A S M E Boiler and Pr essur e V essel Cod e

ASME code
revisions 2019.
Key Changes – Section I

Every two years the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) issues an
update to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC).

As an ASME Authorised Inspection Agency, Lloyd’s Register has compiled summaries

of the changes in several BPVC code books to help manufacturers understand
what has changed that is relevant to their business.
Key changes for Section I

Part/Paragraph Change/Revision

Non-Mandatory Appendix F New Nonmandatory Appendix F added for incorporation in BPV-I

- developed to provide best practices and enhanced safety of dissimilar metal welds

PG-31.4 / PW-17
Revised PG-31.4 to add reference to PW-17 for illustration (a), (b-1) and (b-2).
- 2017
o Last sentence under PG-31 illustration (b-2): The hub may be formed by machining a
forged blank or by direct forging action. This illustration shall not be used with plate,
bar, or rod. The welding shall meet all requirements for circumferential joints in
Part PW.
- 2019
o REVISED
• Last sentence revised under PG-31 illustration (b-2): “The forged head shall meet
the requirements of PW-17.”
o ADDED
• Last sentence added for PG-31 illustrations (a) and (b-1): “The forged head shall meet
the requirements of PW-17.”
o ADDED
• Revised PW-17 by adding: “The hub shall be integrally forged with the flat head by
direct forging action or machined from a forging. Plate, bar, or rod shall not be used
in lieu of a forging. The hub shall have minimum dimensions in accordance with
Figure PW-17.”

PG-106 / PG-106.4 Revised PG-106.1 and PG-106.4 to allow alternative marking methods for the Code required stamp-
ing and publish enabling code case.
- 2019
o Sentence added at the end of PG-106.1
• “Application of the ASME Certification Mark and Designator may be by stamping or
by alternate methods that comply with Mandatory Appendix VII.”
o Sentence added at the end of PG-106.4
• In addition to the Certification Mark, the following items shall also be stamped with
letters and figures at least 5/16 in. (8 mm) high [5/32 in. (4 mm) on miniature boilers
if necessary], arranged as shown in Figure PG-106. “Marking of the required items may
be by stamping or by alternate methods that comply with Mandatory Appendix VII.”

PW-53 Test Plates Revised by adding final part of sentence in PW-53.1(a). Deleted “cylindrical” in PW-53.1(b).
- 2019
o PW-53.1 Vessel Test Plates. Cylindrical pressure parts such as drums and shells and
all noncylindrical pressure parts that are subject to internal pressure and are fabricated
by fusion welding, shall meet the test requirements in PW-53.2 through PW-53.9. The
following are exempt from these requirements:
• ADDED
• (a) cylindrical pipe, tubes, and headers subject to internal pressure, “including
heads attached by welding to these pressure parts.”
• DELETED
• (b) all cylindrical pressure parts constructed of P-No. 1 materials
• (c) all attachment welds

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 Part/Paragraph Change/Revision

PW-53.2 Welded Test Plates Added two new paragraphs in PW-53.2 – Welded Test Plates
- 2019
o ADDED
• “The weld consumables used to weld the test plate shall be from the same
manufacturer and lot(s), control or heat number(s) as that to be used for each
weld process in production.”
o ADDED
• “If weld consumables are purchased with a Certified Material Test Report based
on Schedule 4 or I level of testing as defined in Section II, Part C, SFA-5.01/
SFA-5.01M, then the requirement to make a test plate is exempted.”

PW-38 PW-38 Preheating and Interpass Temperatures

- Comprehensively revised PW-38, adding rules for area preheat shall be established over,
adding rules to address interruptions in welding and requirements for interpass
temperature. Nonmandatory Appendix A-100 is deleted.
o 2019
o PW-38.1 - ADDED
• “The Welding Procedure Specification for the material being welded shall
specify the minimum preheating and maximum interpass requirements in
accordance with the rules of this Section and Section IX.”
• “The temperatures in Table PW-38-1 are recommended unless otherwise
mandated by this Part.”
• “For P-No. 1 materials, the rules for preheating only apply when mandated by
PW-39 for exemption of postweld heat treatment.”
o PW-38.3 - ADDED
• Added for no welding or thermal cutting operation when the temperature of the
base metal in the welding or cutting zone is below 50°F (10°C).
o PW-38.4 - ADDED
• Added to establish preheat distance.
o PW-38.5 - ADDED
• “Preheat for tack welds - For tack welds the base metal temperature shall be at
or above the minimum temperature specified in the Welding Procedure
Specification for a distance not less than 1 in. (25 mm) in all directions from the
point of welding.”
o PW-38.6 - ADDED
• “When welding two different P-Number materials, the minimum preheat
temperature shall be the higher temperature for the materials to be welded.”
o PW-38.8 - ADDED
• Added requirements for Interruption of Welding

