Section 12-E1018. WELDING ON BOILERS AND UNFIRED PRESSURE VESSELS

Insert new Section 1018 in the Mechanical Code to read as follows: 

1018.1 Rules for welding on boilers and unfired pressure vessels.  The construction, installation, repair or alteration of a boiler or unfired pressure vessel by welding shall be made in accordance with the section of the ASME Code governing the particular kind of vessel or work to be done, or by the specific requirements in this section for welded repairs. 

 

1018.1.1 Qualified welding procedure.  A contractor desiring to make repairs shall have a written welding procedure specification that shall be prepared and qualified in accordance with the Welding Qualification of Section IX of the ASME Code.  Alternatively, the contractor shall have the option to use the standard District of Columbia welding procedure specification.  The selected procedure shall then be used for qualifying each welder and shall be strictly adhered to in making repairs under this chapter.  A welder shall be limited to the type of steel and thickness of plate for which he or she is qualified.

 

1018.1.1.1 Unacceptable welds.  Welding repairs or alterations on boilers or unfired pressure vessels and connections thereto, performed by unqualified contractors or welding operators, shall not be accepted for either new or existing installations.

 

1018.1.2 Welder qualification.  Each welder shall pass satisfactory qualification tests as required by the ASME Code.

1018.1.3 Qualification standard.  The qualification test for individual welders shall be made in accordance with the ASME Code.  The test shall be made in the presence of the code official who shall stamp the specimens with an identifying number.  The code official shall have the option of accepting a welder without further examination, provided that the applicant submits proof of a satisfactory welding procedure and operator qualification test, made in accordance with the ASME Code and these regulations, for approval prior to any welding. 

 

1018.1.4 Specimens testing.  After the specimens have been prepared as required by the ASME Code, they shall be tested either by the code official or the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).  The test shall be made in accordance with the guided-bend jig test as described in the ASME Code. A report shall be made on a form similar to the data recording forms in Section IX, Appendix B of the ASME Code.

 

1018.1.5 Authorization card.  If the report indicates that the welder has passed the test, the code official shall issue a card authorizing him or her to perform welding on boilers or unfired pressure vessels in the District of Columbia.  This authorization shall be valid for a period of two years from the date of the test.

1018.1.6 Welder qualification limitations.  The qualification test does not qualify a welder to do welding on pressure piping.

1018.2 Qualification retest.  A welder who fails to meet the requirements for one or more of the test specimens shall be allowed to be retested unless, in the judgment of the code official, the welder requires further training or practice, in which case a complete retest of the welder shall be performed after completion of such additional training or practice.  When a request for an immediate retest is approved, the welder shall make two test welds of each type for each position on which the welder has failed.  To become qualified, all of the retest weld specimens shall pass the specimen test specified in Section 1018.1.4. 

 

1018.3 Welder retest requirements.  Notwithstanding the issuance of a qualification card, the code official has the authority to request a new test under any the following circumstances:

 

1. When a welder has not welded under the procedure specification for a period of three months or more;

 

2. When there is a specific reason to question the welder’s ability to make welds that meet the specification; or

 

3. At the expiration of the welder’s two year qualification period.

 

1018.3.1 Questionable welds. If any question arises as to the quality of a weld, the code official is authorized to require that test specimens be trepanned from the weld. Preparation and testing of the specimens shall be done by NIST, and the contractor shall be responsible for all expenses incidental to this testing.

 

1018.3.2 Welding inspection requirements. No welding on any boiler or unfired pressure vessel shall be done before an inspection has been made by the code official or an insurance company inspector, and the method of welding has been sanctioned by the code official or the insurance company inspector.  If, in the opinion of the code official, or the insurance company inspector a hydrostatic test is necessary, that test shall be applied after the repairs have been completed.

 

1018.4 Responsibilities of insurance company inspector.   Before repairs are started, the insurance company inspector shall examine the written welding procedure and records of qualification tests, to verify that procedures and welders have been properly approved, tested and qualified. The insurance company inspector who authorized and witnessed the repair shall submit a written report to the code official on every welded repair. 

 

 

authority

Section 10 of the Construction Codes Approval and Amendments Act of 1986 (Act), effective March 21, 1987 (D.C. Law 6-216; D.C. Official Code § 6-1409 (2012 Repl.)) and Mayor’s Order 2009-22, dated February 25, 2009, as amended.

source

Final Rulemaking published at 61 DCR 3101 (March 28, 2014 – Part 2); as corrected by Errata Notice published at 61 DCR 5246 (May 23, 2014).

EditorNote

The District of Columbia Mechanical Code (2013), referred to as the “Mechanical Code,” consists of the 2012 edition of the International Mechanical Code, published by the International Code Council (ICC), as amended by the District of Columbia Mechanical Code Supplement (2013)(12 DCMR E). The International Mechanical Code is copyrighted by the ICC and therefore is not republished here. However, a copy of the text may be obtained at: http://publicecodes.cyberregs.com/icod/imc/2012/index.htm?bu=IC-P-2012-000005&bu2=IC-P-2012-000019.