Design Qualification and Manufacturing of Section X Class I Vessels
Over the past several years, many industries have grown to recognize that Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) pressure vessels must be built to established industrial safety standards to help ensure consistently safe products. End Users and Engineers familiar with Section VIII of the ASME Code typically turn to Section X as the standard recognized to govern the fabrication of fiber-reinforced vessels. However there tends to be confusion concerning Section X and how design integrity is maintained. There is a belief held by some that a composite pressure vessel designed in accordance with the Section X, Class I meets the essence of the Code. The feeling is that complete compliance is an unnecessary expense and third party certification is of minimal value. Section X is very specific in pointing out the fundamental error in this thinking. Section X recognizes that, unlike metal construction, the fabricator of a fiberglass vessel is responsible for the creation of a new and very temperamental material every time a part is fabricated. With this chance of inconsistency, even a fundamentally sound design can be executed poorly and with disastrous results. The purpose of this paper will be to describe the design and procedure qualification process used for Class I pressure vessels and how the integrity of the design in maintained throughout the fabrication of ASME Code Stamped pressure vessels.