Safe operation of pressure vessels
The installation, placement, and piping connections of vessels shall ensure the possibility and safety of their maintenance, inspection, repair, flushing, and cleaning.
Vessels shall be installed in accordance with the vessel installation design.
The installation of vessels shall preclude the possibility of their overturning.
Platforms and ladders provided for the maintenance, inspection, and repair of vessels shall not compromise the strength and stability of the vessels. Welding of platforms, ladders, and external devices is permitted only to special pads (backing plates, plates) welded to the vessel shell, in cases specified in the design (engineering) documentation.
On pressure equipment, in cases specified in the operation manual (instruction) and in accordance with the requirements of these Rules, operational adjustment works, commissioning works, and works carried out within the framework of operational adjustment tests (hereinafter – adjustment works) are performed;
Commissioning works shall be carried out on pressure equipment after completion of installation works and the issuance of a certificate of installation quality.
Adjustment of pressure equipment shall be performed by an adjustment organization with the participation of personnel of the operating organization in accordance with a program developed prior to the commencement of works by a specialized organization performing such works and agreed upon with the operating organization. The program shall specify the content and sequence of execution of all technological and control operations to ensure adjustment at all operating modes.
During adjustment, a quality control system shall be implemented to ensure the execution of works in accordance with these Rules and the adjustment works program.
The duration of adjustment works shall be determined by the adjustment works program depending on the complexity of the equipment.
During the period of adjustment works on pressure equipment, responsibility for the safety of its maintenance shall be defined by the adjustment works program.
When commissioning works on pressure equipment are carried out simultaneously by several commissioning organizations and/or for different types of commissioning works, the owner of the OPO, POO shall organize the coordination of the execution of these works.
Simultaneous execution of commissioning works, construction and installation works, and other works on pressure equipment is not permitted.
During operational and commissioning works, the following activities are performed:
flushing and purging of equipment and pipelines (in cases specified by the equipment design or operation manual (user manual);
testing of pressure equipment, including reserve equipment, adjustment of working medium circulation, verification of the operation of shut-off valves and control devices in manual mode;
verification of measuring instruments, adjustment and testing of the functionality of automation, signaling, protection, interlock, and control systems, as well as adjustment of safety valves;
operation and stabilization of the technological process, analysis of the qualitative parameters of the technological process;
bringing the technological process to a stable operating mode with capacity corresponding to design requirements.
Operational and commissioning tests must be carried out on pressure equipment in cases specified by the operation manual (instruction), after start-up and commissioning works and during operation.
After putting pressure equipment into operation, arbitrary replacement or modification of its elements, as well as complete or partial removal of safety instruments and protective devices, is not permitted.
Upon completion of start-up and commissioning works by the commissioning organization with the participation of personnel of the operating organization, comprehensive testing of pressure equipment, as well as auxiliary equipment, shall be carried out at nominal load. For boilers, comprehensive testing shall be carried out over a period of 72 hours.
The completion of comprehensive testing is formalized by an equipment acceptance certificate following comprehensive testing. The equipment acceptance certificate following comprehensive testing must be accompanied by a technical report on commissioning works, including tables and instructions, operating cards, graphs, and other materials reflecting the established and actually obtained data on device setup and adjustment, as well as descriptions and drawings of all changes (schematic or structural) made during the commissioning stage.
The following works shall be sequentially performed for the commissioning (authorization) of equipment under pressure:
conducting a technical inspection of equipment under pressure;
conducting, in accordance with subclause 19.9.1 of clause 19 of the Unified List of Administrative Procedures, the registration of equipment under pressure with Gospromnadzor (the authorized body);
conducting commissioning works in cases specified in the operation manual (instruction);
commissioning (authorization) of equipment under pressure.
Equipment under pressure (boilers) must comply with industrial safety requirements prior to its commissioning (authorization). For this purpose, the equipment under pressure to be commissioned shall be inspected (examined) by an authorized official of Gospromnadzor to verify:
operability of all devices, including backup units;
operability of measuring devices;
completeness and correctness of the setup of safety, alarm, and control automation systems;
correctness of the setup of safety valves;
compliance of equipment operating modes with operating cards prepared
based on the results of operational and commissioning tests;
operability of boiler feed devices and their compliance with the boiler house design and the requirements of these Rules;
compliance of the boiler water-chemical regime with the requirements of these Rules;
correctness of the connection of equipment under pressure to pipelines in accordance with design (engineering) documentation;
presence of personnel operating pressure equipment and specialists meeting qualification requirements who have passed examinations on industrial safety;
presence of operation instructions for personnel operating pressure equipment, shift and maintenance logs, and other documentation stipulated by these Rules;
presence of job descriptions for persons responsible for the proper condition and safe operation of pressure equipment.
Pressure equipment (vessels and apparatus) must comply with industrial safety requirements prior to being commissioned (admitted) into operation.
