SPECIFICATIONS FOR INSULATING JOINT

DATA SHEET
SL. NO. DESCRIPTION SPECFICATIONS / CRITERIA
1. SERVICE Natural Gas
2. SIZE 10 “ # 600
3. DESIGN PRESSURE 72 Kg/cm2
4. DESIGN TEMPERATURE 65 DEG C
5. CORROSION ALLOWANCE 1.5 mm
6. END CONNECTION BW (butt-welded)
7. DESIGN CODE A.S.M.E Sec VIII Div.1
8. DESIGN FACTOR 0.5
9. HYDROSTATIC TEST PRESSURE 108 Kg / cm2
fo r 1 5 m in u t es
BODY ASTM A 105
10. MATERIAL
P UP S API 5L GR B
11. CONNECTING PIPE Dia: 10.750 INCH OD
SEPCIFICATION Wall thickness: 8.7 MM
12. ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE Min. 25 MEGAOHMS
(1000 Volts DC applied)
13. DI-ELECTRIC STRENGTH 5000 Volt AC
fo r 1 m in u t e
14. PNEUMATIC PRESSURE 5 Kg / cm2
for 10 minutes
15. VACUUM PRESSURE 1 millibar
fo r 5 m in u t es
16. NO. OF CLEATS 04
17. CHARPY TEST R eq u ir ed a s p er sp ecifica t io n
18. HARDNESS TEST R eq u ir ed a s p er sp ecifica t io n

NOTE:
4 nos. of cleats as shown in t he figure #1 shall be provided on the pups
on either side of the insulating joint for connecting 10 mm2 and 50 mm2
cables for measurement / shorting purposes. Cleats shall be attached to
the insulating joint by welding.

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1.0 S CO P E

T h is s p e c if ic a t io n c o v e r t h e b a s ic r e q u ir e m e n t s fo r d e s ig n
m a n u f a c t u r e , t e s t in g a n d s u p p ly o f c a r b o n s t e e l in s u la t i n g
jo i n t s t o b e in s t a l le d i n o n s h o r e p i p e li n e s y s t e m s h a n d l in g
h y d r o c a r b o n s in li q u id o r g a s e o u s p h a s e .

2.0 REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

2.1 Reference has been made in this specificat ion to the latest edition of
following Codes, Standards and Specifications.

( a) ASME B 31.8 Gas transmission & distribut ion piping system

(b) ASME B 31.4 Liquid transportation systems for hydrocarbons,

LPG, Anhydro us Ammonia and Alcohols

(c) ASTM A 370 Mechanical testing of Steel Product

(d) ANSI B 16.25 Butt welding Ends

( e) ASME Section Boiler and press ure vessel code viii & ix

(f) API 1104 Standard for welding pipelines and related facilities

( g) SSPC-Vis-1 Steel struct ures painting co uncil visual standard

(h) MSS-SP-53 Quality standard for steel castings and forgings for
valve flanges and fittings and other piping
components–magnetic particle examinatio n method.

(i) MSS-SP-75 Specificatio n for high test wrought welding fittings

( j) NACE RP 0286 The electrical isolation of Cathodically protected

pipelines

2.2 In case of conflict between the requirements of this specification and any
code, standard or specification referred t o in this specification, the
requirements of this specification shall govern.

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3.0 MATERIALS

3. 1 Materials for the pressure containing parts of the insulating joints shall be
as indicated in the data sheets specifications for Insulating joints. Material
for pups shall be equivalent or superior to the material of connecting
pipeline which is indicated in t he data sheets. Other part shall be as per
manufact urer’s standard suitable for the service condition indicted in the
data sheets specificatio ns for Ins ulating joint s, which shall be subject to
approval by Purchaser.
3. 2 Carbon steel used in the manufact ure of insulating joints shall be fully
killed.
3. 3 Insulating joints which are subject to field welding by purchaser, shall
have carbon equivalent (CE) not exceeding 0.45 based on check analysis
for each heap of steel calculated according to the following formula:

