MINUTES OF THE FIRST BOILERS & PRESSURE VESSELS TECHNICAL COUNCIL MEETING OF 2011

Transcription

1 DATE: March 11, 2011 MINUTES OF THE FIRST BOILERS & PRESSURE VESSELS TECHNICAL COUNCIL MEETING OF 2011 TIME: LOCATION: PRESENT: 9:00 a.m. to 1:55 p.m. Delta Edmonton South, Edmonton Tony Robinson, Chair Allan Belter Mike Clancy Denis Côté Brian Lade Ron Muller Izak Roux T.J. Sheptycki Jim Weiss, Vice Chair Jon Wilson Terry Wiseman John Wolff Dr. Ken Lau, ABSA Bill Litvinchuk, ABSA Allan Hantelmann, Alberta Municipal Affairs Doug Clough, Safety Codes Council GUESTS: REGRETS: RECORDER: Todd Loran Gary Codner John Gillen Doug Clough NEXT MEETINGS: May 6, September 16, November 18

2 A. Call to Order The Chair called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. B. Introductions A round table introduction was held. C. Adoption of Agenda The following items were added to the agenda: F Apprenticeship and Industry Training and B Pressure Welders F High Pressure Valve Potential Failures F IPEIA Conference Report Brian Lade / Izak Roux moved adoption of the agenda, as amended; CARRIED D. Adoption of Minutes Brian Lade / Jon Wilson moved adoption of the minutes of the November 18, 2010 meeting, as circulated; CARRIED E. Business Arising from the Minutes F Qualification of NDE Personnel update Jim Weiss provided an update on this matter and promised to a handout to the members after the meeting. [Weiss] After discussion it was agreed owners have to take some responsibility for training. There is a lack of understanding regarding in-service inspection requirements among owners of pressure equipment and among the inspectors themselves. Responsibility lies with the owners and the industry needs to find a training delivery mechanism. While there has been some progress, there is more to be done. Discussions are underway among some owners to involve NAIT and SAIT in testing the competency of NDE personnel, particularly with respect to UT. A suggestion was made to have the Council to establish a Working Group on this matter to be over seen by a member of the Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council. The Chair will contact those involved with NDE (non-destructive examination) companies, owners and manufacturers to review the possibility/feasibility of establishing such a Working Group. [Robinson] F Power Engineering Regulation Amendment update The Technical Advisor provided an update on this matter. The consultation process has been very successful to date with 320 completed responses submitted and another 880 in various stages of completion. Power Engineers and other interested parties such as employers were encouraged to visit the AMA website and complete the survey which closes April 4, Once the responses have been evaluated, a report will be prepared for presentation to the steering committee after which development of the regulation will MINUTES: Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council Meeting March 11, 2011 Page 2

3 begin with preparation of a 3-column document for consideration by the Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council. The Technical Advisor thanked ABSA for providing a link on ABSA s website to the AMA consultation webpage and an article on ABSA s Pressure News newsletter. F CSA B51 Subcommittee Meeting update There was nothing new to report. F ASME Boilers & Pressure Vessel Code Proposals The Chief Boilers & Pressure Vessels Administrator reported on a number of latest subjects discussed/resolved by the ASME Code Committees during the last ASME Code Week meetings early February, 2011 including: Handout # 1; The Chief Boilers & Pressure Vessels Administrator submitted a handout entitled Sample Nameplate advising there was discussion at the recent ASME Code Committee meeting regarding a proposal to adopt the use of the new single ASME Certification Mark to replace all the 30+ ASME Code Stamps currently in use. The single ASME Certification Mark will be mandatory effective January 1, 2012 following Code revisions scheduled to be published July 1, The Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council can expect to be advised of further information including a communication strategy at a later date. Handouts # 3 and # 4 After presenting background (Handout # 3) to the ASME proposal, The Chief Boilers & Pressure Vessels Administrator discussed the highlights of the ASME proposal for a non-mandatory appendix to the code, addressing the Responsibilities of the User and Designated Agent (Handout # 4). Even though no new Code provisions will be introduced with the non-mandatory appendix, the Administrator believes the document will be a useful reference to all Code users but its publication is still under review by the ASME Code Committee at this time. It is shared with the Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council members as information. The Chief Boilers & Pressure Vessels Administrator proposes to have the information from the proposed Appendix be formulated as an Information Bulletin so that it would be readily available for use by industry. Feedback from Council members was requested for that purpose. A six member special Task Force was formed by the Technical Management Oversight Committee (TOMC) of the ASME Boilers and Pressure Vessels Code to review the use of Paragraph U-2(g) of ASME Section VIII Division 1 and the possibility of introducing third party review and verification of designs. Paragraph U-2(g) of Section VIII Division 1 of the Code allows a Manufacturer, subject to the acceptance of the Inspector, to design and construct a pressure vessel in cases where details rules are not provided in the Code, provided the same level of safety can be achieved. Essentially, the paragraph allows for good engineering practice when Code rules are not explicitly provided. Unfortunately, this paragraph has frequently been misused/abused and it was reported that people were using U-2(g) as an excuse MINUTES: Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council Meeting March 11, 2011 Page 3