The organization operating and maintaining pressure equipment must ensure its upkeep in proper condition and safe operating conditions. To this end, it is necessary to:
appoint by order a person responsible for the proper condition and safe operation of pressure equipment. The number and date of the order appointing the person,
responsible for the proper condition and safe operation of pressure equipment, must be recorded in the pressure equipment passport;
appoint the necessary number of personnel operating pressure equipment;
develop operation instructions for pressure equipment;
provide personnel operating pressure equipment with,
operation instructions and process diagrams. Personnel,
operating pressure equipment must be familiarized with the operation instructions under signature prior to being admitted to independent work. The instructions must be kept at workstations;
organize production control over compliance with industrial safety requirements during the operation of pressure equipment;
ensure the carrying out of technical inspections, technical diagnostics, maintenance, and repairs of pressure equipment;
comply with the manufacturer's requirements established in the operation manual (instruction), and prohibit the operation of pressure equipment with faulty shut-off and control valves, measuring instruments, safety and interlocking devices, signaling and protection systems;
take measures to eliminate and prevent violations of industrial safety requirements upon their detection.
The organization operating the POO, for the organization
and implementation of production control in the field of industrial safety during the operation of the POO shall develop, on the basis of the model regulation on the organization and implementation of production control in the field of industrial safety approved by the Ministry of Emergency Situations, a regulation on the procedure for organizing and implementing production control in the field of industrial safety.
To ensure production control in the field of industrial safety, the head of the organization or its separate unit shall appoint an industrial safety engineer to the staff or, by a local legal act, assign to one of the employees the corresponding duties for carrying out production control in the field of industrial safety. The number of personnel in the service carrying out production control and its structure shall be determined by the owner of the POO, on which pressure equipment is operated, taking into account the type of equipment, its quantity, and operating conditions.
The head of the organization, on which pressure equipment is operated, shall create conditions for the performance by persons responsible for carrying out production control, and by persons responsible for the proper condition and safe operation of pressure equipment, of the duties assigned to them.
Maintenance of pressure equipment is performed by specialized organizations. Personnel aged 18 years or older who meet qualification requirements and have undergone medical examinations in the cases and manner specified by the Instruction on the Procedure for Conducting Mandatory and Unscheduled Medical Examinations in accordance with the Instruction on the Procedure for Issuing a Certificate for the Right to Service Potentially Hazardous Facilities, approved by the Resolution of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus dated July 6, 2016 No. 31, are permitted to perform maintenance of pressure equipment.
The person responsible for the proper condition and safe operation of pressure equipment shall be a worker who has undergone training and knowledge assessment on industrial safety matters in accordance with the Instruction on the Procedure for Training and Knowledge Assessment on Industrial Safety, approved by the Resolution of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus dated July 6, 2016 No. 31.
During the leave, business trip, or illness of the person responsible for the proper condition and safe operation of pressure equipment, their duties shall be assigned by a local regulatory legal act to other workers who have undergone training and knowledge assessment on industrial safety matters (without recording such information in the pressure equipment passport) in accordance with the Instruction on the Procedure for Training and Knowledge Assessment on Industrial Safety.
Training of persons responsible for the proper condition and safe operation of pressure equipment shall be conducted at least once every five years.
The simultaneous appointment of the same individual as both the person responsible for the proper condition and safe operation of pressure equipment and the person responsible for conducting production control in the field of industrial safety is prohibited.
When performing official duties, the person responsible for the proper condition and safe operation of pressure equipment shall be guided by these Rules and the job description, in accordance with the requirements of which he, among other things, shall:
ensure that pressure equipment is maintained in proper condition;
ensure that pressure equipment is serviced by trained and certified personnel, and that they comply with the operation manual;
ensure that timely repairs are carried out;
inspect pressure equipment in operation at intervals established by the head of the organization operating and servicing the pressure equipment;
conduct external and internal inspections independently at intervals established by these Rules;
check daily on working days the entries in the shift log and sign them;
keep equipment passports, design and operation documentation of the manufacturing organizations (including the operation manual (instructions));
organize the preparation and conduct of technical inspection of pressure equipment by an industrial safety expert;
in the manner established by the operating organization, conduct emergency drills with personnel servicing the pressure equipment;
participate in inspections, monitoring, and technical (technological, verification) activities conducted by supervisory (regulatory) authorities, as well as in inspections conducted by the person responsible for production control, and timely comply with the requirements (orders) issued by them to rectify identified violations;
timely rectify identified malfunctions of pressure equipment and auxiliary equipment of hazardous production facilities (HPFs) and hazardous objects (HOs);
maintain records of the accumulated load cycles of pressure equipment operating in a cyclic mode.
In the performance of official duties, the person responsible for carrying out production control shall be guided by the Regulation on the Procedure for Organizing and Carrying Out Production Control in the Field of Industrial Safety.
Operation of pressure equipment shall be carried out in accordance with an operation manual developed and approved by the operating organization, which shall, among other things, specify:
pressure equipment covered by the operation manual and its intended purpose;
duties of personnel during duty shifts for monitoring and controlling the operation of pressure equipment;
procedure for verifying the operability of the serviced pressure equipment in working condition;
procedure, timeframes, and methods for inspecting valves, safety devices, protection and signaling automation equipment;
procedure for starting up and shutting down (ceasing operation of) pressure equipment;
procedure for starting up pressure equipment during the winter period;
safety measures for taking equipment out of service for repair, as well as additional safety measures for vessels containing a working medium classified as Group 1 in accordance with TR TS 032/2013;
circumstances requiring an emergency shutdown of pressure equipment. The procedure for emergency shutdown and pressure reduction to atmospheric pressure shall be established depending on the specific configuration of the pressure equipment and the technological process;
actions of personnel in the event of an accident or incident;
procedure for maintaining the shift log (recording the handover and takeover of duty, verification of entries by the person responsible for the operable condition and safe operation of pressure equipment).