<< Back Home next >>

OISD-STD-138

First Edition March 1990

Amended Edition, September 2001
Revised Edition, September 2003

FOR RESTRICTED
CIRCULATION

INSPECTION
OF
CROSS COUNTRY PIPELINES - ONSHORE

Prepared by

COMMITTEE ON DESIGN AND

INSPECTION OF PIPELINES

OIL INDUSTRY SAFETY DIRECTORATE

th
7 Floor, New Delhi House,
27, Barakhamba Road,
New Delhi 110 001.
 NOTE

OISD publications are prepared for use in the oil and gas industry under
Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas. These are the property of Ministry of
Petroleum & Natural Gas and shall not be reproduced or copied and loaned or
exhibited to others without written consent from OISD.

Though every effort has been made to assure the accuracy and reliability
of the data contained in this documents. OISD hereby expressly disclaims any
liability or responsibility for loss or damage resulting from their use.

These documents are intended to supplement rather than replace their

prevailing statutory requirements.
 FOREWARD

The Oil Industry in India is 100 years old. Due to various collaboration
agreements, a variety of international codes, standards and practices are in vogue.
Standardisation in design philosophies and operating and maintenance practices at a
national level was hardly in existence. This, coupled with feed back from some
serious accidents that occurred in the recent past in India and abroad, emphasised
the need for the industry to review the existing state of art in designing, operating and
maintaining oil and gas installations.

With this in view, the then Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in 1986
constituted a Safety Council assisted by Oil Industry Safety Directorate (OISD),
staffed from within the industry in formulating and implementing a series of self
regulatory measures aimed at removing obsolescence, standardising and upgrading
the existing standards to ensure safer operations. Accordingly OISD constituted a
number of Functional Committees comprising of experts nominated from the industry
to draw up standards and guidelines on various subjects.

The present standard on Inspection of Cross Country Pipelines-

Onshore, was prepared by the Functional Committee on Design and Inspection of
Pipelines. This document is based on the accumulated knowledge and experience of
industry members and the various national and international codes and practices. This
standard is meant to be used as a supplement and not as a replacement for existing
codes and practices. It is hoped that the provision of this standard, if implemented
objectively, may go a long way to improve the safety and reduce accidents in the Oil
and Gas Industry. Users are cautioned that no standard can be a substitute for the
judgement of a responsible and experienced engineer. Suggestions are invited from
the users after it is put into practice to improve the standard further. Suggestions for
amendments to this standard should be addressed to:

The Coordinator,
Committee on Design and Inspection of Pipelines,
Oil Industry Safety Directorate,
th
7 Floor, New Delhi House,
27, Barakhamba Road,
New Delhi - 110 001.

This standard in no way supersedes the statutory regulations of CCE, Factory

Inspectorate or any other Statutory body which must be followed as applicable.
 COMMITTEE
ON
DESIGN AND INSPECTION OF PIPELINES

( First Edition April 1990 )

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Name Organisation
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Leader

1. Sh.V.T. Karode Oil India Limited

2. Sh.R.A. Shanbhag * Indian Oil Corporation Limited

Members

3. Sh.Rao Rudravajala Indian Oil Corporation Limited

4. Sh.S.K. Goyal Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited

5. Sh.C.N. Char Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited

6. Sh.E.M Bhumgara Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited

7. Sh.R.K. Mulla Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited

8. Sh.R.K. Dhadda Engineers India Limited

9. Sh.G.V.S. Saiprasad Gas Authority of India Limited

10. Sh.K.K. Dutta Oil India Limited

11. Sh.R.K. Baruah Oil India Limited

Member Coordinator

12. Sh.M. Bhandari Oil Industry Safety Directorate

In addition to the above, several other experts from the industry contributed in the preparation, review
and finalisation of this document.

* (Took over as Leader w.e.f June/89 on Shri Karodes retirement from Oil India Ltd).
 COMMITTEE
ON
DESIGN AND INSPECTION OF PIPELINES

( First Revision September 2003 )

Name Organisation

Leader

1. Sh.A. Sengupta Indian Oil Corporation Limited

Members

2. Sh.G.S. Wankhede Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited

3. Sh.KBS Negi Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited

4. Sh.S.S.Patel GAIL India Limited

5. Sh.P.K.Pal Indian Oil Corporation Limited

6. Sh.C..K. Soman Kochi Refineries Limited

Member Coordinator

7. Sh.R.N.Mittal Oil Industry Safety Directorate

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In addition to the above, several other experts from the industry contributed in the preparation, review
and finalisation of this document.
 CONTENTS

Sl.No. Description Page No.

1.0 Introduction 1
2.0 Scope 1
3.0 Definitions 1
4.0 Pipeline Patrolling 1
5.0 Right of way inspection 1
6.0 Pipeline Crossing 2
6.1 Rail/Road Bridge and Suspended Crossing 2
6.2 Road and Highway Crossing 2
6.3 Submerged Crossing and Intertidal zone 2
7.0 Pigging 2
7.1 Descaling 2
7.2 Intelligent Pigging 2
8.0 Static Leak Test 2
9.0 Monitoring of External Corrosion 3
9.1 Pipe to Soil Potential(PSP) reading 3
9.2 Coating Health Surveys 3
10.0 Monitoring of Internal Corrosion 3
11.0 Checking of Leak Detection system 4
12.0 Weld repairs and Inspection 4
13.0 Hydrostatic Testing of Pipelines during repair 4
14.0 Pipeline Maintenance Equipment 4
15.0 Telecommunication System/Equipment 4
16.0 Telemetry System/Equipment 4
17.0 Safety Instrumentation 4
18.0 Valve 4
19.0 Pressure Relieving device 4
20.0 Storage Tank/Vessel 4
21.0 Fire Fighting Equipment 5
22.0 Load Lifting Equipment 5
23.0 Electrical Equipment 5
24.0 Rotating Equipment 5
25.0 Line Filters / Strainers 5
Sl.No. Description Page No.

