ASME B31 Standards Committee Operating Guide

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ASME CODE FOR PRESSURE PIPING - B31

COMMITTEE
Operating Guide
Approved June 24, 2004
Approved February 15, 2005
Approved April 21, 2006
Approved September 22, 2006
Approved September 26, 2008

ASME B31 Standards Committee Operating Guide

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1. Introduction
This Operating Guide describes how the ASME B31 Standards Committee operates. The
guidance provided here supplements the requirements described in the procedures.

2. Subordinate Groups
2.1 Subordinate Groups of the B31 Standards Committee
The B31 Standards Committee has the following subordinate groups:
Executive Committee The membership and duties of the Executive Committee are
described in para. 4.
B31.1 Section Committee The B31.1 Section Committee is responsible for maintaining
the B31.1 Power Piping Code
B31.3 Section Committee The B31.3 Section Committee is responsible for maintaining
the B31.3 Process Piping Code.
B31.4 Section Committee The B31.4 Section Committee is responsible for maintaining
the B31.4 Liquid Pipeline Transportation Code and the B31.11 Slurry Transportation
Piping Code
B31.5 Section Committee The B31.5 Section Committee is responsible for maintaining
the B31.5 Refrigeration Piping Code.
B31.8 Section Committee The B31.8 Section Committee is responsible for maintaining
the B31.8 Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Code and the B31.8S supplement.
B31.9 Section Committee The B31.9 Section Committee is responsible for maintaining
the B31.9 Building Services Piping Code.
B31.12 Section Committee The B31.12 Section Committee is responsible for the
development and maintenance of the new code for hydrogen piping and pipelines.
Fabrication and Examination Technical Committee The Fabrication and Examination
Technical Committee
reviews Code Sections and proposes changes to Sections concerning consistency of
construction requirements
provides technical guidance on fabrication, examination, erection and testing issues
to Section Committees
develops and maintains standards as approved by the Standards Committee and the
BPTCS (No standards are approved at this time.)
Mechanical Design Technical Committee The Mechanical Design Technical Committee
reviews Code Sections and proposes changes to Sections concerning consistency of
design requirements
provides technical guidance on design issues to Section Committees

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develops and maintains standards as approved by the Standards Committee and the
BPTCS. Approved standards projects are:
o B31E Standard for the Seismic Design and Retrofit of Above Ground
Piping Systems
o B31G Manual for Determining the Remaining Strength of Corroded
Pipelines
o B31H Standard Method to Establish Maximum Allowable Design
Pressures for Piping Components
o B31J Standard Test Method for Determining Stress Intensification Factors
(i-Factors) for Metallic Piping Components

Materials Technical Committee The Materials Technical Committee

reviews Code Sections and proposes changes to Sections concerning consistency of
material requirements
provides technical guidance on material issues to Section Committees
develops and maintains standards as approved by the Standards Committee and the
BPTCS. Approved standards projects are:
o B31T Standard Toughness Requirements for Piping (pending approval)
Pipeline Personnel Qualification Technical Committee The Pipeline Personnel
Qualification Technical Committee is responsible for develops and maintains standards
as approved by the Standards Committee and the BPTCS. Approved standards projects
are:
o B31Q - Pipeline Personnel Qualification Standard

Honors and Awards Committee The Honors and Awards Committee is responsible for
administering awards including:
Certificates of Appreciation
Certificates of Acclamation
Certificates of Achievement
Leadership Award
B31 Forever Medal for Excellence in Piping

2.2 Subordinate Group Chairs

Chairs of Section Committees and Technical Committees shall serve no more than two
consecutive three-year terms. This limit can be exceeded for special circumstances if approved
by 2/3 of the standards committee members. An example of a special circumstance is that there is
no other candidate who is willing to serve.

3. Nomination of Standards Committee Officers

The nomination of the B31 Standards Committee Chair and Vice Chair shall be as follows:
a. The Secretary submits to members of the standards committee a list of the names of
members of the standards committee who are willing to serve in the office. Individual
members may be excluded from this list by request;
b. Each member is requested to mark in order, their preference for the office by the
numerals 3-2-1 (i.e., 3 for first choice, 2 for second choice, and 1 for the third choice).

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c. The two persons whose names receive the highest number of points, or additional names
if there is a tie for second, are the nominees.
d. After confirming the nominees will serve if elected, the Secretary submits the names of
the nominees on a ballot to all members of the standards committee for voting. If one of
the nominees is not willing to serve, then the member with the next highest number of
points becomes a nominee.

4. Executive Committee
4.1 Executive Committee Duties
The B31 Executive Committee shall be responsible for consideration of personnel and
administrative items or actions relating to policy or ASME position, and making
recommendations to the Standards Committee. . Routine items may be considered by the
Standards Committee without being first considered by the Executive Committee.
4.2 Executive Committee Officers
The appointed Vice Chair of the B31 Standards Committee shall serve as the Chair of the B31
Executive Committee. The Vice Chair of the B31 Executive Committee shall be approved by the
Standards Committee.
4.3 Executive Committee Members
Members of the Executive Committee
must be members of the Standards Committee
include the Chairs of the B31 Section and Technical Committees, who are automatically
made members, and
include at-large members, who are approved by the Standards Committee.
Balance of membership among interest categories is not required.

5. Member Interest Balance

In addition to balance by member interest categories described in the procedures, B31 Standards
Committee membership should be balanced with members from the Section Committees. The
purpose is to ensure balanced views between commercial piping, industrial piping and pipeline
interests. The guideline for the minimum number of B31 Members from each Section Committee
is as follows:
The Chair of each Section and Technical Committee should be a member.
Additional persons from each Section Committee should be members; the number of
which is proportional to the number of Section Committee members, but in no case no
fewer than one person.

Section
Committee
B31.1
B31.3
B31.4
B31.5

Target
Minimum
Number of B31
Members
4
4
2
2

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B31.8
B31.9
B31.12

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5
2
2

Whenever the number of members from a Section Committee falls below the target minimum
number shown in the table above, the Section Committee should propose additional member(s).
There is no intent to limit the number of B31 Members from a Section Committee.

6. Intent Interpretations
Interpretations shall not revise existing requirements or establish new requirements except as
permitted below for intent interpretations:
Technical inquiries that cannot be answered correctly on the basis of existing wording of the
Code may be answerable by an intent interpretation. Intent interpretations are permitted only to
clarify conflicting or ambiguous wording or to resolve incorrect wording. An intent interpretation
shall be submitted to the standards committee for approval along with the revision(s) to the
standard that support the intent interpretation. Both the intent interpretation and the revision(s) to
the standard must be approved for the interpretation to be issued.
The intent interpretation and the implementing revision(s) shall be approved by letter ballot of the
standards committee. Both the implementing revision(s) and the intent interpretation shall be
approved as a Standards Action.
The approved intent interpretation shall be sent to the original inquirer when the cognizant Board
(BPTCS) has approved the implementing revision(s).

7. Code Cases
Code Cases may be issued for the purpose of providing, when the need is urgent, alternative rules
for materials, construction, examination, testing, or in-service inspection activities not covered by
existing Code rules, or to permit early implementation of an approved Code revision. Code Cases
are effective for use upon the approval date of the cognizant Board.
Code Cases require approval by the standards committee and the cognizant Board by the same
approval process as Standards Actions except for 8.1 and 9.2.

8. Revisions
Changes to this guide require approval by the Standards Committee.