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I am currently working on a new project that is located in Latin America, particularly Mexico. The project involves pressurized vessels. I know that in the U.S and several other countries (such as India), the standards used by state/national inspecting agencies are usually based on ASME VIII, and API 500, 510, and 520 codes and practices.

I have tried looking searching for these similar standards as it relates to Mexico (particularly Mexico State), and haven't come up with anything. The best so far is that I've only found information on the standards in Spain. Unfortunately the assistance I would have liked from my Mexican counterparts has led to a dead end as well.

Is there anyone out there that has worked as an engineer in Mexico? Would anyone know the codes/practices by which their state/national inspecting agencies abide from? If so, can you please direct to either an official website from Mexico, or any other person I could contact.


Thank you for your help.

Taylor

[Art Montemayor]

Taylor:

I cut my engineering teeth in Latin America immediately after graduating from college here in Texas. I applied my engineering and boilermaker skills in just about every country in the western hemisphere - with the exception of Cuba.

I designed and fabricated - directly or sub-contracted through local fabrication shops - pressure vessels from 6 inches in diameter up to and including 8 feet in diameter - up to 400 psig design pressure. I did this in countries such as Peru, Chile, Agentina, Colombia, and Venezuela. I didn't have to do it in Mexico because our Mexican affiliate was so well organized and staffed with capable engineers that they did this every day and didn't need a guy like me.

I don't know who you are dealing with or just precisely what you propose to do. You are not being very specific in defining your proposed plan. In doing so, you are limiting me and others from being specific ourselves. But I can tell you that I could easily design and build a heavy petrochemical complex within Mexico such as an Ammonia or urea facility - and a petroleum refinery - without any need for expatriate engineers or craftsmen. I could do it all within Mexico, using 100% Mexican engineers, designers, technicians, fabricators, and craftsmen. All I would need is the capital monies and the time to organize the project. So I am at a loss as to why you are having a problem with common, everyday ASME Section VIII fabrication in Mexico. There are multiple (probably hundreds) of ASME certified fabrication shops with full capability to roll, machine, weld, test, heat treat, and outfit any conventional-sized pressure vessel to ASME specs. I don't see your problem. I've built ASME vessels in Peru, Argentina, and Chile and that was over 40 years ago. Mexico was a piece of cake then, and is even less now. I know for a fact that they build their own pipelines, LPG storage tanks, atmospheric storage tanks and a lot of heavy pressure vessels. They have the fabrication shops in place - with experienced and knowledgeable engineers and craftsmen. In 1965, my company (Liquid Carbonic of Chicago, IL.) employed our Mexican affiliate to design, implement, and construct and startup a Carbon Dioxide plant in Spain, using ASME codes and standards. They did this because the Spanish industry and infrastructure was not up to the Mexican standards - which were on a par with the US engineering standards. I know because I participated in that venture. Every vessel - up to 1,500 psig design pressure - was designed by Mexican engineers and built in Spain with Mexican project engineers supervising the fabrication.

The chemical and petrochemical business is no stranger to Mexico. I don't know much about India today, but I've heard of their engineering capabilities in the 1930's through the 1950's and it didn't come remotely close to Mexico's industrial infrastructure. Mexico has been producing world-scale quantities of petroleum and petrochemicals for over 3/4 of a century - without one imported foreigner to operate their facilities. The world's largest single-train centrifugal Ammonia complex used to be located in Mexico - designed by MW Kellogg and built and implemented by Mexican engineering companies, in Mexico. Mexico will import licensed engineering processes and some engineering expertise in special applications - but I would estimate that any civil, mechanical, electrical, or chemical engineering project for conventional infrastructure can easily be designed and constructed within Mexico - if the profit and need is there.

Have you contacted your local Mexican Consulate? Have you contacted an established Mexican engineering company? Have you gone to Mexico with your engineering calculations and vessel specifications to issue requests for quotations? Have you talked with a Mexican fabrication shop? When you do these things I doubt you will have any problems left.

Art,

Thank you for your response. Here is some more detail.

I am not part of an engineering project that will construct any new vessels. I am instead in an engineering support role within my company's headquarters trying to obtain documentation on the standards of all manufacturing sites.

Standards I'm particularly interested are those that involve the certification by the state or national agencies that inspect these vessels. As of right now, I am limited in contact with many of the engineers at our manufacturing sites. I am particularly looking for any online information listing the inspecting agencies,. This would also include other official information providing the codes that must govern pressurized vessels in order to obtain the proper local certifcations of the manufacturing site.

Based on what you said, I am going to contact the consulates and engineering companies in the local manufacturing site.