What is the difference between PED and PER in pressure equipment

The Standard Group of Companies is a leading supplier of equipment in the pharmaceutical and chemical industry.

The company is essentially split into 6 divisions with each group being committed to continuous improvement activities and operates a full Quality Management System (QMS) accredited to ISO 9001:2015.

Two very important pieces of legislation included in QMS are: -

• PED
• PER

PED and PER are about ensuring the free movement of safe pressure equipment within the internal market of the EU, which includes marketing, full installation but this does not include any non-pressure hazards.

PED – Pressure Equipment Directive:-

The Pressure Equipment Directive (PED) applies to the design, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment and assemblies with a maximum allowable pressure greater than 0.5 bar gauge.

A common way to fully understand PED is this directive generally deals with all relevant safety issues in the design, manufacture and use of components designed to resist stresses induced primarily by pressure.

PED came into force in May 2002 and was implemented in the UK by the Pressure Equipment Safety Regulations 2016.

The EU sets out the standards for the design of pressure equipment including:-

• Steam boilers
• Pressure vessels
• Piping
• Safety valves

It also includes other components and assemblies subject to pressure loading generally over one litre in volume and having a maximum pressure more than 0.5 bar gauge.

Where PED cannot be applied, for example if materials cannot or have not been selected from EN standards, (Pressure Vessel codes or an API standard) , this equipment must either pass a general acceptance procedure conducted by an accredited, notified body which must confirm to PED safety criteria.

PER – Pressure Equipment Regulations:-

PER came into force on 29 November 1999 and was amended by SI 2002 No 1267 which came into force on 30 May 2002.

Again, these regulations apply to the design, manufacture and conformity assessment of pressure equipment and assemblies of pressure equipment with a maximum allowable pressure >0.5 bar.

The HSE and local authorities are responsible for enforcing PER in the UK, however these regulations do not apply to the assembly of pressure equipment on the site and/or under the responsibility of the people who will use the equipment, as in the case of an industrial installation.

In these cases, the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 (PSSR)  will apply.

Simple Pressure Vessels (SPV) regulations 1991 include: -

• Intended to contain air or nitrogen at a gauge pressure >0.5 bar but less than or equal to 30 bar
• They are not intended to be exposed to flame
• Manufactured in series
• Welded with a non-alloy steel or non-alloy aluminium construction or non-age hardening aluminium alloy
• Have a maximum working pressure (PS) of not more than 30 bar
• A minimum working temperature of not lower than -50°C, and the maximum working temperature is not >300°C

The S2 Engineering Services division, are part of the Standard Group and manufacture various pressure related equipment which include: -

• Stainless and Exotic Alloy Equipment
• Pressure Vessels
• Agitated Nutsche Filter Dryers - ANFD
• Reactors
• Heat Exchangers
• Pressure Nutsche Filters

The Standard Glass Lining Technology division manufacture these types of equipment but with the cutting-edge technology of glass lining giving invaluable benefits.

For more information click here or contact the UK and Indian offices directly.

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