Some Quick Facts
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Last Updated: January 2009
LB
Both Canada and the United States use the ASME VIII-1 pressure vessel code for construction - but -
--- Canada has a B51 standard that provides a more inclusive definition of a pressure vessel. You can purchase the Canadian B51 standard from CSA (1-800-463-6727 or 1-416-747-4044).
--- Canada has a FITTINGS category for items that are not vessels but need to be built under a quality control program. Please see TSSA's guideline for non nuclear fittings.
--- Pressure Vessels and fittings installed/used in Canada need a CRN (Canadian Registration Number).
--- The National Board registration is not used in Canada with the exception of Saskatchewan unless specified by the owner of a vessel. However, for manufacturers located in the USA, vessels that are to be used in Canada must carry a valid CRN for the province of destination AND be National Board Registered. Vessels fabricated outside of Canada and USA which are not fabricated in National Board facilities are subject to special review.
From B51-97 page 20 4.11:
"Manufacturers in the USA who manufacture and export boilers of pressure vessels to Canada shall hold an ASME Certificate of Authorization and ensure that all boilers and pressure vessel are stamped with the appropriate ASME Symbol and registered with the National Board."
Also from B51-97 4.12:
"Manufacturers in countries other than Canada and the USA who do not have the appropriate ASME Certificate of Authorization shall, when submitting designs of boilers and pressure vessels for registration, submit evidence acceptable to the regulatory authority that the quality control system for the manufacturing facilities and procedure is equivalent to that of the applicable ASME Code."
--- Saskatchewan will accept National Board without a CRN.
--- Each vessel/fitting must be registered in EACH province it will be used in.
--- Each province has its own registration requirements and fees. - more information can be found below.
--- Some items required CRNs due to their use - ie compressed natural gas - even if it would not normally be a fitting or a pressure vessel. Consult with the jurisdiction where the item will be used.
--- A CRN can be applied for, even if it is not required.
--- The CRN should be applied for before construction begins.
The last point deserves comment, to quote B51 -
"Acceptance and registration shall be obtained before construction is commenced".
For a foreign manufacturer who has a finished vessel, and has been told on the shipping date that the vessel is bound for Canada, this can be a problem. In reality, this requirement varies by jurisdiction.
The Ontario vessel act offers this alternative:
"4.(2) A person who submits a design submission for registration may commence construction of the boiler, pressure vessel, fitting or piping before the submission is registered if the person assumes all risks related to the construction, whether for an installation or alteration."
The CRN can usually be applied for at any point in the construction, the risk is that if any changes are required from the review, the vessel will need to be reworked or scrapped. The earlier the CRN can be applied for, the better. Where possible, I have included how long it takes to get a CRN in the contact information below (registration times vary a lot depending upon workloads and the jurisdiction doing the registration - some offer expedited reviews at higher charges). Many Canadian manufacturers really do not wait for their CRN before starting production - it takes too long.
(See the TSSA or Alberta Boilers Safety Association web site for more useful information.)
Do I Need a CRN?
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Last Updated: January 2009
LB
Use the following charts to determine if your vessel is classified as a Pressure Vessel, a Fitting, or if No CRN is required in Canada. Read the descriptions of what each classification requires. These charts are from the Canadian B51 standard and include more items as pressure vessels than the definition found in ASME VIII div 1 section U-1.
There is a grey area when it comes to determining if a vessels contents are not more hazardous than water or not. For assistance in deciding which chart to use, it is useful to have Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS). The MSDS sheets will not specifically tell you which chart to use, but a review of the "Toxicity" and "Health Effects and First Aid" on the MSDS can help you decide. The jurisdictions are not responsible for classifying service, it is the responsibility of the owner/user to perform this evaluation.
Important note: These charts are from the Canadian B51 Standard. Each province also has a pressure vessel registration which modifies these charts. Be sure to check the regulation for the province that your product will be shipped to!
