PED for piping in a pharmaceutical plant

[Luisa89]

Dear all,
please I ask your help for a valuation of PED for piping. Could you please write me when a piping is classified as PED? And could you give me the definition of "full vacuum" for a piping? Sorry for the commonplace questions and thanks for all your support.

Luisa

 

[LittleInch]

PED does not normally cover interconnecting piping, but this is subject to local "interpretation". Piping considered as part of the equipment "package" is part of PED, so essentially anything on a skid package would normally be thought of as the boundary for the pressurised equipment.

Full vacuum means what it says = 0psia. / 0barg. Just means your collapse pressure is 1 barg from atmospheric or you add 1 bar to any external pressure for collapse criteria. Usually only an issue on large diameter (24"+ very thin pipe / vessel).

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[bimr]

Pressure Equipment Directive Coverage

The Directive applies to the design, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment and assemblies of pressure equipment with maximum allowable pressure greater than 0,5 bar above atmospheric pressure and covers..

Pressure equipment - vessels, piping, safety accessories and pressure accessories. Where applicable, pressure equipment includes elements attached to pressurised parts, such as flanges, nozzles, couplings, supports, lifting lugs, etc.
Vessels - housings designed and built to contain fluids under pressure.
Piping - piping components intended for the transport of fluids, when connected together for integration into a pressure system.
Safety accessories - devices designed to protect pressure equipment against the allowable limits being exceeded.
Pressure accessories - devices with an operational function and having pressure bearing housings.
Assemblies - several pieces of pressure equipment assembled by a manufacturer to constitute an integrated and functional whole.

 

[LittleInch]

You can make a case either way, but if you think of interconnecting piping as falling under PED, it turns every piece of pipe into a pressure vessel in essence which you then need to inspect every 5-7 years in the same way.

Remember - More details = better answers
Also: If you get a response it's polite to respond to it.

 

[XL83NL]

Not sure where the term interconnecting came from or was mentioned first. The PED can surely apply to piping for a pharmaceutical plant. We do built such plants however we find most piping, due to low pressures and flow rates, quite often doesn’t fall in any of the categories and hence the ESRs don’t apply. But, it surely can.
Can you give us an example/your case?

Huub
- You never get what you expect, you only get what you inspect.