As of the 29th May 2002 all pressure vessels marketed and sold in Europe must conform to the new Pressure Equipment Directive. As of this date all pressure equipment being placed into service in Europe will require compliance to the PED and possibly a CE mark. This directive applies to all pressure equipment and assemblies (both liquid and gas) with a maximum allowable pressure greater than 0.5 bar.

The industry recognised codes (PD5500 and ASME VIII) will still be required in many instances, but all vessels will have to satisfy the demands of the PED (Pressure Equipment Directive), including those we have designed ourselves.

We here at Amazon Filters were aware of these requirements for the 2 years prior to 2002 and because of our high product specification and well developed quality systems, we had very few actions to take in order to comply with the new legislation. For example, material traceability compliancy, product labelling and design specification already exceeded most of the demands for PED.

We are therefore pleased to advise that as of 29th May 2002, all vessels supplied and manufactured by Amazon Filters will meet this legislation. The following paragraphs outline some of the basic requirements of the new legislation and what effect that has on you - our customers.

In general you will not notice a great deal of difference, there are however a few important facts that will be required in order to successfully apply the right vessel in to the right application. You may find that some customers will specify a certain level of certification and will have full knowledge of what they need and what the requirements of their pressure system are, but some will simply ask for a CE marked vessel - that is not enough.

The process fluid needs to be identified, in the UK, either by specification of its classification under the CHIP - Chemicals (Hazard Information and Packaging for Supply) regulations 1994 or by stipulating the actual fluid itself, and (if possible) the clients own classification of the fluid. Other European countries will have their own fluid classification systems. There are quite specific groupings of fluids in the new PED requirements, these are broken down into the following key headings: -

Group 1 comprises those fluids classified, according to the EC directive on the classification of dangerous substances, as: -

• Explosive
• Oxidising
• Flammable
• Very flammable
• Extremely flammable
• Toxic
• Very toxic

Additionally, the process conditions need clarification. The design (not operating) system pressure and temperature needs to be clearly stated. This along with the fluid classification will determine what type of vessel is required to meet PED requirements.

It is very important with the new legislation to understand not only where a filter can be used but also where it CANNOT be used.

Typically, our 50, 60 and 80 Series housings will have the following PED classification: -

We are confident that we have met all of the requirements for the supply of filter vessels covered by the new European legislation Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC and that it should not be seen as a barrier to trade but as an enhancement of safety.

It will be illegal to market, sell or install vessels that do not meet the requirements of the PED rules and as such you will be responsible for those vessels that pass through your company - it is therefore in your interest to understand the requirements of this directive.