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Applicable Codes in Oil/ Gas industry, Canada

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Potin

Chemical
May 10, 2004
5
Could someone tell me, what are those applicable Codes, for petroleum process industry in Canada, and especially in Alberta?

Very appreciated
 
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That's such a broad question that I doubt you could ever get an answer with a single post to an electronic forum, I'm afraid.

Be more specific: WHAT kind of activity in the "petroleum process industry" are you interested in? There are municipal, provincial and federal regulations which adopt codes and standards from various sources, depending on what you're planning to do.
 
Thank you very much for the reply. Right, I do need narrow the scope.

I am interested with the Codes regulateing mechanical work(like piping), water and wastewter treatment process, power plant desigtn, pollution control standards, etc.

Sounds better, or still too wide?
 
In general terms... there should be a provincial body for Pressure piping and LPG (in Ontario TSSA).
Wastewater - Provincial and Regional guidelines (MOE and Local district).
Air - Provincial (MOE)

Based on what I know in Ontario... Good luck

 
There are perhaps a hundred individual regulations applicable to the range of things you've listed. Sorry, there's no single, central, over-arching standard or regulation.

For instance, there is a provincial Boilers and Pressure Vessels Act in each province which adopts certain codes and standards (for instance CSA B51), which adopts yet more standards (ASME VIII for vessels, B31.3/B31.3 for piping etc.) with regional additions. For instance, CSA B51 calls out the need for Canadian Registry Numbers (CRN) for pressure retaining components, which is a requirement which goes beyond the requirements called out in B31.3. There will be additional requirements such as those resulting from the regional/municipal fire codes, provincial OHSA regulations etc. which will also affect design and bring to bear other related standards. Add to those any specific industry- or corporate-imposed standards and you will have a real impression of the regulatory complexity involved.

Taking wastewater treatment as an example: depending on where you discharge the water from your wastewater treatment process, you will be dealing with either municipal regulations, provincial regulations, or federal regulations. Air emissions are generally subject to provincial regs.

Local professional consulting engineers generally know the applicable regulations and standards and can be most helpful in sorting out which regulations bear on what you're doing- if you're planning to supply equipment into Alberta, I'd strongly recommend you retain one. If you're a new engineer and want to "learn the ropes", the best way to do it is to work for a consultant or manufacturer providing services into the province. In fact, to become a licensed professional engineer in Alberta (or any other province in Canada) you need a year of Canadian experience PRECISELY so that the licensing body can be sure that you are at least somewhat aware of the regulatory and business environment where you'll be providing services.

If you insist on going it alone, have a look at the Province of Alberta's website. Ontario's governmental website has free download access to all provincial statutes and regulations, and I suspect that Alberta will be the same. The Technical Standards and Safety Authority ( the Ontario equivalent to Alberta's Boiler Branch (or whatever they're called these days), may also be a helpful resource for you to review. But the individual codes are NOT available for free- you'll have to get those from the standard-writer (i.e. ASME, API etc.) and pay for the pleasure.
 
Thanks a lot for the information you replied.

Yes, I am kind of a new engineer in term of local codes. First, because I moved over from another coountry, then worked in building industry for a while. Now, decided to back on process/ municipal field. I am in Alberta.

Thanks again.
 
ABSA is the governing body here in the province of Alberta. For process piping you use B31.3 and for pressure vessels ASME VIII. The regulatory agency for the petroleum industry is the EUB.
 
Andy, thank you very much.

With your help, I have successfully digged out lots of info have been looking for.
 
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