The ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) is a set of standards published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) that provides rules for the design, fabrication, inspection, testing, and certification of boilers and pressure vessels.
The BPVC is developed and updated through a consensus process managed by ASME committees, with participation from volunteer technical experts representing industry, regulators, and other stakeholders.
ASME also operates a conformity assessment and certification system under which accredited organizations—including manufacturers and authorized inspection agencies—may apply ASME Code Symbol Stamps to equipment that meets BPVC requirements.
History The BPVC was created in response to public outcry after several serious explosions in the state of Massachusetts. A fire-tube boiler exploded at the Grover Shoe Factory in Brockton, Massachusetts, on March 20, 1905, which resulted in the deaths of 58 people and injured 150. Then on December 6, 1906, a boiler in the factory of the P.J. Harney Shoe Company exploded in Lynn, Massachusetts. As a result, the state of Massachusetts enacted the first legal code based on ASME's rules for the construction of steam boilers in 1907.
ASME convened the Board of Boiler Rules before it became the ASME Boiler Code Committee which was formed in 1911. This committee put in the form work for the first edition of the ASME Boiler Code - Rules for the Construction of Stationary Boilers and for the Allowable Working Pressures, which was issued in 1914 and published in 1915.
The first edition of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, known as the 1914 edition, was a single 114-page volume. It developed over time into the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel code, which today has over 92,000 copies in use, in over 100 countries around the world. the document consisted of 16,000 pages in 28 volumes.
After the first edition of the Code, the verifications required by the Code were performed by independent inspectors, which resulted in a wide range of interpretations. Hence in February 1919, the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors was formed.
+ ASME BPVC TIMELINE Year Activity 1880 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers is founded 1884 First performance test code: Code for the Conduct of Trials of Steam Boilers 1900 First revision of an ASME standard, Standard Method of Conducting Steam Boiler Tests 1911 Establishment of a committee to propose a Boiler Code 1913 New Committee to revise the Boiler Code 1914 Issuance of the first Boiler Code 1915 Standards for Specifications and Construction of Boilers and Other Containing Vessels in Which High Pressure is Contained 1919 National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors formed 1924 Code for Unfired Pressure Vessels 1930 Test Code of Complete Steam-Electric Power Plants 1956 Committee established for ASME Pressure Vessel Code for Nuclear Age 1963 Section III (Nuclear Power) of ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code 1968 ASME Nuclear Power Certificate of Authorization Program commences 1972 ASME expands its certification program worldwide; first ASME manufacturer certification issued outside of North America 1978 First ASME publication of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Committee interpretations 1983 ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code published in both conventional and metric units 1989 Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code published on CD-ROM 1992 First Authorized Inspection Agency accredited 1996 Risk technology introduced into the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code 1997 High Pressure Vessel Code 2000 C&S Connect (on-line balloting and tracking system) launched for Boiler and_Pressure Vessel Committees 2007 ISO TC11 Standard 16528—Boilers and Pressure Vessels published, establishing performance requirements for the construction of boilers and pressure vessels and facilitating registration of BPV Codes to this standard 2007 High density polyethylene plastic pipe introduced into the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, Code Case N-755 2009 ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Committee reorganized from one consensus body to ten consensus bodies2015High density polyethylene plastic pipe incorporated into Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, Section III, Mandatory Appendix XXVI
Code Sections LIST OF SECTIONS
The following is the structure of the 2021 Edition of the BPV Code:
ASME BPVC Section I - Rules for Construction of Power Boilers ASME BPVC Section II - Materials Part A - Ferrous Material Specifications Part B - Nonferrous Material Specifications Part C - Specifications for Welding Rods, Electrodes, and Filler Metals Part D - Properties (Customary) Part D - Properties (Metric) ASME BPVC Section III - Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components Subsection NCA - General Requirements for Division 1 and Division 2 Appendices Division 1 Subsection NB - Class 1 Components Subsection NCD - Class 2 and Class 3 Components Subsection NE - Class MC Components Subsection NF - Supports Subsection NG - Core Support Structures Division 2 - Code for Concrete Containments Division 3 - Containment Systems & Transport Packagings for Spent Nuclear Fuel &High Level Radioactive Waste Division 5 - High Temperature Reactors ASME BPVC Section IV - Rules for Construction of Heating Boilers ASME BPVC Section V - Nondestructive Examination ASME BPVC Section VI - Recommended Rules for the Care and Operation of Heating Boilers ASME BPVC Section VII - Recommended Guidelines for the Care of Power Boilers ASME BPVC Section VIII - Rules for Construction of Pressure Vessels Division 1 - Rules for Construction of Pressure Vessels Division 2 - Alternative Rules Division 3 - Alternative Rules for Construction of High Pressure Vessels ASME BPVC Section IX - Qualification Standard for Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Procedures; Welders; Brazers; and Welding, Brazing, and Fusing Operators ASME BPVC Section X - Fiber-Reinforced Plastic Pressure Vessels ASME BPVC Section XI - Rules for Inservice Inspection of Nuclear Power Plant Components Division 1 - Rules for Inspection and Testing of Components of Light-Water-Cooled Plants Division 2 - Requirements for Reliability and Integrity Management (RIM) Programs for Nuclear Power Plants ASME BPVC Section XII - Rules for the Construction and Continued Service of Transport Tanks ASME BPVC Section XIII - Rules for Overpressure Protection ASME BPVC Code Cases - Boilers and Pressure Vessels
ADDENDA
Addenda, which include additions and revisions to the individual Sections of the Code, are issued accordingly for a particular edition of the code up until the next edition. Addenda is no longer in use since Code Edition 2013. It has been replaced by two years edition period.
