GUIDELINE – DESIGN REGISTRATION OF COMPLETE BOILER UNIT

This document provides guidance on the registration of Complete Boiler Unit designs.

Note1: It is recognised that the term ‘Boiler System’ is commonly used by industry and
ABSA when referring to a Boiler Unit that is of somewhat complex or unusual
arrangement of multiple components. The term “Complete Boiler Unit” is used and
referenced in ASME Sec I, henceforward this document uses the term “Complete Boiler
Unit” to provide for alignment of the requirements established in Section I and this
guideline document.

A Complete Boiler Unit is an assembly of multiple components, such as economisers,

evaporators, superheaters, boiler external piping, steam and mud drums, and any other boiler
proper components (e.g. headers, downcomers, raisers, crossovers) -, forming a continuous
pressure boundary that is the boiler. Special considerations may be given on case-by-case
basis for boiler configurations that include isolable components that meet all the requirements
of ASME BPV Code, Section I (e.g. isolable economizers located in feedwater piping, isolable
superheaters in main steam piping).
A Complete Boiler Unit is simply a boiler in context of the Pressure Equipment Safety
Regulation (PESR). The PESR mandates the registration of the boiler design. Therefore the
design of the Complete Boiler Unit must be registered.

This guideline document does not establish any additional or new technical or administrative
requirements beyond those stipulated in PESR, CSA B51, ASME BPV Code, Section I and
applicable ABSA documents.

Complete Boiler Units are commonly designed to ASME BPV Code, Section I
Typical examples include:
 Power boilers (e.g. water-wall type, firetube type),
 heat recovery steam generators, solar receiver steam generators, high-temperature
water boilers
 Modular boiler with multiple components (such as economizers, steam drums etc.)
 Boiler unit with multiple fired furnaces (may also include multiple components)
 Waste heat boiler
 Fired-furnaces that house both boiler components and process system components
 Other types of boiler configurations and combinations may be deemed “Complete Boiler
Unit”.

It was observed by ABSA and identified by industry that the design registration of a Complete
Boiler Unit has presented some challenges.
Challenges tend to be particularly common when it is not clear who is responsible for the
Complete Boiler Unit and particularly when there are multiple parties involved in the design
registration and construction of the components. Challenges may include:

 Scope and/or overall responsibility for the Complete Boiler System are not clear
 Design, construction, inspection, and certification criteria of all components is not clear
  Lack of clarity regarding who is responsible to size, provide, and install overpressure
protection for the Complete Boiler System

Challenges in past have led to delays in design registration, project completion and in the
extreme, situations in which the boiler components are not acceptable for registration with
intended service conditions of the Complete Boiler Unit resulting in components or parts
having to be re-constructed and the component design to be re-registered.

A Complete Boiler Unit often includes components that are designed and built by different
entities. While the design of each component may have been registered, the design of the
Complete Boiler Unit as a whole may not have been. This is not merely an administrative
issue. From the technical safety perspective, someone must be responsible for the overall
design and construction of the Complete Boiler Unit. For example, it is responsibility of the
boiler designer to determine its output capacity and overpressure protection requirements;
both of which are critical aspects of the Complete Boiler Unit design subsequent and safe
operation.

Complete Boiler Unit designs may be registered under one CRN which will be issued to the
manufacturer or engineering-contractor that is responsible for the overall design, assembly and
certification of the Complete Boiler Unit.
The CRN assigned to the Complete Boiler Unit will include all components within the
uninterrupted pressure boundary (including the boiler external piping).

In the case where individual components are already registered with separate CRNs, to avoid
duplication of efforts the details of the already registered component and its CRN shall be
referenced in the application and the drawings for the registration of the Complete Boiler Unit.

The documents and drawings submitted with the design registration application shall be
complete enough that one may identify the entire scope of the Complete Boiler Unit and each
component that makes a part of the boiler, inclusive of all relevant information necessary to
establish fulfilment of the requirements of PESR, CSA B51, ASME BPVC Sec I, ASME B31.1
as applicable.

As a minimum for the design to be accepted for registration the design application
documentation will include:

A. When all components of the Complete Boiler Unit are to be registered as part of one
submission:
 Completed AB-31(Design Registration Application form)
 The name of the organization that takes responsibility for the Complete Boiler
Unit design, construction and certification
 Drawings identifying the Complete Boiler Unit, (such as Flow Diagrams,
components arrangement/assembly drawing, P&ID, etc.) as applicable
 Detailed design drawings identifying and describing each component (such as
steam drum, boiler proper, economiser, etc.) as applicable.
 Other pertinent drawings and other technical documents that contain necessary
information to ensure that Code requirements are fulfilled.
 Code required calculations
  The Complete Boiler Unit’s maximum steaming capacity and heating surface
calculations
 Drawings and P&IDs specifically identifying the associated boiler external piping,
(administrative jurisdiction of ASME Section I)
 Other pertinent information that may be valuable for the process of design survey
and registration.

B. When individual components are registered separately:

In addition to the documentation specified in “A” above::

 Details about the separately registered component(s) (such as the CRN, P/T
ratings, components heating surface etc.) needs to be included in the application
drawings and documents.

 Detailed design drawings and calculations are not required for the individual
components that are already registered and have a separate CRN.

Note 2: Boiler external piping is within the scope of the administrative jurisdiction of
ASME Section I, hence is integral part of a boiler and needs to be registered with a
Complete Boiler Unit.
Note 3: Non-boiler external piping shall be registered separately from the boiler system.
Figures 1 through 3 provide some examples of Complete Boiler Unit with multiple components

Complete Boiler Unit – one CRN

Master Data report, All separately registered component CRNs will be indicated
CRN and Nameplate in the Complete Boiler Unit registration

required for this

Complete Boiler Unit
Steam Drums may have a
separate and different CRN

Economizer, Evaporator,
Superheater may have a
separate and different CRN

Figure 1: Example “A” – Complete Boiler Unit with Multiple Components

Figure 2: Example “B” - Complete Boiler Unit with Multiple Components and Fired Furnaces
Figure 3: Example”C”- Complete Boiler Unit with Process Heater System