Inspection Procedure

00-SAIP-08 14 March 2016

Road Crossings Inspection Requirements
Document Responsibility: Inspection Engineering Standards Committee

Contents
1 Scope.......................................................... 2
2 Intent and Exclusions………......…………... 2
3 Abbreviations.............................................. 2
4 Definitions………………………………........ 2
5 References.................................................. 3
6 Guidelines for Selection.............................. 4
7 Overview of Available Technologies…....... 4
8 Responsibilities................….…................... 5

Attachment I - (Flow Chart for Inspection

Technique Selection).............. 7
Attachment II - (Technique Selection
Guidelines)..…..............……... 8
Attachment III - (Available Inspection
Technologies for Road
Crossing Inspections)…..…… 9

Previous Issue: New Next Planned Update: TBD

Page 1 of 9
Contact: Lodhi, Zeeshan Farooq (lodhizf) on +966-13-8804518

Copyright©Saudi Aramco 2016. All rights reserved.

Document Responsibility: Inspection Engineering Standards Committee 00-SAIP-08
Issue Date: 14 March 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Road Crossings Inspection Requirements

1 Scope

This SAIP provides guidelines for inspection of metallic underground

piping/pipelines at road and rail crossings. This procedure applies to all relevant road
and rail crossings that are maintained by Saudi Aramco operating areas and associated
facilities.

2 Intent and Exclusions

The intent of the document is to describe intrusive or non-intrusive technologies

available for inspecting pipelines at road and rail crossings together with their
application, benefits and limitations as part of an integrity management program.

Saudi Aramco OIUs are responsible for selecting the most suitable inspection
technique or combination of techniques to address their specific needs taking into
consideration inspection effectiveness, timeline, availability and cost. Selection of
suitable technique(s) for specific applications is excluded from the scope of this
document.

3 Abbreviations

The following abbreviations are used as reference for this procedure:

API American Petroleum Institute
LRUT Long Range Ultrasonic Testing
GW Guided Wave
ILI In-Line Inspection
ID Inspection Department
OIU Operations Inspection Unit
ITU Inspection Technology Unit
SAEP Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure
SAES Saudi Aramco Engineering Standard
SAIP Saudi Aramco Inspection Procedure
SABP Saudi Aramco Best Practice
VT Visual Testing

4 Definitions

Highway: A paved road that is used as a main access for both light and heavy traffic.

Hydrostatic Test: A pressure test of a pipeline in which the pipeline is pressurized

with water to ensure it meets the design strength conditions and is free of leaks.

Page 2 of 9
Document Responsibility: Inspection Engineering Standards Committee 00-SAIP-08
Issue Date: 14 March 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Road Crossings Inspection Requirements

In-Line Inspection: Inspection of a pipeline from the interior of the pipe using an in-
line inspection tool (also called intelligent or smart pigging).

Nondestructive Testing: A process that involves the inspection, testing, or

evaluation of materials, components, and assemblies for material discontinuities and
problems without further impairing or destroying the part’s serviceability.

Railroad: Rails fixed to ties laid on a roadbed providing a track for rolling stock
drawn by locomotives or propelled by self-contained motors.

Ultrasonic Testing: A type of inspection technology that uses acoustic energy in the
ultrasonic range for volumetric inspection of materials.

5 References

The following standards are used in the preparation of this procedure and should be
carefully reviewed by the inspector;

5.1 Saudi Aramco References

Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedures
SAEP-20 Equipment Inspection Schedule
SAEP-308 Operations Inspection Unit Reviews
SAEP-309 Inspection of Community & Operations Support
Facilities
Saudi Aramco Engineering Standard
SAES-L-460 Pipeline Crossings under Roads and Railways
Saudi Aramco Inspection Procedures
00-SAIP-06 Pressure Test Requirements
00-SAIP-75 External Visual Inspection Procedure
00-SAIP-80 Guidelines for Process Equipment Inspection
Saudi Aramco Best Practice
SABP-L-012 Guidelines for On-Stream scraping of Pipelines

