QuestionsQuestions (PRC BOARD OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING BOARD Resolution NO. 17, S. 2000)
It is a PRC/Board resolution that adopts and promulgates revised technical procedures for the hydrostatic testing and inspection of boilers as part of the technical standards for the practice of mechanical engineering in the Philippines.
The procedures were prescribed by the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers, Inc. (PSMEI), through its Resolution No. 002 dated May 31, 2000.
The procedures are stated to be in accordance with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel and Natural Board Inspection Code.
References were made to boiler inspection codes of other industrialized countries such as England, France, and Germany.
For new installations, the hydrostatic test is at 1.5 times the design pressure before the boiler is put into operation.
Hydrostatic testing shall be conducted every 5 years thereafter.
The test pressure must not exceed 1.5 times but must not be lower than 1.2 times the Maximum Allowable Working Pressure (MAWP).
It may be conducted during shutdown for maintenance purposes at a test pressure not greater than the set pressure of the safety valve having the lowest setting.
The maximum test pressure is not greater than the set pressure of the safety valve with the lowest setting; this becomes the controlling limit.
It means the procedures are incorporated into the professional standards that the PRC/Board may prescribe and/or adopt for licensed mechanical engineering practice, making them binding as standards for conduct and compliance.
Section 9(h), Article II of R.A. No. 8495, known as the Philippine Mechanical Engineering Act of 1998.
It authorizes the Board to prescribe and/or adopt the Code of Professional Standards (including technical standards) for the practice of mechanical engineering.
It takes effect after fifteen (15) days from the completion of its full publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation, whichever comes earlier.
Copies shall be furnished to PSMEI’s President, the Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and other concerned sectors.
Antonio Ro. Herrera (Chairman) and other members sign; Carlos G. Almelo r (Secretary, Professional Regulatory Boards) attests; and the PRC Commission Chairman and Commissioners approve it.
New installs: 1.5× design pressure before operation. Routine: every 5 years at 1.2× to 1.5× MAWP. Maintenance shutdown: at a pressure not greater than the safety valve set pressure of the lowest-setting valve.
For maintenance shutdown testing, the controlling rule is that the test pressure must not be greater than the set pressure of the safety valve with the lowest setting, even if that is lower than what would otherwise be used for periodic testing.
It supports the technical reasonableness and recognized standards behind the adopted procedures, and it indicates that the PRC Board based its technical requirements on widely accepted international boiler safety practices.