Yesterday William Sommer, MBA, PE left a comment on LinkedIn on my note about my blog post on the CSB’s video on the Yenkin-Majestic Resin Plant Vapor Cloud Explosion and Fire. He asked:
“I was struck by one of the recommendations for the API and ASME to provide design, construction, alteration guidance for low pressure vessels in flammable or highly hazardous chemical service: Does anyone know status and where to find?”
I have no insight into the status of the development of the design
criteria within the American Petroleum Institute (API) and the American Society
of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). I can, however, provide a little more
information on the CSB’s take on the status of these recommendations; the data
comes from the CSB’s Recommendations Statistics page and the September 23rd,
2025, downloadable spread sheet on that page. Both recommendations were issued
on November 30th, 2023. The table below summarizes the pertinent
data about the two recommendations.
The text of the API recommendation:
“Develop specific design, construction, and alteration guidance for low-pressure process vessels in flammable and other highly hazardous chemicals service not exceeding an internal pressure of 15 psig in API 510 Pressure Vessel Inspection Code, API RP 572 Inspection Practices for Pressure Vessels, and/or other appropriate products. At a minimum, include guidance for: (i) determining and documenting the low-pressure vessel’s design pressure (such as through a data sheet and a nameplate affixed to the vessel); (ii) determining when or if all or parts of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code should be applied; (iii) acceptable alternative engineering methods, if applicable; and, (iv) alteration requirements, such as design assessments, inspections, and pressure testing.”
The text of the supporting ASME recommendation:
“Assist API in developing design, construction, and alteration guidance for low-pressure vessels in flammable and other highly hazardous chemicals service not exceeding an internal pressure of 15 psig. If any new design and construction guidance is specifically developed for pressure vessels in flammable and other highly hazardous chemicals service not exceeding an internal pressure of 15 psig, reference the design and construction guidance in the Section VIII, Division 1 of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC).”
Even with a reasonable degree of consensus on the need for standards changes, it takes some time to develop, write and reach consensus on these sorts of things. It does seem to me that two years is not an unreasonable amount of time to be working on such a standard.
If anyone has any information on if/how progress is being made within API or ASME, please let me know.
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