From working at ABSA (the pressure equipment regulatory authority in Alberta) and Cammar Corporation, Mr. Sterling acquired regulatory experience that assists others. Experience that includes the preparation and delivery of technical presentations to domestic and international industrial representatives about:
After detailed design evaluations of pressure equipment designs, Mr. Sterling is very familiar with the CRN Registration Presentations process, having registered thousands of pressure equipment designs while a Safety Codes Officer, including designs of pressure vessels, boilers, fittings, and pressure piping. Only employees of a regulator can register pressure equipment with CRNs and, at Cammar Corporation, we continue to assist industry with navigating the registration process.
Give Cammar Corporation a call, to set up some training, at a time and location convenient for you.
Cammar Corporation provides customized training for your staff, in relation to CRN registration and topics listed here, or others. We have the experience to prepare and deliver successful training that can save your company thousands in outsourcing fees.
Training typically occurs over a single day or two days for select topics, to audiences of five or more persons that belong to your organization. There’s lots of information to consider and understand:
Though you can apply to get a CRN number by documenting your CRN design and submitting the appropriate application forms to the regulator in the province or territory where the equipment will be used, regulators can simply reject your CRN design registration application if they are not satisfied that the design meets the requirements of the jurisdictional regulations, adopted codes, and referenced standards.
And, … though regulators must tell you why a design doesn’t meet their requirements, they cannot tell you how to fix a deficient CRN design, since that would put them in a conflicted position. Afterall, they can’t properly accept a CRN design that incorporates their own advice. Though regulators control the CRN registration process, they are not supposed to be, and cannot be, owners.
Each province and territory has rules in its jurisdiction, which must be met. If some jurisdictions have tougher requirements than others, it’s thereby best to apply to the toughest jurisdiction first. For more about how and why to get a CRN, read this.
Alternatively, CAMMAR can assist you directly pursuant to getting a CRN. registration.
If your equipment requires a Canadian Registration Number, you must apply for the CRN before the pressure equipment can be installed and used in Canada. In fact, it is wise to complete your CRN registration before the pressure equipment is in the final stages of design (i.e. before the equipment is built). This will ensure that you follow CSA B51 and other regulations without issue.
In any case, to avoid unnecessary complications, make sure that your CRN registration is completed before any assembled equipment leaves the producer. If the equipment will not be assembled until after it leaves the manufacturer (e.g. the equipment must be assembled in the field), be sure the design has a Canadian Registration Number.
Will your pressure equipment operate at 15 psig or higher? If so, you will likely need a CRN number and, sometimes, even though contained pressures are less than 15 psig, exemptions do not apply. In most cases, pressure equipment in Canada requires a Canadian Registration Number (CRN). That is, unless CRN exemptions apply to your equipment.
CRN exemptions vary from province to province. Therefore, you will need to check the codes and regulations specific to the province or territory in which your pressure equipment is to be used.
If you need a CRN number for your equipment, it must be obtained before the pressure equipment is pressurized.
If you require assistance in determining whether your equipment needs a CRN number, CAMMAR Corporation can help.
Pressure equipment, including pressure vessels, boilers, piping and fittings, used in Canada requires a CRN registration. Equipment must be registered with a CRN before it is used.
In general, if pressure equipment operates at a pressure greater than 15 PSIG it will likely require a CRN registration. In fact, unless a particular exemption applies to the equipment, a Canadian Registration Number is needed.
Keep in mind, provincial and territorial governments have the authority to govern equipment safety in their region. Therefore, CRN registration requirements vary by province and territory. As a result, CRN exemptions are set out by provincial and territorial governments.
CRNs, or Canadian Registration Numbers, are required in Canada to ensure public safety. A CRN number Canada helps to guarantee that pressure equipment meets adequate safety requirements. Equipment must be designed, built and tested based on codes and standards that have been developed to protect the public.
As well, provincial and territorial governments in Canada use CRNs to assign responsibility for pressure equipment designs. Although each province and territory has authority over registration and requirements in their own region, regulatory bodies work together to ensure that CRNs are recognizable and can be tracked across the country.
A CRN is required before the pressure equipment is built.
Per ASME Section VIII-1 Appendix 3, MAWP (maximum allowable working pressure) is “the maximum gage pressure permissible at the top of a completed vessel in its normal operating position at the designated coincident temperature for that pressure. This pressure is the least of the values for the internal or external pressure to be determined by the rules of Division 1 for any of the pressure boundary parts, including static head thereon, using nominal thicknesses exclusive of allowances for corrosion and considering effects of any combination of loadings listed in the code that are likely to occur at the designated coincident temperature.“
Per ASME Section VIII-1 Appendix 3, design pressure is “the pressure used in the design of a vessel component together with the coincident design metal temperature, for the purpose of determining the minimum permissible thickness or physical characteristics of the different ones of the vessel. When applicable, the static head shall be added to the design pressure to determine the thickness of any specific zone of the vessel.”
A generic CRN design describes variable dimensions, materials, and feature locations of pressure equipment. For example, a generic vessel CRN design can generally describe a variable shell length, all possible nozzle locations and sizes, together with proximities of nozzle groups etc.* For vessels, generic designs cannot vary the head shape, shell diameter, maximum pressure, maximum temperature, or minimum temperature. For generic fittings, many options are allowed, generally enabling you to register a whole series of fittings with one generic drawing specifying a range of dimensions, materials, and even design pressures.*
*Each situation is somewhat unique and requires careful consideration. Other restrictions may apply subject to regulator acceptance.
Alberta Regulation 49/2006 defines it as “a vessel in which steam or other vapour may be generated under pressure or in which a liquid may be put under pressure by the direct application of a heat source.” Other legislation and code define it in similar ways. CSA B51 Boiler, Pressure Vessel and Pressure Piping Code, defines it as “as a vessel under the Act”. By ‘Act’, CSA B51 refers to the governing statute in each provincial or territorial jurisdiction. For all boilers registered with a CRN in Canada, in the absence of a Variance issued by the jurisdictional regulatory authority, the requirements of ASME Section I must be met in its entirety.
Alberta Regulation 49/2006 defines it as “a vessel used for containing, storing, distributing, processing or otherwise handling an expansible fluid under pressure.” Other legislation and code define it in similar ways. CSA B51 defines it as “a closed vessel for containing, storing, distributing, transferring, distilling, processing, or otherwise handling a gas, vapour, or liquid.” In Canada, pressure vessels must be designed in accordance with the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code. For non-nuclear equipment, the ASME Rules for the Construction of Pressure Vessels must be met in their entirety. For all pressure vessels registered in Canada, in the absence of a Variance issued by the jurisdictional regulatory authority, either ASME Section VIII-1, Section VIII-2, or VIII-3 must be met. Unless explicitly permitted by regulators, mixing code requirements into a single design is not permitted.
CRN stands for Canadian Registration Number. It is assigned to pressure equipment in Canada by provincial regulatory jurisdictions. Unless exempt from CRN registration , all pressure equipment must be registered with a CRN before use in Canada. It is not the same as certification markings such as CSA, UL, FM, Intertek etc.
Cammar Corporation is the combination of engineering experiences extending back to 1989. It’s Director, Cameron Sterling, MSc, PEng, worked on staff at ABSA, the CRN regulatory authority in Alberta, as a Safety Codes Officer evaluating CRN designs. The company has a solid foundation based on honesty, service, unyielding perseverance of quality and safety, proficient regulatory and technical expertise, thoroughness and practical experience. Cammar is licensed to practise professional engineering in Alberta, & Ontario.