About the BPVC
Since its first issuance in 1914, ASME’s Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) has pioneered modern standards-development, maintaining a commitment to enhance public safety and technological advancement to meet the needs of a changing world. More than 100,000 copies of the BPVC are in use in 100 countries around the world.
Click here for a printer-friendly version of a brochure, which details all 12 BPVC Sections, plus ASME’s portfolio of related BPVC offerings.
Product Scope / Abstract
This Division of Section VIII provides requirements applicable to the design, fabrication, inspection, testing, and certification of pressure vessels operating at either internal or external pressures exceeding 15 psig. Such vessels may be fired or unfired. This pressure may be obtained from an external source or by the application of heat from a direct or indirect source, or any combination thereof. These rules provide an alternative to the minimum requirements for pressure vessels under Division 1 rules. In comparison the Division 1, Division 2 requirements on materials, design, and nondestructive examination are more rigorous; however, higher design stress intensify values are permitted. Division 2 rules cover only vessels to be installed in a fixed location for a specific service where operation and maintenance control is retained during the useful life of the vessel by the user who prepares or causes to be prepared the design specifications. These rules may also apply to human occupancy pressure vessels typically in the diving industry. Rules pertaining to the use of the U2 and UV ASME Product Certification Marks are also included.
Careful application of this Section will help users to comply with applicable regulations within their jurisdictions, while achieving the operational, cost and safety benefits to be gained from the many industry best-practices detailed within these volumes.
Key changes to this 2013 Edition include:
All changes to this 2013 Edition are incorporated into the appropriate page and each affected area is identified with a designator. Each Section includes a Summary of Changes that lists the material affected by the change, plus the nature of the change. There will no longer be Addenda service for this 2013 Edition or for future Editions.
Intended for manufacturers, users, constructors, designers and others concerned with the design, fabrication, assembly, erection, examination, inspection and testing of pressure vessels, plus all potential governing entities.
BPVC purchasers may wish to purchase a binder from ASME (BPVC Binder), but the publication will also fit a standard three-ring binder.
For the convenience of those applying for and/or maintaining their ASME Product Certification Marks, ASME gathers its required codes and standards into the following “BPVC product certification packages”: