VSN 351-88 PDF

Full title and description

VSN 351-88 (ВСН 351-88) — "Installation of column-type vessels and apparatus" (Монтаж сосудов и аппаратов колонного типа). Departmental construction norm issued under the USSR Minmontazhspetsstroy that provides technical rules, methods and safety requirements for receiving, lifting, positioning, assembling on flanges and installing tall/column-type pressure and process vessels used in industrial plants.

Abstract

VSN 351-88 establishes requirements for planning, organization, equipment, lifting methods and acceptance of works for installation of column-type vessels and apparatus. It covers selection of mounting methods (lifting, sliding, hinge rotation and flange assembly), preparation of mounting sites and rigging, inspection and testing of lifting/anchoring gear, procedures for alignment and anchoring to foundations, production documentation and acceptance, control and communications during lifts, and occupational safety and technical supervision. The document includes normative appendices with calculation coefficients, rigging-test schemes, typical lifting diagrams and form templates for acceptance documentation.

General information

• Status: Active (departmental norm in force; replaced earlier ВСН 351-75).
• Publication date: Approved 24 February 1988; put into effect 1 November 1988.
• Publisher: Ministry of Installation and Special Construction Works (Minmontazhspetsstroy) of the USSR; issued by the Central Bureau for Scientific and Technical Information of Minmontazhspetsstroy.
• ICS / categories: Construction and installation of industrial equipment; mechanical engineering — erection and installation of pressure/process vessels; lifting equipment and rigging; safety of construction operations.
• Edition / version: Original 1988 departmental norm (designated ВСН 351-88); replaces ВСН 351-75.
• Number of pages: Approximately 49–51 pages depending on the printing/format (original edition and distributed reprints).

Scope

Applies to development of work-production projects, execution and acceptance of installation works for column-type vessels and apparatus regardless of technological purpose and of materials of construction (carbon, alloy and clad steels, cast iron, non-ferrous metals, titanium and alloys) with welded shells or constructed from stacked sections joined on flanges. Excludes apparatus with permanently installed internal moving devices (for example agitators, centrifuges). The norm is intended for erection activities at process plants, refineries, petrochemical and chemical installations and similar industrial sites.

Key topics and requirements

• Selection and justification of installation method: direct lift, sliding with support/traction, hinge rotation (pivot), sectional assembly on flanges.
• Organization and preparatory works: mounting site layout, temporary supports, access, transfer of apparatus to site and pre-lift checks.
• Requirements for lifting equipment and rigging: selection criteria, inspection, periodic and pre-use testing, permissible loads and safety factors.
• Anchoring and anchor devices: design guidance for ground, semi-embedded and underground anchors used to secure winches and tension systems.
• Detailed lifting technologies: step-by-step procedures for sliding lifts, lifts through unstable equilibrium, hinge rotations, multi-crane synchronous lifts and flange-assembly sequence.
• Alignment, leveling and fastening to foundations: use of centring sleeves, adjustment screws, tolerances and verification procedures before release of lifting gear.
• Control, measurement and communications during lifts: monitoring of angles, inclinations, loads, wind effects; required instruments (inclinometers, dynamometers, anemometers); rules for signalisation and two-way communications.
• Production documentation and acceptance: required act forms, readiness checks, commissioning acceptance and recordkeeping.
• Occupational safety and technical supervision: site demarcation, exclusion zones, safety standards references and emergency procedures.
• Appendices with calculation coefficients, test schemes for rigging, typical lifting diagrams and form templates.

Typical use and users

Used by installation and erection contractors, mechanical and civil engineers, site erection supervisors, rigging crews, heavy-lift planners, project managers and technical inspectors at refineries, petrochemical plants, chemical plants, metallurgical works and any industrial facility where tall column-type vessels (distillation columns, absorbers, strippers, packed/plate columns and similar apparatus) are delivered and installed. Also used as a reference in developing project production plans (PPR), safety plans and acceptance documentation.

Related standards

References and normative documents commonly cited together with VSN 351-88 include relevant СНиП (construction rules and regulations), national GOST standards and sectoral OST (industry) standards for lifting devices and rigging, as well as safety standards such as rules of State Gortekhnadzor and occupational safety GOSTs. Examples frequently associated in the norm’s appendices: СНиП 3.01.01-85 (Organization of construction production), ГОСТ 23407-78 (site safety/guarding), OST 36-116-85 (hinged devices), and standards for testing and certification of lifting equipment. VSN 351-88 replaced the earlier ВСН 351-75.

Keywords

VSN 351-88; ВСН 351-88; installation; column-type vessels; distillation columns; lifting; rigging; sliding method; hinge rotation; flange assembly; anchoring; mounting site; safety; Minmontazhspetsstroy; USSR.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: VSN 351-88 is a departmental construction norm issued in 1988 by the USSR Ministry of Installation and Special Construction Works that sets out technical and organizational rules for installation of column-type vessels and apparatus at industrial sites.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers planning and preparation of installation works, selection and testing of lifting and anchoring equipment, detailed lifting and assembly technologies (sliding, hinge rotation, multi-crane lifts, flange-assembly of sections), alignment and anchoring to foundations, control and communications during lifting, documentation and acceptance procedures, and occupational safety requirements. It also contains appendices with calculation coefficients, rigging-test schemes and template forms.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Erection and installation contractors, heavy-lift and rigging teams, project engineers and managers, technical supervisors and plant owners involved in installing tall process vessels such as distillation and absorption columns in chemical, petrochemical, oil & gas and related industries.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: VSN 351-88 was approved in 1988 (approved 24 February 1988; effective 1 November 1988) and replaced the earlier ВСН 351-75. It is treated as the authoritative departmental norm for the subject in historical and current collections of USSR/Russian departmental construction norms and is commonly listed as the operative document for the topic in technical libraries and standards repositories (prints and electronic reprints remain in circulation).

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is part of the system of departmental construction norms (ВСН) produced by Minmontazhspetsstroy; related VSN documents cover installation practices for other types of equipment and plant-specific erection procedures.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Column-type vessels, mounting, erection, lifting, rigging, sliding method, hinge rotation, flange assembly, anchors, installation site, acceptance documentation, safety, Minmontazhspetsstroy.