Why is pressure vessel safety important?

By Ron Marshall

The pressure vessel authorities in your state or province have set rules for the installation of pressure vessels. Like most regulations these rules have been put in place because someone has been killed or badly injured in the past by an unplanned explosion caused by a failed pressurized device.

Sometimes plants install pressure vessels, but fail to register these devices because they don’t want inspectors to find other safety issues on their production floor. But if you think about it for a minute, this is very poor practice because it creates a huge legal and insurance liability for your company and, of course, a potential safety hazard for your workers.

Some tips on pressure vessel safety:

• Always have new devices inspected by local authorities
• Always follow the local regulations for installation and testing
• Typically, regulations require inspections every few years, ensure these are done, especially if the tank is on the wet side of any air dryers
• All receivers need properly sized and rated pressure relief valves that must be tested regularly
• The vessels need to be protected from any possible impact from vehicles or manufacturing activities
• The vessels need to be installed so they can be inspected for damage and corrosion
• Each tank must have a working drain and a pressure gauge, test any automatic drains regularly, and
• The tank should be installed on a base that is stable and strong enough to support the receiver should it inadvertently fill with water.