4 to avoid meeting the ASME Code by saying that the details being used are not explicitly covered in the Code and alternative stress analysis was used even though Section VIII provides specific formulas and details of construction. The task group will be reviewing how the integrity of using Paragraph U-2(g) may be strengthened. As a separate but related matter, the taskforce will also review the possibility of and make recommendation on provision for third party review and verification of designs, a process which is typically required overseas (such as in the case under the Pressure Equipment Directive in Europe). The addenda for 2011 will be incorporated in the ASME Code to be released July 1, 2011 and will be distributed to all those who purchased the 2010 edition of the Code. There will be no addenda in 2012 and a new edition of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Code will be published every two years as of With this development, Council members wished it noted to AMA that it would be even more critical to change the regulation code adoption process to allow for speedy code adoption. F Agreements between Boiler & Gas Safety Disciplines on LPG Storage Vessels and Fuel Gas Piping Three proposed STANDATA drafts were included in the agenda packages of both the B&PV and Gas Technical Councils. The documents were also distributed to several industry associations for comment. Members were encouraged to provide their comments to the Technical Advisor as soon as possible as the intent is to have the Administrators (Gas and Boilers & Pressure Vessels) sign and release them in April. [All] The Chief Boilers & Pressure Vessels Administrator explained the proposed agreements as set out in the draft STANDATAs had always been in place, and the proposed STANDATAs reaffirm those arrangements in writing under the Safety Codes Act. The question of whether the ERCB should be involved was raised and The Chief Boilers & Pressure Vessels Administrator agreed to contact the ERCB and report back at a future meeting. [Lau] F Proposed Amendment to PESR AR49/2006 PESR 38-1 Code Change Request update Due to staffing issues at AMA, little progress has been made on this matter. It was acknowledged the adoption process is too slow and it is hoped the Safety Codes Act review will allow regulations to be changed under the authority of the Minister without having to involve the Cabinet. Some members expressed their dissatisfaction with the pace of this regulation change and the Technical Advisor was encouraged to see what he could do to move it forward. [Hantelmann] It was pointed out; there was no need to delay this further as the changes were relatively minor. There has to be a better way to get code adoption quicker given that ASME would be issuing a new code edition every 2 years instead of 3 years as was the case in the past. It was explained, industry works according to the current code notwithstanding the lack of a regulation amendment which is often a several years process each time. MINUTES: Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council Meeting March 11, 2011 Page 4

5 F Clarification on the use of Overpressure Protection by System Design as provided for under the Regulation vs. Code provisions by the Administrator update Background information was provided for the benefit of the new members, after which the Administrator explained overpressure protection by system design (versus the use of safety valves) has always been allowed with acceptance of the Administrator. Without such acceptance, a safety valve must be in place. The OPPSD Task Group last met March 10, 2011 and has developed a plan of action as set out in the handout. The group hopes to have a report ready for presentation to the Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council by the end of April. The Technical Advisor referenced an he had received from an individual who was not satisfied with the Sub-Council s response to his original communication. The Technical Advisor will contact the individual for permission to enter his concerns into the minutes ( to follow) as well as advising the individual to present his concerns to the task group. [Hantelmann] F Boilers & Pressure Vessels Matrix Doug Clough had nothing new to report. b) Request for seat from EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) update The Chair reported he had an initial contact with the Consulting Engineers of Alberta regarding the possibility of providing an EPC representative on the sub-council. d) Request for seat from UCIA (Upstream Chief Inspectors Association) There was nothing to report. f) Request for seat from ARPIA update T.J. Sheptycki confirmed ARPIA remains interested in having a representative on the Council. F Possible Adoption of ISO The Technical Advisor reported again that Alberta Municipal Affairs sees no issues with adopting this standard. It provides the guidelines to allow permitting equipment to another (international) standard, not already adopted by regulation. It would allow Alberta to adopt a code that has not been adopted nationally. Izak Roux / Brian Lade moved to recommend the adoption of ISO under the Pressure Equipment Safety Regulation in the manner proposed at the September 3, 2010 meeting; CARRIED F Qualifications of the Owner s Inspector as per ASME B31.3 T.J. Sheptycki provided an update on this matter. MINUTES: Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council Meeting March 11, 2011 Page 5

