Inspections and legalization of boilers and other pressure equipment
Pirobloc offers specialized inspection and legalization services for boilers and other pressure equipment, ensuring compliance with current regulations and guaranteeing the safety of your installations. Our team of experts handles regulatory inspections, manages the necessary documentation, and processes the corresponding legalizations, providing our clients with a smooth and secure process for operating their equipment under the strictest legal standards.
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Inspections and legalizations
At Pirobloc, we offer legalization and regulatory inspection services for boilers and other pressure equipment. This is a value-added service by which we ensure that all the equipment we make complies with the regulations and safety requirements established by law throughout its useful life. We also offer this service for equipment that has not been made by us.
The inspections to be carried out on the pressure equipment devices are regulated by Royal Decree 809/2021, September 21, regarding the Regulation of pressure equipment and its additional technical instructions.
Regulatory inspections can be carried out only by pressure equipment installation companies registered as category EIP-1 or EIP-2 by the competent body in the corresponding autonomous community. Pirobloc is registered as an installation and repair company for category EIP-2 pressure equipment.
This Royal Decree regulates the facilities, inspections and modifications of equipment regulated to a maximum admissible pressure over 0.5 bar. Devices considered as pressure equipment are: pressure apparatus, simple pressure vessels, assemblies, pressure equipment and transportable pressure pipes and/or containers used permanently or in fixed facilities.
All category I-IV pressure equipment will undergo periodic inspections and tests to ensure the technical and safety conditions are maintained.
The purpose of these inspections is to verify that this equipment meets the mandatory safety conditions. For this, different types of checks, inspections with non-destructive tests, hydrostatic tests and other substitute tests are carried out.
Similarly, the basic safety requirements for selling pressure equipment are established, which apply to the evaluation of conformity and other verification tests, among other issues. The Royal Decree transposes Directive 2014/68/EU into Spanish legislation for the harmonization of Member State laws on the selling of pressure equipment. It applies to pressure equipment and assemblies that constitute a novelty, manufactured either inside or outside the EU. It also applies to second-hand products, if imported.
The facilities will require a technical project (or technical report for those of less risk) to be submitted to the competent body of the corresponding autonomous community.
The standard installation certificate must be stamped by the installation company and signed by the installer. This certificate must include the industry, type of use for the pressure equipment and description of the pressure equipment with its features and operating parameters (e.g. pressure and volume). It must also contain a location diagram, an installation sketch in the plant, operating scheme for the installation and a copy of the pressure equipment or assembly declarations of conformity in accordance with the provisions of the law.
WHAT TYPES OF INSPECTIONS HAVE TO BE DONE ON PRESSURE EQUIPMENT?
Pressure equipment must be subjected to an initial inspection and subsequently to periodic inspections. The frequency with which these inspections are to be carried out is determined according to two factors inherent in each pressure device: pressure equipment category (I-IV according to the European Pressure Equipment Directive 2014/68/UE) and the fluid group (group 1 for hazardous fluids and group 2 for non-hazardous fluids).
Three kinds of periodic inspections can be carried out on pressure equipment facilities:
- Level A inspections (in service): Checking equipment documentation, visual inspection of all parts under pressure and verification of safety accessories.
- Level B inspections (out-of-service): This consists of a level A inspection, plus checking of thicknesses and testing of safety components.
- Level C inspections (out of service plus pressure test): This consists of a level B inspection, plus a hydrostatic test.
At Pirobloc, we ensure that pressure facilities are legalized as established by law, from the moment of commissioning, throughout their useful life and for extensions, modifications or changes of location.
The necessary documentation for this type of procedure varies according to whether the facility needs a project or not.
If a technical project is needed, it will consist of the following: Report (industrial business class, pressure equipment identification and features, justification of regulatory requirements, safety studies and emergency instructions); Estimate; Diagrams.
All pressure equipment in the facilities is subject to periodic inspection and must have an installation and periodic inspection plate issued by the competent body of the corresponding autonomous community.
WHAT TYPE OF INSPECTION SHOULD BE DONE AT MY PLANT?
Depending on the type of installation, these are the different types of inspections to be carried out:
Boilers and their associated devices (ITC EP-1), Cat heat exchangers. I-IV, Power Generating Plants (ITC EP-2), Oil Refineries and Petrochemical Plants (ITC EP-3); and other equipment not included in the Additional Technical Instructions (ITCs).
– Tests at the device location
– Frequency Levels A, B and C
– Level C before commissioning (in the case of used equipment).
Cryogenic containers (ITC EP-4)
– Tests at the device location
– Frequency Levels A, B and C
– Level C before commissioning
Diving bottles (ITC EP-5) and Gas recharge centers (ITC EP-6)
– Tests at the device location
– Periodic inspection of the recharging center.
WHAT IS THE INSPECTION FREQUENCY, ACCORDING TO THE PRESSURE EQUIPMENT TYPE?
Boilers (ITC EP-1)
– Level A → 1 year
– Level B → 3 years
– Level C → 6 years
Thermal fluid heat exchangers – water for steam generation
– Level A → 3 years
– Level B → 6 years
– Level C → 12 years
Thermal fluid heat exchangers – vegetable oil
– Level A → 3 years
– Level B → 6 years
– Level C → 12 years
Black liquor recovery boilers (ITC EP 1)
– Levels A/B → 1 year
– Level C → 3 years
Power Generating Plants (ITC EP-2)
– Levels A, B and C → according to type and category
– Safety valves inspection → every 6 years
Oil refineries and petrochemical plants (ITC EP-3)
– Levels A, B and C for containers → according to category
– Level B for pipes → every 5, 10 or 12 years, according to fluid
– Safety valves → every 2 years, in levels B/C inspections and programmed shutdowns
Cryogenic containers (ITC EP-4) and equipment not included in the ITCs
– Levels A, B and C → according to category
Diving bottles and Gas recharge centers
– Every 5 years
