Who Decides Which Code Governs?

[KernOily]

Hi guys. Not sure in which forum to ask this, so I'm starting here. I'm involved with a project for pressure relief sizing for vessels in gas plant storage service: storage of liquified propane, butane, natural gasoline, and mixtures of all these (colloquially known as "propane bullets"). The question has arisen as to which of the following is the governing code for this particular situation (the sizing of the PSVs):

API 521
NFPA 58
NFPA 30
ASME Section VIII

I maintain that the owner's insurance carrier in conjunction with local jurisdiction (Fire Dept and local and state codes and statutes) will make the determination as to the applicable governing code.

To add fuel to the fire (hee hee, couldn't resist), each of these codes has its own PSV sizing rules, and therefore, each Code comes up with a different PSV size for this application. This is not a trivial situation as the PSVs in question are huge (e.g. 6S8, 6Q8, cha-ching $$$) and there are a lot of them.

The question here is not so much which of the above codes I listed is correct for this situation, but in general, who makes the call as to what code should be used in any given situation?

Some situations are no-brainers, e.g. boilers must use ASME Section I, but my example is one where the situation is not so clear. And if the owner is self-insured, what then?

What say ye?

Thanks in advance for any help/information/cites/cheap shots/abusive insults/helpful suggestions!

 

[MJCronin]

My vote is NFPA 58

Have you considered posting this question in the "Safety Relief Valve" forum?

 

[metengr]

The question here is not so much which of the above codes I listed is correct for this situation, but in general, who makes the call as to what code should be used in any given situation?

Reply;

1. For the USA, the local Jurisdiction where the object will be installed has the final say.

2. If the Jurisdiction in the USA does not regulate pressure vessels, it defaults to the owner/user and insurer of the vessels.

3. If the owner-user is self insured, they can decide on their own.

3. If the o

 

[rneill]

It comes down to your local legislation and regulation and how and where they define which codes govern which activities. The legislation will dictate what regulations apply to what facilities and/or activities and then the regulations will usually define which codes and standards apply. Since the legislation/regulation is usually administered by the local jurisdiction, the best answer is to contact the local jurisdiction and ask them. They will be familiar with all the local requirements and can advise.

You may also want to consult API 2510 and 2510A which while not likely mandatory do comprise good practice for LPG installations.

 

[unclesyd]

AS stated above it depends. In our case the one that cause us the most trouble was the State Fire Marshall (FL). We thought we had everything covered until he got involved and he was one of the show me type and we did.
We had converted some NH3 bullets to Propane and Butane service.