6 F Variance VA issued to Engineered Air - discussion A variance has been issued to Engineered Air as per the handout as an interim resolution. There is a need for guidelines such as those presented in the handout and the Administrator is seeking input from the Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council. As things stand, the Administrator plans to issue this document as an Information Bulletin in approximately one month. There has been no negative response from industry. A draft interpretation on CSA B52 Code provisions on certified refrigeration systems 125 kw or smaller was provided to Council members for review and comment before the issuance of the proposed interpretation by the Administrator early May next. The draft interpretation was also provided to all Canadian pressure equipment jurisdictions and CSA B52 for comments and input prior to it being tabled for the Council s meeting. F Mechanical Clamping Registration Brian Lade provided background on the issue and it was noted these are relative to low and medium pressure. There has been a lot of evolution of these products over the years with pressure up to 650 psig. Discussions have been held with the manufacturers regarding design, testing and registration to determine if there is opportunity regarding historic practice. Industry will be involving ABSA and requesting their support. This topic was provided as information at this time. However, industry wishes to be transparent and will be bringing forward further information to the council and B31. The Administrator provided background and it was noted that although industry is commended for wanting a registration process, this equipment is not under the jurisdiction of the Safety Codes Act. However, ABSA is assist industry with developing a process. F. New Business F Nomination of a Vice Chair T. J. Sheptycki / Allan Belter moved to appoint Brian Lade as Vice-Chair of the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Technical Council, replacing Jim Weiss; CARRIED Jim Weiss was thanked for his many years of dedicated and valuable service to the Safety Codes Council. F Reappointment of Jon Wilson for a term until January 31, 2014 Allan Belter / T. J. Sheptycki moved to recommend to the Coordinating Committee the reappointment of Jon Wilson to the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Technical Council for a term until January 31, 2014, effective immediately; CARRIED F Appointment of Gary Codner for a term until January 31, 2014 Jim Weiss / Allan Belter moved to recommend to the Coordinating Committee the appointment of Gary Codner to the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Technical Council for a term until January 31, 2014, effective immediately; CARRIED MINUTES: Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council Meeting March 11, 2011 Page 6

7 F Apprenticeship and Industry Training and B Pressure Welders The Technical Advisor reported that he was approached by Apprenticeship Board of Advanced Education and Technology with the concern about a possible shortage of B Pressure Welders. He has been invited to a meeting in April to discuss this matter and provide Apprenticeship Board IT with information about requirements today to become a B Pressure Welder. It is not clear why and what they are asking but the Technical Advisor will be approaching Bob Roseberg of ABSA to review this matter with the Apprenticeship Board and subsequently. The Technical Advisor will keep the Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council advised of developments. The Council noted that there was no support for any watering down of today s requirements for B Welder Certification testing. F High Pressure Valve Potential Failures Brain Lade was simply wishing to alert the members regarding potential failures of high pressure valves as described in the handout (Handout #6) F IPEIA Conference Report Jim Weiss provided a report for information regarding the recent IPEIA Conference held recently (March 2 4, 2011) in Banff. The conference attracted 315 delegates and many presenters and included many valuable and interesting workshops and presentations. Members were encouraged to visit the IPEIA website for more information. Jim Weiss suggested there would be value in the Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council making a formal presentation at next year s conference on the role of the Safety Codes Council and Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council. Jim Weiss also reported that during the IPEIA, a comment was made during the conference that the IPEIA could act as an industrial lobby group on pressure equipment safety programs in Alberta but some IPEIA conference attendees noted that the Technical Council already represented industry and could also act as an industry lobby group for that purpose. The Administrator noted that the Technical Council, as part of the Safety Codes Council, was established under the Safety Codes Act with the roles and purposed specifically provided by the Act. Council members, while representing different stakeholders, were there to provide their respective expertise for public safety and must not be seen as lobbying for individual or specific stakeholder s interest. It was noted that sometimes, it is a very fine line between providing input and lobbying for specific interest group but that line must not be crossed. G. Correspondence The Chair shared information he had received from ABSA regarding the incident at the CNRL site early this year. The Chair also reported on the latest development on the proposed Safety Codes Act amendment as well as different issues under review by the Safety Codes Council Coordinating Committee. The possibility of the amendment to the Act being put to the Alberta Legislature in the fall of 2011 was discussed MINUTES: Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council Meeting March 11, 2011 Page 7

