Designing to EN 13445 is only half of what a European project needs. The other half is knowing which conformity assessment category the equipment falls into, which module applies, and what a notified body will ask to see — because that decides the schedule as much as the calculation does.
Techso works on both halves: the design to EN 13445 and the technical documentation that supports conformity under PED 2014/68/EU.
Design by formula and design by analysis
EN 13445-3 offers both routes. Design by formula covers standard components; design by analysis handles what the formulas do not, and is the route to take when a geometry would otherwise be penalised by a conservative rule.
- Design by formula for shells, heads, openings and flanges
- Design by analysis for geometry and loads outside the rules
- Fatigue assessment for cyclic service
- Comparison with ASME VIII where a project must satisfy both markets
Classification under the Directive
Category follows from the fluid group, the equipment type and the product of pressure and volume — or pressure and nominal size for piping. It is a short calculation with long consequences: it decides whether a notified body is involved at all, and if so how deeply.
- Fluid group and equipment type determination
- Category assignment and the conformity module it allows
- Sound engineering practice: what falls below the categories and what it still requires
- Assemblies: classification of the whole, not only of the parts
The technical file
- Design calculations in a form a third party can review
- Material selection, certificates and particular material appraisal where needed
- Welding procedure specifications and qualification records
- Non-destructive testing plan and acceptance criteria
- Instructions for use and the residual hazards they must state
What you receive
- Design and verification to EN 13445-3
- Category and module assessment with the reasoning stated
- Compilation of the manufacturer's technical file
- Support during the notified body review