Session: CS-07-01 Recent Developments in ASME Codes and Standards-1

Paper Number: 123448

123448 - Safety Equivalency Evaluation of 1992 and 2023 Editions of the Asme Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code 

Federal safety standards for liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities used in the transportation of gas by pipeline are provided in Title 49, Part 193, of the Code of Federal Regulations. This regulation incorporates rules for production, storage, and handling of LNG specified in National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard 59A 2001 and rules for boilers and pressure vessels specified in the 1992 edition of Section I, Section VIII Division 1, and Section VIII Division 2 of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC). Rules in NFPA 59A 2001 further state that boilers and pressure vessels must be “code stamped.” Although compliance with these rules by LNG facility owners may be feasible, it is not practical because new boilers and pressure vessels can only be code stamped to the current edition of the ASME BPVC. An equivalency clause in NFPA 59A 2001 states that systems, methods, or devices of equivalent or superior safety can be used over those prescribed by this standard. This clause provides a path for LNG facility owners to use current ASME BPVC rules provided these rules are equivalent or safer than those in the 1992 edition of the ASME BPVC. This paper, which summarizes safety equivalency evaluation results, focuses on a comparison of rules that govern materials, design, fabrication, inspection, pressure testing, and overpressure protection in the 1992 and 2023 editions of Section I, Section VIII Division 1, and Section VIII Division 2 of the ASME BPVC. The safety baseline for comparison is the 1992 edition of the ASME BPVC.

Presenting Author: Mark Lower Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Presenting Author Biography: Mark Lower, Ph.D., P.E., is a program manager at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. He has worked in operations and energy-related R&D for over 30 years including areas of neutron sciences, battery manufacturing, additive manufacturing. He has performed several accident investigations for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and authored several technical papers on pressure safety. Mark is currently the Vice-Chair of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Standards Committee, and past-Chair of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Pressure Safety Committee. He earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee. He holds several certifications from American Welding Association, the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors, and a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Authors:

Mark Lower Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Charles Oland XCEL Engineering