ASME BPVC 2023 Section VII

ARTICLE 101
BOILER OPERATION
101.1 GENERAL GUIDELINES
101.1.1 Personnel Training. Safe and reliable operation is dependent to a large extent upon the skill and attentiveness
of the operator and the maintenance personnel. Operating skill implies a knowledge of fundamentals, familiarity
with equipment, and a suitable background of technical and safety training and experience.
Full and effective use should be made of the Manufacturers instruction books on operation and maintenance. Of special
importance are written procedures prepared expressly for each installation by the Manufacturers service engineers and
qualified personnel from the operating organization before and during the commissioning period. These procedures are
based on actual experience and often include invaluable information on what the equipment is expected to do. Limitations
critical to safe and reliable operation are also given.
Control systems vary in complexity from computer control to manual operation. Regardless of the type of system used,
the operators should be thoroughly trained so that they can maintain safe and continuous operation during changeover
from automatic to manual control as well as continue operation by manual control if the automatic systems are out of
service. The operator should have instrumentation at the point of manual operation to allow monitoring of operating
conditions at all times. Regularly scheduled automanual changeover, manual operation, and emergency drills to prevent
loss of these skills are recommended.
Personnel training should also include training on how to perform their duties safely. Employers have the obligation to
provide their employees with a safe workplace. This generally entails in the following order:
a Identify and assess hazards and potential hazards present, or likely to be present.
b Eliminate those hazards through engineered controls e.g., providing fixed ladders to frequently accessed equipment
rather than using a portable ladder or material substitution e.g., substituting nonhazardous materials for hazardous
materials.
c Reduce employee exposure to known hazards through administrative actions e.g., preventing employees from
entering high hazard areas unless specified precautions are taken, or provide personal protection equipment PPE e.g.,
providing properly fitted hearing protection in high-noise areas. Reliance solely on the use of PPE is not usually accepted
as satisfactorily meeting the obligation.
101.1.2 Preventing Explosions. Interlocks should be established that ensure operation is within safe limits as
described in ASME CSD-1 or NFPA 85 see reference lists in 101.1.6 and 202.4.1. Start-up and shutdown events
should be performed to satisfy the interlock system. This will prevent potentially dangerous moves during mental
lapses or moments of crisis.
One of the most common causes of furnace explosions is failure to purge the boiler furnace prior to start-up. The boiler
furnace, generating bank, economizer, air heater, and ducts should be adequately purged before any source of ignition
ignitor, pilot flame is introduced into the furnace to ensure that no fuel gas or oil vapors have accumulated in the unit.
The purge, usually air, should be at a sufficient rate to provide adequate velocity to clear dead spots in the entire unit. This
precaution should always be observed after an accidental loss of ignition. Purge interlock systems equipped with timers,
when properly installed and adjusted, ensure that purging will be adequate and effective. Such interlocks should not be
bypassed or defeated. Purge times and flows should be observed by the operator to verify the purge sequence is complete.
Airflow rates may be read directly on an airflow recorder or determined by comparing draft-loss differentials across parts
of the boiler system with values known to represent acceptable airflows. For boilers that use a manual torch as an ignition
source, in particular stationary boilers that fire oil or gas, it is recommended that the manual ignition system be replaced
with an automated ignition system in accordance with ASME CSD-1, NFPA 85, or other nationally recognized standard.
See 201.6 and 201.7 for additional information.
ASME BPVC.VII-2023
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