welding and inspection requirements rfp - pipeline construction... · (2/1/2012 email duane ... gas...

EQT MIDSTREAM DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION MANUAL DESIGN STANDARD WELDING AND JOINING 3.1 WELDING AND INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS Total Pages: 32

Welding and Inspection Requirements.docx Page 712 Revision / Save Date: 3/15/17

Table of Contents

Scope ........................................................................................................................................................................ 714 References ............................................................................................................................................................... 714

Governmental .................................................................................................................................................... 714 EQT Midstream Publications ............................................................................................................................. 715 Industry Standards ............................................................................................................................................ 715 Forms ................................................................................................................................................................ 716

Glossary ................................................................................................................................................................... 716 1 Compliance with Codes and Standards ........................................................................................................ 716

1.1 Structural Welding.................................................................................................................................... 716 1.2 Auxiliary Piping ........................................................................................................................................ 717

2 Pre-Construction Inspection .......................................................................................................................... 717 2.1 Review of Welders Certification ............................................................................................................... 717 2.2 Review of Company Safety Procedures .................................................................................................. 717 2.3 Review of Welders Equipment ................................................................................................................. 717 2.4 Welding Electrodes .................................................................................................................................. 718 2.5 Initial Setup and Preparation ................................................................................................................... 718

3 Construction Inspection ................................................................................................................................. 720 3.1 Construction Welding Requirements ....................................................................................................... 720

General Requirements ................................................................................................................. 720 Additional Requirements for X-70/Y-70 grade material. .............................................................. 720 Preheat Requirements ................................................................................................................. 721 Weld Deposition ........................................................................................................................... 722

3.2 In-Service Welding Requirements ........................................................................................................... 724

4 Post Construction Inspection ........................................................................................................................ 725 4.1 Requirements and responsibilities of a trained welding inspector: .......................................................... 725 4.2 Visual Inspection of Welds ....................................................................................................................... 726 4.3 Non-Destructive Testing Techniques....................................................................................................... 726 4.4 Weld Defects ............................................................................................................................................ 727 4.5 Minimum Non-destructive testing requirements/frequency for natural gas pipelines .............................. 728 4.6 Non-destructive testing requirements/frequency for liquid pipelines ....................................................... 730 4.7 Approval of Radiographically Non-Destructively Tested Welds .............................................................. 731 4.8 Recordkeeping ......................................................................................................................................... 731 4.9 Rejection of Welds ................................................................................................................................... 731 4.10 Repair of Welds ....................................................................................................................................... 732



4.11 Oxy-acetylene welding ............................................................................................................................. 732

5 Standard Details .............................................................................................................................................. 733 5.1 Branch Joint ............................................................................................................................................. 733 5.2 Suggested Electrode Diameters for Given Pipe Wall Thickness ............................................................. 734 5.3 Weld Bead Profiles for Welds Deposited Between Pipe Segments of Unequal Thickness .................... 735 5.4 Weld Bead Profiles for Branch and Fillet Welds ...................................................................................... 736 5.5 Suggested In-service Branch Connection Designs ................................................................................. 737 In-service Weld Sequencing .................................................................................................................... 739 5.6 739 5.7 Root Gap for Socket Weld Connections .................................................................................................. 740

Version Control ....................................................................................................................................................... 741



This document is intended for the employees of EQT Corporation and any of its direct or indirect subsidiaries who are qualified to understand and follow its contents. Any questions regarding the use of this document should be directed to the Director of Design Engineering, EQT Midstream.

Scope This standard establishes the welding and construction practices for welds (including in-service welding) fabricated on all Company natural gas, natural gas liquids, and auxiliary carbon steel pipelines and appurtenances. Also included are welding and construction practices for SMAW welds in fabrication using structural A-36 carbon steel

This standard establishes the recommended requirements for the non-destructive testing (NDT) and inspection of welds performed on 49 CFR 192 and 49 CFR 195 jurisdictional Company pipeline facilities, and non-jurisdictional pipeline facilities.

This standard establishes the guidelines to be used to qualify personnel to visually inspect welds performed on 49 CFR 192 and 49 CFR 195 jurisdictional Company pipeline facilities, and non-jurisdictional pipeline facilities.

Exclusions

• Other than the review and approval of welded assemblies performed by others, welding per ASME Section IX or other procedures are beyond the scope of this document.

• The welding of materials other than carbon steel is beyond the scope of this document.

• Welding by any means other than SMAW is beyond the scope of this document.

References Governmental

GOVERNMENT REGULATION REFERENCES

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

• Title 49 CFR, Part 192 – ‘Transportation of Natural and Other Gas by Pipeline: Minimum Federal Safety Standards’ (PHMSA, DOT)

• Title 49 CFR Part 195 – ‘Transportation of Hazardous Liquids by Pipelines’

NOTE



EQT Midstream Publications

EQT POLICY, STANDARDS, & PUBLICATIONS

• Standard Operating Procedures

♦ MP 032 – Purging and Blowdown

♦ MP 068 - Tapping a Pipeline

♦ MP 102.02 - Welding Requiring the Use of Air Movers

♦ MP 092 - Measure Pipe Thickness Using Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge

• EQT Design and Construction Standards

♦ 3.2 Welder Qualification Requirements

♦ 3.3 Weld Procedure Qualifications and Requirements

♦ 9.3 Purging, Blowdown, and Gas Loss Equations

♦ 3.4 Hot Tap and Branch Connections

♦ 3.5 Joint Selection and Design

♦ 10.1 Facilities Construction and Commissioning

• EQT Background Documents

♦ “Approval to use API 1104 for Welder and Weld procedure qualification on low alloy steel when EQT standards call for use of ASME B31.3 as the basis for design” (2/1/2012 Email Duane Dishong)

Industry Standards

INDUSTRY STANDARDS

Industry Standards

• API STD 1104 - Welding of Pipelines and Related Facilities, latest edition incorporated by reference in Title 49 CFR Part 192

♦ API 1104 Appendix B - In-service Welding

• API SPEC 5L, Specification for Line Pipe, latest edition incorporated by reference in Title 49 CFR Part 192

• ASNT - Recommended Practice SNT-TC-1A

• AWS B1.11 – Guide for the Visual Examination of Welds

• AWS D1.1/1.1M - Structural Welding Code - Steel

• ASME B31.8 - Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems, latest edition incorporated by reference in Title 49 CFR Part 192

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/midtrain/Standard%20Operating%20Procedures%20SOPs/Oper%20and%20Maint/MP%20032.doc




https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/midtrain/Standard%20Operating%20Procedures%20SOPs/Oper%20and%20Maint/MP%20102.02.doc

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/midtrain/Standard%20Operating%20Procedures%20SOPs/Corrosion/MP%20092.doc

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/EngineeringAndAnalysis/DesignEngineering/dcsm/STDS_SPECS/Section%2003%20-%20Welding%20and%20Joining/3.3%20Welding%20Procedure%20Qual%20and%20Req/Approved/Weld%20Procedure%20Qual_Req.docx