26.0 Pressure Control / Surge Relief Valve 5

27.0 Safety Appliances 5
28.0 Pipeline Markers 5
29.0 Documentation 5
30.0 References 5
 INSPECTION OF CROSS COUNTRY
PIPELINES - ONSHORE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Safety in petroleum installations and
pipelines comes through continuous
efforts at all stages and as such it can
be ensured by observing that
installations and piping are designed,
constructed and tested as per
recognised engineering standards and
that they are periodically inspected and
maintained. Systems and procedures
for carrying out inspection and
maintenance go a long way in
ensuring safe operation
This standard stipulates that for
Pipelines interconnecting various
Industrial units, it shall be the
responsibility of the OWNER of the
Pipeline facility to ensure that the
inspection procedures are followed
irrespective of the arrangements
between supplier and receiver.
2.0 SCOPE
This standard covers the minimum
inspection requirements for Onshore
Cross Country Pipelines (including
pipelines interconnecting various
industrial units), Pumps and
Compressor Station equipment used
in connection with transportation of
crude petroleum, petroleum products
and natural gas. This standard also
covers the minimum inspection
requirements of Telecommunication
equipments, Instrumentations and
SCADA associated with Onshore
Cross Country Pipelines.
3.0 DEFINITIONS
i) CROSS COUNTRY PIPELINES
For the purpose of this standard,
Cross Country Pipelines are pipelines
which carry crude petroleum,
petroleum products, LPG and natural
gas from producer facilities such as
Tank Farms, Natural Gas Processing
Plants, Refineries, Pump/Compressor
Stations, Terminals (Marine, Rail and
Truck) to other delivery and receiving
points, designed and constructed
conforming to OISD 141, ANSI B 31.4
and ANSI B 31.8 or equivalent codes.
ii) SHALL
The word 'Shall' is used to indicate that
the provision is mandatory.
iii) SHOULD
The word 'Should' is used to indicate
that the provision is recommendatory
as per sound engineering practice.
4.0 PIPELINE PATROLLING
Each operating company shall
maintain a periodic pipelines patrol
programme to observe surface
conditions on and adjacent to the
Pipeline right of way, indications of
leak, construction activity other than
performed by the company and other
factors affecting the safety and
operation of the pipeline.
Patrolling (Aerial/Ground) of On-shore
Cross Country Pipelines shall be
carried out at the following intervals.
i) Liquid Petroleum Pipelines in urban
areas - Once in a fortnight.
ii) Liquid Petroleum Pipeline in other
areas - once in a month.
iii) LPG pipelines - once in a week in
urban areas and once in a month in
other areas.
iv) Natural Gas Pipelines - As
specified in ANSI B 31.8 Clause 851.2
5.0 RIGHT OF WAY INSPECTION
The right of way shall be inspected
and maintained once in a year to
ensure clear visibility of ROW/ROU,
access to maintenance crew along the
ROW/ROU, valve locations and other
pipeline facilities. All pipeline
markers/kilometer posts and other
signs/specific indication marks shall be
maintained once in a year. API 1109,
 ANSI B 31.4 & ANSI B 31.8 shall be
referred for guidance.
6.0 PIPELINE CROSSING
6.1 RAIL / ROAD BRIDGE AND
SUSPENDED CROSSING
Rail Bridge, Road Bridge, Suspended
crossings shall be inspected once in a
quarter to check wear and tear of
supports/structures and condition of
coatings at the points where pipe exits
and enters the ground. Ultrasonic
thickness measurements shall be
taken on exposed sections of the
pipeline once in two years for the
crude and gas pipelines and once in
four years for product pipelines.
Ultrasonic thickness measurement
need not be done if intelligent pigging
survey is carried out during this period.
Thickness measurement shall be
taken at 4 locations (i.e. 12, 3, 6 and 9
O'clock positions) at the exits, bends
and at every ten metre interval of
exposed piping. Where pipes are
cased it shall be ensured that casings
are free of water and muck.
6.2 ROAD AND HIGHWAY CROSSING
Road and Highway crossings shall be
inspected once in a quarter. The
carrier/casing pipe annulus shall be
kept free of water.
6.3 SUB-MERGED CROSSING AND INTER-
TIDAL ZONE
Submerged crossing locations shall be
inspected for erosion/washouts twice
in a year i.e., prior to and after
monsoon and topographic changes if
any shall be recorded for corrective
actions.
Exposed length of pipeline, if any,
falling in Inter-tidal Zones shall be
inspected once in a quarter for
checking the condition of coating and
wrapping for taking corrective action.
7.0 PIGGING
7.1 DESCALING
The frequency of descaling of
pipelines transporting crude
petroleum, petroleum products, LPG
and natural gas shall be as under:
i) Non ATF Petroleum Product
Pipelines - Once in six months.
Ii) ATF pipelines also carrying other
petroleum products - Once in a
quarter.
iii) Dedicated ATF Pipelines - Once in
a year.
v) Crude Oil Pipelines - Once in a
quarter.
vi) Gas Transmission Pipelines -
Once in a year for wet gas and once
in two years for dry gas.
vi) LPG pipelines as per OISD
standard on cross country LPG
pipelines.
Record of quantity and quality of
deposits (pig residue) collected after
descaling shall be examined to
monitor condition of the Pipeline and
to determine subsequent frequency of
pigging. The frequency of descaling
shall, in no case, be more than two
times as compared to the normal
frequency of descaling given above.
7.2 INTELLIGENT PIGGING
The first inspection of a cross country
pipeline by means of electronic /
intelligent pigging shall be done within
10 years of its commissioning. The
results of this inspection shall be
compared with original commissioning
data in order to assess the health of
the pipeline and subsequent periodicity
of intelligent pigging. The frequency of
intelligent pigging shall, in no case, be
more than 10 years.
8.0 STATIC LEAK TEST
Static Leak Test of the pipeline shall
be performed once in five years using
the liquid transported through the
pipeline. The static leak test is used
only to quantify the pressure and liquid
containment capability of an existing
Pipeline System at shutdown
pressure. API 1110 (Section 3.0) shall
be referred for guidance.

