What is this standard about?
PD 5500 is the UK’s unfired pressure vessels code. First published as BS 5500 in 1976, it replaced the UK’s various sector-specific pressure vessels standards. In 2015 it started a new three-year publishing cycle. As part of the three-year cycle, an amendment is produced every September. This 2017 amendment is the third and final annual update to the 2015 edition of the code.
Who is this standard for?
PD 5500 is essential reading for organizations that commission, design, build and maintain pressure vessels. It is specifically relevant to the following personnel in the oil and gas, petrochemical, process plant and energy generation (including nuclear) industries:
- Mechanical engineers
- Pressure vessel designers and manufacturers
- Inspectors
Why should you use this standard?
It specifies requirements for the design, construction, inspection and testing of unfired pressure vessels made from carbon, ferritic alloy and austenitic steels, aluminium, copper, nickel and titanium. It is an invaluable reference tool for the design and assessment of pressure vessels.
What’s changed since the last update?
Amendment 3 updates PD 5500 based on committee member contributions and user enquiries. It includes corrections and clarifications that enhance the accuracy and user-friendliness of the document. In addition this year’s annual amendment includes:
- Major updates to Annex C, Assessment of vessels subject to fatigue, following the recent revision of the UK’s fatigue design code BS 7608 Guide to fatigue design and assessment of steel products
- Updates to Annex G, Recommendations for the design of local loads, thermal gradients, etc., based around recent changes introduced within the European standards arena
- A new Enquiry Case, (new EC 141) on compressive stress limits based around some new work in the European committee arena
- References to the new Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) (its new number) have been included as well as the usual updating of all of the cross-referenced standards that appear in PD 5500.