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/EngineeringAndAnalysis/DesignEngineering/dcsm/STDS_SPECS/Section%2009%20-%20Testing%20and%20Purging/9.3%20Purging%20and%20Blowdown%20of%20Gas%20Facilities/Approved/Purging,%20Blowdown,%20and%20Gas%20Loss%20Equations.doc

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/EngineeringAndAnalysis/DesignEngineering/dcsm/STDS_SPECS/Section%2003%20-%20Welding%20and%20Joining/3.4%20Hot%20Tap%20and%20Branch%20Connections/Approved/Hot%20Tap%20and%20Branch%20Connections.doc

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/EngineeringAndAnalysis/DesignEngineering/dcsm/STDS_SPECS/Section%2003%20-%20Welding%20and%20Joining/3.5%20Joint%20Selection%20and%20Design/Approved/Joint%20Selection%20and%20Design.doc

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/EngineeringAndAnalysis/DesignEngineering/dcsm/STDS_SPECS/Section%2010%20-%20Construction/10.1%20Facilities%20Const-Commiss/Approved/Const%20and%20Comm%20Standard.doc

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/EngineeringAndAnalysis/DesignEngineering/dcsm/STDS_SPECS/Section%2003%20-%20Welding%20and%20Joining/3.1%20Welding%20and%20Inspection%20Requirements/Resources/Approval%20to%20use%20API%201104%20vs%20ASME%20B31-3.msg

http://linkmanager.ihs.com/LinkManagerService/LKMLink.aspx?LinkRefName=API+STD+1104+-+Current&RefGroupId=81

http://linkmanager.ihs.com/LinkManagerService/LKMLink.aspx?LinkRefName=API+SPEC+5L+-+Current&RefGroupId=81

http://specs4.ihserc.com/Document/Document/ViewDoc?docid=TXVNIFAAAAAAAAAA



Forms

FORMS

Forms

• FRM01 - Weld Inspection Checklist

• FRM02 - Weld Repair Log

• Weld Repair Form

Glossary

Term Definition

Auxiliary piping

Piping used in the operation of equipment used to transport, compress or process Natural Gas or Natural Gas Liquids. This piping can contain substances including air, water, glycol, methanol, hydrate inhibitors, biocides, hydraulic fluid, lube oil, and waste oil. Piping that could contain natural gas such as dump lines from a fluid removal vessel, are not considered auxiliary and are subject to the same rules as a DOT pipeline.

Firing line A pipe laying technique where the pipe is fit, tacked and root and hot pass welded in an operation with the remainder of the weld to be completed by others.

SMAW

Shielded Metal Arc Welding – Known informally as stick welding, is a manual arc welding process that uses a consumable electrode coated in flux to lay the weld. An electric current, in the form of either alternating current or direct current from a welding power supply, is used to form an electric arc between the electrode and the metals to be joined. As the weld is laid, the flux coating of the electrode disintegrates, giving off vapors that serve as a shielding gas and providing a layer of slag, both of which protect the weld area from atmospheric contamination

1 Compliance with Codes and Standards

In addition to complying with the requirements of this standard, the latest DOT-approved editions of the previously listed codes, standards, and specifications shall apply, except where noted, as well as any codes, standards, and specifications included by reference.

1.1 Structural Welding

All structural welding shall be conducted per this standard, API 1104 or the AWS Welding Codes. The use of AWS D1.1/1.1M pre-qualified welding procedures is acceptable. However, any welder qualified per Company welding procedures and welder qualification may perform structural welding. AWS D1.1 provides that the welding procedures and welder qualifications determined by qualified personnel to be equal to those specified within AWS D1.1 may also be used for the welding of structural steel. The Company has confirmed that the requirements of API 1104 do meet or exceed the requirements and procedures specified within AWS D1.1. Therefore, “EQT Midstream Design and Engineering Standards and Specifications” relative to the Welding Procedure Specification and Welder Qualification requirements are founded upon API 1104 guidelines and can be applied to structural welding while continuing to meet AWS D1.1 specification.

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/EngineeringAndAnalysis/DesignEngineering/dcsm/STDS_SPECS/Section%2003%20-%20Welding%20and%20Joining/3.1%20Welding%20and%20Inspection%20Requirements/Resources/FRM01%20-Weld%20Inspection%20Checklist.xlsm

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/midconstr/Construction%20Toolbox/Construction%20Services%20Automation%20(CSA)/Construction%20Forms%20Repository/Welding%20(WEL)/Weld%20Repair%20Log.xlsm?Web=1

https://knowledgecenter.eqt.com/midconstr/Construction%20Toolbox/Construction%20Services%20Automation%20(CSA)/Construction%20Forms%20Repository/Welding%20(WEL)/Weld%20Repair%20Form.xlsm?Web=1



1.2 Auxiliary Piping

All welding of auxiliary piping shall be conducted per the requirements of ASME B31.3. However, any welder qualified per Company welding procedures and welder qualification may perform welding of auxiliary piping facilities. ASME B31.3 provides that the welding procedures and welder qualifications determined by qualified personnel to be equal to those specified within ASME B31.8 may also be used for the welding of auxiliary piping. The Company has confirmed that the requirements of API 1104 do meet or exceed the requirements and procedures specified within ASME B31.8. Therefore, “EQT Midstream Design and Engineering Standards and Specifications” relative to the Welding Procedure and Welder Qualification requirements are founded upon API 1104 guidelines and can be applied to the welding of auxiliary piping while continuing to meet ASME B31.3 specifications.

2 Pre-Construction Inspection

The welding inspector must review the appropriate and applicable specifics of the qualified welding procedure with the qualified welder, and verify that the welder is fully aware of the proper Company welding procedure to be utilized.

2.1 Review of Welders Certification

The welder must possess a valid, Company signed ‘Welder Qualification’ card that is reviewed by the welding inspector to determine if the welder is qualified per Company procedures for the types of welds and procedures assigned to the welder. If there are any questions, or doubt, the welding inspector shall contact the Weld Coordinator for assistance. Any welder possessing a Company card that is suspected of fraudulence by being documented by others not authorized by the Welding Coordinator, or felt to be documented by others, shall be considered invalid. Consideration for welder requalification shall be determined by the Weld Coordinator. If the welder’s initial qualification test was performed more than six months previous to the current date, the welder qualification card must be validated with the Weld Coordinator’s or designated Company representative’s signature and it must be determined that the welder has maintained his qualification via the testing of properly scheduled and successfully tested production welds. Otherwise, the welder will be required to re-qualify in accordance with Welder Qualification Requirements.

2.2 Review of Company Safety Procedures

• The welding inspector must be aware of, as well as assured that the welder and welder’s helper, are aware of, the Company Safety Procedures applicable to the welding process to be performed. Such standards that may be applicable to the welding procedure address; tools, personal protective equipment, fire protection, the welding process itself, excavation safety, lockout/tag out control, confined spaces, hot work permits, etc.

♦ For welds where gas may be present, welds must be made using Standard Operating Procedure ‘Welding Requiring the Use of Air Movers’ (MP102.02) on natural gas pipelines.

♦ For final tie-in on liquid pipelines, complete fill nitrogen purge must be utilized. Refer to Standard Operating Procedure ‘Purging / Blowdown’ (MP 32).

2.3 Review of Welders Equipment

• The welding inspector should conduct an inspection of the welder’s equipment so as to insure that the equipment can be operated safely and effectively for producing quality welds.


Welding and Inspection Requirements.docx 18 Revision / Save Date: 3/15/17

♦ The welding machine shall be set for the current type and polarity as well as being capable of providing the voltage and current specified by the Company qualified welding procedure.

♦ The electrode cables should be free of nicks and cuts in the insulation and be of sufficient length so as to allow the welder the capability of performing his work without undue restriction. The electrode holder must hold the welding electrode securely in place providing good electrical contact.

♦ The current and voltage required to perform the welding may be affected by long lengths of cable.

♦ The ground cable should be free of nicks and cuts in the insulation. The ground clamp is connected to the pipe to be welded and must never be tack welded to the pipe. All welding machine grounds should be brass tipped and must be clean in order to prevent any arc burns.

♦ The welder and welder’s helper should be properly equipped with consideration given to head and hand shields, aprons or protective clothing such as spats, leggings, sleeve-lets of leather or other fire resistant material, boots and leather welder’s gloves.

2.4 Welding Electrodes

• The welding inspector and welder must both be aware of the proper electrode and electrode sizes permitted by applicable WPS.

• For non in-service welds, the welding electrode commonly will be cellulosic type with EXX10 as part of its AWS classification.

• For in-service welds, the welding electrode shall have an EXX18 as a portion of its AWS classification.

• The ‘XX’ as used above indicates the tensile strength of the welding electrode and, will be specified in the qualified welding procedure.

• Welding electrodes are commercially manufactured in diameter sizes ranging from 1/16 - inch (1.6 mm) to 3/16 - inch (4.8 mm) and larger. The size of electrode to be used is indicated in the applicable qualified welding procedure.

• The coating of the welding electrodes should not be broken and care should be taken to not break the covering by careless handling or bending of the welding electrode. If the welding electrode coating is damaged in any way or the electrode is bent, then the welder should discard the electrode.

• All storage boxes containing welding electrodes are identified by the manufacture as to trade name and AWS standard classification. Welding electrodes should be stored in these boxes, and kept in a dry environment.

2.5 Initial Setup and Preparation

• The pipe ends must be dry and free of dirt, rust, paint, and other foreign objects.

• Pipe ends shall be checked for correct groove angle and that no nicks, dents, or gouges exist.

• All coating material shall be removed a suitable distance from the beveled surface prior to welding.

• The beveled ends should dimensionally conform to the WPS. The pipe may be beveled in the field and shall be reasonably smooth and uniform with the dimensions conforming to the qualified welding procedure.



• The inside of the pipe in and around the pipe joint and beveled end must be free of any sharp grooves or gouges. Minor grooves must be removed by light grinding and filing. This is particularly important if the weld is to be x-rayed. Such grooves can be interpreted as ‘wagon tracks’ and/or slag inclusions when viewing in a radiograph. If these imperfections cannot be removed without affecting the integrity of the pipe, i.e. maintaining roundness and wall thickness, the pipe end should be removed and re-beveled.

• Hammering or jacking for the correction of dents, flat spots, buckles or other pipe damage is forbidden. All such damaged areas that exceed the limits as per API 5L specifications shall be removed.

• The maximum allowable pipe deflection by mitering the pipe ends is limited to 3 degrees.

• The external pipe coating shall be protected from weld spatter and mechanical damage during the welding operations. Spatter shields are typically used to satisfy this requirement.

• In the case of inclement weather, the weld must be protected from wind and rain or other precipitation that may affect the quality of the weld. Such protection, consisting of appropriate framing, canvas, tarps, and coverings mandated by the existing conditions, shall remain in place until the weld is complete.

• Pipe with longitudinal seams, i.e. ERW pipe, shall be laid with seams of adjacent joints staggered not less than two inches apart and in the upper half of the pipe and be as close to the sides, near 3 or 9 o’clock, of the pipe as practical.

• The minimum distance between welds (butt and/or fillet) shall be equal to or greater than 1-1/2 - inches (38.1 mm) for natural gas pipelines and 2 - inches (50.8 mm) for liquids pipelines, as measured from the toe of the welds. Typically, if field conditions allow, a pup length of 1.5 x the pipe diameter is preferred. Elbow segments must have a one (1) inch minimum arc length between weld edges as measured along the crotch

• The maximum high/low tolerance is 1/8 - inch (3.2 mm) for material with the same wall thickness. Larger variations are permissible (with the approval of the Weld Coordinator or Design Engineering) provided the variation is caused by variations of the pipe end dimensions within the pipe purchase specification tolerances and such variations have been distributed essentially uniformly around the circumference of the pipe. The maximum mismatch of the inside diameter, due to different wall thickness, shall be no more than 3/32 - inches (4.8 mm). Butt welds between pipes of unequal wall thickness shall comply with Figure 2. Any difference exceeding this shall be eliminated by backgrinding, backwelding, or taper boring methods. The transition shall be sloped between approximately 2:1 and 4:1; refer to Sketch 3 of Figure 2 for acceptable taper geometry. Hammering of the pipe to obtain proper lineup should be kept at a minimum.

• When making a butt weld on any diameter pipe, the welder must use a lineup clamp. The joint gap should not be less than 1/16 - inch ± 1/32 - inch (1.6 mm) wide and as limited by the WPS.

♦ If using an external lineup clamp, the clamp must remain firmly in position on the pipe joint until the aggregate length of the root bead is at least 50% of the pipe circumference. The root bead segments must be uniformly spaced around the circumference of the pipe prior to removing the lineup clamp. When conditions make it difficult to prevent movement of the pipe, or if the weld will be unduly stressed because of heavy wall thickness, etc., the root bead shall be welded as completely as possible before releasing the clamp.



♦ If an internal clamp is used, the clamp must remain in place until 100% of the root pass (stringer bead) is complete.

♦ When welding concrete coated pipe, internal alignment clamps shall not be relaxed until both the root pass (stringer bead) and hot pass have been completed.

• When making a branch weld on any diameter pipe the joint design outlined in Figure 1 should be used.

• When welding pipe above ground, the minimum working clearance should be 16 - inches (406.4 mm). When welding in a trench, the bell hole should be large enough to provide the welder ready access to the joint.

Acceptance of Pipe End Preparation

Once the welder has applied a bead to the pipe, he has accepted the quality of the end preparation clamping and alignment as satisfactory to such an extent that he can produce a quality weld.