5.2 Industry Codes and Standards

American Petroleum Institute

API 570 Piping Inspection Code: In-Service Inspection,
Rating, Repair, and Alteration of Piping Systems
API RP 574 Inspection Practices for piping system components
API 1102 Steel Pipelines Crossing Railroads and Highways
API RP 1169 Recommended Practice for Basic Inspection
Requirements - New Pipeline Construction

Page 3 of 9
Document Responsibility: Inspection Engineering Standards Committee 00-SAIP-08
Issue Date: 14 March 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Road Crossings Inspection Requirements

National Association of Corrosion Engineers

NACE SP0113 Standard Practice Pipeline Integrity Method
Selection
NACE SP0313 Standard Practice Guided Wave Technology for
Piping Applications
NACE SP0102 Standard Practice In-Line Inspection of Pipelines

6 Guidelines for Selection

Multiple inspection techniques are available for inspection of pipes at road and rail
crossings. Usually, the best inspection technologies available to validate plant piping
or pipelines includes advanced NDT (i.e., UT guided wave), in-line inspection,
hydrostatic testing, excavation & visual testing and direct assessment, etc.
Selection of appropriate inspection technique depends on multiple factors, e.g., pipe
size, material, orientation, internal and external access, required precision and
sensitivity, travel speed, and specific limitations of the inspection technique.

A simplified flow chart for selection of inspection techniques for road crossings is
included Attachment I.

Guidelines for selection of appropriate inspection method is included in Attachment II.

7 Overview of Available Technologies

The purpose of this section is to give an overview of available assessment tools and
processes.

Guided Wave Testing: A nondestructive testing method for assessing pipe for wall
loss. Typically, a ring of piezoelectric transducers (or single transducer MsS) are
coupled to the external surface of the pipe to create ultrasonic guided waves between
the internal and external surfaces of the pipe. These guided waves propagate along
the pipe and reflect from features in the material such as defects back to the sensor
ring. The reflected signals are displayed in a distance vs. amplitude plot.

In-Line Inspection: An inspection of a pipeline from the interior of the pipe using an
in-line inspection tool (also called intelligent or smart pigging). The technique ranges
from low to high resolution inspection tools for determining pipe wall metal loss and
mechanical damage with location and sizing of defects.

Revalidation Test: A pressure test of a pipeline in which the pipeline is completely

filled with water or any other suitable medium and pressurized above the normal
operating range to ensure it meets the design strength conditions and is free of leaks.

A detailed comparison of deployed non-destructive testing techniques for inspection

of pipes at road crossings is given in Attachment III.

Page 4 of 9
Document Responsibility: Inspection Engineering Standards Committee 00-SAIP-08
Issue Date: 14 March 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Road Crossings Inspection Requirements

8 Responsibilities

8.1 OIU Supervisor shall:

8.1.1 List all non-scrapable and scrapable metallic underground piping at

road crossings within the area of his responsibility.

8.1.2 Select suitable inspection technique(s) specific to the application.

8.1.3 Seek technical advice from ITU on any issue pertaining to these
inspections.

8.1.4 Coordinate with ITU for review and approval of a new technology
proposal that is not covered under this procedure.

8.1.5 Ensure that all locations of non-scrapable and scrapable metallic piping
at road crossings within the area of responsibility is listed in SAP
specifying inspection intervals as required by the approved EIS.

8.1.6 Ensure defect notification(s) are issued to rectify deficiencies reported

in the inspection.

8.2 Area OIU Inspector shall:

8.2.1 Be familiar and review all the relevant standards and procedures.

8.2.2 Perform inspection of all existing road crossings as per respective EIS
extent and frequency.

8.2.3 Prepare detailed On-stream inspection report in consultation with the

technology provider and raise defect notifications for any locations
requiring rectification.

8.2.4 Select the suitable nondestructive testing technique(s) for inspection of

pipes at road crossings as given in Attachment III either as an
individual method, or as a supplement to other integrity assessment
methods such as hydrotest, or excavation and direct inspection.

8.3 Inspection Technology Unit shall:

8.3.1 Provide technical support (if required) to OIUs for review of selected
inspection technologies and proposals for road crossings.

8.3.2 Support OIUs in identification of service providers for road crossing

inspection technologies.

8.3.3 Review any new inspection technology proposals that may optimize
the current road crossing inspections.

8.3.4 Update ID website with new commercial companies for new and
existing inspection technologies.

Page 5 of 9
Document Responsibility: Inspection Engineering Standards Committee 00-SAIP-08
Issue Date: 14 March 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Road Crossings Inspection Requirements

8.3.5 Update frequently the SAP system for the new available technology.

Revision Summary
14 March 2016 New Saudi Aramco Inspection Procedure. This SAIP provides guidelines for inspection of
metallic underground piping/pipelines at road and rail crossings. It describes intrusive and
non-intrusive technologies available for inspection pipelines at road and rail crossings together
with their application, benefits and limitations as part of an integrity management program.
This procedure applies to all relevant road and rail crossings that are maintained by Saudi
Aramco operating areas and associated facilities.

Page 6 of 9
Document Responsibility: Inspection Engineering Standards Committee 00-SAIP-08
Issue Date: 14 March 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Road Crossings Inspection Requirements

Attachment I
Flow Chart for Inspection Technique Selection

Road Crossings

Yes No
With Casing?

Yes Yes
L ≤ 60m Perform GW L ≤ 20m

No No

Scrapping or Yes Scrapping or

ILI Yes
Perform ILI ILI
Applicable? Applicable?

No No

Revalidation Yes Perform Revalidation

Yes
Hydrotest Revalidation Hydrotest
possible? Hydrotest possible?

No No

Excavation / Test Hole & VT Excavation / Test Hole & VT

Note: L = Total Length of pipe at road crossing to be inspected

Page 7 of 9
Document Responsibility: Inspection Engineering Standards Committee 00-SAIP-08
Issue Date: 14 March 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Road Crossings Inspection Requirements

Attachment II

Guidelines for Selection

Options Comments NDT Methods

1. Pipe monitoring A preferred option is to permanently install
using GW sensors to monitor the portion of the pipe
Permanent under a road crossing. This will require long
Guided Wave term monitoring by the service provider as data
acquisition and interpretation needs to be Permanently Installed
performed at least once every 6 months for Guided Wave UT Sensors
several years or periodically as per the
intervals in Table 3, NACE SP0313-2013.
GW sensors should be installed on both sides
of the road to optimize inspection coverage.
2. Portable UT If permanently installed GW is not possible,
Guided Wave then next preferred option is to perform
inspection portable GW inspection. GW provides
qualitative assessment data of the pipe
condition under the road crossing.
The sensitivity of this inspection strongly
Portable Guided Wave
depends on the type of external coating on the
pipe and the type of soil covering it. This will
require long term monitoring by the service
provider as data acquisition and interpretation
needs to be performed periodically as per the
intervals in Table 3, NACE SP0313-2013
3. Use of ILI In case the length of pipe to be inspected does
not fall under range limits of GW, ILI can be
performed for inspection of pipe under road
crossings. Temporary interruption of service is
necessary to install a temporary launcher and
receiver for the ILI tool. The ILI tools are
ILI: Ultrasonic, MFL
available with different inspection
Scrapper
technologies. The most common ILI tools are
floating UT scrapers but they require filling the
pipe with water or kerosene. MFL scrapers for
non-scrapable pipes are also available where
the service fluid can be utilized to push the tool
through the pipe.
4. Revalidation In cases where no NDT technology can be
Hydrostatic Test or spike
Hydrotest applied, a qualitative test e.g. hydrostatic
test.
testing is performed to revalidate the pipes.
5. Excavate Excavation and visual inspection of the
external surface is performed and online NDT
Visual, Ultrasonic Testing,
(RT and UT) can be utilized (only if
Radiography
permissible) to detect and measure internal
damage mechanisms

