Boiler and Pressure Vessels Safety
Guidelines for the design registration and manufacturing requirements for boilers,
pressure vessels, pressure piping and related components made outside of Manitoba
jurisdiction, or outside Canada, or outside United States
The ASME code and the CSA – B51 standard are two important safety codes and
standards used for the design and manufacturing quality evaluations of boilers and
pressure vessels, and their related components. They are intended to set a minimum
standard of safety requirements as expressed in Manitoba Act and Regulations respecting
safety of Boilers, pressure vessel, and pressure piping. The Act and regulations require
compliance with both of these codes. Variances in special cases may be allowed for
items which are verified to be safe following a panel review and research by the Branch
as follows.
It is required that the manufacturers located outside of Manitoba, Canada or the United
States who do not have ASME certifications, but intend to manufacture, build, and sell
boilers and pressure vessels to clients in Manitoba jurisdiction must provide three items
(written in English language, including the drawings, and the code calculations etc) to the
satisfaction of the provincial authority having jurisdiction:
1) A complete proof of the equivalency of the code that they have used in lieu of the
ASME code for the design phase of the component or unit, and
2) Proof that the company’s current quality assurance program is equivalent to the
recognized quality assurance program outlined in the ASME code (Mandatory Appendix
10, Quality Control System, Section VIII, v. 1) or equivalent to the popular ISO 9000
international quality system standard; and
3) Proof that the manufacturing facility has been inspected by an Authorized Inspector of
a third party organization, agency or consulting or insurance company who is accredited
by ASME.
(A) Proving the equivalency with the ASME code
It is incumbent upon the qualified design engineer (a registered P.Eng.) to provide a proof
of the equivalency of the code (s) that their client have used compared to the ASME code
with respect to the following points as a minimum:
1. Materials of construction used: (ASTM vs. non-ASTM; ASME Section II-A)
2. Design calculation control: meaning (per ASME Section VIII), whether:
(a) calculations that have been performed and provided for all applicable loadings
including any lugs, nozzles, and so forth;
(b) the design engineer (a P.Eng.) has signed off the calculations with any
revisions etc, and given respective dates;
(c) where applicable, requirements of the impact testing has been indicated with
MDMT markings clarified and exemption criteria statement and declaration
made;
(d) code edition equivalency has been verified and checked out;
(e) strength and material thickness calculations have been carried out per
formulae allowing minimum required thicknesses of shell and head materials,
including for all joints, reinforcements, nozzles, pipes, fittings, manholes etc
that are similar to ASME established rules and guidelines;
(f) the calculations for maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP) consider
all factors required in ASME codes;
(g) a factor of safety notations have been made;
(h) load calculations with respect to external, internal, winds, and seismic factors
are adequate;
(i) corrosion allowances have been made correctly and taken into consideration;
3. Weld joints details including weld map with weld sizes and the welder’s qualification
criteria – whether these have been noted being identical or similar in requirements to
those of the ASME, Section IX;
4. Extent of the NDT evaluation and requirements;
5. Heat treatment details – holding time and temperature details, if any required;
6. Hydrostatic or pneumatic testing pressure – whether limits and holding test methods
are similar to ASME code;
7. Flange ratings;
8. Identification of any Code Cases or Mandatory Appendixes – if intended to be applied
(or applicable) to the design in question;
9. Report of any physical or non-destructive tests (per ASME Section V) conducted for
the purpose of establishing the design criteria, working pressure or the design
thicknesses, or weld quality or any part thereof; and
10. Reinforcement calculations where required by the ASME have been carried out in the
similar manner and details provided in the calculations data.
(B) Proving the equivalency of the quality program
The following requirements must be fulfilled prior to shipment of the pressure equipment
or machinery into the Province of Manitoba
1. In general, the boilers or pressure vessels manufactured outside Canada or the
United States are required to have their quality program accredited by ASME or
province of Manitoba.
2. Inspections during the fabrication must be performed by Manitoba Labour
department Authorized Inspectors or by a third party inspection allowed by
inspectors of an third party ASME accredited organizations.
3. The manufacturers shall have a quality program accredited by ASME or Manitoba
department of Labour or by a third party auditor qualified to the registrations of
the international standards, ISO 9000. The provisions of the ASME code for
quality program or those identical of the ISO 9000 quality system will be used as
the basis of evaluation and acceptance.
4. The manufacturers of the boilers and pressure vessels destined for Manitoba may
not commence the work until their quality program has been approved by the
department of Labour and a CRN number has been issued to that product.
5. The authorized inspector will conduct inspections of the manufacturing facility as
required by the ASME code and will countersign the Manufacturer’s data report.
As mentioned before, third party inspections will be allowed by inspectors of the
third party accredited organizations.
6. The actual inspection of the facility may include but is not limited to any or al of
the followings:
(i) Initial material inspection,
(ii) Review of the welding procedure and welders qualifications,
(iii)Examination of radiographs and other non-destructive examination
records,
(iv) Witnessing hydrostatic tests,
(v) Final inspection,
(vi) Adherence to approved quality program check lists as per the company’s
quality program manual
(C) Fees are charged for design reviews and inspections as per the schedules of fees
prescribed in the Manitoba Regulations, MR-108/87R.