two workshops taking place at the event:

• Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Seminar: targeted at young researchers and engineers and discusses the basis and results for selection of several CFD applications for certain flow problems.
• Engineering Reliability and Life Cycle Management (ER & LCM) Seminar: discusses the basic principles of engineering risk and reliability analysis of engineering systems, and the principles and requirements of equipment failure and life cycle management database development and applications.

For more information and to register: http://www.asmeconferences.org/icone17/

 

This major event on the ASME calendar provides participants with opportunities to further their knowledge base by being exposed to, and exchange opinions and ideas on, different topics related to Pressure Vessel and Piping technologies for the power and process Industries.

The conference’s Technical Programme contains over 600 technical papers organised into more than 150 technical and panel discussion sessions, tutorials, and the Student Paper Symposium and Competition. The NDE and Software Demonstration forums are organised as part of the technical programme. Technical papers presented at the conference will be published in the form of a CD ROM. 

Topics covered in the main programme include Codes & Standards; Computer Technology and Bolted Joints; Design & Analysis; Fluid-Structure Interaction; High Pressure Technology; Materials & Fabrication; Operations, Applications & Components; Seismic Engineering; Non Destructive Examination; and Nanotechnology.

Tutorials and Workshops at the conference offer both the experienced and early career engineers excellent opportunities to refresh their knowledge and to venture into specific technical areas outside their expertise. 

For more information and to register: http://www.asmeconferences.org/pvp09/

DISTRICT AND COMMUNITY NEWS

The Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) in Winterthur, in cooperation with ASME Europe, is going to host the one-day Blade Mechanics Seminar on 2 September, 2009. The Seminar will be a discussion forum for engineers interested in current technical issues of blade mechanics.

The Blade Mechanics Seminar aims at offering a platform for know-how and experience exchange among engineers from various turbomachinery companies. It will also answer the participants’ needs coming from their daily work on axial and radial bladed discs. All presentations will be given in common engineering terms by using comprehensible mathematics.

For more information and to register please visit: www.imes.zhaw.ch

 

The District H Board will meet on 26-27 June, 2009, in Nice, France. The current District H Leader Flavio Franco will step down and Bernard Gindroz will take on the District H leadership.

Don’t miss an exclusive interview with Bernard Gindroz, incoming District H Leader, on the July issue of the ASME eUpdate.

ASME PUBLICATIONS

Book of the month

Companion Guide to the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code, Third Edition-Volume 3
Available since May 2009

This third edition of the Companion Guide of ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel and Piping Codes has been updated to the current (2007) Code Edition. Since the first edition, a total of 140 authors have contributed to this publication, and in this edition there are 107 contributors of which 51 are new authors.  Several of the new contributors are from countries around the world that use ASME B&PV Codes, with knowledge of ASME Codes, in addition to expertise of their own countries’ B&PV Codes.  All of these authors who contributed to this third edition considerably updated, revised or added to the content matter covered in the second edition to address the current and futuristic trend as well as dramatic changes in the industry.

A unique feature of this publication is the inclusion of all author biographies and an introduction that synthesizes every chapter, along with an alphabetical listing of indexed terms.

Buy Online: http://catalog.asme.org/books/PrintBook/Companion_Guide_Boiler_4.cfm

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