Virtually any round, oval or rectangular manway that is designed for a pressure of at least 0.5 bar is called a "pressure manway". These units come in a wide variety and are very popular among users. They are well suited for the vast majority of applications, and their undoubted advantage is their affordable price. However, manufacturers of tanks and pressure equipment cannot always be satisfied with such a solution. They then demand "PED manways" or "manways with PED". What is it?
The abbreviations PED or P.E.D. refer to the Pressure Equipment Directive, or Directive 2014/68/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of May 15, 2014. This document consistently and comprehensively regulates, among other areas, such as:
The full text of the directive is available here.
PED pressure manways, which are equipment for pressure vessels, are subject to the same technical rigors as the vessel itself. Already in the design phase of the PED pressure manway, the manufacturer is obliged to conduct an appropriate analysis of the product's compliance with the requirements of the Pressure Directive 2014/68/EU.
Only materials and semi-finished products from recognised manufacturers and suppliers are used in the production of PED pressure manways. Their quality conforms to relevant standards and is supported by material certification 3.1 according to EN 10204.
All components of a PED pressure manway, in particular, the frame (flange), cover and closing components shall be designed in accordance with the requirements of EN 13445-3 (Unfired pressure vessels, part 3: design). Design calculations take into account appropriate resistance factors appropriate to the future operating environment.
In the production processes of PED pressure manways, only experienced workers with high qualifications, confirmed by appropriate training and qualification certificate, take part. This is in particular true for welders, whose skills must guarantee the quality and repeatability of welded joints, in accordance with welding standards.
Key structural components of the PED pressure manway are subject to X-ray examination to confirm the proper quality of the welds. The PED pressure manway is also subjected to a pressure test, adjusted to the pressure strength parameters provided for the specific model.
Documentation evidencing all the above-mentioned activities and processes is finally compiled into a single document, referred to as the Data Book or PED passport of the pressure manway.
Such a document includes:
In some cases, the scope of documents included in the PED passport may vary slightly. This is dictated by the peculiarities of specific regulations in the manufacturer's country, such as CODAP in France or AD 2000 in Germany.
Some PED manway manufacturers subject their design and production processes to external evaluation, which is carried out by notified certification bodies, such as Germany's Technischer Überwachungsverein (TÜV). The results of such an assessment are certified by a certificate.
The full transparency of the design and production processes, as well as the care of workmanship, guarantee the highest quality and reliability of PED pressure manways. They also make these manways the elite among tank-mounted manways.
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