16 Tex. Admin. Code § 65.612 - Repairs and Alterations
(a) Repairs and
alterations must conform to the current edition of the National Board
Inspection Code (NBIC) and must be acceptable to the inspector, except that
repairs and alterations may be performed by the following, provided the
intended work is within the scope of the issued certificate of authorization:
(1) holders of a certificate of authorization
from the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors for use of the
R repair symbol stamp; or
(2)
owners or operators of boilers who have been issued a certificate of
authorization by the department.
(A) Issuance
of the certificate of authorization will be made upon submission of an
application in the manner prescribed by the department.
(B) Review of the applicant's program and
facilities initially and at subsequent three-year intervals will be done.
(i) The review will determine the applicant
has a documented program to control repairs and/or alterations conforming to
minimum requirements established by the department.
(ii) The review will require demonstration of
the applicant's ability to perform repairs and/or alterations by implementing
on representative work the requirements of the written program.
(iii) The guidelines of the NBIC for the
quality control system are a minimum, except that an Authorized Inspection
Agency is not required and the Repair and Alteration forms are issued by the
department. The National Board's forms shall not be used by these certificate
holders.
(b) Derating a boiler's MAWP and/or allowable
temperature (in accordance with the NBIC), must be approved by the department
before commencement of the alteration. If the derating is approved, the MAWP
and/or allowable temperature may not be increased without prior approval from
the department.
(c) Non-welded
repairs.
(1) Replacement parts made of plate
material used for pressure retaining shall require material test reports (MTR).
Traceability to the MTR must be maintained at all times.
(2) Replacement parts fabricated by welding
must be certified, stamped with the appropriate ASME Code symbol and inspected
by an Authorized Inspector as required by the ASME Code.
(3) When a non-welded repair involves the
replacement of cast or forged parts that are identified with the ASME Code
symbol at the time of casting or forging, these parts shall be replaced with
cast or forged parts that are identified with the ASME Code symbol or so
certified by the manufacturer to be in accordance with the original code of
construction.
(4) All other
materials shall not require MTR's, provided the material is identified with the
material specification, grade, lot and rating as required by the material or
product specification and the ASME Code.
(5) When used parts are utilized for
non-welded repairs, it is the repair organization's responsibility to ensure
the parts are identified as required above.
(6) Boiler tubes shall be replaced with tubes
of the allowed material and in accordance with the original code of
construction.
(d) Lap
seam cracks. The shell or drum of a boiler in which a typical lap seam crack is
discovered along a longitudinal riveted lap-type joint shall be immediately and
permanently discontinued for use under pressure. A lap seam crack is the
typical crack frequently found in lap seams, which extends parallel to the
longitudinal joint and is located either between or adjacent to rivet
holes.
(e) Replacement of boiler
tubes in a fire tube boiler fabricated in accordance with ASME Code Section I
or IV.
(1) The following are alterations:
(A) Replacing a mechanically expanded boiler
tube with a welded boiler tube.
(B)
Replacing a welded boiler tube with a mechanically expanded boiler
tube.
(2) Only a person
qualified and authorized under subsections (a)(1) or (a)(2) may replace welded
or mechanically expanded boiler tubes.
(3) Replacement tubes must be made of a
material that is the same as or is compatible with the material of the boiler
tube being replaced and must be welded or mechanically expanded into the tube
sheet or drum.
(f)
Plugging of boiler tubes (excluding tubes in headers of economizers,
evaporators, superheaters, or reheaters).
(1)
Tube plugs must be made of a material which is compatible with the material of
the boiler tube being plugged and must be welded into place or manufactured to
be mechanically expanded into the tube sheet or drum.
(2) Plugging boiler tubes on fire tube
boilers fabricated in accordance with ASME Code Section I or IV. Best practice
is not to plug a boiler tube in a fire tube boiler. If a fire tube boiler tube
is plugged, the following conditions apply.
(A) Only a person qualified and authorized
under subsections (a)(1) or (a)(2) may plug boiler tubes.
(B) Plugging boiler tubes that are adjacent
to another plugged boiler tube is prohibited.
(C) No more than 10% of the total number of
boiler tubes may be plugged.
(D)
All non-expanded boiler tube plugs must be welded into place.
(E) All plugged boiler tubes must be replaced
before the next required certificate inspection.
(3) Plugging boiler tubes on water tube
boilers, unfired boilers, or process steam generators.
(A) No more than 10% of the boiler generating
tubes may be plugged. Additional tubes may be plugged after approval is
obtained from the Original Equipment Manufacturer or an engineer experienced in
boiler design. The scope of the approval is limited to the plugging of the
tubes and must consider the operational effect on the water side pressure
boundary or membrane and the effect on the combustion process throughout the
boiler.
(B) No water wall tubes may
be plugged, where the tube forms a separation wall between products of
combustion and the outside atmosphere or a separation of the gas passes in a
multiple (gas) pass boiler.
Notes
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No prior version found.