Pipeline Operating and

Maintenance Procedures

Introduction

Developed based on code provision, company experience, and

knowledge of facilities and operating condition

Location Class should be determined upon initiating gas service

Basic Requirements

Written plan covering operating and maintenance procedures

Written emergency plan covering facilities failure

Operating and maintaining its facilities in conformance with those

plans

Modifying the plans periodically

Employee training about operating and maintaining

Essential Features of the Operating and Maintenance

Plan

Detailed plans and instruction for normal operation and repair

Plans for the greatest hazard conditions

Provisions for periodic inspections along the route of existing steel

pipelines or mains to consider the possibility of location class changes

Essential Features of the Emergency Plan

System for receiving, identifying, and classifying emergencies

Indicating the responsibility for instructing employees and for training

employees in the execution of the procedures

Indicating the responsibility in updating the plan

Establishing a plan to handle all calls that concerns emergency

Establishing a plan for response to a notice of emergency

Controlling emergency situations, including the action to be taken by

the first employee arriving at the scene

Dissemination of information to the public

The safe restoration of service to all facilities affected by the

emergency

Reporting and documenting the emergency

Training Program

Provided to prepare the employee response in emergency condition

The employee should mastering the emergency procedures and action

in handling the situation

The program established and maintained on a continuing basis with

provision for updating the procedures

Educational Program

Established to enable the public to recognize and report the gas

emergency

Operator of each section should communicate their program to the

general public

The programs in the same area should be coordinated to avoid

inconsistency

Prevention of Accidental Ignition

Source of ignition should be removed and adequate fire extinguisher

should be provided

Provide signs, flagmen or guard to warn about the hazardous area

Accidental ignition by electric arcing can be prevented by connecting

the cables to each side of any piping that is to be parted or joined

Welding process and cutting process using torch should be done by

checking the combustible gas mixture

PIPELINE MAINTENANCE
Periodic Surveillance of Pipelines
Taken when unusual operating and maintenance conditions occur,
such as failures and leakage. If not satisfying, a planned program shall
be initiated to abandon, replace or recondition and proof test

Pipeline Patrolling
to observe surface conditions on and adjacent to each pipeline right-of
way, indications of leaks, construction activity and any other factor
affecting the safety and operation

Leakage Surveys
Types of surveys shall be effective for determining if potentially
hazardous leakage exists. The extent and frequency are determined
by the operating pressure, piping age, and class location

PIPELINE MAINTENANCE
(Continued)
Maintenance of Cover at Road Crossings
Maintenance can be done by providing barriers, culverts, concrete
pads, casing, or lowering the line

Repair procedures for steel pipelines operating at hoop

stress levels at or above 40% Fy
-

Temporary measure should be employed to protect the property

and the public.

Using welded patch as a repair method is prohibited

Permanent Field Repairs of Injurious Gouges,

Grooves, and Dents

Removed or reinforce or reduced the operating pressure

If feasible, the pipeline is taken out of service and replacing the

injurious with a better one

If the pipeline cant be out of service, following alternative repairs

can be done:
- Full encirclement welded split sleeve with or without
circumferential fillet welds
- Hot tapping or grinding

If a dent is repaired with a sleeve and circumferential fillet weld are

not made, the dent shall be filled by hardenable filler

Permanent Field Repairs of Welds Having Injurious

Defects

Reduce the operating pressure to a pressure that will not produce

a stress in excess of 20% yield stress

Full encirclement welded split sleeve using circumferential fillet

welds

Injurious occurs by electric resistance weld seam can be repaired

by full encirclement welded split sleeve with pressurized sleeve by
hot tapping the pipeline under the sleeve

Permanent Field Repairs of Leaks and non-leaking

Corroded Areas

If feasible, the pipeline is taken out of service and replacing the

injurious with a better one

If not feasible to taken out of service, full encirclement welded

split sleeve using circumferential fillet welds is done

For corroded area smaller than 40.000 psi, the leak can be
repaired by using a steel plate patch with rounded corner

Small corroded area may be repaired by filling them with

deposited metal from low-hydrogen electrodes

Pipeline leak records

Covering all leaks discovered and repairs made.

Pipeline markers

installed to indicated the presence of pipeline at road, highway,

railroad and stream crossings.

Easy to read and not obscured

the signs must include the name of gas transported, company,

and telephone number

Abandoning of transmission facilities

Abandoned facilities must be disconnected from all sources and

supplies of gas

Facilities to be abandoned in place shall be purged of gas with an

inert

Repositioning a pipeline in service

Factors to be considered:

Deflection, diameter, wall thickness, and grade of pipe

Pipeline pressure

Type of girth welds

Test and operating history

Presence of defects

Existing curvature

Bends, valves and fitting

Terrain and soil condition

Personnel safety consideration

Additional stresses

DISTRIBUTION PIPING MAINTENANCE

Patrolling
Leakage Surveys

Surface and subsurface gas detection surveys

Vegetation surveys

Pressure drop, bubble leakage and ultrasonic leakage tests

Leakage investigation and action

Leakage Classification and Repair

Investigation of reports from outside

Odor or indicators from foreign sources

Follow up Inspection

DISTRIBUTION PIPING MAINTENANCE

(Continued)
Requirements for Abandoning, Disconnecting, and Reinstating
Distribution Facilities

Abandoning of distribution facilities

Temporarily disconnected service

Test requirements for reinstating abandoned facilities and

temporarily disconnected service line

Plastic pipe maintenance

Pinching and reopening of thermoplastic pipe and tubing

for pressure control

Repair of plastic pipe or tubing

DISTRIBUTION PIPING MAINTENANCE

(Continued)

Piping maintenance records

the condition of the surface of bare pipe if corroded

condition of pipe surface and of the protective coating

any damaged protective coating

any repair made

thermal effect

DISTRIBUTION PIPING MAINTENANCE

(Continued)
Cast iron pipe maintenance

For operating pressure more than 25 psig, the pipe must be

sealed with a mechanical leak clamp

For operating pressure less than 25 psig, the pipe must be

sealed by means other than caulking

Inspection to check the existing graphitization

Provide permanent protection for buried cast iron pipeline

MISCELLANEOUS FACILITIES MAINTENANCE

Compressor station maintenance

Compressors and prime movers

Inspection and testing of relief valves

repairs to compressors station piping

Isolation of equipment for maintenance

storage of combustible materials

maintenance and testing of gas detection and alarm

systems

MISCELLANEOUS FACILITIES MAINTENANCE

(continued)
Procedures for maintaining pipe-type and bottle-type holders in
safe operating condition

detection of external corrosion

periodic sampling and testing gas that may cause internal

corrosion

pressure control and pressure limiting must be inspected

MISCELLANEOUS FACILITIES MAINTENANCE

(continued)
Maintenance of pressure limiting and pressure regulating
stations

Visual Inspection

The case of malfunction must be determined

At least once a year, a review shall be made to ensure that

the facilities working properly

Inspection on valves should be taken

Gas pressure must be monitored

MISCELLANEOUS FACILITIES MAINTENANCE

(continued)
Valve Maintenance

Routine valve maintenance

Distribution System valves

Service line valves

Valve records

Prevention of accidental operation

Vault Maintenance

Vault shall be inspected to determine its condition. Vault that

personnel enter must be checked for combustible gas.

LOCATION CLASS

TABLE 854.1C
LOCATION CLASS

 Changes in Location Classification

Steel pipeline operating in excess of 40% SMYS must be

monitored if additional buildings intended for human
occupancy have been constructed

The change should be made by judging items such as operating

stress levels, frequency of patrolling, and cathodic
protection
requirement

If the number of buildings near the upper limit of location class in

table, shall complete study in 6 months to determine:
- Design, construction, and testing procedures
- Physical condition of pipeline
- Operating and maintenance history of pipeline
- Maximum operating pressure and hoop stress
- Actual area affected

 Changes in Location Classification (Continued)

If maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) of pipeline is not
commensurate with existing locations 2, 3 or 4, the MAOP shall be
revised within 18 months following completion study of section
involved in less than 2 hours, MAOP shall be reduced thus not
exceed that allowed in table

 Concentration of People in Location Class 1 and 2

Possible failure must be considered if the facilities were built near an

existing steel pipeline in location classes 1 and 2

Pipelines near places of public assembly shall has a maximum

allowable stress not exceeding 50% of specified minimum yield
strength

Level of safety that the segment is hydrostatically retested for at least

2 hr to a minimum stress level of:

100% of SMYS if the pipeline is operating over 60% and up to

72% of SMYS

90% of SMYS if the pipeline is operating over 50% and up to 60%

of SMYS

Patrols and leakage surveys are conducted at an intervals

PIPELINE SERVICE CONVERSIONS

General
Provide the requirements to allow an operator of a steel pipeline
previously used for service not covered by this code to qualify that
pipeline for the service under this code
Historical Records Study

pipeline design, inspection and testing

Operating and maintenance data including leak records,

inspections, failure, cathodic protection, and internal corrosion
control practices

the age of the pipeline and the length of service time

Requirements for conversion to gas service

Conversion Procedure
Records of the conversion

PIPELINE SERVICE CONVERSIONS

(continued)
Requirements for conversion to gas service

Historical records

Inspection on all above-ground segments of the pipeline

Operating stress level study

Inspections on appropriate sections of underground piping

Replacements, repairs or alterations

Strength test

Leak test

Cathodic protection

Conversion Procedure
Records of the conversion

PIPELINE SERVICE CONVERSIONS

(continued)
Conversion Procedure

Prepare a written procedure outlining the steps to be followed

during the study and conversion of the pipeline system
Records of the conversion
Maintain for the life of the pipeline a record of the studies,
inspections, tests, repairs, replacements, and alteration made in
connection with conversion of the existing steel pipeline to gas
service under this code