9.0 MONITORING OF EXTERNAL
CORROSION
9.1 PIPE TO SOIL POTENTIAL (PSP)
READING
i) PSP readings at feeding points
(Transformer Rectifier Units) shall be
monitored fortnightly.
ii) The PSP reading ( On potential ) at
the test lead points for entire pipeline
shall be taken once in a quarter. The
PSP survey results shall be plotted
graphically to identify and locate
unprotected stretch of pipeline. The
minimum pipe to soil potential shall be
more negative than - 0.85 volts with
respect to copper/copper sulphate half
cell. In areas where anaerobic bacteria
are active minimum PSP shall be
more negative than - 0.95 volts instead
of - 0.85 volts. Over protection of
coated pipelines shall be avoided by
ensuring that polarisation potential is
below - 1.1 volts with respect to
copper/copper sulphate half cells.
Polarisation potential can be
measured at a given location on a
coated pipeline by measuring pipe to
earth potential immediately (within the
first second or two) after
simultaneously interrupting the current
output from all cathodic protection
sources affecting that portion of the
pipeline.
9.2 COATING HEALTH SURVEYS
9.2.1 Pearson / CAT & DCVG Survey shall
be carried out once in five years.
9.2.2 Continuous Potential Survey
Continuous Potential Logging (CPL)
survey should be carried out once in
five years.
9.2.3 Insulating Joint / Coupling
Inspection
Insulating joints and couplings shall be
inspected once in a year.
9.2.4 External Corrosion Control for
above ground sections of Piping
Above ground piping and accessories
shall be inspected visually once in a
year for external corrosion. ANSI
B.31.4 / B 31.8 shall be referred for
guidance.
9.2.5 Soil Testing
If any industrial effluent is flowing over
the ROW/ROU or any environmental
change is noticed on the ROW, the
soil samples shall be tested for
determining the efficacy of the existing
coating and wrapping of the pipeline.
9.2.6 Back Up Power For Cp System
Where ever the power supply from
State Electricity Board to the CP
system is poor, suitable back up power
should be provided .
10.0 MONITORING OF INTERNAL
CORROSION
Internal corrosion is a function of what
the pipeline contains and transports.
Presence of corrosive constituents and
other contaminating impurities in the
transported fluid may lead to internal
metal loss in the pipeline resulting in
general corrosion or pitting type of
corrosion. Such constituents could be
due to salinity of sea water, presence
of carbon-dioxide together with
moisture etc.
Presence of sulphur dioxide can lead to
serious sulphide stress cracking of
steels which is essentially not a metal
loss, but causes stepwise cracking in
steel. For this type of corrosion, its
mitigation can be done by injecting
chemical inhibitors along with the
product flow. The sulphide stress
cracking can be mitigated by treating
steel with certain alloying elements
and controlling its hardness. Corrosion
mitigation by using inhibitors may also
help but only in case of certain specific
types of fluid constituents. Another
method of safeguarding against
internal corrosion could be by
providing lining on the inner wall of
pipeline with an inert protective
material compatible with the fluid
transported.
 The following schedules / activities
shall be followed to monitor internal
corrosion
i) Effectiveness of corrosion mitigation
measures should be checked once in 15.0
a year by analysing the corrosion
coupon.
The specialised pipeline maintenance
equipment required for maintenance of
pipeline shall be inspected once in a
quarter.
TELECOMMUNICATION
SYSTEM / EQUIPMENT

ii) Electrical resistance probes should i) System functional tests shall be

be installed for monitoring the carried out daily.
effectiveness on corrosion mitigation
measures and reading should be ii) Telecommunication equipment shall
checked once in a quarter. be inspected as per manufacturer's
recommendation.
iii) Whenever the sections of the
pipeline are running overground, 16.0 TELEMETRY
ultrasonic thickness measurements of SYSTEM/EQUIPMENT
the pipeline shall be taken as per
clause 6.1 of this standard.
i) System functional tests shall be
carried out daily.
iv) Whenever replacement to the
pipeline are carried out, internal visual
ii) Telemetry equipment shall be
inspection shall be done to
inspected as per manufacturer's
supplement ultrasonic thickness
recommendation.
readings taken externally.