A Pressure Vessel (to ASME VIII-I, VIII-2 or VIII-3) must be built in a shop with an accredited quality control program, and the finished vessel inspected by an Authorized Inspector. For a pressure vessel built in the United States, the shops National Board and U-stamp authorization would be proof of the quality control program. The manufacturers data form signed by the National Board inspector would be proof that an authorized inspector has inspected the vessel. A CRN (Canadian Registration Number) is required, and is written on the manufacturers data form. The CRN is stamped on the vessel nameplate. (The OIN number - only used in Ontario - is being phased out).
A Fitting (to VIII-1, B31.1, B31.3) has the same quality control requirements as a pressure vessel, except that the final inspection will be by the shops own inspector instead of the National Boards inspector. A CRN (Canadian Registration Number) and a statutory declaration is required.
If No CRN is required, please note that sometimes the intended service would require the item to be built as a pressure vessel or a fitting.
Once you have determined what classification your vessel falls under, check with the jurisdiction where the vessel will be installed to make sure that they agree. See the Provincial Contacts for your contact information. Sometimes other standards will change the classification of the vessel. Some Jurisdictions have exemptions for some vessels - check the adoption regulations.
How Do I Apply for a CRN?
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Last Updated: January 2009
LB
You normally need to send the following to the local jurisdiction to get a CRN:
--- 2 copies of the vessel drawing, see Provincial Contacts for provincial requirements for drawings to have a P. Eng. stamp
--- Vessel calculations (sometimes the number of copies of the drawing and calculations varies - see below).
--- Copies of your National Board and ASME U stamp authorization.
--- A submission form if the jurisdiction requires specific cover forms to be used.
--- Your statutory declaration form if it is a fitting.
--- If registering more than one category of fitting, separate statutory declarations will be required for each category.
--- The appropriate fees if the Jurisdiction requires payment up front.
--- Note: ACI central handles the registration for several regions. They review the design and recommend that the destination province/territory accept it. When "See ACI Central" is listed in the boxes below, send your design to them. They will handle the rest.
Do I need a Statutory Declaration?
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Last Updated: January 2009
LB
--- Statutory Declarations are only required for fitting registrations. They are not required for pressure vessel registration.
--- The Alberta web site has a guide to filling out Statutory Declarations.
--- See the chart further down the page to find the statutory declaration for the jurisdiction you are applying to.
--- Your Statutory Declaration form must be notarized. (As per TSSA, only a lawyer, notary or commissioner for oath can notarize the Statutory Declaration.)
--- For Canada Wide registrations, you will need a full set of original Statutory Declarations. See Provincial Contacts for the required quantity of declarations per province.
--- Remember, Statutory Declarations are only required for fitting registrations. They are not required for pressure vessel registration.
--- Saskatchewan and B.C. no longer require category A, B, C & G Fittings to be registered. Further information can be found regarding registration requirements using these links: BC Safety Authority and Saskatchewan.
More About CRN Numbers
The CRN system can best be understood as a regional registration system. Your design needs to be registered in each jurisdiction (province or territory) where it will be used.
CRNs take various forms - 5AN0123.5, 357.1, M0123.2, OH9999.3 could all be legitimate CRNs registered in one jurisdiction only - the number after the decimal point. For example AN0123.5 is registered in Ontario (5).
A design can be registered in more than one jurisdiction - ie 357.12 - a design first registered in B.C. and then in Alberta. The first digit after the decimal is important. 357.21 would be a different vessel first registered in Alberta, then in B.C. A design can be registered in all the jurisdictions which would look like this - 357.2134567890NYT and can be shortened to 357.2C. The first jurisdiction of registration is always shown (2 or Alberta in this case). The C indicates that every jurisdiction has been registered.
Note: piping registration numbers do not always indicate which province they are registered in: P30337 is a piping system registered in Ontario.
Applying for registration in one jurisdiction or more
To register your design in one jurisdiction, determine where your product will be shipped to and submit all of the required information to the organization listed below. They will review your submission and return a CRN. If your product is a vessel, the CRN is stamped into the nameplate. Example CRN number 357.5 registered in Ontario.
Getting your design registered in more than one jurisdiction is a bit more difficult. The above example first registered in Ontario could then be sent simultaneously to other regions, which would also review your design, and if all goes well, would also register it. If the design 357.5 was sent to B.C. and Alberta they would send back registration numbers 357.51 and 357.52. You combine the numbers to get CRN 357.512.
