Overview of Revisions to the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII Division 3 for the 2023 Edition and Near Future

Abstract

Abstract This paper gives an overview of the major revisions pending in the upcoming 2023 edition of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC) Section VIII Division 3, Alternative Rules for Construction of High Pressure Vessels, and potential changes being considered by the Subgroup on High Pressure Vessels (SG-HPV) for future editions. This will include an overview of significant actions which will be included in the upcoming edition, including updates to the rules for User’s Design Specifications (UDS’s). Many changes include clarifications regarding subjects such as the definition of T vs. t in material testing, and the supplementary requirements for toughness testing in KM-250 and when they are required. Another was to clarify that the requirements in ASME VIII-3 which may conflict with certain requirements in material specifications make it such that all parts of material specifications do not need to be followed. There was another change regarding interpolation between low alloy fatigue curves. Another significant change was clarification regarding which constitutive material model is to be used in various design by analysis situations and the need for consistency between those material models. Several changes were also made regarding environmental interaction and stress corrosion cracking.