PW-39
PW-39 Post Weld Heat Treatment
- Revised PW-39.2 to clarify that the exemptions contained within the General Notes of the
PW-39 tables are applicable only to materials of their respective P-No. groupings.
o 2019
• PW-39.2 When pressure parts of two different P-Number groups are joined by
welding, the postweld heat treatment shall be that specified in Tables PW-39-1
through PW-39-14 and applicable notes for the material requiring the higher
postweld heat treatment temperature…
• ADDED: “If one of the materials in the joint is exempt from postweld heat
treatment, then the time and temperature shall be that of the material
requiring postweld heat treatment. For the weld to be exempt from postweld
heat treatment, each material must satisfy the exemptions applicable to its
respective P-Number and Group Number in Tables PW-39-1 through PW-39-14.”

ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code

Key changes for Section I

Part/Paragraph Change/Revision

PG-33 PG-33 Compensation Required for Openings in Shell and Dished Heads
- Revised x-axis title in Figure PG-33.3 and added sketch to the Figure depicting the angle theta
used for determining the F factor.
- 2017
– Fig. PG-33.3 - X-Axis Title - Angle With Plane With Longitudinal Axis, deg
- 2019
– X-Axis Title - Angle 0, deg. of plane with Longitudinal Axis

Longitudinal
0 shell axis

PG-112.2.5 Revised PG-112.2.5 to state that the organization certifying Form P-4A or P-4B retains the
responsibility for the Code design.
- 2019
o PG-112.2.5 - ADDED
• Form P-4A, Manufacturer’s Data Report for Fabricated Piping, shall be used to record
all shop or field-welded boiler external piping that falls within the scope of this Section
but is not furnished by the boiler Manufacturer. Form P-4B, Manufacturer’s Data Report
for Field-Installed Mechanically Assembled Piping, shall be used to record all
field-installed mechanically assembled boiler external piping. Form P-4B shall be used
only for piping that contains no joints brazed or welded by the field installer. “The
organization certifying Form P-4A or P-4B retains the responsibility for the Code design”

PG-113.4
Revised PG-113.4 for retention requirements of form P-4A
- 2019
o PG-113.4 – ADDED
• When boiler external piping is furnished by an organization not contractually
responsible to the Manufacturer [see PG-104.1, Note (1)], the organization responsible
for the fabrication and installation of this piping shall have the responsibility for
distributing copies of Form P-4A to the inspection agency and proper authorities.
“The piping fabricator shall retain Form P-4A for a minimum of 5 years.”

PG-58.3.1 PG-58.3.1 – Single Boiler Prime Mover Installation

- Revised PG-58.3.1 to clarify the BEP limitation for single boiler-prime mover installations
when the required stop valve is omitted.
o 2019
• PG-58.3.1 - ADDED
• In the case of a single boiler and prime mover installation, the stop valve required
herein may be omitted provided the prime mover stop valve or throttle valve is
equipped with an indicator to show whether the valve is open or closed and is designed
to withstand the required hydrostatic pressure test of the boiler. “The limit of boiler
external piping ends upstream of such prime mover valve(s) and does not include
the connection.”

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 Part/Paragraph Change/Revision

Table PW-39-1 Table PW-39-1 Revised General Note (a), added new (b)(2), changed CE equation to remove
silicon; removed CE requirement from P-No. 1 Group 1 ≤25mm thickness
PW-38 - 2017
o (a) PWHT is not required for P-No. 1 Group 1 materials when the calculated carbon
equivalent (CE) is less than or equal to 0.45, and the nominal thickness as defined in
PW-39.3 is 1.5 in. (38 mm) or less. When the nominal thickness is greater than 1.5 in.
(38 mm), PWHT is not required when the calculated CE is less than or equal to 0.45 and
a minimum preheat of 250°F (120°C) is applied. Electroslag welds shall follow the PWHT
requirements of PW-27.3 and PW-39.7
- 2019

(a) Postweld heat treatment is not mandatory for P-No. 1 Group 1 materials under the following conditions:
(1) when the nominal thickness as defined in PW-39.3 is 1 in. (25mm) or less.
(2) when the nominal thickness as defined in PW-39.3 exceeds 1 in. (25mm), postweld heat treatment is not required when
the calculated carbon equivalent, CE, of each base metal in the weld joint is less than or equal to 0.45 using the following
formula, and a minimum preheat of 200oF (95oC) is applied.

