Piping Inspector Interview Questionnaire

No.
1.
2.

Question
What is ASME B31.3 all about?
ASTM stands for?

3.

What is NACE MR0175 all

about?

4.

What is the difference between

a PIPE and TUBE?

5.

In what service does ASTM

A333 pipe specification is
applicable?
What ASTM pipe specification
usually used for High
Temperature Service
ASTM A105 is the specs for
what?
How many bolt holes does a 3
150# flange have? Same size
but 300#, how many bolt
holes?
In the installation of flanges on
horizontal pipe, how do you
orient the bolt holes with
respect to the vertical
centerline?
What is the maximum bolt
holes offset between the two
flanges?
In orifice flange, what is the
required internal (root) weld
profile?
In weld fit-up, What is the
tolerance of weld
encroachment (toe to toe)
What is the recommended min.
tack weld size and how many
locations are required for 6
pipe.
What depth shall be removed
by grinding or machining after
flame cutting?

6.
7.
8.

10
11
12
13

14

Answer Key Word

Process Piping Code
American Standard for Testing &
Materials
Material Resistant to Sulfide
Stress Cracking (SSC) - for Sour
Service application.
The difference is in size
designation with respect to its
outside diameters. PIPE NPS 12
and smaller have Outside
Diameters (OD) numerically
greater than their corresponding
sizes, whereas for TUBE the
Outside Diameter is numerically
identical with their size
designation for all sizes.
Low Temperature service
ASTM A335
Flanges
3-150# = 4 holes
3-300# = 8 holes
The bolt shall STRUDDLE to
vertical centerline

2.4 mm
Flush
20 mm or 3 x thickness, whichever
it lesser
3 x 12.5 mm (tack weld thickness
x Length and for 6 size min.
location is 4 (Saudi Aramco
standard).
1.5 mm

Piping Inspector Interview Questionnaire

15
16

17

18
19

20

21

22

23

24

What is the usual cleaning

method of pipe internals
before hydrotest?
If P is your design pressure,
what is the usual test pressure
for a) Hydrotest? b) Pneumatic
Test
As per code and standard
practice, what is the minimum
holding test pressure holding
time?
In testing underground pipe
installation, what is the
minimum holding time?
In testing and flushing of
stainless steel, what is the
required water quality
requirement?
The nominal thickness of pipe
is T. What is minimum
acceptable thickness (or mill
tolerance).
Stainless steel pipe is directly
in contact with Carbon steel
support, is this allowed? And
why?
In smaller pipe sizes (in pipe
schedule table) the Nominal
Pipe size (NPS) designation is
numerically smaller than the
corresponding Outside
Diameter (OD), whereas in
larger sizes the NPS is
numerically equal to OD.
Question: At what size of pipe
the OD and NPS are identical.
You have pipe schedule table
for carbon steel (ASME
B36.10), can you use this for
stainless steel? Why?
During Pressure Testing of
piping system/components,
there will be possibility that
the system will be over
pressurized. What additional
safety equipment do you
install to avoid over
pressurizing the system?
What is the pressure setting of
relieve valve with respect to

Flushing by water, flushing by air,

Mechanical cleaning for large pipe
sizes
a) For Hydrotest, Test pressure
is 1.5 x P.
b) For Pneumatic, Test Pressure
is 1.1 x P.
2 hours

24 hours
Chloride is less than 50 ppm

Not less than 12.5% (Min. is .875 x

T).
Not allowed because it will create
bi-metallic (galvanic) corrosion.
14 and above.

No, difference in thickness for

same pipe size/schedule of some
size/schedule combination.
Install relief valve

Usual Practice (Aramco standard)

is 5% above the test pressure.

Piping Inspector Interview Questionnaire

25
26

27

28

29
30
31

32
33

the test pressure?

What is SMYS?
What is the usual Range of
Pressure Gauge to be used in
pressure testing, with respect
to test pressure?
For above ground pipe, what is
the minimum distance from
the bottom of pipe to the
ground level?
What is the minimum distance
requirement between pipe to
pipe and/or pipe to structure
crossing.
What is the purpose of Check
valve?
What ASME designate Flange
Rating/Class
Is the flange rating/Class
based only on pressure?
Enumerate the 7 flange
ratings/class?
What is a Miter Bend?

34

In socket welding, what is the

gap required between the pipe
and the socket? How to ensure
the required gap is
maintained?

35

What is PMI? What is MPI?

36

What is RTR? FRP?

37

What is the requirement of

bolt protrusion in flanges?
When performing Fit-up
Inspection, what documents
will you use as your basis or
reference?
As per ASME B 31.3, for Carbon

38

39

Specified minimum yield strength

The Pressure Gauge shall be 30 to
80% of test pressure.
300 mm

50 mm

To prevent flow reversal.

ASME B16.5
No.
It is based on
Pressure/Temperature
combination.
Class 150#, 300#,400#, 600#,
900#, 1500# & 2500#
Sections of straight pipes welded
together to produce the required
bend (i.e. 90 deg bend, 45 deg
bend, etc.).
Gap is 1.5 to 3 mm. By push-pull
technique (push the pipe
completely against the socket,
mark the end of socket to the pipe
and pull it back to required gap.
Can also be verified by RT to
check the gap after welding the
socket).
PMI is Positive Material
Identification
MPI is Magnetic Particle
Examination
RTR - Reinforced Thermo-Resin;
FRP Fiber Reinforced Plastic.
2 to 3 threads protrusion.
Latest Rev. of ISO Drawings; WPS
applicable to the joint and Project
specifications and Procedures.
Above 25 mm need preheat

Piping Inspector Interview Questionnaire

40
41

steel, at what Thickness you

need to do preheat? And what
is the metal temperature in
which you need to preheat?
What is the difference between
a short radius and long radius
elbow?
When you are performing
material receiving of NACE
MR0175 pipe materials, what 3
main items in the Material Test
certificates you need to check?

42

If you have specs: 4 sch. 40 x

WNRF, A105, B16.5, what is
WNRF? For what is A105
required, For what is B16.5
require and to what is sch. 40
required?

43

What Mechanical Testing is

distinctly requirement in Low
Temperature service
application
Please explain buttering used
in joint fit-up

44

Metal surface Temperature Below

10 deg C need preheat
Long radius R = 1.5 x D; Short
radius R = D.
Ni content shall not be more than
1%. The material should have
been heat treated above the
Lower critical Temperature and
Hardness shall not be more than
22 HRC.
The items is a Flange: WNRF
means Weld neck Raise Face, A105
is for the chemical composition
requirement of the material used,
B16.5 is the dimension standard
used and the schedule 40 is for
the thickness requirement of the
Neck.
Impact Test

Buttering is the weld build up on

base metal to maintain fit-up
alignment requirement, bevel
defect or other purpose.