Tennessee board approves Amaero request to designate three pressure vessels as "Tennessee Specials," with safety conditions

The State of Tennessee Board of Boiler Rules on Aug. 7 approved Amaero International Ltd.'s request to designate three used pressure vessels at Amaero's Cleveland facility as "Tennessee Specials," contingent on replacing foreign-marked safety relief valves and passing state inspections, according to the board's minutes.

The action followed presentations from Amaero representatives: Todd Telfer, identified as a technical consultant for Amaero, told the board the three vessels were originally manufactured to European standards for use in Australia and that Amaero had supplied additional documentation in the preceding six weeks. Jay Chandran, identified as Amaero's chief operating officer, told the board the next vessels Amaero installs will be built to ASME standards and said the three existing units will operate in individually air-conditioned cells.

Board members pressed several compliance and safety points during the discussion. Riley Collins noted a chamber insert’s thin plate did not meet ASME plate thickness but said it had passed industry-standard stress calculations. Jeffery Henry asked about ASME requirements for newly installed vessels; Chandran said new units will meet ASME standards. Marty Toth asked whether the vessels would be registered with the National Board; Joseph Ledford assured the board the manufacturer, ALD, was aware of that registration requirement.

The board also discussed registration of associated tank farms and inspection responsibilities. Micah Lashley advised the tank farms would need registration; Chandran said they are manufactured by Delawartan. Chairman David Baughman said the foreign V-stamp on the relief valves should be replaced to ease future inspections, and Eugene Robinson said the safety-valve tags should show capacity output; Baughman said that information should be required on installation permits. Tom Herrod, a department staff member, noted Chubb Insurance is the carrier for the equipment and that the insurance carrier would conduct biannual inspections; the minutes record a discussion about a potential conflict of interest involving Chubb and staff member Chance Deason.

Board member Jeffery Henry moved to approve Amaero's request with the caveat that the safety relief valves be replaced and the vessels pass inspection; Riley Collins seconded. Micah Lashley abstained. The minutes state that after a vote by the remainder of the board, the motion carried to approve the vessels as Tennessee Specials. The minutes do not record an explicit numeric tally for yes/no votes.

The board also adopted the meeting agenda and approved the June 12, 2024 minutes and transcript earlier in the special meeting. The board recorded upcoming meeting dates of Sept. 11, 2024 and Dec. 11, 2024 and adjourned at 9:45 a.m.