What is BS EN 13445‑6 about?
BS EN 13445 is a series on unfired pressure vessels. BS EN 13445‑6 is the sixth of the series, and specifies requirements for the design, materials, manufacturing and testing of unfired pressure vessels. BS EN 13445-6 also applies to pressure vessel parts intended for use with maximum allowable pressure, PS, equal or less than:
- 100 bars when containing gases or liquids in group 1 or 2
- 1000 bars when containing liquids in group 2 only
The shell wall thicknesses should not exceed 60 mm. The shell walls are constructed of ferritic or austenitic spheroidal graphite cast iron. The thickness limitation of the shell does not apply to the thickness of flanges, reinforcements, bosses, and other such parts.
NOTE: BS EN 13445‑6 does not include lamellar graphite cast iron grades for ferritic and austenitic grades, with an elongation after fracture equal or less than 15 % which are explicitly excluded.
Who is BS EN 13445‑6 for?
BS EN 13445‑6 on unfired pressure vessels is useful for organizations that commission, design, build and maintain pressure vessels, mainly in:
- Oil and gas
- Petrochemicals
- Process plant
- Energy generation (including nuclear)
- Food and drink
Users:
- Mechanical engineers
- Pressure vessels designers and manufacturers
- Inspectors and inspection bodies (notified bodies/approved bodies)
Why should you use BS EN 13445‑6?
If pressure vessels are expected to do their jobs successfully, they need to adhere to the highest quality standards. This keeps their contents intact and ensures the safety of those around.
Following the design guidelines in BS EN 13445‑6 ensures that volatile contents such as liquids and gases don’t corrode the container, even when subjected to extreme temperature changes. Spheroidal graphite cast iron is used for pressure vessels due to its toughness and higher elongation.
The guidelines provided in BS EN 13445‑6 consider factors such as thickness calculations, joints and welds, shell shapes, nozzles, flanges, bellows, and corrosion and erosion protection among other things. Besides design and construction, BS EN 13445‑6 also offers guidelines to inspect and test in-service vessels, subject to appropriate adjustment.
What’s changed since the last update?
BS EN 13445‑6:2021 supersedes BS EN 13445‑6:2014+A2:2018. BS EN 13445‑6:2021 includes some technical changes with respect to BS EN 13445‑6:2014+A2:2018. These include:
- The introduction of the concept of the group for fluids
- The modification of the designation of the materials and characteristics
- The updating of test and inspection methods
