Pressure Vessel Design Verification Case Study

In accordance with Australian statutory requirements, all pressure vessels with Hazards Level A, B, C, or D are required to be design registered with WorkSafe. As part of this process, the design must also be verified by an accredited tester, ensuring the product is designed correctly to avoid the potential to cause harm or injury.

In Australia, HRL provides National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accredited design verification of pressure equipment to many industries.

In New Zealand, HRL is a Recognised Inspection Body for design verification of pressure equipment (NZ Worksafe RIB004).

One particular client was looking to import and sell pressure vessels into the Australian market, but was unsure of the Australian statutory requirements surrounding this. The client approached HRL looking for advice throughout the process, and assistance to enable the sale of the equipment in accordance with the statutory requirements.

HRL commenced this process by explaining the statutory requirements to the client, and the roles and responsibilities of the designer, importer, and verifier in the design registration process. A list of required information was provided to the client, who then obtained the information from the manufacturer in Europe. Required information typically includes:

• Design drawings
• Pressure vessel design calculations
• Material certificates
• Hydrostatic testing certificates and inspection certificates

The design information was then verified by HRL in accordance with its approved NATA procedures, and the registration form submitted to WorkSafe. This was successfully approved, with WorkSafe providing a design registration number for the pressure vessel.

The pressure vessel was successfully design registered with WorkSafe and independently design verified, and found to comply with the requirements of the pressure vessel design code. As a result, the pressure vessel was able to be sold in Australia in compliance with the statutory requirements, giving the client a stress-free experience and complete peace of mind.

HRL's vast experience with pressure vessels includes:

• NATA design verification
• Strain survey and stress analysis of pressure equipment
• Hydrostatic testing of pressure vessels
• Inspection of pressure vessels
• Knowledge of pressure vessel design codes
• Knowledge of statutory requirements