July 2006 ISSUE

Keep Current on Pressure Equipment

BY DENIS WIART, P.ENG.

Engineers often have responsibilities during original design of boilers and pressure systems through fabrication, installation, testing, maintenance, and ongoing operation and monitoring. Many plants place professional engineers in charge of these systems due to the inherent risk to the public.

That means engineers should understand the acts, regulations, and codes that govern this equipment so that they are able to respond appropriately within APEGGA’s Code of Ethics.

Recently, the Alberta Government has reissued several regulations regarding pressure equipment. Major changes include the amalgamation of several regulations into two new regulations, entitled Pressure Equipment Safety Regulation and Pressure Equipment Exemption Order.

View or download the new regulations by visiting www.qp.gov.ab.ca/index.cfm.

Another excellent source for pressure equipment news is from the Pressure Equipment Authority in Alberta website, www.absa.ca. The website links to relevant acts and regulations, and provides useful information on training seminars, safety alerts and the pressure equipment safety system in Alberta, including governing codes.

As interpreting regulations can often be difficult, a new PESR User Guide has also recently been published on the authority’s website to provide a more descriptive explanation of the regulations. This document will be regularly updated on the site and is a good source for answers to many pressure equipment questions.

Alberta has had an excellent pressure equipment safety record over the last several years and often leads our country in this area. As our economy continues to grow rapidly, extra attention will be needed by everyone involved in pressure equipment safety to ensure newcomers are aware of provincial requirements.

Alert
Three serious accidents in the last year involved valves or other devices on pressure equipment. The safety valve or device on a pressure vessel is required to ensure the vessel does not catastrophically fail due to overpressure.

In the three accidents, the safety valve was isolated from the vessel via a closed valve or blind in the piping. This resulted in the vessel being over-pressurized.

Extreme caution must be exercised by all designers and users of this equipment to ensure that the safety devices are never isolated during operation of the vessel.

Mr. Wiart is a member of APEGGA’s Practice Standards Committee and represents the committee on the Alberta Safety Codes Council’s Boilers and Pressure Vessels Technical Council.