16 Tex. Admin. Code § 65.614 - Authority to Set and Seal Safety Appliances
(a) All safety and
pressure relief valves for ASME Code Sections I, IV, and VIII Division 1
boilers must be repaired, tested, set, and sealed by one of the organizations
listed in this section, provided the scope of the issued certificate of
authorization covers the work to be performed.
(b) The following organizations are
authorized to set and seal safety appliances:
(1) an organization holding a valid V, HV, or
UV certificate of authorization, as appropriate, issued by the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); or
(2) an organization holding a valid VR
certificate of authorization issued by the National Board of Boiler and
Pressure Vessel Inspectors; or
(3)
an organization holding a valid owner or operator certificate of authorization
issued by the department to repair, test, set and seal safety appliances for
boilers meeting the requirements of this chapter only at the approved owner or
operator facilities. Such authorization may be granted or withheld by the
department.
(A) If authorization is granted
and proper administrative fees as provided for in §65.300 are paid, a
certificate of authorization will be issued, expiring on the triennial
anniversary date. The certificate will indicate authorization to repair ASME
Code Sections I, IV, or VIII valves, as verified by testing and as covered by
the repair organization's quality control manual.
(B) The applicant should apply to the
department for renewal of authorization and reissuance of the certificate six
months before the date of expiration.
(C) The owner or operator certificate of
authorization is renewable every three years. Before issuance or renewal of the
certificate of authorization, the repair organization and its facilities are
subject to a review and demonstration of its quality control system by an
inspector. Original code books and the National Board's Pressure Relief Device
Certifications (NB-18), as required to set and seal safety appliances, must be
available during the review of the quality control system.
(D) Before the owner or operator certificate
of authorization may be issued or renewed, two valves that have been repaired
by the applicant must successfully complete operational verification tests as
follows:
(i) visual examination to ensure the
quality of material and workmanship;
(ii) verification that critical parts meet
the valve manufacturer's specifications. Critical parts that are replaced must
be fabricated to the valve manufacturer's specifications. Critical parts which
require repair shall meet the valve manufacturer's specifications;
(iii) tightness tests and verification;
and
(iv) set pressure test and
verification.
(E) The
purpose of the tests is to ensure that the function and operation of the valves
meet the requirements of the applicable section of the ASME Code to which they
are manufactured. Should any of the valves fail to meet the applicable
requirements, the test shall be repeated on two valves for each valve that
failed. Failure of any of these valves shall cause the applicant to investigate
and document the cause of failure and state what corrective action has been
taken to prevent future recurrences. Retest of the original valve is
acceptable. Following proper implementation of this corrective action and after
satisfactory performance, permission to receive the certificate of
authorization will be granted.
(F)
Field repairs are defined as any repair conducted outside a fixed repair shop
location. Field repairs may be conducted with the aid of mobile facilities with
repair capabilities with or without testing capabilities. Field repairs may be
conducted in owner or operator facilities without the use of mobile facilities.
Organizations that obtain the owner or operator certificate of authorization
for in-shop/plant repairs may also perform field repairs to safety and pressure
relief valves provided that:
(i) qualified
technicians perform such repairs;
(ii) an acceptable quality control system
covering field repairs is maintained; and
(iii) periodic audits of the work carried out
in the field are made by quality control personnel of the certificate of
authorization holder to ensure that the requirements of the quality control
system are met.
(G)
Provided the provisions in subparagraph (F)(i) - (iii) are met, verification
testing of field repaired valves shall not be required.
(H) Organizations that perform field repairs
only must demonstrate field repair capabilities to an inspector before the
certificate of authorization may be issued or renewed. Two valves must be
repaired in the field and successfully complete verification tests as described
in subparagraph (D) and (E). A quality control manual as required in
subparagraph (J), must be prepared describing all field repair
activities.
(I) Repair of a safety
and pressure relief valve is considered to be the replacement, remachining, or
cleaning of any part, lapping of seat and disc, or any other operation which
may affect the flow passage, capacity, function, or pressure retaining
integrity. Disassembly, reassembly, and/or adjustments which affect the safety
or pressure relief valve function are also considered a repair. The initial
installation, testing, and adjustments of a new safety valve or a pressure
relief valve in a boiler are not considered a repair.
(J) In general, the quality control system
must describe and explain what documents and procedures the owner or operator
will use to validate a valve repair. Before issuance or renewal of the owner or
operator certificate of authorization, the applicant must meet all
requirements, including an acceptable written quality control system. The basic
elements of a written quality control system are those described in
§65.615, Exhibit 9.
(i) The written
quality control system shall also include provisions for making revisions,
enabling the system to be kept current as required.
(ii) A review of the applicant's quality
control system will be performed by an inspector. The review will include a
demonstration of the implementation of the applicant's quality control
system.
(iii) Each applicant to
whom a certificate of authorization is issued, shall maintain thereafter a
controlled copy of the accepted quality control manual with the inspector.
Except for changes which do not affect the quality control program, revisions
to the quality control manual shall not be implemented until such revisions are
acceptable to the inspector.
(K) It is essential that owner or operator
valve repair organizations ensure that personnel making repairs to safety and
pressure relief valves are knowledgeable and qualified. The owner or operator
must provide documented training with minimum qualification requirements for
the valve repair position. Specific requirements to be included in an
individual's training are as follows:
(i)
working knowledge of the organization's quality control manual;
(ii) working knowledge of the applicable
requirements; and
(iii) working
knowledge of the technical aspects and mechanical skills for valves being
repaired or tested.
(L)
Performance testing of repaired valves.
(i)
For shop valves, a test stand shall be used. The test stand shall be of a size
and design to ensure clean, consistent, and repetitive pop action and response
to blowdown adjustment, if possible. Test gages shall be connected to the test
stand in such a manner as to indicate true pressure at the inlet of the valve
being tested. Test gages shall be maintained and calibrated, at least every
ninety (90) days, to a minimum of one-half of 1.0% accuracy over the upper 80%
of full scale range. The use of digital gages is acceptable. All calibrations
shall be documented and traceable to national standards.
(ii) Valves marked for liquid service shall
be set according to the applicable manufacturer's specification.
(iii) Valves marked for steam service or
having special internal parts for steam should be tested with steam. However,
valves for steam service may be tested with air or nitrogen for correct opening
(popping), pressure setting, and, if possible, blowdown adjustment, provided
the differential in popping pressure between steam and air or nitrogen, as
specified in the quality control manual, are applied to the popping
point.
(iv) Valves which are
repaired in place shall be tested to demonstrate set pressure.
(v) For valves which are repaired in place, a
device (hydraulic, pneumatic, etc.) may be used to apply an auxiliary lifting
load on the spring to a valve for testing purposes and/or making adjustments.
Calibrated testing equipment shall be used and detailed testing procedures
followed. In such cases, the manufacturer's recommendations shall be used to
establish blowdown.
(M)
When a safety or pressure relief valve is repaired, a metal repair tag, as
described in the quality control manual, shall be attached to the valve. As a
minimum, the information on the tag will include the valve identification
number, set pressure, date of repair, and certificate of authorization
number.
Notes
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