PRressure Equipment – PED

Through the Notified Body CEC – Consorzio Europeo Certificazioni (n° 1131) of which it is also a founding member, ANCCP Certification Agency issues certificates for pressure equipment according to the following Annexes:

Annex III – Module C2
Annex III – Module E1
Annex III – Module E
Annex III – Module D1
Annex III – Module D
Annex III – Module F
Annex III – Module B
Annex III – Module G
Annex III – Module B
Annex III – Module H1
Annex III – Module A2
Annex III – Module H

The higher is the risk level, higher is the category in which the equipment is classified. The category of a piece of equipment is defined, by comparing the following data with the table in Annex 2 of the Directive:

• Equipment dimensions: (For vessels, volume (V) in litres; for piping, diameter (DN) in mm).
• maximum working pressure (PS): maximum pressure (in bar) for which the equipment was designed, as specified by the manufacturer
• maximum/minimum temperature (TS): minimum/maximum temperatures for which the equipment was designed, as specified by the manufacturer.
• gases, liquids and vapours in pure phase as well as mixtures thereof.

 

The equipment, or the assembly, gets the highest risk category among the single category risks of the pieces of pressure equipment that make the assembly itself, except for safety accessories which are automatically classified as category IV (maximum risk).

Based on the category risk of the pressure equipment, the procedures of CE Certification for PED Directive vary.

In the case of proven low danger limits of the equipment (as specified in article 3, comma 3 of the Directive), no CE marking is necessary and the product can be placed on the market with just the necessary information for the user for a correct use of the equipment itself.

For categories I, II, III or IV, the Declaration of Conformity and the CE marking are mandatory. Applying the CE marking for categories II, III and IV has to be authorized by a notified body. In order to affix the marking, the manufacturer during every process step, has to follow prescriptions that become more and more demanding as the product class gets higher. Such prescriptions vary according to the finished product:

• For category I, which includes the least dangerous pieces of equipment, the CE certification is mandatory, but without the approval of a Notified Body. In fact, PED Directive accepts the so called “self-certification”, that is to say the CE marking of the product in question, based on a technical file specifying how the essential requirements laid on Annex I of the Directive are met and proving that the product is classified as category I. Anyway, a Declaration of Conformity issued by the manufacturer has to accompany the marking and be sent to the end user.
• For category II, CE certification through a notified body is mandatory. The Notified body does not take into account the design phase, but provides also the regular control activities on production according to the procedures chosen by the manufacturer.
• For category III, CE certification through a notified body is mandatory. When the manufacturer does not have a quality system certificate including design, tests on the prototype to be certified are carried out.
• For category IV, the maximum level of control on product design and manufacture is necessary. In this category, safety accessories and assemblies composed by vessels + piping using dangerous fluids at high pressures are included. Category IV does not involve fluids of Group 2 with a vapour tension lower than 0.5 bar (e.g. water at less than 110°), regardless the equipment dimesions.