11.0 CHECKING OF LEAK 17.0 SAFETY

DETECTION SYSTEM INSTRUMENTATION

If any leak detection system is installed OISD 153, Maintenance and

on the pipeline system, it shall be Inspection of Safety Instrumentation
checked for effectiveness of operation shall be referred.
once in three months.
18.0 VALVE
12.0 WELD REPAIRS AND
Valves shall be partially operated and
INSPECTION serviced once in six months to ensure
operability.
For section replacement, all weld
repairs and inspection shall be carried
out in accordance with API 1104, ANSI 19.0 PRESSURE RELIEVING
B.31.4 and ANSI B.31.8. API 2200, DEVICE
API 2201 and API 1107 shall be
referred for guidance. All repaired OISD 132, Inspection of Pressure
welds shall be 100% radiographed. Relieving Devices, shall be referred.

13.0 HYDROSTATIC TESTING OF 20.0 STORAGE TANK / VESSEL

PIPELINES DURING REPAIR
Pre-tested pipe shall be used for all
replacements in line with the
requirements of OISD 141, ANSI
B.31.4 and ANSI B.31.8 and API 1100.
14.0 PIPELINE MAINTENANCE
EQUIPMENT
OISD 128, Inspection of Pressure
Vessels and OISD 129, Inspection of
Tankages, shall be referred.
21.0 FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT
OISD 142, Inspection of Fire Fighting
Equipment shall be referred.
22.0 LOAD LIFTING EQUIPMENT
All the lifting equipment, wire ropes,
tackles etc. shall be inspected once in
a year. Factory's Act, OISD-RP-205
shall be referred for guidance.
23.0 ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
OISD 137, OISD-RP-147 shall be
referred.
24.0 ROTATING EQUIPMENT
Inspection of Rotating Equipment shall
be carried out as per the following
OISD Standards:
i) OISD 119 - Inspection of Pumps
ii) OISD 120 - Inspection of
Compressors
iii) OISD 121 - Inspection of Drivers
(excluding motors)
iv) OISD 122 - Inspection of Fans,
Blowers and Gear Boxes
v) OISD 123 - Recommended
Practice for Inspection and
Maintenance of Rotating Equipment
Components.
vi) OISD 125 - Recommended
Practice - Inspection and Maintenance
of Mechanical Seals.
(Note - For Inspection of Gas Engines,
Oil Engines and other prime movers
above 150 KVA manufacturer's
recommendation shall be followed.)
26.1 PRESSURE CONTROL
SURGE RELIEF VALVE
Pressure Control / Surge Relief Valve
shall be checked for operation once in
a year.
27.0 SAFTEY APPLIANCES
Safety appliances provided against
lightning, stray current interference
from foreign objects at pipeline
crossings etc. shall be maintained
once in six months and updated
records kept.
28.0 PIPELINE MARKERS
The pipeline markers shall be
maintained and inspected once in a
year.
29.0 DOCUMENTATION
Formats for recording inspection
findings shall be designed specifically
for the equipment/instrument/system
used in the Pipelines/System.
The following data also shall be
available on record in all the Pipeline
installations:
a) The basic data and parameters of
the Pipelines/System such as Layout,
Length, Diameter, Location of the
different stations etc.
b) A complete route strip map
showing all the details of the passage
of the Pipelines with respect to other
public facilities such as roads, rivers,
urban centres, rural areas etc. and all
isolating valve locations.
c) List of various codes to which the
Pipelines/system have been
designed.
30.0 REFERENCES
This standard shall be read in
conjunction with the following
standards, codes and publications:
i) API 1102 - Recommended Practice
/ for Liquid Petroleum Pipelines
Crossing Railroads and Highways.
ii) API 1104 - Standard for Welding
Pipelines and Related Facilities.
iii) API 1105 - Practices for Oil and
Product Pipelines.
iv) API 1107 - Recommended Pipeline
Maintenance Welding Practices.
v) API 1109 - Recommended Practice
for Marking Liquid Petroleum Pipeline
Facilities.
<< Back Home Next >>