scope:

EEMUA Publication 168 provides guidance on if, when and how pressure testing can be carried out on pressure equipment and systems, based on risk assessment and a safe system of work. It applies to the complete life cycle of pressure equipment and systems, from manufacture, installation and throughout its operating lifetime (in-service). Some alternatives to pressure testing are also considered, and when it may be appropriate to employ them.

Due to the risk of serious injury and fatality, the organisation and competency of those involved in pressure testing is paramount; this guidance gives advice for assessing and maintaining competency.

The guidance is applicable to all types of non-transportable industrial pressure equipment and systems, including pressure vessels and pipework.

This Publication is aimed primarily at the operatives, supervisors and leaders managing and carrying out pressure testing at manufacturers' works, repair shops and on industrial sites. Various standards and guidance are referred to in this publication. Members should satisfy themselves of the detail requirements of standards and guidance and that they are applying the most up to date versions.

Exclusions from Scope

The following topics are either excluded from the scope of this Publication or not dealt with in any great detail:

• Definition of pressure terms in standards, the test levels required by different standards or at points of interaction between standards. Readers should satisfy themselves of all these requirements

• The pressure testing of atmospheric storage tanks is considered a special case, and therefore not included in the scope. The subject is dealt with in EEMUA 159

• Routine testing of transportable pressure equipment, such as gas containers, at a facility with dedicated equipment for that purpose designed to manage the risks (typically at an accredited test facility). Likewise, routine testing of similar type components using dedicated, certified equipment designed and maintained to manage the risks. Both cases would use trained and competent staff

• Standard pressure testing of equipment designed to operate in the creep regime, where thickness is based on material creep strength, will not produce stresses as high as it would for equipment where thickness is based on proof strength. Special pressure testing to achieve high levels of stress is not dealt with

• Proof testing is excluded. This is a special kind of pressure test used to establish the maximum allowable working pressure of a system where this has not been calculated. The same principles for safety and competency would apply as for other pressure tests. As proof testing often involves deliberately pressurising a component to failure, special precautions, such as specifically designed enclosures and test cells, may apply

• Test waivers. It might be justifiable for equipment which would normally be pressure tested before returning to service to have the pressure test waived. For detailed guidance on the pressure test waiver, readers are referred to EEMUA 223.

• Subsea equipment: special circumstances may apply to subsea installations