ABSTRACT
Standards and codes were established primarily to ensure safety against failure. The need for safety standards is obvious in a world growing increasingly aware of the hazards posed to people, property, and the environment due to failures of pressure vessels and heat exchangers in any industrial plant [1]. Failures may occur due to design inadequacies, use of inferior materials for construction, poor workmanship in fabrication and welding, and inadequate quality control checks. Hence, it is essential that due consideration is given at all stages of design, manufacturing, and installation. The codes and standards give guidance and in some cases govern the design, manufacture, construction, operation, and maintenance of heat exchangers and pressure vessels. The codes and standards are published periodically by issuing organizations or associations. They have committees consisting of representatives from industries, professional groups, users, government agencies, insurance companies, and other interest groups for maintaining, updating, and revising the codes and standards based on technological developments, research, experience and feedback, and changes in specications and regulations. The present-day codes have their origin in the rules laid down by the insurance companies in the past for the safe operation of boilers and pressure vessels against explosions or accidents and consequential damage to the human lives and property.