3 Construction Inspection

3.1 Construction Welding Requirements

General Requirements

• Unless specifically noted in writing and as approved by Company, all welds performed at the job site shall be performed by Company qualified welders utilizing Company qualified welding procedures. The Company welding inspector has the right, and should question, any situation involving a scenario where a welder’s qualification is in question or an unqualified procedure is being utilized.

• The Company welding inspector shall be responsible for inspecting any and all welds performed in accordance with Company qualified welding procedures.

• When welding materials from separate API 1104 material groups, a WPS for the higher strength group shall be used and shall be qualified with the procedure used.

• Root Pass and Hot Pass minimum Number of Welders ♦ A minimum of one (1) welder is required for pipe sizes less than or equal to 12.75 - inches

(323.85 mm) O.D. ♦ A minimum of two (2) welders are required for pipe sizes greater than 12.75 - inches (323.85

mm) O.D.

Additional Requirements for X-70/Y-70 grade material.

• The Company will specify and assign the WPSs including type of electrodes to be used for X70 grade materials.

• Once the root and hot pass are complete, the Company may require the use of heat blankets to promote a slow cooling rate to assist in Hydrogen diffusion.

NOTE



• The root and hot pass shall be completed before the pipe is lowered to skids. The Company may further require the completion of the root, hot pass and a hot fill pass before the pipe is let down to skids. In all cases, the Contractor shall minimize the distance of movement and stress to the weld when letting down the pipe to a skid.

• Any tie-in weld shall be completed the same production day that they are started. Furthermore, all other welds should be attempted to be completed within the same production day. Any welds that are not completed within the same day that are left uncompleted for more than 24 hours should possess a full root bead, hot pass, and at least one filler pass with any exceptions being specifically authorized by the Company welding inspector.

• All girth welds shall be 100% radiographically inspected. A delay time is preferred; this will assist in the detection of delayed hydrogen cracking.

• In addition to the 100% radiographic inspection, random magnetic particle or ultrasonic testing shall be conducted 24 hours (minimum) after the completion of the selected weld(s). This requirement for random magnetic particle or ultrasonic testing may be waived if the radiographic inspection is conducted with a delay time of 24 hours or more, or if waived otherwise by Engineering.

• X-70 welds made with cellulosic filler metal (Exx10 electrodes) may require added heat controls to mitigate cracking. The table below provides recommendations for these controls that may be enforced by the Company as needed. The table suggests a thickness for each listed control. The thickness recommendation varies depending if the weld is pipe-to-pipe or pipe-to-other component. Each line in the table represents the next level of heat control and can be invoked by the company at any time or thickness to control cracking.

Table 1 - X70 Weld Metal Hydrogen Control Measures

X70 Weld Metal Hydrogen Control Measures

Pipe-to-PipeThkns

Pipe-to-Comp Thkns

Temperature Measure

<= 0.500” <=0.400” Preheat and interpass temperatures as indicated on the WPS

<= 0.625” <= 0.500” Increase the Min. Preheat and Interpass Temp by 75 oF > 0.625” > 0.500” Increase the Min. Preheat and Interpass Temp by 150 oF

> 0.750” > 0.625” In addition to the increased Temps. use insulating blankets adjacent to and, upon completion, over the weld

>0.850” > 0.750” Maintain minimum interpass temperature for one hour after weld is complete and allow to cool under insulation applied over and adjacent to the weld.

> 1.0” > 0.850” Increase minimum temps to 400 oF; affect and control the temperatures using resistance or induction heating under insulation.

Preheat Requirements

• A temperature sensitive crayon (Temple Stick) or pyrometer are acceptable methods and shall be used to determine the correct preheat temperature.



• During preheating, care should be taken to concentrate the heat to the weld area to avoid potential damage to any type of pipe coating.

• Preheating is required for all grades of material 24-inch in diameter and larger OR greater than 0.500 inch wall thickness.

• For Grade B thru X-56, preheating is required when temperatures are below 32 oF (0oC) or when moisture on the pipe is present.

• For X-60 thru X-65, preheating is required when temperatures are below 50 oF (10oC) or when moisture on the pipe is present.

• Preheating is required for all X-70 material in all cases, regardless of pipe diameter and wall thickness.

• Preheat should be reapplied any time the temperature of the pipe falls below the specified preheat temperature.

• The method for preheat should be accomplished by the means of induction heat, propane torches or any acceptable method approved by the Company.

• Preheating of any unfinished weld, per the specific WPS, is required to complete the weld.

Weld Deposition

• Suggested electrode diameters to be used for a given pipe wall thickness are provided in Table 3.

• Root Pass (Stringer Bead) Welding

♦ The most skilled welder(s) should be used to deposit the root bead.

♦ Extra care and precaution should be taken when performing the root pass on final tie-in welds. Note that the alignment may be difficult due to various forces exerted on the piping from soil, changes in air temperature, and piping constraints.

♦ After the root pass is deposited, it is necessary to grind the bead by using a grinding disc on the portable grinder. This is essential in that the grinding (on both sides of the weld) eliminates the high crest of the deposited bead which decreases the likelihood of forming two slag lines on either side of the root pass.

• Hot Pass

♦ The hot pass, or second pass, should not be initiated more than five minutes after the completion of the cleaning of the root pass, but in no case, accept as approved by the Weld Coordinator, exceed the time limitation noted in the WPS.

♦ When utilizing a “firing line” pipe laying technique, hot pass welding operation shall not advance ahead of the other welding operations to the extent that the section of pipeline containing only completed root and hot passes would be likely to fall from the skids.

♦ The hot pass, at a minimum, must be cleaned with a wire brush attached to the portable grinder.

• Filler Beads



♦ The number of filler passes is dependent upon the wall thickness of the pipe. Each pass should have a thickness range of 1/16 - inch (1.6 mm) to 1/8 - inch (6.4 mm) of weld metal, as indicated in the applicable Company qualified welding procedure.

♦ The filler beads, at a minimum, must be cleaned with a wire brush attached to the portable grinder.

• Weld Cap

♦ The cap reinforcement height above the pipe contour should be minimized and is limited to 1/16 - inch (1.6 mm) unless otherwise specified in the WPS.

♦ The cap should overlap the joint edges by approximately 1/16 - inch (1.6 mm) beyond both edges of the filler pass.

♦ The weld cap, at a minimum, must be cleaned with a wire brush attached to the portable grinder. General Considerations Relative to the Completion of Welds

• The weld passes or layers shall be visually inspected for quality. On a random basis, welds will be checked by a qualified welding inspector to ensure that the welds comply with the designated welding procedure for speed, heat, joint design, correct electrodes, and electrical characteristics.

• The completed weld surface shall be visually inspected for quality of contour, workmanship, roughness, weld spatter, and arc burns. In addition, the weld surface shall be inspected for porosity, incomplete fusion, incomplete joint penetration, undercut, overlap, cracks, inclusions, and excessive reinforcement. Any non-acceptable defect shall be repaired and inspected again.

♦ No weld bead should be initiated on the start of a previously deposited bead.

♦ No weld bead should end on the stop of a previously deposited bead.

♦ Both root bead and hot pass beads shall be completed in their entirety within the same day that they were initiated.

♦ Preheating of the weld shall be required prior to completing filler and cap beads that are not completed the same day the weld was initiated.

♦ To limited the amount of unfinished welds, no weld should be left uncompleted for more than 72 hours maximum. If the delay is outside the contractor’s control, involve the Weld Coordinator for disposition.

♦ No welded section of pipe should be rough handled until the temperature at the weld is at ambient pipe temperature.

♦ During any final weld tie-ins of supported pipe, supports shall remain in place until all filler passes are completed.

♦ No debris, including electrode stubs, shall remain on-site nor shall be left in the ditch line or buried within the right of way.

• When making a socket weld it is strongly recommended to use a gap ring to maintain a 1/16 – inch (1.6mm) gap at the bottom of the socket joint, refer to Figure 7 for details. Refer to Design and Construction Standard, Joint Selection and Design for application information.



• Seal welding of pressure containing pipe threads is prohibited, unless a temporary repair during maintenance is required and approved by the Weld Coordinator.

• Completed fillet welds should comply with the requirements of Figure 3.

3.2 In-Service Welding Requirements

• Pending the situation encountered as well as the experience of the welder, hot tap welds may involve a procedural review with the Weld Coordinator or Design Engineering and/or other appropriate personnel prior to installation. Reference Standard Operating Procedures ‘Tapping a Pipeline (68)’ and ‘Measure Pipe Thickness Using Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge (92)’ prior to any in-service welding.

• The Company welding inspector and welder should consider all aspects that affect safety, such as operating pressure, flow conditions, and wall thickness at the location of the welding. Ultrasonic thickness testing must be performed before welding begins. If the material thickness is less than 0.188 - inch do NOT perform any welding unless approved by the Weld Coordinator or Design Engineering.

• The risk of burnthrough shall be addressed for each in-service welding application. Burnthrough is typically not a concern for in-service sleeve or branch welding using low-hydrogen electrodes when the pipe wall, is ¼ - inch (6.4 mm) or greater. Reference Standard Operating Procedures ‘Tapping a Pipeline (68)’ and ‘Measure Pipe Thickness Using Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge (92)’ prior to any in-service welding. Documentation found in ‘Measure Pipe Thickness Using Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge (92)’ should be completed and filed along with the pipeline or facility files.

• All in-service welds shall be performed by qualified in-service welders utilizing qualified in-service welding procedures. The Company welding inspector has the right, and should question, any situation involving a scenario where a welder’s qualification is in question or an unqualified procedure is being utilized.

♦ The in-service welder should demonstrate the ability to control the welding heat input within the limits defined by the qualified in-service welding procedure, if applicable.

♦ The in-service welder should demonstrate the ability to deposit the welding beads within the tolerances specified by the qualified in-service welding procedure, if applicable.

♦ An in-service weld does not require multiple welders regardless of pipe size.

♦ The Company welding inspector shall be responsible for inspecting any and all in-service welds performed in accordance with Company qualified in-service welding procedures as well as the safety precautions associated with cutting and welding on piping that contains or has contained a gas or a liquid such as natural gas or crude oil.

• The pipe wall thickness at the weld location should be verified prior to any in-service welding being performed.

• Preheating should be used, when applicable, to remove any moisture that is present in the weld area.

• The joint gap between the run pipe and the attachment reinforcement should be minimized as much a practically possible.

♦ Hydraulic jacking should be used, as necessary, to obtain a proper fit-up.



♦ Weld metal buttering, with design engineering guidance, can be used to reduce the joint gap.

• When welding a full encirclement sleeve, a backing bar is to be used for welding of the long seams. The backing bar should be defined in the qualified in-service welding procedure.

• When welding a full encirclement sleeve, both long seams are to be completed first and may be done simultaneously. As required, one of the circumferential ends is to be completed prior to starting the second circumferential weld Figure 4.

• When making a branch weld prior to a hot-tap operation, one of the suggested branch designs described in Figure 4 should be used.

• Completed in-service fillet welds should comply with the requirements of Figure 3.

• The requirements for inspection of in-service welds should be performed in accordance with Section 4.4.

4 Post Construction Inspection

• The Welding Inspector or Weld Coordinator shall have final authority of what constitutes an acceptable weld and the disposition of defective welds.

• The Company reserves the right to nondestructively test any and all welds, and/or to cutout welds from the pipeline at any time for the testing of each welder’s work.

• Non-destructive testing of welds is typically made by a third party radiographic contractor whose qualifications must meet the standards specified within the latest DOT approved edition of API 1104. Contracted NDT agencies shall perform work as required and stipulated by authorized company personnel.

• The pipeline crew must plan their work in order to allow the NDT contractor ample time to complete the inspections during a normal workday.

4.1 Requirements and responsibilities of a trained welding inspector:

• The welding inspector can be a company or a contract employee. The welding inspector shall demonstrate the capability to interpret and describe the applicable Company's welding standards, and possess a basic knowledge of materials involved, such as tensile properties, metallurgical properties, and welding properties of materials.

• The welding inspector is required to participate in a classroom review of this standard, and successfully complete a qualification exam to show that they possess a general knowledge of the Company approved weld procedures, EQT D&C Standard 3.3 and API 1104. In addition, the welding inspector shall have:

♦ Five years of pipeline welding experience

♦ (or) CWI or CPWI or other certification approved by the Weld Coordinator

♦ (or) Five years of pipeline welding inspection experience

♦ (or) Successfully completed the EQT Certified Welding Inspector Program (Effective Jan 1, 2016, the EQT Certified Welding Inspector Program will be limited to EQT personnel only. Contract employees who have completed this program prior to Jan 1, 2016 will be allowed to continue as



a Welding Inspector until their certification needs renewed, at which time they will need to meet the other criteria set forth by this standard.)

• The welding inspector is responsible for insuring that all applicable regulations and requirements relative to the welding process are followed.

• The welding inspector is responsible for insuring that all welds made on Company jurisdictional facilities are in accordance with Federal Regulations 49 CFR 192 or 49 CFR 195 including visual inspection to insure the welding is performed in accordance with the welding procedure and is acceptable.

• The welding inspector is responsible for ensuring that the welder complies with all Company welding standards, requirements, procedures, and any special agreements. The welding inspector should be familiar with all of the relevant standards and should have copies of the relevant Company standards at an accessible on-site location, or, at a minimum, have an on-site copy of this standard and a copy of the qualified welding procedure(s) being used.

• The welding inspector is responsible for performing a visual inspection of each welder’s production welds as per the considerations listed within Section 4.2 of this standard and in completing the Weld Inspection Checklist. The completed checklists shall be maintained as part of the construction file.

4.2 Visual Inspection of Welds

• Visual Inspection is required of all welds.

• The welder (both Company and Contract) shall evaluate the quality and acceptability of each and every weld that they perform.

• All welds shall be visually inspected in accordance with the following:

♦ All visual inspection of welds shall be conducted as per the requirements of API 1104.

♦ Each welder (Company or Contract), shall have all welds visually inspected by another individual who is qualified as a welding inspector (see Section 4.1). For welds requiring multiple welders (i.e. for pipelines larger than 12- inch diameter), visual inspection shall be performed by a qualified welding inspector who is not participating in the welding of any portion of the welded joint that is being inspected.

♦ The welding inspector, on a daily basis, shall visually inspect and record the results of their inspection by completing a Weld Inspection Checklist, documenting the actual work performed by each welder, for a minimum of one weld per welder (Company or Contract).

♦ On a daily basis, the welding inspector shall visually inspect and document by completing a Weld Inspection Checklist, all final weld caps, prior to NDT.

♦ Completed checklists shall be maintained as part of the construction / job file.

4.3 Non-Destructive Testing Techniques

• In addition to visual inspection, the Company employs four forms of non-destructive testing techniques for ensuring the quality of welds.



♦ Radiography utilizes penetrating gamma rays to produce visible images on radiographic film. This technique is the primary option used by Company for inspecting butt welds, unless determined impracticable.

♦ Magnetic Particle relies on magnetic particles concentrating themselves in cracks or discontinuities due to magnetization of the part. This technique, practically, only detects surface indications and is used for inspecting fillet welds.

♦ Liquid Dye Penetrant relies on a spray on liquid to seep into surface breaking defects, which are exposed by applying a developer over the inspected surface. This technique cannot be used on hot welds, only detects surface indications, and may be used for inspecting fillet welds.

♦ Ultrasonic utilizes high frequency mechanical vibrations, which are reflected back when intercepted by a discontinuity. Typically used for determining wall thickness at potential hot tap locations.

• When radiographic non-destructive testing is used, the welding inspector shall verify and obtain records that the NDT personnel are certified to a level I, II or III in accordance with SNT-TC-1A, or other program accepted by the company. Only a level II or III may interpret testing results. For radiographic testing, the welding inspector shall review a random sample of film. The following should be verified:

♦ Radiographic film has the density, clarity and contrast outlined in API 1104 Section 11

♦ Image quality free from fog and processing irregularities

♦ For proper image indicator placement and visibility, reference API 1104 Tables 5 and 6

♦ A film identification system (numbers, markers, or other identification accepted by the company)

• Radiographic film may be retained in the project file for up to 3 years. Extended film storage requirements as determined by Compliance should be given to projects involving smart pigging requirements and changes or potential changes to facility operation including MAOP upgrades.

4.4 Weld Defects

• Cracks

The discovery of a crack, other than described and allowed by API 1104, at any location shall be subject to a cutout. Any repair of cracks must be approved by EQT Design Engineering.

• Inadequate Penetration

This defect indicates improper fusion of the weld root due to the heat of the welding electrode not ‘penetrating’ the metal. Radiographs denote this defect with a clear sharp straight line(s) (i.e. the non-fused edged of the weld preparation of the base metal).

• Slag Inclusion

A non-metallic solid entrapped in the weld metal, or between the weld metal and the pipe metal. Elongated slag inclusions are usually found at the fusion zone and referred to as ‘wagon tracks’. Isolated slag inclusions are irregularly shaped inclusions and may be located anywhere in the weld.

• Burnthrough



A portion of the root pass (stringer bead) where excessive penetration has caused the weld puddle to be blown into the pipe.

• High/Low

A mismatch of different wall thicknesses and/or a misalignment of the two pipe ends to be welded.

• Undercutting

Burning away of the sidewalls of the parent metal.

• Porosity or gas pockets

Round images on a radiograph indicating trapped gas in the weld metal, can be caused by too long of a welding arc (high arc voltage).

• Internal Concavity

A bead which is properly fused to and completely penetrates the pipe wall thickness along both sides of the bevel, but the center of the bead is concaved below the inside surface of the pipe wall.

• Arc Burns

A local hard spot that is typically created between the ground cable and the pipe or when there is accidental contact between the welding electrode and the pipe wall away from the weld joint.

4.5 Minimum Non-destructive testing requirements/frequency for natural gas pipelines

As noted in Table 2 below are “minimum” requirements for the radiographic testing of welds for natural gas pipelines.

• Minimum NDT testing requirements are typically established within the project contract documents and in no case may be less than the requirements provided within this standard.

• Company reserves the right to specify more stringent requirements, including the nondestructive examination of 100% of all welds fabricated as part of a project.

• In certain situations, spot check radiographic testing of welds may be conducted in addition to visual inspection (reference footnote (6) in Table 2 If that weld is discovered to be unacceptable, two additional welds performed by the same welder shall be examined. If either of these additional welds are determined to be unacceptable Company may determine that all welds performed by that welder shall be radiographically tested. Furthermore, the welder may be relieved of his Company welder card and removed from the project until requalified.

• With written prior approval of Design Engineering and the Weld Coordinator, other forms of nondestructive testing may be used in place of radiographic testing as the primary inspection method.

• The radiograph of welds shall encompass the entire circumference of the weld

• Each circumferential weld, which is located where the stress during bending causes a permanent deformation in the pipe, must be non-destructively tested after the bending process.

• Inspection Requirements for in service and fillets welds on DOT jurisdictional pipelines shall be evaluated using the guidelines in Section 4.5. The header piping shall be used for the size and percent of SMYS calculation.



• When NDT is required, Magnetic Particle or Liquid Dye Penetrant methods may be used, and each weld shall be inspected, whether its purpose is to contain pressure, or reinforce.

• A delay time should be used to better detect any hydrogen cracking. When NDT is not performed, a qualified welding inspector shall perform a visual inspection, documenting each inspection by completing the Weld Inspection Checklist for each untested weld.

Table 2 - Natural Gas Pipelines and Facilities Nondestructive Testing Requirements

Natural Gas Pipelines and Facilities Non Destructive Testing Requirements

Construction Type

Stress Level at Design Pressure

(MAOP) (% of SMYS)

Class Location Size Minimum NDT

Requirements

Line Pipe, Piping Assemblies

20 % and over (3)

1 6 - inches

and above

10 % (2) (1) (7)

2 15 % (2) (1) (7)

3,4 100 % (1) (2)(4)

All Under 6 - inches Visual (2) (6)

Less than 20 % (3) All All Visual(2) (6)

Pipeline new construction or replacement tie-ins, for wetland and water body crossings, for HDD bores, compressor stations, M&R stations and piping assemblies located in rail road or public highway right-of-way

20 % and over (3) All

6 - inches and

above 100 % (1) (2) (4)

All Under 6 - inches Visual (2) (5) (6)

Less than 20 % (3) All All Visual(2) (5) (6)

(1) As determined by Design Engineering and/or the Weld coordinator, Visual Inspection on a stand-alone basis is acceptable if hoop stress is less than 40% and the number of welds for radiography are impractical (2) At least one weld/welder/day shall be visually inspected and documented by another who is qualified as a welding inspector (3) All welds made on grade X-70 material shall be 100% radiographed (or NDT in another manner deemed acceptable by Design Engineering or the Weld Coordinator) (4) As determined by Design Engineering and/or the Weld Coordinator 100%, unless impracticable, then at least 90% is required (except 100% is always required for tie-ins and HDD’s) (5) All welds made for HDD bores, regardless of size or SMYS shall be 100% radiographed (or NDT in another manner deemed acceptable by Design Engineering or the Weld Coordinator) (6) Spot Check radiographic testing may be required in addition to Visual Inspection (7) If less than 100% radiographic, a random sample of each welders work from each day shall be radiographed (or NDT in another manner deemed acceptable by Design Engineering or the Weld Coordinator)



Note: This table applies to gathering and transmission lines. Note: %SMYS = [(P)(d) / (2)(t)(SMYS)] x 100

• Auxiliary piping designed with an MAOP resulting in a stress level less than or equal to 20% SMYS shall have all welds 100% visually inspected.

• Auxiliary piping designed with an MAOP resulting in a stress level greater than 20% SMYS shall have all welds 100% visually inspected and 100% NDT tested, unless impractical. Visual inspection on a stand-alone basis is acceptable if the hoop stress is less than 40% and the number of welds for NDT is impractical. Furthermore, if 100% NDT testing is impractical at least 90% NDT is required.

4.6 Testing requirements for liquid pipelines

• Each weld and welder must be inspected to insure compliance with the requirements of 49 CFR 195. Visual inspection must be supplemented by nondestructive testing.

• During construction, at least 10% of the girth welds made by each welder during each welding day must be nondestructively tested over the entire circumference of the weld.

• All girth welds installed each day in the following locations must be non-destructively tested over their entire circumference, except that when non-destructive testing is impracticable for a girth weld, it need not be tested if the number of girth welds for which testing is impractical does not exceed 10% of the girth welds installed that day:

♦ At any onshore location where loss of hazardous liquid could reasonably be expected to pollute any stream, river, lake, reservoir, or other body of water, and any offshore area

♦ Within railroad or public road rights-of-way

♦ At overhead road crossings and within tunnels

♦ Within the limits of any incorporated subdivision of a State government

♦ Within populated areas, including but not limited to, residential subdivisions, shopping centers, schools, designated commercial areas, industrial facilities, public institutions, and places of public assembly

• When installing used pipe, 100% of the old girth welds must be visually inspected and radiographically tested. At pipeline tie-ins, including tie-ins of replacement sections, 100% of the girth welds must be visually inspected and radiographically tested.

• Destructive Testing of Production Welds

• Welds cut out from a pipeline shall be subject to the same test outlined in the Design and Construction Standard Welder Qualification Requirements.

NOTE



• Any weld appearing questionable in appearance, or questionable in the manner in which it was fabricated, should be brought to the attention of the Weld Coordinator by the welding inspector. The need for cutting out the weld should be determined upon consultation with the Weld Coordinator.

• Any weld cut out for testing, and failing, shall be paid for and replaced at the Contractor’s expense. Typically, the cost of testing and the replacement of the test weld, if determined acceptable, shall be borne by the Company. Such economics must be kept in mind when determining the quantity of cutouts requested. In any event, any weld appearing questionable, (when using sound judgment), shall be tested (via destructive or non-destructive testing.)

4.7 Approval of Radiographically Non-Destructively Tested Welds

• The Level II or III radiographic technician is tasked with determining the quality of the weld. The company welding inspector or Weld Coordinator shall have the final authority regarding the disposition of a radiographed weld. The welding inspector should be sensitive to any trends made in the interpretation of the radiographs by the NDT technician. Such trends could lead to favor or disfavor of the interpretation of certain types of defects and/or the welds performed by certain welders. In addition, due to the conservativeness of API 1104 workmanship acceptance standards, any weld discontinuity for which acceptance is based upon measurement and/or accumulation that is considered to be borderline should be accepted by the radiographer and/or the welding inspector or Weld Coordinator.

4.8 Recordkeeping

• The daily reports should include the number of radiographs / welds, number of rejected welds, number of repairs and cut outs and the location of welds (by milepost, engineering station, or by geographic feature). The daily reports shall be collected by the welding inspector and maintain a report for each welder during the length of the job. Each weld should have a unique weld identification number logged on the field sketch or as-built, which matches the weld identification number of the radiography report. (e.g. XR-1)

• The welding inspector shall collect the film and daily reports from the NDT Technician, review, approve and sign these reports before filing them within the Construction Order/AFE file (typically maintained at the field office).

• When nondestructive testing is required as per 49 CFR 192 and/or 49 CFR 195, the operator must retain for the life of the pipeline, a record showing (by milepost, engineering station, or by geographic feature) the number of welds (including branch and hot tap welds, if any) made, the number nondestructively tested, the number rejected, and the disposition of the rejected welds.

• The completed Weld Inspector Checklist shall be filed within the Construction Order/AFE file for the project inspected.

4.9 Rejection of Welds

• Any non-destructively tested weld that has unacceptable indications shall be repaired in accordance with Company standards and procedures.

• Any visual or radiographed weld repairs possessing a reject or failure shall be completely rejected and cut out.



4.10 Repair of Welds

• All repair welds shall be done in accordance with the qualified welding procedure for the original weld. Only one repair attempt is allowed in the same area. Any subsequent repair attempts beyond the first shall be approved by Design Engineering.

• The repair of welds is permissible as per the following:

♦ Defects in the root and hot pass may be repaired from inside the pipe, when accessible, or from the outside of the pipe pending approval from the Company. All situations not approved by the Company shall be cut out. All repairs in the root and hot beads require prior approval of the welding inspector. Before repairs are made, injurious defects shall be entirely removed to sound metal. All slag and scale shall be removed. The need for preheat in the root and hot beads will be determined by the welding inspector.

♦ Defects in the filler bead(s) may be repaired, where such repairs are consistent with good construction practice, with approval of the welding inspector.

♦ Defects in the weld cap may be repaired without approval of the Welding Inspector.

♦ Arc burns occurring outside the welding groove shall be repaired, or removed from the pipeline by cutting out a cylinder of pipe containing the arc burn or by grinding and testing with a 20% solution of ammonium persulfate until white metal is observed pending company approval. During grinding or if the original arc burn reduces the wall thickness below the minimum allowable thickness (by pressure codes), then the damaged section shall be cut out.

• All repairs shall be performed with a grinder. A cutting torch shall not be used to access repair areas.

• Any nondestructive test records of a repaired weld shall possess the same identification number of the initial weld, followed by the letter ‘R’.

• Minimum repair weld length, including pinhole repairs, shall be three inches.

