Hydro Static Test Pressure for Accumulators

1.5 x 36 = 54 bar test pressure. (By ASME, anyway.)

Tornado is correct for an ASME designed vessel, the hydrostatic test pressure is usually 1.5 times the Design Pressure. This, of course, assumes that the vessel was designed, fabricated and tested to the requirements of that code.

(Please note that the Design Pressure is defined as the MAWP ---- Maximum Allowable Working Pressure in the ASME VIII code)

However, out in the third world where there are many codes and it is standard practice to extract rules from any of them.........who knows ?

Same applies as per API standards (1.5 working pressure).

ASME or API regs you are looking for can be found on the net.

API 16D Specification for Control Systems for Drilling Well Control Equipment and Control Systems for Diverter Equipment Second Edition

if this is your application.

The accumulator is a pressure vessel, and per ASME code, Section VIII, Div. 1, Para. UG-99, the hydrostatic test pressure shall be:

P_T = 1.3 MAWP (S_T / S), where

P_T = minimum hydrostatic test gage pressure,

MAWP = max. allowable working pressure (internal design gage pressure)

S_T = material allowable tensile strength at test temperature, and

S = material allowable tensile strength at design temperature.

(Note that the constant in equation 1.3 is for pressure vessels and shall be 1.5 for piping systems as per ASME B31)

Interesting; I wonder when that change occurred.

Depending if the accumulator is new, I would go for the 1.5 if the accumulator is older then first check for corrosion or other problems which may derate the vessel, and under which conditions your MAWP may have to be lower and so will your test pressure.

agreed. if it is an API compliant job, only new materials are permissible.

chris