Macrotec boilers and pressure vessels are used all over over South Africa and the world including, commercial, energy industries. 

To ensure safety and operational efficiency of pressure vessel equipment, certain regulations and codes have been developed, below is some important information relating to Pressure Equipment Regulations. 

The Pressure Equipment Regulations govern the handling, installation and maintenance of pressure equipment, and requires all businesses in the industry to register employees that handle pressure equipment.

These guidance notes are intended to help, users, manufactures, approved inspection authorities and importers of Pressure Equipment to understand the content as well as to assist with the interpretation and implementation of the Pressure Equipment Regulations but cannot substitute the Regulations.

Foreword
The notes are meant to help and guide users, manufacturers, importers and approved inspection authorities in the application of the Pressure Equipment Regulations. 

The below notes are important and highlighted extracts from the Pressure Equipment Regulations:

DEFINITIONS

“design verification” means verification that the pressure equipment complies with the applied design of the relevant health and safety standard and the requirements of these Regulations;

Notes: 
(a) Independent process to run separate calculations to confirm correctness of the original design. Refer to SANS 10227

“manufacturer” means any person who has overall control and is responsible for the construction of the pressure equipment;

Notes:
Where the design, material supply, part construction and the installation are done by different parties, a contractual agreement may be required to define who the manufacturer is. The intent is that the party that is in overall control of the above mentioned actions will take this responsibility and liability. This party is then responsible for issuing the Certificate of Manufacture. This can be for example the engineering contractor, the user, etc.

“pressure equipment” means a steam generator, pressure vessel, piping, pressure accessory and safety accessory, transportable gas container, and fire extinguisher and includes, but is not limited to an accumulator, a hot-water geyser and hyperbaric chambers.

“pressure vessel” means a housing designed and manufactured to contain a fluid under a design pressure equal to or greater than 50 kPa;

Notes:
(a) Includes but is not limited to storage vessels, beer kegs, plate heat exchangers, mobile pressure vessels, road tankers, rail tankers, intermediate bulk containers (ICB’s), ISO containers, accumulators other than bladder or piston type, multi element gas containers, fired heaters, hermetic compressors, etc. but excludes transportable gas containers and
fire extinguishers which have their own definitions.

SCOPE OF APPLICATION

(1) These Regulations shall apply to the design, manufacture, operation, repair, modification, maintenance, inspection and testing of pressure equipment with a design pressure equal to or greater than 50 kPa, in terms of the relevant health and safety standard incorporated into these Regulations under section 44 of the Act.

(2) Regulations 3, 4, 5, 9(1), 9(2) and 9(3) shall not apply to pressure equipment in use or on order prior to the publication of these Regulations, which equipment shall be designed and constructed according to the requirements applicable at the time of order.

(3) The following pressure equipment shall be excluded from these Regulations:

(a) Piping for the supply, distribution and discharge of water below its boiling point at atmospheric pressure and associated pressure equipment and headraces such as penstocks, pressure tunnels, pressure shafts for hydro-electric installations and their related specific pressure accessories;

(b) Aerosol dispensers;

(c) Pressure equipment intended for the functioning of road and rail vehicles, excluding a fuelgas system;

(d) Pressure equipment comprising casings or machinery where the dimensioning, choice of material and manufacturing rules are based primarily on requirements for sufficient strength, rigidity and stability to meet the static and dynamic operational effects or other operational characteristics and for which pressure is not a significant design factor, and such pressure equipment may include —

(i) Engines, including turbines and internal combustion engines;
(ii) Reciprocating steam engines, gas turbines, steam turbines, turbo-generators, compressor engines, pumps and actuating devices;

(e) Open metal-making pots and blast furnaces

(f) Housing for electrical machinery such as switchgear, control gear, transformers and rotating machines;

(g) Tyres and flexible pressurised casings used for recreational purposes;

(h) Fixed electrical hot-water storage container of water capacity from 15 litres to 450 litres operating at a maximum pressure of 600 kPa manufactured to the requirements of SANS 151, which shall be installed in accordance with the requirements of SANS 10254.

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

(1) Any person who manufactures, imports, sells, offers or supplies any pressure equipment described in these Regulations for use in the Republic shall ensure that such equipment complies with these Regulations.

(2) Any person who erects or installs any pressure equipment for use in the Republic shall ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that it is erected or installed in a safe manner and without risk to health and safety when properly used. 

(3) All pressure equipment for use in the Republic shall be categorized and submitted to the applicable conformance assessments of SANS 347 in addition to the requirements of the relevant health and safety standard incorporated into these Regulations under section 44 of the Act.

PRESSURE EQUIPMENT MARKING

(1) Every manufacturer of pressure equipment shall cause the pressure equipment to be marked in accordance with the relevant health and safety standard incorporated into these Regulations under section 44 of the Act.

(2) Every manufacturer shall cause a data plate to be permanently fixed in a conspicuous place to any steam generator or pressure vessel with the following minimum particulars:

(a) Name of manufacturer;
(b) country of origin;
(c) year of manufacture;
(d) manufacturer’s serial number;
(e) reference number, date and edition of the health and safety standard;
(f) design pressure in units of Pascal;
(g) design temperature for both minimum and maximum in degrees Celsius;
(h) capacity in cubic metres;
(i) unique mark of an approved inspection authority as applicable; and
(j) the hazard category in accordance with the requirements of SANS 347.

(3) In the case of composite pressure equipment the following information shall be included in addition to that referred to in sub regulations (2):

(a) The resin system of the corrosion barrier/lining;
(b) the resin system of the structural wall; and
(c) the name and specific gravity of the medium for which the vessel was designed.

(4) No person may remove a marking or data plate referred to in these Regulations or wilfully damage or alter the particulars marked thereon, except as provided in these Regulations.

(5) A user shall ensure that any modification that changes the original design conditions is identified by affixing an additional data plate.

(6) A user shall ensure that a data plate is affixed to any steam generator or pressure vessel that has been re-certified: Provided that where the manufacturer is unknown, the user responsible for the re-certification shall be deemed to be the manufacturer.