8 The Chair encouraged members to consider attending the Annual General Meeting and conference in Banff and that registration forms had been sent out. H. ABSA Bill Litvinchuk provided information on the development and delivery by ABSA of several seminars and encouraged members to visit the ABSA website for more information. Council members were also urged to get back to their stakeholders on: (a) the importance of reporting legislation violations and non-compliance and (b) the significant concerns of low temperature operation since ABSA reported a number of freezing damage incidents, particularly those involving SAGD operation. I. Technical Coordinating Committee Update There was nothing to report. J. Next Meeting The 2011 meeting schedule was determined, all Fridays in Edmonton at 9:00 am: May 6, 2011 September 16, 2011 November 18, 2011 T.J. Sheptycki / Jon Wilson moved that the meeting be adjourned; CARRIED The meeting was adjourned at 1:55 p.m. MINUTES: Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council Meeting March 11, 2011 Page 8

9 --- A C T I O N I T E M S --- F Qualification of NDE Personnel update Jim Weiss provided an update on this matter and promised to a handout to the members after the meeting. [Weiss] The Chair will contact those involved with NDE (non-destructive examination) companies, owners and manufacturers to review the possibility/feasibility of establishing such a Working Group. [Robinson] F Agreements between Boiler & Gas Safety Disciplines on LPG Storage Vessels and Fuel Gas Piping Members were encouraged to provide their comments to the Technical Advisor as soon as possible as the intent is to have the Administrators (Gas and Boilers & Pressure Vessels) sign and release them in April. [All] The question of whether the ERCB should be involved was raised and the Chief Boilers & Pressure Vessels Administrator agreed to contact the ERCB and report back at a future meeting. [Lau] F Proposed Amendment to PESR AR49/2006 PESR 38-1 Code Change Request update - the Technical Advisor was encouraged to see what he could do to move it forward. [Hantelmann] F Clarification on the use of Overpressure Protection by System Design as provided for under the Regulation vs. Code provisions by the Administrator update The Technical Advisor will contact the individual for permission to enter his concerns into the minutes ( to follow) as well as advising the individual to present his concerns to the task group. [Hantelmann] MINUTES: Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council Meeting March 11, 2011 Page 9

10 --- M O T I O N S --- C. Adoption of Agenda Brian Lade / Izak Roux moved adoption of the agenda, as amended; CARRIED D. Adoption of Minutes Brian Lade / Jon Wilson moved adoption of the minutes of the November 18, 2010 meeting, as circulated; CARRIED F Possible Adoption of ISO Izak Roux / Brian Lade moved to recommend the adoption of ISO under the Pressure Equipment Safety Regulation in the manner proposed at the September 3, 2010 meeting; CARRIED F Nomination of a Vice Chair T. J. Sheptycki / Allan Belter moved to appoint Brian Lade as Vice-Chair of the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Technical Council, replacing Jim Weiss; CARRIED F Reappointment of Jon Wilson for a term until January 31, 2014 Allan Belter / T. J. Sheptycki moved to recommend to the Coordinating Committee the reappointment of Jon Wilson to the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Technical Council for a term until January 31, 2014, effective immediately; CARRIED F Appointment of Gary Codner for a term until January 31, 2014 Jim Weiss / Allan Belter moved to recommend to the Coordinating Committee the appointment of Gary Codner to the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Technical Council for a term until January 31, 2014, effective immediately; CARRIED J. Next Meeting T.J. Sheptycki / Jon Wilson moved that the meeting be adjourned; CARRIED MINUTES: Boilers & Pressure Vessels Technical Council Meeting March 11, 2011 Page 10