PD 5500:2000

Committees Responsible
Foreword
Summary of Pages
Specification
1 General
      1.1 Scope
      1.2 Interpretation
      1.3 Definitions
      1.4 Responsibilities
      1.5 Information and requirements to be agreed and
              to be documented
      1.6 Thicknesses
2 Materials
      2.1 Selection of materials
      2.2 Materials for low temperature applications
      2.3 Nominal design strength
3 Design
      3.1 General
      3.2 Application
      3.3 Corrosion, erosion and protection
      3.4 Construction categories and design stresses
      3.5 Vessels under internal pressure
      3.6 Vessels under external pressure
      3.7 Supports, attachments and internal structures
      3.8 Bolted flanged connections
      3.9 Flat heat exchanger tubesheets
      3.10 Design of welds
      3.11 Jacket construction
      3.12 Manholes and inspection openings
      3.13 Protective devices for excessive pressure or
              vacuum
4 Manufacture and Workmanship
      4.1 General aspects of construction
      4.2 Cutting, forming and tolerances
      4.3 Welded joints
      4.4 Heat treatment
      4.5 Surface finish
5 Inspection and Testing
      5.1 General
      5.2 Approval testing of fusion welding procedures
      5.3 Welder and operator approval
      5.4 Production control test plates
      5.5 Destructive testing
      5.6 Non-destructive testing
      5.7 Acceptance criteria for weld defects revealed by
              visual examination and non-destructive testing
      5.8 Pressure tests
      5.9 Inspection requirements for cast components
Annex A - Recommendations for design where loadings and
          components are not covered by Section 3
Annex B - Recommendations for cylindrical, spherical and
          conical shells under combined loadings, including
          wind and earthquakes
Annex C - Requirements for the assessment of vessels subject
          to fatigue
Annex D - Requirements for vessels required to operate below
          0 degree C
Annex E - Recommendations for welded connections of pressure
          vessels
Annex F - An alternative design approach for compensation using
          the pressure area method
Annex G - Recommendations for methods of calculation of
          stresses from local loads, thermal gradients, etc
Annex H - Recommendations for post-weld heat treatment of
          dissimilar ferritic steel joints
Annex J - Recommendations for pressure relief protective
          devices
Annex K - Design stresses for British Standard materials
Annex L - Guidance on structural tolerances
Annex M - Guidance on safe external working pressure for
          cylindrical sections outside the circularity limits
          specified in 3.6
Annex N - Requirements for vessel design and the provision of
          information concerning statutory obligations for the
          demonstration of the continued integrity of pressure
          vessels throughout their service life
Annex P - Deleted
Annex Q - Recommendations for preparation and testing of
          production control test plates
Annex R - Guidance on additional information for flat ends and
          flat plates
Annex S - Guidance on optional documentation for supply with
          vessel
Annex T - Recommendations for arc welded tube to tubeplate
          joints
Annex U - Guidance on the use of fracture mechanics analyses
Annex V - Requirements for testing and inspection of serially
          produced pressure vessels
Annex W - Worked examples for vessels under external pressure
Annex Y - Worked examples for supports and mountings for
          horizontal vessels
Annex Z - Guidance on the application of PD 5500 to pressure
          vessels falling within the scope of the European
          Pressure Equipment Directive
Aluminium Supplement - Requirements for aluminium and aluminium
                       alloys in the design and construction of
                       unfired fusion welded pressure vessels
Nickel Supplement - Requirements for nickel and nickel alloys
                    in the design and construction of unfired
                    fusion welded pressure vessels
Copper Supplement - Requirements for copper and copper alloys
                    in the design and construction of unfired
                    fusion welded or brazed pressure vessels

Defines requirements for design, construction, inspection, testing and verifying of compliance of unfired fusion welded pressure vessels, including branches as far as the point of connection to the connecting piping by means of bolting, screwing or welding, together with supports, brackets or other attachments which are directly welded to the pressure containing shell. The term "unfired" excludes vessels which are subject to electrical heating or heated process streams.