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ASME PCC-1 - Guidelines for Pressure Boundary Bolted Flange Joint Assembly

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ASME PCC-1, Guidelines for Pressure Boundary Bolted Flange Joint Assembly (BFJA), is a standard created and published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). Published in November of 2013, PCC-1 replaces the first edition, which was published in 2000.

This standard applies to pressure-boundary flanged joints with ring-type gaskets that are entirely within the circle enclosed by the bolt holes and with no contact outside the circle. The guidelines within the standard may also be used to develop joint assembly procedures for a broad range of sizes and service as well. Guidance on troubleshooting BFJAs not providing leak-tight performance is also provided in this document.

This standard gives directions for the training and qualification of bolted joint assembly personnel. It also covers the cleaning and examination of flange and fastener contact surfaces, the alignment of flanged joints, the installation of gaskets, and the lubrication of working surfaces. The installation, numbering, and tightening of bolts are all covered by ASME PCC-1 as well, as is the tightening sequence. The final topics covered are target torque determination, joint pressure and tightness testing, records, and joint disassembly. There are also several appendices that provide important information and guidelines as well.
 
Compared to the previous edition ASME PCC-1, the 2013 edition has gone through many changes, including the newly added Appendix A, which contains significant guidance for the levels of training and experience required for technicians working on BFJAs. There are now three major levels of qualifications; all requiring different degrees of training, experience and assessment. One can only qualify for ASME PCC-1 once all three levels have been completed.
 
ASME PCC-1 also now outlines the extensive requirements for the training of bolted joint personnel, including qualified bolting specialists, qualified senior bolting specialists, and qualified senior bolting instructors. Also, training will now take much longer than previous bolted training programs, to cover all of the requirements. For example, although only five days are required for the foundational module of the training curriculum, the training requirements from ASME include more than 200 individual topics which are all expected to be covered during the training.

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