Every quarter, CEI and PRG representatives attend code conferences to help our customers navigate ASME boiler and pressure vessel code changes. In Q3 of 2022, our representatives attended several ASME Code Committee meetings and came away with important insight about the future possible changes for 2023.

In this blog, we'll relay the changes that were discussed to prepare our customers for the impact the updates will have on the design and welding fabrication of pressure vessels and boilers.

Meeting Insights

At the beginning of August 2022, our representatives attended several ASME Code Committee meetings, including:

• Section IX Committee Meetings:
  • Subgroup on General Requirements
  • BPV Committee on Welding, Brazing, & Fusing
• Section VIII Committee Meetings:
  • Subgroup on Design (of which our lead engineer, Michael Clark is a member)
  • Task Group on Fired Heater Pressure Vessels
  • Subgroup on Heat Transfer Equipment (of which Michael Clark is the Vice Chair and our other lead engineer, Tiradej Bunyarattaphantu is a member)
  • BPV Committee on Pressure Vessels

From these meetings, our lead engineers at CEI gathered the following information that reflects the possible ASME Section VIII changes for next year.

• The ASME Reshape Project is working on having a partial implementation of moving the design rules to Division 2 only with changes to UHX and Appendix 26 for the 2023 Code edition. Additional changes will be made to the 2025 Code edition.
• The National Board published a new edition of BULLETIN, where they address Appendix 47 and the Jurisdictional Registration System (JRS). To access the full publication, click the image below.
  
• The Task Group on Fired Heater Pressure Vessels plans to release a Code Case in 2023 that gives specific guidance and rules for designing a heater treater.
• The Section IX Subgroup on General Requirements is currently working on defining the rules for the use of procedure and performance qualifications by joint ventures.
• The following Subgroup on Heat Transfer Equipment updates are currently in progress:
  • New rules are in development around the use of Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to design the flexible shell expansion joints.
  • Record items are also being developed that will provide rules about designing a cone channel in a heat exchanger.
  • The tube-to-tubesheet rules are now mandatory and are listed under the UW-20 section. Previously, they were listed under Appendix A.
• The Working Group on Design by Analysis that reports to the Subgroup on Design has passed a completely rewritten Part 5.4 – Protection Against Failure from Buckling in Division 2 Part 5.

Important Upcoming Events

As a company that's focused on providing you with the most accurate results and information, never miss out on our industry's upcoming events. Check out CEI’s calendar of events for future activities, or learn more about past code updates by reading previous blog posts that contain helpful insight. 

Here's a quick glance of upcoming ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code events and important updates:

2022

• The 2022 Editions, PCC-1, 2 and 3 will be released before the end of the year.
• Q4 2022 ASME BPV Code week will be held during the week of November 5-12th at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburg Downtown in Pittsburg, PA.

2023

• ASME PVP 2023 Abstracts are due Nov 7, 2022. The 2023 PVP conference will be hosted at the Westin Peachtree in Atlanta, GA.
• FCTM Exhibition in Paris-France will take place in the month of September 2023. Abstracts are due October 21, 2022. For more information, click here.

From the Experts You Can Trust

The information relayed in this blog comes from our lead engineers here at CEI, Michael Clark and Tiradej Bunyarattaphantu. 

Michael has attended code committee meetings since 2004 and was quickly invited to join the then Special Working Group on Heat Transfer Equipment when he offered to do some derivations for an expansion to the rules. Since then, the Special Working Group has become an official permanent Sub Group to BPV VIII.

Michael was named secretary of the group in 2017 and was recently selected as the Vice Chair. Michael has authored a number of code rules, including the simply supported Tubesheet method for UHX and 4.18, the Elastic-Plastic method for Floating Tubesheets, the option to add hemispherical channels and the kettle shell method. Outside of the SGHTE, Michael has volunteered in peer review for both PTB-3 and PTB-4 and is involved in items for Subgroup Design for BPV VIII, of which he is also a member.

Tiradej has attended code committee meetings since 2015 and sits on the Sub Group on Heat Transfer Equipment. He has authored a few code rules, including the combining of 4.18.10 and Annex 4-C into one section of Division 2 that will appear in the 2021 code release.