[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 147 (Monday, July 31, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46761-46762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19281]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG 2000-7689]


Acceptance by the Coast Guard of ASME's 1998 Boiler and Pressure-
Vessel Code With 1999 Addenda

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of policy.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces its acceptance of the American 
Society of Mechanical Engineers' (ASME's) 1998 Boiler and Pressure-
Vessel Code with 1999 Addenda. Although the revised allowable stresses 
employ a lower design margin for the tensile strength of the material 
than ASME's 1989 Boiler and Pressure-Vessel Code with 1989 Addenda, the 
lower margin is acceptable because of better quality control in 
materials production. This acceptance should reduce costs to industry 
with no loss of safety to the public.

DATES: Comments to the docket for this notice must reach the Docket 
Management Facility on or before September 29, 2000.

ADDRESSES: You may submit your written comments and related material to 
the docket [USCG 2000-7689] by only one of the following methods:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 
20590-0001.
    (2) By hand to room PL-401 on the Plaza Level of the Nassif 
Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is 202-366-9329.
    (3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at 202-493-2251.
    (4) By electronic means through the Web Site for the Docket 
Management System at http://dms.dot.gov.
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this 
notice. Comments and documents, as indicated in this notice, will 
become part of this docket and will be available for inspection or 
copying at room PL-401 on the Plaza Level of the Nassif Building at the 
same address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through

[[Page 46762]]

Friday, except Federal holidays. You may electronically access the 
public docket for this notice on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions on this notice, contact 
Mr. Wayne Lundy or LT Ryan D. Manning, Systems Engineering Division (G-
MSE-3), U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, 2100 Second Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20593-0001, telephone 202-267-2206, fax 202-267-4816. 
For questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Ms. 
Dorothy Beard, Chief, Dockets, Department of Transportation, telephone 
202-366-9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate by submitting comments and related 
material. If you do so, please include your name and address, identify 
the docket number [USCG 2000-7689], indicate the specific section of 
this document to which each comment applies, and give the reason for 
each comment. You may submit your comments and material by mail, hand, 
fax, or electronic means to the Docket Management Facility at the 
address under ADDRESSES, but please submit your comments and material 
by only one means. If you submit them by mail or hand, submit them in 
an unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing. If you submit them by mail and would 
like to know they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-
addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and 
material received during the comment period.

Background and Purpose

    46 CFR part 52 incorporates by reference Section I of ASME's 1989 
Boiler and Pressure-Vessel Code with 1989 Addenda. Likewise, 46 CFR 
part 54 incorporates by reference Division 1 of Section VIII of the 
same Code and Addenda. ASME publishes the Code every three years, and 
an Addendum every year, to reflect new industry standards, 
technological advances, and product improvements. If any edition of 
this Code published after 1989 or any Addendum published after then 
contains standards that you prefer to use instead of those already 
incorporated by reference, then you may apply for a waiver from 
Commandant (G-MSE) as referenced in 46 CFR 50.20-30. The Coast Guard 
proposes to update these incorporations by reference to let 
manufacturers use the 1998 Code with 1999 Addenda for construction of 
new boilers and pressure vessels.
    The 1998 Code with 1999 Addenda reduces the design margins 
allowable for construction of new boilers and pressure vessels. The 
allowable stresses decrease from a margin of 4:1 to one of 3.5:1. 
Quality control in materials production has improved enough to make 
this lower margin acceptable. The lower margin in turn necessitates a 
decrease in requirements for the hydrostatic and pneumatic testing of 
pressure vessels to 1.3 times the maximum allowable working pressure 
(MAWP) and 1.1 times the MAWP, respectively. The requirement for the 
hydrostatic testing of power boilers, nevertheless, remains at 1.5 
times the MAWP; however, at no time during the testing may any part of 
the boiler be subjected to a general primary membrane stress greater 
than 90 percent of its yield strength (0.2 percent offset) at the 
testing temperature.
    We are working on a separate rule to update 46 CFR parts 52 and 54, 
and to incorporate by reference ASME's 1998 Boiler and Pressure-Vessel 
Code with 1999 Addenda. Until we do, though, the 1989 Code with 1989 
Addenda remains the edition incorporated in both parts. If you choose 
to use the 1998 Code, you must comply with it and its 1999 Addenda in 
their entirety. You must meet all of the requirements and 
specifications set out in 46 CFR Tables 52.01-1(A) and 54.01-1(A), even 
if you use the 1998 Code. But, in either case, the design margins for 
independent type-C tank vessels and process pressure vessels described 
in 46 CFR part 154.450 must continue to satisfy the 1989 Code with 1989 
Addenda.

    Dated: July 24, 2000.
Joseph J. Angelo,
Director of Standards, Marine Safety and Environmental Protection.
[FR Doc. 00-19281 Filed 7-28-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-P