Mn (Cr + Mo + V) (Ni + Cu)

CE = C + + +
6 5 15

NOTE: The maximum chemical composition limit from the material specification or the actual values from a chemical analysis or material test report shall be used in
computing the CE. If the chemistry values required for the last two terms are not available, 0.14% shall be substituted for those two terms as follows:

Mn
CE = C + + 0.15
6

PG-59 Revised PG-59.3.2 to clarify that the maximum size limit of NPS 2-1/2 apply to surface blowoff
connections when they are provided. Revised PG-59.3.5 to clarify that the size requirements for
blowoff connections apply to bottom blowoff connections and added a reference to the size
exceptions provided in Part PEB.
- 2019
o PG-59.3.2 - ADDED
• “When” a surface blowoff connection “is provided, the size” shall not exceed NPS
2 ½ (DN 65), and the internal pipe and the terminal connection for the external
pipe, when used, shall form a continuous passage, but with clearance between
their ends and arranged so that the removal of either will not disturb the other.
A properly designed steel bushing, similar to or the equivalent of those shown in
Figure PG-59.1, or a flanged connection shall be used.
o PG-59.3.5 - ADDED
• Except as permitted for miniature boilers in Part PMB, “for electric boilers in Part
PEB”, and for boilers with 100 ft2 (9.3 m2) of heating surface or less, the minimum
size of “bottom” blowoff connections shall be NPS 1 (DN 25) and the maximum size
shall be NPS 2½ (DN 65). Boilers with 100 ft2 (9.3 m2) or less but more than 20 ft2
(1.9 m2) of heating surface may have a minimum size blowoff connection of NPS 3/4
(DN 20). Boilers with 20 ft2 (1.9 m2) or less of heating surface may have a minimum
size blowoff connection of NPS ½ (DN 15).

ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code

Key changes for Section I

Part/Paragraph Change/Revision

PG-99 Pressure Test Of Boiler PG-99.4.2 Test Gage Range

- Revised PG-99.4.2 to clarify requirements of dial test gages during hydrotest with specific
range 1.5 to 4 times the test pressure ….in line with Sec VIII Div 1
o PG-99.4.2 – REVISED
• Dial pressure gages used in testing shall preferably have dials graduated over “the”
entire range of about double the intended maximum test pressure, “it is preferred
that the range of the gage be double the intended maximum test pressure”, but in
no case shall the range be less than 1 ½ “nor more than four” times that pressure.
The spacing between graduations shall be such that the inspector and the
operator controlling the test shall be able to determine when the required test
pressure has been applied. Digital pressure gages having a wider range of
pressure readings may be used provided the readings give the same or greater
degree of accuracy as obtained with dial pressure gages.

PG-58.2.6 Added Fig. PG-58.2-6 for Code Jurisdictional Limit for Piping for Firetube Boiler

Figure PG-58.2-6
Code jurisdictional limits for piping - firetube boiler

Lloyd’s Register
 Part/Paragraph Change/Revision

Non-mandatory appendix Revised Table A-360 to reference ASME B31.1-2018, revised Note (2), deleted Note (3), and
A – table A-360 renumbered subsequent notes.

ASME Standards

B1.20.1-2013 Pipe threads, general purpose (inch)

B16.1-2015 Gray iron pipe flanges and flanged fittings (classes 25, 125 and 250)

B16.3-2016 Malleable iron threaded fittings, classes 125 and 300

B16.4-2016 Gray iron threaded fittings, classes 125 and 250

B16.6 -2017 Pipe flanges and flanged fittings

B16.9-2012 Factory-made wrought buttwelding fittings

B16.11.2016 Forged fittings, socket-welding and threaded

B16.15-2013 Cast copper alloy threaded fittings; classes 125 and 250

B16.20-2017 Metallic gaskets for pipe flanges : ring-joint, spiral wound, and jacketed

B16.24-2016 Cast copper alloy pipe flanges and flanged fittings: class 150, 300, 600, 900 1500, and 2500

B16.25-2017 Buttwelding ends (Note (4))

B16.34-2017 Valves - flanged , threaded and welding ends

B16.42-2016 Ductile iron pipe flanges and flanged fittings, classes 150 and 300
B16.47-2017 Large diameter steel flanges, NPS 26 through NPS 60

B18.1.2-1972 (R2011) Large rivets

B31.1-2018 Power piping (Note (1)) through (Note (3))

B36.10M-2015 Welded and seemless wrought steel pipe

CA-1 latest edition Conformity assessment requirements

QAI-1 latest edition Qualifications for authorised inspection

ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code

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