INTERPRETATIONS
ASME's interpretations to submitted technical queries relevant to a particular Section of the Code are issued accordingly. Interpretations are also available through the internet.
CODES CASES
Code Cases provide rules that permit the use of materials and alternative methods of construction that are not covered by existing BPVC rules. For those Cases that have been adopted will appear in the appropriate Code Cases book: "Boilers and Pressure Vessels" and "Nuclear Components."
Codes Cases are usually intended to be incorporated in the Code in a later edition. When it is used, the Code Case specifies mandatory requirements which must be met as it would be with the Code. There are some jurisdictions that do not automatically accept Code Cases.
ASME BPVC Section II - Materials
The section of the ASME BPVC consists of 4 parts.
Part A - Ferrous Material Specifications
This Part is a supplementary book referenced by other sections of the Code. It provides material specifications for ferrous materials which are suitable for use in the construction of pressure vessels.
The specifications contained in this Part specify the mechanical properties, heat treatment, heat and product chemical composition and analysis, test specimens, and methodologies of testing. The designation of the specifications start with 'SA' and a number which is taken from the ASTM 'A' specifications.
Part B - Nonferrous Material Specifications
This Part is a supplementary book referenced by other sections of the Code. It provides material specifications for nonferrous materials which are suitable for use in the construction of pressure vessels.
The specifications contained in this Part specify the mechanical properties, heat treatment, heat and product chemical composition and analysis, test specimens, and methodologies of testing. The designation of the specifications start with 'SB' and a number which is taken from the ASTM 'B' specifications.
Part C - Specifications for Welding Rods, Electrodes, and Filler Metals
This Part is a supplementary book referenced by other sections of the Code. It provides mechanical properties, heat treatment, heat and product chemical composition and analysis, test specimens, and methodologies of testing for welding rods, filler metals and electrodes used in the construction of pressure vessels.
The specifications contained in this Part are designated with 'SFA' and a number which is taken from the American Welding Society (AWS) specifications.
Part D - Properties (Customary/Metric)
This Part is a supplementary book referenced by other sections of the Code. It provides tables for the design stress values, tensile and yield stress values as well as tables for material properties (Modulus of Elasticity, Coefficient of heat transfer et al.)
ASME BPVC Section III - Rules for Construction of Nuclear Facility Components
Section III of the ASME Code Address the rules for construction of nuclear facility components and supports. The components and supports covered by section III are intended to be installed in a nuclear power system that serves the purpose of producing and controlling the output of thermal energy from nuclear fuel and those associated systems essential to safety of nuclear power system. Section III provides requirements for new construction of nuclear power system considering mechanical and thermal stresses due to cyclic operation. Deterioration, which may occur in service as result of radiation effects, corrosion, or instability of the material, is typically not addressed. Subsection NCA (General Requirements for Division 1 and Division 2) NCA-1000 Scope of Section III NCA-2000 Classification of Components and Supports NCA-3000 Responsibilities and Duties NCA-4000 Quality Assurance NCA-5000 Authorized Inspection NCA-8000 Certificates, Nameplates, Code Symbol Stamping, and Data Reports NCA-9000 Glossary Division 1- Metallic Components
Subsection NB Class 1 components (Those components that are part of the fluid-retaining pressure boundary of the reactor coolant system. Failure of this pressure boundary would violate the integrity of the reactor coolant pressure boundary) Reactor Pressure Vessel Pressurizer Vessel Steam Generators Reactor Coolant Pumps Reactor Coolant Piping Line Valves Safety Valves Subsection NC Class 2 components (Those components that are not part of the reactor coolant pressure boundary, but are important for reactor shutdown, emergency core cooling, post-accident containment heat removal, or post-accident fission product removal) Emergency Core Cooling Post Accident Heat Removal Post Accident Fission Product Removal Includes Vessels, Pumps, Valves, Piping, Storage Tanks, and Supports Subsection ND Class 3 components (Those components that are not part of class 1 or 2 but are important to safety) Cooling Water Systems Auxiliary Feedwater Systems Includes Vessels, Pumps, Valves, Piping, Storage Tanks, and Supports Subsection NE Class MC supports Containment Vessel Penetration Assemblies (Does not include piping, pumps and valves which if passing through the containment must be class 1 or class 2) Subsection NF Supports Plate and Shell Type Linear Type