Repairs and alterations
ASME PCC-2: pressure equipment repair, explained
ASME PCC-2, Repair of Pressure Equipment and Piping, is the ASME standard that describes accepted methods for repairing pressure vessels, piping and tanks in service. It is organized into articles by method: welded repairs such as overlay, patches and sleeves, mechanical repairs such as clamps and bolted enclosures, non-metallic repairs such as engineered composite wraps, and examination and testing. It does not decide whether a repair is needed, which is the job of the inspection codes and API 579, and it does not replace the jurisdiction's requirements for authorization of repairs.
What the standard requires
Method selection
Each article states the damage it addresses, its limitations, and the conditions under which it is a temporary or a permanent repair. The chosen article and the reason it fits the finding are the first entries in the repair record.
Design of the repair
Welded and mechanical repairs are designed to the original construction code's rules for the component; composite repairs are designed to the article's own qualified-material and thickness requirements. The design basis and the calculations belong in the record.
Fabrication and installation
Welding procedures and welder qualifications, surface preparation, fit-up, and the installation sequence are documented as the work is done, not reconstructed afterward.
Examination and testing
Each article specifies the examinations required, from visual and surface methods to volumetric NDE, and whether pressure or leak testing is required before return to service. The results are part of the repair record.
Temporary repairs and follow-up
Temporary repairs carry a defined service life and a follow-up plan for the permanent repair. The record has to show the expiry and the inspection that confirms the temporary repair is still holding.
Authorization and acceptance
The repair is authorized before it starts and accepted by the authorized inspector when it is complete, with the finding it addresses, the FFS or engineering basis, and the approvals all linked together.
What the record must carry
- The finding, its location and the assessment that led to the repair decision
- PCC-2 article applied and whether the repair is temporary or permanent
- Design basis and calculations for the repair
- Welding procedure, welder or installer qualification and material certifications
- Examination method, extent and results, plus any pressure or leak test
- Temporary repair expiry date and the follow-up inspection plan
- Authorization before work and the authorized inspector's acceptance after
How intelliSPEC handles it
The CUI wizard family in intelliINSPECT includes a repairs stage, and repairs elsewhere are captured on metadata-driven forms tenants configure without code, so a repair record can carry the article, design basis and examination results the standard asks for. Workflow transitions, approve, reject, hold and owner sign-off, give the authorization and acceptance steps a signer with a per-signer identity, and the hash-chained audit trail keeps the finding, the assessment and the fix linked. Where the finding came from an API 579 screening or B31G remaining strength check in intelliINTEGRITY, the provisional result stays with the repair until an engineer verifies it.
Answers
ASME PCC-2 questions
What does ASME PCC-2 cover?
It describes accepted methods for repairing pressure vessels, piping and tanks in service, organized as articles by method: welded, mechanical, non-metallic and examination or testing. Each article states what damage it addresses, how the repair is designed and installed, and what examination and testing it needs.
Are composite wraps a permanent repair under PCC-2?
The non-metallic repair articles allow an engineered composite repair to be designed for a defined service life when the material is qualified and the design follows the article. Whether it is permanent depends on the design life, the damage type and what the owner and jurisdiction accept, and the record should state which it is.
Who authorizes and accepts a PCC-2 repair?
The repair is authorized before work begins under the owner's program and the jurisdiction's rules, and accepted by the authorized inspector responsible for the equipment under API 510, 570 or 653 when it is complete. Both steps need a name and a signature in the record.
What has to be in a repair record to survive an audit?
The finding and the assessment that led to the repair, the article applied, the design basis, welding or installation qualifications, examination and test results, and the authorization and acceptance signatures. For a temporary repair, the expiry date and the follow-up plan are as important as the repair itself.