CE = C + Mn/6 + (Cr + Mo + V)/5 + (Ni + Cu)/15

3. 4 When specified in t he data sheets specifications for Insulating joints,
Charpy V-notch test shall be conducted on each heat of steel used in
manufact ure of pressure co ntaining parts of insulating joints. Test
temperat ure shall be 0oC, unless specified otherwise in t he data sheet
specificatio ns. Test procedure shall co nform to ASTM A 370. The Charpy
impact test specimens shall be taken in the direction of principal grain
flow and notched perpendicular to the original surface of the plate or
forging. The average impact energy value of three full sized specimens of
base metal, weld metal and HAZ shall be 27 Joules, unless specified
otherwise. Minimum impact energy value of any one specimen shall not
be less t han 80% of the average impact energy specified. No specime n
shall exhibit less than 80 percent shear area.
3. 5 When specified in t he Insulating Joint Data sheet, hardness test shall be
carried o ut as per ASTM A 370 for each heat of steel used. The maximum
hardness of base metal, weld metal and HAZ of all pressure containing
parts shall be 248 HV10 unless specified otherwise.
3. 6 Insulation material shall be minim um 20mm thick and shall comply
section 5 of NACE RP 0286.

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4.0 DESIGN AND FABRICATION

4.1 MECHANICAL
4.1.1 Insulating joints shall be of integral type fabricated by welding with pups
as shown in Figure #1. Bolted and threaded joints are not acceptable.
4.1.2 All materials used for the manufact ure of the insulating joint shall be in
accordance with clause 3.0 as stated above in this specification.
4.1.3 Insulating joints shall be designed using the design principles of ASME
Section VIII Div-1. The design shall be checked for the following two
cases:
CASE # 1: DESIGN PRESSURE AS PER DATA SHEET
SPECIFICATIONS + AXIAL FORCE
The Axial force shall be calculated as:

F = 0.1 x S x A
Where, S = SMYS of connected Pipe
A = Metal cross-sectional area of connected pipe
The allowable stress in t his case shall be less than or equal to 0.5 x
SMYS of insulating joint.
CASE #2: HYDROSTATIC TEST PRESSURE
The allowable stress in this case shall be less than or equal to 90% of
SMYS of insulating joint material.
All design parameters shall be as per insul ating joint Data sheet
specificatio ns. Detail calculations shall be submitted to GAIL for
prior approval before manufact uring.
4.1.4 Insulating joint design and materials shall be capable of being vacuum
tested to 1 millibar.
4.1.5 The joint between pipe pup pieces and main forging shall be full
penetration butt weld type. Weld design shall be such as result ing in a
weld joint factor of 1.0.

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4.1.6 Butt weld ends shall have ends as per ASME B16.25. However, end
preparation for butt welding ends having unequal thickness with respect
to connecting pipe, shall be as per ASME B 31.4/ B31.8 as applicable.
4.1.7 The reinforcement of inside weld seam, in case pups fabricated from
LSAW pipes, shall be remo ved for a distance of atleast 50mm from each
end.
4.1.8 Insulating joints shall allow free passage of scrapper instrumented pigs.
The internal bore shall be same as that of connecting pipe including its
tolerances.
4.1.9 The insulating joint shall be formed by sandwiching and locking in
positions the insulating material in a bell and spigot type of joint. The joint
shall be assembled in s uch a way that its vario us components are firmly
locked in position and the completed joint s capable of withstanding
stresses due to designed operating conditions and field hydrostatic
testing.
4.1.10 Insulating joints shall be suitable for above gro und or undergro und
installations as indicted in data sheet specifications.
4.1.11 All welds shall be made by welders and welding procedures qualified in
accordance with t he provisio ns ASME Section IX. The procedure
qualification shall include impact test and shall meet the requirements of
clause 3.3, 3.5 of this specificatio n.
4.1.12 Repair welding o n parent metal is not allowed. Repair of welds shall be
carried o ut only after specific approval by purchaser’s representative for
each repair. The repair welding shall be carried o ut by welders and
welding procedures duly qualified as per ASME section IX and records
for each repair shall be maintained.
4.1.13 Internal diameter at the welding end shall not vary more than +1, -3 mm
from the nominal diameter.
4.1.14 Out of roundness measured at the root face of the welding ends shall not
be more than 0.5% of the specified inside diameter.

