Summary of Alberta Pressure Piping Regulatory and Engineering Requirements
A technical summary on pressure piping Engineering and Regulatory requirements in Alberta, Canada: This is a short professional summary intended for Inspectors and Engineers involved with Pressure Piping related work in Alberta, Canada.
In this summary I try to highlight major regulatory requirements enforced by Safety Codes Act and also ABSA in addition to Engineering requirements as defined in piping codes. For complete and detailed information on Safety Codes Act and ABSA’s regulations, the original publications shall be viewed.
Regulatory Requirements
1. Safety Codes Act
2. Pressure Equipment Safety Regulation (PESR)
3. Pressure Welders Regulation
4. Pressure Equipment Exemption Order
5. Requirements of Canada’s CSA B51
6. ABSA Regulatory ‘AB-xxx’ Forms and Directives (AB-518, AB-83,etc)
7. ASME Codes and Standards (ASME B31 Series, ASME Section IX)
1. Safety Codes Act
Establishes legal requirements for disciplines that can affect public safety
Application
- · Buildings
- · Electrical systems
- · Elevating devices
- · Gas systems
- · Plumbing and private sewage disposal systems, and Pressure equipment
Scope
- · Responsibilities,
- · Issuance and suspension of permits;
- · Maintenance of a QMS
- · Orders, appeals and penalties
2. PESR (Alberta Regulation 49/2006)
·
Enacted under SCO and it is law
in Alberta
·
PESR and CSA-B51 prevail over
codes in case of conflict
Key Requirements for Pressure Piping:
·
Build in accordance with ASME
B31 Codes (Sec. 6)
·
Certificate of Authorization
Permit is required (Sec. 11)
·
Design must be registered with
ABSA (Sec. 14)
·
Welding procedures must be
registered with ABSA (Sec. 18)
·
Piping system must be hydro
tested (Sec. 30)
·
Piping systems must be
certified by Owner’s Inspector (Sec. 31)
Important Definitions:
·
Pressure Piping: Contains expansible fluid under pressure
·
Expansible Fluid: Either
Gas/Vapor or Liquid that changes to Gas when pressure ↓or temp ↑.
Note: If fluid is not expansible at maximum design
temperature, system is not pressure piping
Owner’s Responsibilities based on PESR:
·
Section 31:Certify pressure
piping data report (AB-83) and retain for at least 5 years
·
Section 35: Report any unsafe condition, accident or fire to
ABSA
·
Section 37: Ensure that the
pressure equipment meets the require Regulation and are maintained in good
working order , an integrity management system is in place , safe operating
limits are established and operators are competent.
·
Section 38, 39: Ensure over
pressure protection is in place and maintained
·
Section 40: Ensure repairs and
alterations comply with regulations
·
Section 41/42: Ensure Pressure
Equipment is safe for continued service and records are maintained
PESR Exemptions
·
Gas piping that is used
exclusively for combustion. If it’s process gas, it is not exempt.
·
Piping systems for
non-flammable medical gases (e.g., air, oxygen, nitrogen).
·
Refrigerating cycle piping < 10.5 Kilowatts.
Partial exemption if:
·
Pipe size does not exceed 2”
·
MAWP less than 150 psi
·
-29 C° < Design Temp. < 186 C°
·
contains air, nitrogen, argon,
carbon dioxide, steam or hot water, and
·
that is constructed to the
applicable ASME Code
Registration of Design:
·
No person shall Construct,
manufacture or import pressure piping for use in Alberta unless the design is
registered.
·
Piping system less than 500
liters and fittings with CRN# are exempt.
Design Registration Requirements:
·
P&ID
·
Line Designation Table (LDT)
·
List of PRDs
·
Piping Material Specs
·
WPS Registration
·
Pressure Test Procedure
·
AB-96 and AB-31 forms
·
P.Eng Stamp
·
Owner/Manufacturer information
·
Any other information
administrator (ABSA) asks for
3. Pressure Welders Regulation (AR 169-2002) Requirements
Certificate of Competency: Use certified B or C Pressure Welders
Welder shall have Performance Qualification Card
Pressure Welders Regulation
·
Welder shall be employed by Certificate Of Authorization Permit holder
·
Welder shall be knowledgeable
of Certificate Of Authorization Permit holder WPS and QMS
·
WPS shall be registered with
ABSA
·
Welding symbols shall be
assigned to welders and used on weld maps
·
Compliance and maintaining a
copy is mandatory
4.
Pressure Equipment Exemption
Order
(AR 56-2006)
Exempt:
·
Pressure piping system that is
fully vented or with PRD with set pressure not exceeding 15 psi
·
a pressure piping system that
forms part of a heating plant
·
A pipeline, as defined in the
Pipeline Act.
Heating plant:
·
a boiler in which steam/vapor
pressure ≤103 kpa and temperature ≤121 C°
·
a boiler in which liquid
pressure ≤1100 kpa and temperature ≤121 C°at or near the outlet of the boiler,
or
·
Combination of (i) and (ii)
5. Canada’s CSA B-51
·
Contains requirements for
boilers, pressure vessels, pressure piping, and fittings
·
Fitting’s design (includes pressure relief devices) must be
registered in applicable province and CRN must be obtained if applicable
·
States ASME B31 series or CSA
codes (e.g. CSA Z662) as the acceptable codes of construction
·
Welding procedures shall be
registered with the regulatory authority of the province
CSA B51 fittings registration
6. See ABSA web site for a complete list of requirements.
7. ASME Codes and Standards (ASME B31 Series, ASME Section IX)
Pressure Piping Codes
·
B31.1 Power Piping
·
B31.3 Process Piping
·
B31.5 Refrigeration Piping
·
B31.9 Building Services Piping
B31.3 Process Piping Scope
·
Design and Materials
·
Fabrication and assembly
·
Examination, inspection, and
testing