Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 120-3-26-.19 - Preparation for Certificate Inspection
(1) The owner or user shall prepare each
boiler or pressure vessel for inspection, and shall prepare for and apply a
hydrostatic or pressure test, whenever necessary, on the date arranged by the
Inspector.
(2) Boilers - The owner
or user shall prepare a boiler for internal inspection in the following manner:
(a) Water shall be drained off and the boiler
washed thoroughly;
(b) Manhole and
handhole plates, washout plugs, and inspection plugs in water column
connections shall be removed as required by the Inspector, and the furnace and
combustion chambers shall be cooled and thoroughly cleaned;
(c) All grates of internally fired boilers
shall be removed;
(d) Insulation or
brickwork shall be removed as required by the Inspector in order to determine
the condition of the boiler, headers, furnace, supports, or other
parts;
(e) The pressure gauge shall
be removed for testing, as required by the Inspector;
(f) Any leakage of steam or hot water into
the boiler shall be prevented by disconnecting the pipe or valve at the most
convenient point or any appropriate means approved by the Inspector,
and
(g) Before opening the manhole
or handhole covers and entering any parts of the steam generating unit
connected to a common header with other boilers, the nonreturn and steam stop
valves shall be closed, tagged, and preferably padlocked, and drain valves or
cocks between the two valves opened. The feed valves shall be closed, tagged,
and preferably padlocked, and drain valves or cocks located between the two
valves opened. After draining the oiler, the blowoff valves shall be closed,
tagged, and preferably padlocked. Blowoff lines, where practicable, shall be
disconnected between pressure parts and valves. All drains and vent lines shall
be opened.
(3) Pressure
Vessels. Pressure vessels shall be prepared for inspections to the extent
deemed necessary by the Inspector and the applicable procedures outlined in
Rule 120-3-26-.17(2).
(4) No employer or owner/user shall permit
entry to nor shall an employee or inspector enter a boiler furnace, drum, or
header or pressure vessel until all requirements of the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration, Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner,
29 CFR
1910.146, Permit-Required Confined Space
Standard, requirements have been met, and until the plant inspector or
supervisor and the person entering the boiler or pressure vessel have confirmed
all stop valves on inlet and outlet piping (not vented to the atmosphere have
been closed and tagged. Where not valved off and tagged, the piping shall be
disconnected or blanked. In addition, plant personnel shall make appropriate
test to assure there is no oxygen deficiency of hazardous or toxic gases in the
boiler drums or pressure vessels to be entered by the inspector. Prior to and
during entry an approved person must be outside the boiler or pressure vessel
to ensure confined space procedures are complied with.
(5) Boilers and pressure vessels improperly
prepared for inspection. If a boiler or pressure vessel has not been properly
prepared for an internal inspection, or if the owner or user failed to comply
with the requirements for a pressure test as set forth in these Rules, the
Inspector may decline to make the inspection or test and the inspection
certificate shall be withheld or suspended until the owner or user complies
with the requirements.
(6) Removal
of covering to permit inspection. If the boiler or pressure vessel is jacketed
so that the longitudinal seams of shells, drums, or domes cannot be seen,
sufficient jacketing, setting wall, or other form of casing or housing shall be
removed to permit reasonable inspection of the seams and other areas necessary
to determine the condition and safety of the boiler or pressure vessel provided
such information cannot be determined by other means.
(7) Lap Seam Cracks. The shell or drum of a
boiler or pressure vessel in which a lap seam crack is discovered along a
longitudinal riveted joint, shall be immediately discontinue d from use.
Patching shall be prohibited. (A "Lap seam crack" is defined as a crack found
in a lap seam, extending parallel to the longitudinal joint and located either
between or adjacent to rivet holes.)
(8) Pressure Tests.
(a) A hydrostatic pressure test, when applied
to boilers, shall not exceed one and one-half times the maximum allowable
working pressure. The pressure shall be under proper control so that in no case
shall the required test pressure be exceeded by more than six
percent.
(b) A hydrostatic pressure
test, when applied to pressure vessels, shall be a minimum of one and one-half
times the maximum allowable working pressure except as permitted by ASME Code
Section VIII, Division 1.
(c)
During a hydrostatic test, the safety valve or valves shall be removed or
gagged; if gagged, each valve disk shall be held to its seat by means of a
testing clamp and not by screwing down the compression screw upon the spring. A
Plug device designed for this purpose may be used.
(d) The minimum temperature of the water used
to apply a hydrostatic test shall be not less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit and
the maximum metal temperature during inspection shall not exceed 120 degrees
Fahrenheit.
(e) When a hydrostatic
test is applied to determine tightness, the pressure shall be equal to the
normal operating pressure but not exceed the release pressure of the safety
valve having the lowest release setting.
(f) When the contents of the vessel prohibit
contamination by any other medium or when a hydrostatic test is not possible,
other testing media may be used providing the precautionary requirements of the
applicable section of the ASME Code are followed.
Notes
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