The process can get more difficult. Often the jurisdictions have questions which were not covered by the first review, and additional information is required (each jurisdiction has its own rules and requirements). If changes to the drawing or calculation are required, then the changes have to be sent back to the first jurisdiction to accept, and update the CRN number, then it has to be sent out to the other jurisdictions to accept.
Further note: Just because one jurisdiction accepts a design, it can not be assumed that others will as well. It is not worthwhile looking for the "easiest" province to get a design registered in first. It is more worthwhile to get the fussiest, pickiest province to register the design first, then submit the design to other provinces who often will come back with fewer questions about the design.
About This Page
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Last Updated: January 2009
LB
This web page is primarily written by Laurence Brundrett at Pressure Vessel Engineering Ltd. The first edition only had a list of provincial contacts. Many people have assisted in expanding it. Special thanks go to all of my co-workers at Pressure Vessel Engineering who said "You can't write that, we'll get sued!"
This web page is far from complete, and considering how complex vessel registration is in Canada, probably never can be. The laws governing pressure vessels in Canada are continually changing. It is up to you to contact the jurisdiction where the vessel will be registered to get the latest requirements.
Interesting facts for anyone thinking of writing a page like this: 1) The more information added to this page, the more business Pressure Vessel Engineering Ltd has got registering vessels. 2) We get twice as much business when the Author's Opinions section is included. Why I do not know.
Author's Opinion
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Last Updated: January 2009
LB
Pressure Vessel Engineering Ltd. has been doing registration work in Canada for over ten years and 1200 CRNs. It is obvious to someone that works in this field that the CRN system is not simple or logical. In my opinion three particular issues need to be addressed:
1 - the need to register vessels in each province/jurisdiction where they are used. It is my opinion that registering vessels in each jurisdiction is a waste of time and money. Proper respect is required for how dangerous a pressure vessel or piping system can be. However, registering the same vessel multiple times for each individual jurisdiction does not make them any safer.
2 - The need for Ontario P. Eng. stamps for vessels registered in Ontario works only as long as one province has this regulation. It has even brought more business to my company at the expense of those engineers not located in Ontario. However, if this is ever duplicated by other provinces, then engineers like myself will have to carry multiple stamps. Regulations like this just raise the cost for everyone. It is important to note that other provincial engineering associations have attempted to achieve what the Ontario engineers have succeeded at but so far have failed. Some are probably trying again right now.
3 - This is a system that only applies to Canada. In a world that is increasingly globalized, limiting the access to our markets for products that safely meet global standards only hurts Canadians through limiting the products we can use, and by increasing our costs. We can not say that we are building the worlds safest pressure vessels and piping systems if we can not use the best products that the world has to offer, with or without our CRNs. Our manufacturers tied up with illogical provincial regulations do not have time to seek out global markets for their products.
The Future
The CRN registration system has been around for many years. I do not know when it started, but I have seen vessels that were registered in Ontario in the 1950's. It is clear that it will be around for a long time to come. The National Board system might be a lot simpler and more logical, but so far only Saskatchewan allows National Board vessels without CRNs.
Due to long term complaining from industry groups, CSA has been attempting to create one stop fittings registration. Their proposed process does not make sense to me - send the file to CSA, who will then send it to one jurisdiction who registers it and sends it back to CSA who provides a CCRN number valid Canada Wide. This process has been written into the 2003 B51 standard, but has not been accepted by all of the member jurisdictions and is currently stuck in the courts so it can not be implemented. Perhaps some year it will take effect. When it does, it will only affect fittings, not vessels. So far no one has convinced anyone on the committee to call the whole CRN system a bad idea and scrap it all.
Enough complaining. It is my hope that this page is useful and accurate. If you have information to add or comments to make please contact me at the address below.
Laurence Brundrett
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Pressure Vessel Engineering Limited
120 Randall Drive, Suite B
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
N2V 1C6
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Phone - (519) 880-9808
Fax - (519) 880-9810
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