Pressure Vessels & Piping: Code Requirements, NDE & Welding Qualifications

Pressure Vessels & Piping: Code Requirements, NDE & Welding Qualifications

Location

MITC 1009

Duration

Online / In-class

5 Days

Contact with our Team

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About the Course

Pressure equipment and piping contain high energy and hazardous fluids; codes transform lessons from industry into enforceable rules. This course explains the scope, structure, and intent of the ASME BPVC and B31 Codes—what they cover, what they do not, and how to select and apply the right section for a given service. You’ll link fundamental stress concepts to code formulas, allowable stresses, joint efficiency, corrosion allowances, and external pressure stability.
Hands-on modules walk through materials (ASME II), NDE (ASME V), and welding/brazing qualifications (ASME IX), then focus on BPVC Section VIII Div. 1 design/fabrication/inspection and B31.3 process piping design integrity, flexibility, and overpressure protection. Referenced standards (B16, API 510/570, PCC-1/2/3) are integrated to show the full mechanical integrity picture and due-diligence pathway from design through operation.

Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Determine when and how to apply ASME BPVC vs. B31 piping codes to specific services.
- Interpret key code terminology, scope boundaries, and responsibilities for code selection.
- Use ASME Section II for materials and allowable stresses with due consideration of temperature and product form.
- Plan and evaluate NDE per ASME Section V, including method selection, personnel qualification, and acceptance.
- Prepare/review WPS/PQR/WPQR to ASME Section IX and understand welder/brazer qualifications.
- Design pressure vessels to BPVC Section VIII Div. 1 (internal/external pressure, openings, flanges, supports).
- Apply B31.3 piping rules for pressure integrity, flexibility/expansion, supports, and overpressure protection.
- Reference and employ complementary standards (ASME B16, API 510/570, PCC-1/2/3) in mechanical integrity programs.
- Document due diligence and code compliance from design through fabrication, testing, operation, and repair.

Who Should Attend

- Mechanical & Process Engineers in refineries, petrochemical, and process plants
- Inspectors and Maintenance Personnel responsible for pressure equipment integrity
- Project & Consulting Engineers
- Technical Professionals involved in design, fabrication, and testing
- Reliability/Mechanical Integrity Engineers and Plant Engineering staff

Course Program

Foundations—Pressure Equipment, Codes & Standards Landscape

- Engineering principles: design conditions, specs, primary stresses (hoop/longitudinal), strains
- Why codes exist; consensus development and limitations (codes ≠ design handbooks)
- Code bodies & references: ASME, ASTM, ISO, API, ANSI, EN
- BPVC overview; B31 overview (B31.1, B31.3, B31.4, B31.8) and code selection responsibility
- Materials of construction; maximum allowable stresses; brittle-fracture considerations
- Post-construction & integrity: API 510/570; ASME PCC-1/2/3 and bolted joint guidance
- **Activity/Workshop:** Map a plant equipment list to applicable ASME/B31 sections and references

Service Sections—Materials, NDE & Welding/Brazing Qualifications

- ASME Section II: Part A (ferrous), B (nonferrous), C (filler metals), D (properties)
- ASME Section V: method selection (RT, UT, PT, MT, VT, leak testing), scope/structure & reporting
- Personnel qualification, acceptance criteria, and Authorized Inspector interfaces
- ASME Section IX: WPS/PQR/WPQR essentials; variables, ranges, examples, documentation
- Repair considerations and links to PCC-2; traceability & data packages
- Common pitfalls in material substitution, heat treatment, and impact testing requirements
- **Exercise:** Review a sample WPS/PQR and NDE plan for code compliance and coverage

BPVC Section VIII Div. 1—Design, Fabrication, Inspection & Testing

- Scope & structure (Subsections A/B/C; mandatory vs. nonmandatory appendices)
- Internal pressure design; joint efficiency; corrosion allowance & minimum thickness
- External pressure, instability, and UG-28 methodology concepts
- Openings, nozzles, reinforcement; flanges, gaskets, and external loads on nozzles
- Materials, acceptable weld details, PWHT requirements; nameplates & stamping
- Fabrication, inspection, hydrotest/pneumatic test, and documentation
- **Case Study:** Perform a thin-shell calculation set (internal/external) and check nozzle reinforcement per Div. 1

ASME B31—Scope, Overpressure Protection & Piping Design Fundamentals

- B31 family overview: B31.1 (power), B31.3 (process), B31.4 (liquid pipelines), B31.8 (gas transmission)
- Selecting the applicable piping code; boundaries with BPVC and jurisdictional rules
- Pressure integrity: thickness calculations for internal/external pressure, corrosion/allowance
- Mechanical integrity: static/dynamic loads, occasional loads, supports/restraints
- Overpressure protection philosophies and device selection basics
- Components per B16: flanges/valves/fittings—specification and rating context
- **Group Activity:** Build a line class snapshot linking code rules, materials, ratings, and test requirements

B31.3 Process Piping—Flexibility, Stress Analysis & Practical Application

- Expansion/flexibility evaluation; displacement stresses and allowable limits
- Supports, spring hangers, restraints, and nozzle load management
- Simplified flexibility screening vs. computer-assisted analysis (overview)
- Piping stress inputs/outputs; load cases; thermal, occasional, and seismic/wind
- Fabrication, examination, leak testing, and documentation under B31.3
- Integrating API 570 inspection and RBI with B31.3 systems in operation
- **Capstone:** Conduct a mini flexibility assessment and outline an overpressure & test plan for a new line

Course Dates & Prices

Location	Starting Date	Price
Online	19/10/2025	1799 $
Dubai (UAE)	20/10/2025	2549 $
Dubai (UAE)	20/10/2025	2799$
Cairo (Egypt)	27/10/2025	2549 $
Online	27/10/2025	1799 $
Online	03/11/2025	1799 $
Dubai (UAE)	10/11/2025	2799 $
Muscat (Oman)	10/11/2025	2799 $
Dubai (UAE)	17/11/2025	2799 $
Online	17/11/2025	1799 $
Muscat (Oman)	24/11/2025	2799 $
Online	24/11/2025	1799 $
Online	24/11/2025	1799 $
Dubai (UAE)	01/12/2025	2799 $
Online	01/12/2025	1799 $
Online	01/12/2025	1799 $
London (UK)	01/12/2025	3299 $
Dubai (UAE)	08/12/2025	2799$
Online	08/12/2025	1699 $
Istanbul (Turkey)	15/12/2025	2799 $
Dubai (UAE)	15/12/2025	2799 $
Online	15/12/2025	1799 $
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)	22/12/2025	3899$
Doha (Qatar)	22/12/2025	2799 $
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)	22/12/2025	3899$
Online	29/12/2025	1799 $
Dubai (UAE)	29/12/2025	2799$
Istanbul	29/12/2025	2549 $
Online	29/12/2025	1799 $

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