4.2 ELECTRICAL

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4.2.1 The average di-electric strength of the insulating joint shall be minium 15
kilovolts.
4.2.2 Two cleats as shown in data sheet shall be provided on t he pups on either
side of the insulating joint for connecting 10 mm2 and 50mm2 cables fo r
measurement / shorting purposes. Cleats shall be attached to the
insulating joint by welding.

5.0 INSPECTION AND TESTS

T h e m a n u f a c t u r e r s h a l l p e r f o r m a ll in s p e c t io n a n d t e s t s a s p e r t h e
r e q u ir e m e n t o f t h is s p e c ific a t io n a n d t h e r e le v a n t c o d e s , p r io r t o
s h ip m e n t a t h is w o r k . S u c h in s p e c t io n a n d t e s t s s h a ll b e , n o t li m it e d
t o , t h e fo llo w in g :
5. 1 All insulation joints shall be visually inspected.
5. 2 Dimensio nal checks shall be carried o ut as per the purchaser
approved drawing. The successful bidder has to submit the
drawing for approval before manufact uring.
5. 3 Chemical composition and mechanical properties including
hardness shall be checked as per relevant material standards
and specificatio ns.
5. 4 Non-destructive testing of insulating joints shall be carried o ut
as give below:
5.4.1 All butt and repair welds of pressure containing parts shall be
examined by 100% radiography. Acceptance limits shall be as
per API 1104. Welds which in purchasers’ opinion cannot be
inspected by radiographic met hods, shall be checked by
ult rasonic or magnetic particle met hods. Acceptance criteria as
per ASME section VIII.
5.4.2 All forgings shall be wet magnetic particle inspected on 100% of
forged surfaces. Met hod and acceptance shall comply MSS-SP-
53.

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 5.4.3 All finished weld ends shall be 100% ultrasonically tested for
laminatio n type defects for a distance of 50mm from the ends.
Any lamination larger than 6.35mm shall not be applicable.
5.4.4 All fillet welds of thickness < 6mm shall be examined 100%
magnetic particle inspection and > 6mm shall be examined 100%
UT. Acceptance criteria for MPI and UT shall be as per ASME
Sec VIII.
5. 5 Insulating joints shall be hydrostatically tested to a pressure as
indicated i.e 108 kg/cm2 for 15 minutes.
5. 6 After hydrostatic test, insulating joints shall be tested with air at
5 kg/cm2 for 10 minutes. The tightness shall be checked by
immersio n or with a frothing agent. No leakage will be
accepted.
5. 7 Di-electic test:
5.7.1 Insulation resistance of each insulating joint shall be atleast 25
meghaohms, when checked with 500-1000 V DC.
5.7.2 In addition, prior to and after hydrotesting, each ins ulating joint
shall be tested for di-electric integrity at 5000 V AC, 50 Hz for
one minute and t he leakage c urrent before and after hydrostatic
test shall be equal. Testing time, voltage and leakage shall be
equal.
No repair shall be permitted to the insulating joints failed in the
above mentioned tests.

5. 8 GAIL at its discretion reserves the right to perform thro ugh

GAIL’s representative or GAIL’s authorized Third party
stagewise inspection and wit ness tests as indicated at
manufact urer’s works prior to shipment. GAIL’s decisio n is
final.
5. 9 Other than GAIL’s inspection (eit her thro ugh GAIL
representative or GAIL’s aut horised TPIA) the supplier has to
arrange for his own third party inspectio n agency / inspectors
from either EIL/PDIL/Mecon/DNV/ Baxcounsel/ BVQI and all
necessary charges shall be included in the unit rate of the
Insulation joint and it is in scope of the bidder. Please note that

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 the vendor must have his own Third party inspector other than
GAIL’s TPI. However the bidder may specify the TPIA at the
time of bidding in case of any deviatio n from the above
specified parties.
5. 10 Pre-despatch inspectio n by GAIL personnel / GAIL’S TPIA shall
be done.

