CRN EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST. INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED.

The code or standard of construction, and whether it is adopted by the governing provincial regulations, is very important to consider.  Only codes and standards adopted by the regulations or their equivalent are acceptable for use unless special permission is granted.  We can help you determine if yours is adopted or not, and what choices you have.

Suitability of drawings, professional authentication, and amendments to include information consistent with regulatory requirements need consideration too.  Drawings are the things which are registered since they define the design, so their contents need to be evaluated to ensure that things aren’t missed.  Unsuitable drawings can be rejected.

Are further calculations needed?  We’ll take a look at what you have, and advise what further calculations are needed.  We can do calculations for you.

Completion of application forms including statutory declarations, accreditation certificates when they are necessary, and professionally authenticated documentation can be problematic.  Surprisingly, inadequate documentation can be the cause of many delays or application rejections.  We can help you navigate through the forms.

Depending on the design, radiography is needed for all sorts of reasons.  We can help you decide what level of radiography is best for your design or application.

All pressure parts need to be adequately thick, including corrosion allowance, to ensure that equipment doesn’t fly apart under pressure.  We can evaluate your design to see if its pressure parts meet thickness requirements or not.  What is a pressure part?  Is a pressure part always under pressure?  Answers: If a part is removed and the assembly flies apart, then the part was a pressure part!  A pressure part need not be under pressure itself.

Unless the design details of attached components are included with the application, Canadian Registration Numbers (CRNs) of attached components are necessary.  A new CRN can be made from other, combined CRNs.  If attached components are not exempt from registration, then a list of their CRNs will be needed!  We can help assist in determining if attached equipment has a valid CRN or not.

Construction details and dimensions need to be documented in enough detail to show that the requirements of Section IX and the code of construction have been met when joining is required.  Registration of WPS’s are needed for domestic construction.  Each code of construction has its own rules in relation to weld dimensions, and we can assist with documenting them properly.

Residual stresses associated with welding is often a concern, and each code of construction describes the pre heat, temperature hold time, and cool down that is permitted.  This needs to be documented properly for each design, and we can assist with this.

Design conditions define the extreme limits at which equipment can be used, and include: the maximum allowable working pressure (MAWP); maximum allowable working temperature (MAWT); and minimum design metal temperature if code or standard requires it (MDMT).

Is the particular material you would like to use allowed?  Different rules apply for listed and unlisted materials, depending on the proposed code or standard of construction.  We can help you determine what’s allowed and what’s not, and help you to select an alternate, better material choice for your design conditions. 

Different materials have different temperature limits, strengths, etc.  Some can work for you, others can’t.  We can help you decide which is which.

In Canada, unfortunately, it is cold for half the year.  Really cold sometimes.  This means that many metals have brittle transition temperatures that are above what mother nature affords outside.  So, in many cases, impact testing is required.  We can help you decide when it’s necessary, and how to specify it on your drawings.

The last stage of construction for all pressure equipment, unless exempted for good reason and with the acceptance of the regulator, is hydro-testing.  Often, the test pressure is a function of allowable strength at temperature, and we can help you to determine what that test pressure must be to meet code or standard requirements.

Most designs that follow an ASME code or standard use ASME B16.5 flange ratings.  If unmodified from the dimensions and limits specified therein, then further justification for their use is not required by Regulators.  However, modified ASME B16.5 flanges or those used outside of the design limits specified in ASME B16.5, need further justification.  Either ASME Section II, an acceptable full gasket calculation, or Appendix Y calculation will be needed, depending on your circumstances.  We can assist you with this.

Sharp edges can result in stress concentrations, and should be eliminated when possible.  Your drawings should show this, and we can assist you to make sure that appropriate notation is included.

When there are no code rules that apply to a proposed geometry, the preferred justification method is proof testing per UG101 or A22, depending on the code of construction.  We can help you determine when such a test is necessary, how to specify it, report it, and have it witnessed.

In the rare event that code rules do not apply and proof testing is infeasible due to economic factors or size of the equipment, then Regulator’s can permit an FEA.  This must be completed in strict adherence to CSA B51 requirements.  We can help you determine if an FEA is justifiable, and how you can make it meet CSA B51 requirements.

Pressure equipment comes in all shapes, sizes, and uses.  This article just an introduction.  More requirements than what is mentioned above need to be considered.