I know we need to get our electrical up to code. Everything must be UL Listed.
Is my equipment required to be certified by ASME specifically ? Or can another company bear their stamp on my beloved steel?
"§40225. Closed-Loop Extraction System Requirements.
(a) Chemical extractions using CO2 or a volatile solvent shall be conducted in a
professional closed loop extraction system. The system shall be commercially
manufactured and bear a permanently affixed and visible serial number. The system
shall be certified by a licensed engineer that the system was commercially
manufactured, safe for its intended use, and built to codes of recognized and generally
accepted good engineering practices, such as:
(1) The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME);
(2) American National Standards Institute (ANSI);
(3) Underwriters Laboratories (UL); or
(4) The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
The certification "
ASME is generally accepted as some of the best in terms of equipment certification, because of their rigorous standards. However, there are all kind of engineering/science based societies that certify equipment.
What is also important is to create a Requirements Matrix which shows your equipment requirements from a quality, safety and business perspective and compares it to the specifications for the equipment from the manufacturer. This is standard GMP practice.
As far as certifications and stamps, I’d look around to see what your equipment providers can guarantee and provide with the equipment.
Keep in mind ASME certification is typically for just the pressure vessels, at least as far as this industry is concerned. Pipes, tubing, hoses, fittings, etc, are not covered by ASME certification. You won’t see an “ASME Certified Extractor” but you will see an extractor with ASME certified pressure vessels. Also, keep in mind, to be a properly ASME certified vessel, it must be built in a facility that is certified and accredited by ASME, not just built to their standards and verified by a third party.
The system itself will need to be peer reviewed by a third party engineering firm to make sure the whole assembly is safe for use, not just the pressure vessels which are incorporated into the system. Such firms include PSI (Pressure Safety Inspectors), Kirkland Dynamics, etc.
ASME certified facilities, and the ASME pressure vessel and boiler code they adhere to, are the go-to standard for pressure vessels, and they are named in the legislation as a good example of an agency which will verify and approve the integrity of said vessels.
However, it does leave room for negotiation if another party is to peer review the pressure vessels on the system, even though it is absolutely up to their discretion as to whether or not they will accept the peer review or engineering certification which you submit to them.
But… even if a manufacturer that isn’t ASME certified is going to build your pressure vessel, you will still need to demonstrate that it meets adequate pressure vessel and boiler codes… and the codes they are most likely to reference are ASME’s pressure vessel and boiler codes.
Ultimately, yes, you can possibly make it work without an ASME pressure vessel. However, you’re going to have a lot more hoops to jump through, and the burden of proof for demonstrating that it is safe to use is absolutely going to be on you, with no guarantee they will accept it if they aren’t happy with it.