6.0 TEST CERTIFICATES

T h e m a n u fa c t u r e r s h a l l s u b m it fo llo w i n g c e r t ific a t e s t o G A I L
c e r t ifie d b y t h ir d - p a r t y b e in g h ir e d :
6. 1 All test certificates relevant to the chemical analysis and
mechanical properties including hardness of the materials used
for constructio n of insulating joint as per this specification and
relevant standards.
6. 2 Test reports on Non-dest ructive testing.
6. 3 Test reports for hydrostatic and air tests
6. 4 Test certificates for electrical tests
6. 5 Test report on vac uum test.

7.0 PAINTING, MARKING AND SHIPMENT

7. 1 After all inspection and tests required have been carried o ut, the
insulating joint surface shall be thoro ughly cleaned, freed from
rust and grease and applied with sufficient coats of corrosion
resistant paint. Surface preparation shall be carries o ut by shot
blasting to SP-6, in accordance wit h “Steel struct ures Painting
co uncil – Visual standard SSPC-Vis-1”. External surfaces of
insulating joint shall have one coat of primer – Mastic epoxy
and two coats of finish paint of Polyurethane.
7. 2 Insulating joints shall be marked with indelible paint with t he
following data:
( a) Manufact urer’s Name
(b) Suitable for __________ inch Nominal
diameter pipeline

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 (c) End thickness in “mm”
(d) Material
( e) Design pressure / Hydrostatic Test pressure
(f) ANSI Class Rating
( g) Tag No.
(h) Year of Manufact ure
7. 3 Insulating joints shall be suitably protected to avoid any
damage during transit. Metallic or high-impact plastic bevel
protectors shall be provided for weld ends.
7. 4 Only t hose insulating joint inspected by GAIL and cleared for
dispatch shall be shipped.

8.0 GUARANTEE
8. 1 The manufact urer shall guarantee that the materials used
comply with the requirements of this specification.
8. 2 Manufact urer shall replace or repair ins ulating joints found
defective due to inadequate engineering or quality of material.
8. 3 Manufact urer shall replace t he insulating joint witho ut delay if
the defect or malfunctioning cannot be eliminated.
8. 4 Any defects occurring within 12 months from the date of
installation or within 30 months from the date of dispatch,
whichever is earlier, shall be repaired making all necessary
modifications and repair of defective parts free of charge to the
purchaser.

9.0 DOCUMENTATION
9. 1 All documents shall be in E nglish language.
9. 2 At the time of bidding, bidder shall submit the following
documents:
9.2.1 General arrangement drawing along wit h “cross-
sectional” view, overall dimensio ns and details of
insulating materials recommended.

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 9.2.2 Reference lists of previo us supplies of ins ulating joint
of similar specification.
9.2.3 Clausewise list of deviation from this specification, if
any.
9. 3 Within t he three weeks of placement of order, the manufact urer
shall submit fo ur copies of but not limited to the following
drawings, documents and specificatio ns for approval to GAIL:
9. 3. 1 Fabrication drawings and relevant calculations for
pressure containing parts.
9. 3. 2 Welding procedure and method of manufacture for
all phases of manufact ure.
9. 3. 3 Quality Assurance Plan (QAP).
Once the appro val has been given by purchaser any changes in
design, material and method of manufact ure shall be notified to
GAIL whose appro val in writing of all changes shall be
obtained before the insulating joint are manufact ured.
9. 4 With fo ur weeks from the appro val date manufact urer shall submit
one reproducible and fo ur copies of approved drawings,
documents and specifications as listed in 9.3 of this specification.
9. 5 Prio r to shipment, the manufact urer shall submit one reproducible
and six copies of the test certificates as listed in clause 6.0 this
specifcation.

10.0 SCHEDULE OF RATES

I m p o r ta n t n o te :
T h e b id d e r s h a ll q u o te t h e u n it r a te o f I n s u la t io n J o i n t
in c l u s i v e o f h is t h ir d p a r ty in s p e c t io n c h a r g e s . T h e c h a r g e s
to w a r d s th e T P I A s h a l l b e in c lu d e d in th e u n i t r a te o f I J .
S e p a r a te c h a r g e s o r r e im b u r s e m e n t c la im e d s h a ll n o t b e
pa y a bl e .

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