Dear experts,
My question is in relation to EU Directive 97/23/EC, Pressure Equipment Directive (PED).
In connection with a piping project our verification company (which is also responsible for the final verification of the assembly of CE-marked spools, a verification which falls outside PED, but is under national regulation), has requested that some flow orifice plates to be inserted between standard ANSI orifice flanges shall be pressure tested and CE-marked as an item of pressure equipment.
My opinion has been that an orifice plate is a component in terms of PED (like a spiral wound gasket) and that it should not bear its own CE-mark, neither be pressure tested.
I have built my opinion on PED Guideline 1/40:
Question: What does pressure bearing housing mean in the definition of
pressure accessory in Article 1 paragraph 2.1.4?
Answer: The term pressure bearing housing refers to an envelope in which fluid
under pressure (PS > 0,5) is contained or transported (volume V > 0).
Therefore, a product whose only pressure-bearing surface is a flange or
screwed fitting is not a pressure accessory but is a component of an item
of pressure equipment under the Pressure Equipment Directive (PED)
when used on such equipment.
Typical examples of components which are not pressure accessories:
Level Switch, Flush Mounted Pressure Transmitter and Thermowell.
Anybody here in this forum that have had experiences of how to consider an orifice plate in terms of PED?
Do you specify them to be pressure tested and CE-marked, when ordering a plate for insertion between two orifice flanges?
regards
Kristian
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