ASME B31.3-2022: Process Piping

ASME B31.3-2022: Process Piping provides comprehensive engineering requirements for the design, materials, fabrication, examination, testing, and safety of process piping systems used in petroleum refineries, chemical plants, pharmaceutical facilities, textile plants, paper mills, and related processing plants and terminals. It is a vital code for ensuring piping integrity in high-pressure, high-temperature, and corrosive service environments.

Highlights:

• Applies to metallic and nonmetallic piping for chemicals, petroleum, natural gas, and related fluids
• Covers piping components: pipe, flanges, valves, gaskets, bolts, expansion joints, and supports
• Design criteria for internal pressure, sustained loads, displacement strains, and occasional loads
• Construction requirements including welding, brazing, bending, assembly, and material specifications
• Mandatory rules for examination, testing, inspection, and leak testing procedures
• Stress range reduction factors, flexibility analysis, and allowable stress values by material and temperature
• Qualification requirements for personnel, procedures, and fabrication documentation
• Integration with ASME Section IX for welding and ASME B31.1 for power piping interfaces
• Updated stress tables and revisions to weld design rules in para. 328.5.2
• Errata incorporated for clarity on strength tables and weld joint tolerances

Who It’s For:
Mechanical engineers, piping designers, fabricators, inspectors, and maintenance teams working on the safe and code-compliant construction and modification of process piping systems across industries.

B31.3-2022