Page 8 of 9
 Document Responsibility: Inspection Engineering Standards Committee 00-SAIP-08
Issue Date: 14 March 2016
Next Planned Update: TBD Road Crossings Inspection Requirements

ATTACHMENT III

AVAILABLE INSPECTION TECHNOLOGIES FOR ROAD CROSSINGS INSPECTION

INSPECTION CONDUCTED FROM INSIDE THE PIPE (INTERNAL)
Applicable
Temp. Inspection Launcher / Receiver Deterioration Detection Capability Road
Option Technology NDT Pipe Pipe Dia Quantitative or Mode of
Range Through Crossings: Comment
No. Trade Name Method Grade Range Qualitative Movement
°C Coatings General Wall Pitting
Major or
Required Type Cracks Non-Major
Corrosion Thick Corrosion

Launcher/receiver facility is not required. Single phase

Bi- Major and
1 INVISTA ILI-UT ALL 3"-24" 0-70 N/A YES Temporary YES YES NO NO Quantitative liquid (e.g. Water, Kerosene etc.) is required to perform
Directional Non-Major
ultrasonic measurements.
Launcher/receiver facility is not required. Single phase
In-line Bi- Major and
1 ILI-UT ALL 3"-42" 0-70 N/A YES Temporary YES YES NO NO Quantitative liquid (e.g. Water, Kerosene etc.) is required to perform
Inspection-3P Directional Non-Major
ultrasonic measurements

In-line Bi- Major and

1 ILI-MFL ALL 3"-42" 0-70 N/A YES Temporary YES YES NO NO Qualitative Launcher/receiver facility is not needed.
Inspection-3P Directional Non-Major

Launcher/receiver facility is not required. Single phase

Bi- Major and
1 PigLet IP ILI-UT ALL 4"-60" 0-70 N/A YES Temporary YES YES NO NO Quantitative liquid (e.g. Water, Kerosene etc.) is required to perform
Directional Non-Major
ultrasonic measurements

INSPECTION CONDUCTED FROM OUTSIDE THE PIPE (EXTERNAL)

Inspection range limitations:
● Tape-wrapped pipe - up to 1m
● Buried pipe - up to 13m
● Above ground pipe - up to 30m or more can be
UT Test hole Permanently inspected.
Up to (-20) - Epoxy Circumf
2 gPIMS Guided or Above
24" 150 Coatings
N/A N/A YES NO YES
erential
Qualitative Installed Non-Major Defects need to be 5% cross sectional wall loss to be
Wave Grade Sensors detected e.g. small holes and small corrosion areas may
be missed.
Pipes in a case can be inspected, sleeved pipes cannot be
inspected.
Data interpretation requires skilled operators
Inspection range limitations:
● Tape-wrapped pipe - up to 1m
Portable ● Buried pipe - up to 13m
Installation ● Above ground pipe - up to 30m or more can be
UT Test hole inspected.
Up to (-20) - Epoxy Circumf
3 MsS Guided or Above
60" 150 Coatings
N/A N/A YES NO YES
erential
Qualitative Sheet metal Non-Major Defects need to be 5% cross sectional wall loss to be
Wave Grade strip is epoxy detected e.g. small holes and small corrosion areas may
bonded to the be missed.
pipe Pipes in a case can be inspected, sleeved pipes cannot be
inspected.
Require skilled operators to interpret data
Inspection range limitations:
● Tape-wrapped pipe - up to 1m
● Buried pipe - up to 13m
● Above ground pipe - up to 30m or more can be
UT Test hole inspected.
Portable Up to (-20) - Epoxy Circumf Portable
3 Guided or Above N/A N/A YES NO YES Qualitative Non-Major Defects need to be 5% cross sectional wall loss to be
Guided Wave 60" 70 Coatings erential Installation
Wave Grade detected e.g. small holes and small corrosion areas may
be missed.
Pipes in a case can be inspected, sleeved pipes cannot be
inspected.
Require skilled operators to interpret data

Page 9 of 9