The University of Lahore

Mechanical Engineering Department

ASME Boiler & Pressure vessel code summary

The ASME Boiler & Pressure vessel code contains all the safety rules for the construction of power
boilers, electric boilers, miniature boilers, high temperature water boilers, heat recovery steam
generators, solar receiver steam generators and fired pressure vessels. The code provides the
designers and manufacturers of boilers and pressure vessels with construction rules for materials,
design, fabrication, installation and testing. They get to know the standards with which they need to
design and manufacture the pressure vessel. ASME code comprises of important requirements and
guidance for construction, inspection and testing activities. The main safety issue that is addressed in
the ASME Boiler & Pressure vessel code is related to Pressure. There are committees established by
ASME which work to devise safety rules related to pressure. Each committee deals individually with
each area for example there is a committee on materials which devise safety rules regarding the
material to be used in a pressure vessel or boiler. There is separate committee on pressure vessels
and heating boilers which formulate rules related to their area of concern.

In the ASME code, there are different sections or parts which deal with different aspects. The first
part deals with the general requirements for all methods of construction of boilers and high
pressure, high temperature water boilers. There are certain limitations to which the rules in this
section are applicable. The rules in this section are for those boilers which generate steam at a
pressure of more than 100kPa, and for those water boilers which operate at pressures more than 1.1
MPa or temperatures more than 120°C. It is mentioned that single system of units shall be used for
all aspects of design. Care must be taken while dealing with equations, units’ consistency must be
the priority. In the materials section of this part, details are given about the material that should be
chosen for construction, stresses and temperatures that are to be beard. Then different situations
are mentioned that if they occur then what action should be taken. Standards of steel plates are
given that are to be used in the pressure vessel which can tolerate the high pressures. Whatever
quality is mentioned in the code, it needs to be followed whether it is for forging, casting, or
welding. Details are given about where cast iron should be and should not be used in a pressure
vessel. Specifications for boiler parts and materials to be used in piping and the pressure chamber
are mentioned in this section of the code. All parts must be made of materials that are permitted
and comply with the ASME standard of products. While designing the pressure vessel or boiler,
design standards need to be followed. Strain limits and heat treatment requirements for different
grades of materials are given in a table form. Stresses values that are to be used in equations to
calculate the minimum required thickness or maximum allowable working pressure of any pressure
part are given in the code for designers and manufacturers. Equations are given for calculation of
diameters, thickness, allowable stresses, maximum stresses, allowance for threading and structural
stability etc. Maximum pressures, internal and external, maximum temperatures, everything is
mentioned in this code for the ease of designer and manufacturer.
The second part of ASME Code deals with the requirements for boilers fabricated by welding. This
part gives standards and rules for those parts which are fabricated by welding. It is mentioned there
in the code that carbon or alloy steel which has carbon content of more than 0.35% shall not be used
in welding. Materials are stated that can be used. Every little detail is covered in this section that
what type of joints should be made, what material should be used, what tolerance level should be
kept, what temperatures should be used for welding and heat treatment processes, in what way
welding need to be done, what base metal shall be used, what material shall be used in
circumferential joints, how to assemble the parts and much more. Figures are also given to illustrate
the joints and type and method of welding. At the end inspection should also be done to ensure that
everything is according to the standard and all requirements in the ASME code for Pressure Vessels
& Boilers are met. In this section it is mentioned that non-destructive examination - ultrasonic
examination and radiographic needs to be conducted for examination of the weld.

The third section deals with the requirements for boilers fabricated by riveting, fourth section deals
with boilers fabricated by brazing, fifth section deals with requirements for locomotive boilers, sixth
section deals with requirements for water tube boilers, seventh section deals with requirements for
fire tube boilers, eighth section deals with requirements for feed water heaters, ninth section deals
with requirements for miniature boilers, tenth section deals with requirements for electric boilers,
eleventh section deals with requirements for organic fluid vaporizers, twelfth section deals with
requirements for feed water economizers and thirteenth section deals with requirements for heat
recovery steam generators. In all the sections, every little detail is given about the design, material,
assembly, fabrication, inspection, testing, and examination of every part. This ASME code provides a
complete layout of standards for Pressure vessels and boilers.