• Repair Attempts - Only one repair attempt may be made on a defect. If the repair attempt is unsuccessful, the weld shall be cut out.

• All repaired areas shall be re-examined and non-destructively tested in the repair area. The entire weld containing a repair may be re-examined at the discretion of the welding inspector. All repairs must meet the ‘Acceptance Standards’ contained in API 1104 Section 9, Acceptance Standards for Nondestructive Testing, and this standard. If the test indicates an unacceptable weld (following the repair attempt), the weld shall be cut out.

4.11 Oxy-acetylene welding

• All welds should be made with an arc welding process when possible. If arc welding is impractical, oxy-acetylene welding can be made on pipe O.D. equal to or less than 4.5 - inches in remote locations only.



5 Standard Details 5.1 Branch Joint

Figure 1 - Branch Joint



5.2 Suggested Electrode Diameters for Given Pipe Wall Thickness Table 3 - Suggested Electrode Diameters for Given Pipe Wall Thickness

Weld Pass

Wall Thickness Range

Up to 3/16 – inch

3/16 - inch to 5/16 - inch inclusive

Greater than 5/16 - inch to ¾ - inch inclusive

Out

-of-S

ervi

ce

Wel

ding

Pr

oced

ures

Root 3/32 - inch or 1/8 - inch 1/8 - inch through 5/32 - inch 1/8 - inch through 5/32 - inch

Hot Pass 1/8 – inch 1/8 - inch through 3/16 -inch 5/32 - inch through 3/16 – inch

Fill 1/8 – inch 1/8 - inch through 3/16 - inch 3/16 – inch

Cap 1/8 - inch 5/32 - inch through 3/16 - inch 3/16 – inch

In-S

ervi

ce

Wel

ding

Pr

oced

ures

Root N/A 3/32 - inch 3/32 – inch

Hot Pass N/A 3/32 - inch through 1/8 - inch 3/32 - inch through 1/8 – inch

Fill N/A 3/32 - inch through 1/8 - inch 3/32 - inch through 1/8 - inch

Cap N/A 3/32 - inch through 1/8 - inch 3/32 - inch through 1/8 - inch



5.3 Weld Bead Profiles for Welds Deposited Between Pipe Segments of Unequal Thickness

Figure 2 - Weld Bead Profiles for Welds Deposited Between Pipe Segments of Unequal Thickness



5.4 Weld Bead Profiles for Branch and Fillet Welds

Figure 3 - Weld Bead Profiles for Branch and Fillet Welds



5.5 Suggested In-service Branch Connection Designs

Figure 4 - Suggested In-service Branch Connection Designs



Suggested In-service Branch Connection Designs (con’t)

Figure 5 - Suggested In-service Branch Connection Designs (con't)



5.6 In-service Weld Sequencing

Figure 6 - In-service Weld Sequencing



5.7 Root Gap for Socket Weld Connections

Figure 7 - Root Gap for Socket Weld Connections



Version Control

Field Name Field Contents

Author: Brian Tucker

Comments: Developed By: Pro-Tech Solutions, Inc. Spring, Texas Phone: (281)-320-2398

Checked By: Sheila Miller

Department: Design Engineering

Editor: Jim Swatzel

Owner: Ted Charletta

Keywords: Weld, Mag Particle, Liquid Dye Penetrant, Magnaflux, Hot Tap, Non-Destructive Testing, Testing, Test Welding, NDT, Weld Repair, X-ray, Electrode, Welding Rod

Status: Approved

Section: 03.01

Revision Record

Revision Number

Description of Revision Reviewer Initials

Owner Initials Approval Date

Original Issue 06/07/2002

1.

– Additions and revisions were incorporated within this standard in consideration of hot tap (i.e. in-service) welder qualification and weld procedures. Additionally, jet-welding issues were added to this standard.

03/22/2004

2.

Additions include the qualifications for welding X65 grade steel, as well as addressing weld qualification considerations for shops, and conditions of acceptance for acceptance of qualified weld procedures outside of API 1104 and Company specifications. Revisions provide for the elimination of API 1107 via the incorporation of these specifications within Appendix B of the Nineteenth Edition of API 1104 (approved by 49 CFR 192 on June 14, 2004

07/02/2007



Revision Record

Revision Number



3.

Revised the number of welders required for pipe size to allow for two or more welders on pipe above 12.75 - inches O.D. Revised allowable high/low from 3/32 - inch to 1/8 - inch as per API 1104, section 7.2. Revised preheat temperatures based on wall thickness and pipe grade. Updated reference electrode table and revised minimum number of beads to include additional wall thicknesses. Removed the jet welding procedure option and referenced Work Procedure ‘Jet welding’. Performed general formatting and editing to remove any redundancies and streamline the document

10/13/2008

4. Revision 4 3/1/2009

5. Revised portions of Section 4 in order to clarify that ALL welds on Jurisdictional pipelines must be visually inspected.

STM DRD 5/16/2010

6. Revised portions of Section 4 in order to further clarify. BMT DRD 8/5/2010

7.

In Section 2, stated that butt welds between pipes of different wall thickness shall have a specific transition slope. In Section 3, specified the number of welders required on root and hot pass. Recommended the use of gap ring when socket welding. Prohibited seal welding of pressure containing threads. In Section 4, specified the certification levels of NDT personnel. In Section 5, added figure 5.6 Root Gap for Socket Weld Connections

BMT DRD 9/7/2010

8.

Reorganized Section 4 through 4.2 for clarity regarding visual inspection and inspector requirements. Redundant statements removed. Added detailed experience required for a weld inspector. Added the requirement that qualified personnel are required for structural welding

BMT DRD 11/5/2010

9.

Added information on X-70 material. Added pre-heat requirement for components 24” and larger and for wall thickness over 0.500”. Table 4.4 was modified.

BMT DRD 2/15/2011



Revision Record

Revision Number



10. 3.1.2 Revised requirements for completion timing for X-70 welds. STM DRD 11/2/2011

11.

3.1.3 “Preheat Requirements” - Added Preheat methods. Corrected preheat temp range for Pipe Grades > X-42 to < X-60 from “225 0F to 300 0F’, to ‘200 0F to 300 0F.’

STM DRD 3/27/2012

12.

4.1 clarification of a visual inspection of welds per API 1104 requirements 4.5 NDT Table was revised to clarify when NDT is required

DRD DRD 11/2/12

13.

2.5 Clarified requirements for release of external clamps 3.1.2 added a new note with a table to expand heating and insulating requirements for welding X70 with cellulosic electrode. 4.1 updated Weld Inspector qualifications 4.2 updated Visual Inspection requirements

JFS TAC

STM TAC

10/20/2015

14. Changed Weld inspector to welding inspector, weld rod to welding electrode, made many editorials and technical edits, see edits.

JFS TAC 12/19/16

15. Revised the wording to limit the cap height to 1/16”. JFS TAC 01/25/17

Administrator Notes: