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BRITISH STANDARD
ICS 25.160.10
BS 6990:1989
Including
Amendment No. 1 not
issued separately
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BS 6990:1989
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First published as DD 39,
July 1974
First published as BS 6990,
February 1989
The following BSI references
relate to the work on this
standard:
Committee reference WEE/21
Draft for comment 86/78728 DC
ISBN 0 580 16672 4
Date of issue
Comments
9772
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BS 6990:1989
Contents
Page
Committees responsible
Inside front cover
Foreword
ii
Section 1. General
1
Scope
1
2
Definitions
1
3
Information, items to be approved and items to be agreed and to
be documented
2
Section 2. Safety considerations
4
Legal requirements
4
5
Preliminary considerations
4
6
Factors affecting safety
4
Section 3. Welding
7
Pipe thickness, temperature and internal pressure
6
8
Pipe material
6
9
Fitting material
6
10 Welding equipment
6
11 Electrodes and filler metals
6
12 Shielding gases
7
13 Approval and testing of welding procedures
7
14 Approval and testing of welders
12
15 Preparation of pipe
12
16 Inspection of fittings
13
17 Fusion faces
13
18 Preparation for encirclement fitting
13
19 Preparation for set-on fitting
16
20 Alignment of flanged fittings
16
21 Working clearance
17
22 Stray arcs
17
23 Weather conditions
17
24 Preheating
17
25 Sequence of welding
17
26 Inter-run cleaning
18
27 Inspection
18
28 Non-destructive testing acceptance criteria
19
29 Rectification of welds
19
Figure 1 Typical fittings
3
Figure 2 Typical longitudinal weld preparation for fitting: dimensions
and tolerances
14
Figure 3 Attachment of run-on/run-off plates to backing material
15
Figure 4 Typical yoke-type clamp for encirclement tee fittings
16
Table 1 Welding procedure details
10
Table 2 Changes affecting procedure approval (essential variables)
11
Publications referred to
Inside back cover
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BS 6990:1989
ii
Foreword
This British Standard Code of Practice has been prepared under the direction of
the Welding Standards Committee. It is based on an up-dating of Draft for
Development DD 39 which is withdrawn. It reflects the latest knowledge in the
welding on steel pipelines and pipework which contain or have contained process
fluids or the residuals of such process fluids, and covers welding operations where
attachments are required and where it is not necessary or practical to
decommission and/or decontaminate the system.
This method of attachment is sometimes, but incorrectly, termed hot tapping.
Reference to current legislation is essential before any attempt to undertake work
of this nature, and to follow the details of this code.
Since the preparation of DD 39 in 1974 considerable experience has been gained
as the result of both on-shore and off-shore North Sea developments. To this
knowledge has been added the expertise gained in the process plant field,
resulting in an unified code which covers both spheres. Although new
developments and refinements can be expected to emerge in the future,
particularly with regard to off-shore exploration, the methods and
recommendations in this code are considered to reflect up to date knowledge and
sufficient experience of practical use to merit their adoption.
The up-dating has been extensive, covering practically every aspect of the
technical changes in materials, welding technology and non-destructive testing.
The main purpose of this code is to give general details for welding, testing and
acceptance criteria. Since the design, choice of materials and methods of
construction are not covered by this code, reference should be made to the
appropriate standards, such as CP 2010-2, BS 4515, BS 2633, BS 4677 and
BS 8010-1.
To ensure that the workmanship and welding follow the details of this code, it
would be normal for the contractor as well as the organization undertaking this
specialist work to have and employ a suitable quality control system such as is
recommended in BS EN ISO 9000.
Because of the wide range of pipelines and pipework and the products that can be
conveyed and the range of attachments that may be required, general guidance
has been given on some aspects. Specific details will be for agreement between the
contracting parties after due consideration of the prevailing service conditions.
The techniques and equipment described herein require extensive facilities and
specialist personnel and as such should not be attempted without such specialist
equipment and personnel.
The use of the words imperfection or flaw or other phrases containing the
words imperfection or flaw in this code is not intended to imply a defective
condition or any lack of integrity of the weld as it is known that all welds contain
certain features described as artefacts, flaws, imperfections or discontinuities.
The acceptance criteria have been based on the present technical analysis of the
various types, sizes, shapes and positions of these anomalies and on the
suitability of the whole weld for its specific service.
Pipe dimensions. Unless otherwise qualified, for the purposes of this code
nominal values of outside diameter and thickness of pipe apply.
It has been assumed in the drafting of this code that the execution of its
provisions is entrusted to appropriately qualified and experienced people.
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BS 6990:1989
A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a
contract. Users of British Standards are responsible for their correct application.
Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity
from legal obligations. (See clause 4).
Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i to iv,
pages 1 to 20, an inside back cover and a back cover.
This standard has been updated (see copyright date) and may have had
amendments incorporated. This will be indicated in the amendment table on
the inside front cover.
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BS 6990:1989
Section 1. General
1 Scope
This code covers operations relating to and
involving arc welding on ferritic steel and austenitic
stainless steel land or offshore pipelines and process
plant pipework which contain or have contained a
process fluid and which are at least 5 mm thick. It
gives details of procedures prior to, during and after
all these operations.
NOTE 1 Welding on pipes of thickness below 5 mm is not
covered by this code although it can be undertaken.
2 Definitions
For the purposes of this code the definitions given in
BS 499-1 apply together with the following.
2.3
inspector
the body, association or employee that ensures that
the materials and construction are in accordance
with this code
2.4
statutory authority
the body or organization that, through the power
vested in it by Government Statute, regulates the
requirements with which particular pipelines or
pipework have to comply
NOTE One way in which such requirements may be
promulgated is by making reference to British Standards.
2.5
joint
the completed weld joining two sections of pipe, a
section of pipe to a fitting or two fittings
2.6
welding procedure*
a specific course of action followed in welding,
including a list of materials and, where necessary,
tools to be used
2.7
welding procedure test
the making and testing of a welded joint,
representative of that to be used on an actual job, in
order to prove the feasibility of a welding procedure
NOTE This term is not usually applied to any tests that may
have been made during the development of a welding procedure.
2.8
approved welding procedure
a documented welding procedure that has been
approved by an inspecting authority either by
means of a welding procedure test or as a result of
authentic documented experience gained with the
welding of joints similar to that to which the welding
procedure applies
2.9
welder*
the operator who performs the welding
2.10
approved welder
2.1
employer
2.11
root run*
2.2
contractor
the firm undertaking the contract and any
subcontractors engaged in work covered by this code
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2.12
positional welding
welding wherein the pipe or assembly is held
stationary
2.13
semi-automatic welding*
welding in which some of the welding variables are
automatically controlled, but manual guidance is
necessary
2.14
mechanized welding*
welding in which the welding parameters are
controlled mechanically or electronically and may
be manually varied during welding to maintain the
required welding conditions
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BS 6990:1989
5 Preliminary considerations
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BS 6990:1989
Section 3. Welding
7 Pipe thickness, temperature and
internal pressure
8 Pipe material
Under no circumstances should any welding be
undertaken on pipe of an unknown material.
Normally the type and condition of the pipe material
can be obtained from records. If this is not possible,
it is essential that sufficient information is
determined about the pipe material to enable a
welding procedure to be developed. The following
are examples of features that can be checked for this
purpose:
a) chemical composition, e.g. by wet chemical,
chromatographic, radiation pattern or
spectrographic analysis;
b) hardness (portable hardness tester);
c) microstructure (replica technique);
d) colour;
e) magnetism;
f) reaction to chemical etchants (identification
kits).
9 Fitting material
The specification of the material for a fitting should
be agreed between the contracting parties. The
selection of the material for a fitting should take
account of the composition of the pipe, the operating
conditions and the process fluid.
10 Welding equipment
The contractor should maintain all welding plant
and ancillary equipment in good working order.
Welding plant, instruments, cables and accessories
should comply with the requirements of
the appropriate British Standard where it exists,
e.g. BS 638, BS EN 167, BS EN 168, BS EN 169,
BS EN 60974-11 and BS EN 60974-12.
Adequate means of measuring current should be
available, either as part of the welding plant or by
the provision of a portable ammeter. In the case of
mechanized and semi-automatic welding, means
should be provided for measuring the arc voltage.
All instruments should be calibrated regularly
(see BS EN 30012-1). The welding equipment
should be capable of controlling the parameters
given in Table 2 to within the limits stated in that
table.
The return current cable connecting clamp should at
all times be connected to the work at a point as close
as possible to the actual weld. Return paths via pipe
hangers, steelwork or structures should not be used.
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BS 6990:1989
12 Shielding gases
12.1 General
Where appropriate, gases or gas mixtures of the
following quality should be used:
a) argon complying with BS EN 439;
b) carbon dioxide complying with BS EN 439;
c) gas mixtures that have been proved to be
satisfactory as a result of procedure approval
tests.
When a gas mixture is used which has specified
additions, e.g. 2 % O2, 5 % CO2, the variation of such
addition should not exceed 10 % of that stated.
Moisture content should correspond to a dewpoint
of 30 C or lower.
12.2 Storage and handling
Shielding gases should be kept in the containers in
which they are supplied and these should be stored
away from extremes of temperature.
In the field, only gases specified in 12.1 as supplied
by the manufacturers, in specially marked
containers, should be used. Gases that are of
questionable purity and those in containers which
show signs of damage should not be used.
There should be no mixing of gases in the field,
unless this is an integral part of a mechanized
process which utilizes a fail-safe cut-off when the
proportions fall outside those specified in the
approved welding procedure.
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BS 6990:1989
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
l)
m)
n)
o)
p)
q)
10
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BS 6990:1989
s) Ambient temperature
at)
Content of pipe
au)
av)
These parameters cannot always be simulated in a welding procedure test, but should always be carefully checked, as any
changes may affect welding procedure approval (see note to 13.4 and items q), r) and s) of Table 2).
b) Material specification
d) Joint configuration
h) Electrical characteristics
j) Direction of welding
k) Number of welders
m) Preheating
n) Interpass temperature
q) Content of pipe
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15 Preparation of pipe
12
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BS 6990:1989
16 Inspection of fittings
The following checks should be carried out on the
fitting to be attached.
a) Dimensional check of the fitting.
b) A check that the correct certificate for the
fitting is available.
c) A check that all weld preparations are clean
and are in accordance with the fitting
specification.
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17 Fusion faces
Immediately prior to welding, the fusion faces and
the adjacent material should be free from fins,
planar defects not complying with clause 28, tears,
moisture, scale, rust, paint, grease or other foreign
matter. Cleaning to base metal should extend for at
least 25 mm from the edge of the fusion faces on
both the internal and external surfaces of the parts
to be welded.
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Figure 2 Typical longitudinal weld preparation for fitting: dimensions and tolerances
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BS 6990:1989
21 Working clearance
The working clearance around the pipe at the weld
should be not less than 400 mm.
When the pipe is welded in a trench the bell hole
should be of sufficient size to provide the welder or
welders with ready access to the joint. (See also 6.4.)
22 Stray arcs
Arcs shall be struck only on fusion faces and contact
of the electrode or of the non-insulated parts of the
electrode holder with the outer surface of the pipe or
fitting should be avoided.
An earth saddle making good electrical contact with
the workpiece should be placed conveniently near to
the weld for striking the electrode where this is
necessary for removing slag from the tip or to
facilitate the starting of the arc. Electrode holders
should be of the fully insulated type.
Places where any stray arcs have accidentally
occurred should be either repaired or rejected, as
approved by the employer.
Where permission to repair arc strikes has been
given by the employer, the procedure should
include, but not necessarily be limited to, the
mechanical removal of the affected material,
blending of the excavation, checking by magnetic
particle or penetrant inspection as appropriate and
confirmation that the thickness of the pipe or fitting
is within permitted tolerances.
Where the minimum thickness is below tolerance,
repairs to an approved welding procedure may be
carried out and subjected to further non-destructive
testing.
23 Weather conditions
The employer should state when welding should not
be done because prevailing weather conditions
would impair the quality of the completed weld.
Welding should not be done when the quality of the
completed weld would be impaired by airborne
moisture, blowing sands or high winds.
Where necessary protection from the weather can be
provided, welding may be continued.
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24 Preheating
To preheat pipelines or pipework effectively,
particularly where product flow is maintained for
safety reasons during welding and associated
operations, heat input may need to be high. It is
important therefore that careful consideration is
given to those factors that may affect the quality
and strength of the subsequent weld and to the
safety of the preheating operation (see section 2).
The detailed procedure should take into
consideration the following factors.
a) The maximum preheating temperature.
b) The minimum interpass temperature, below
which no welding may proceed.
c) Any soak periods to ensure adequate
through-wall heating.
d) The type and size of the heating source.
e) The method of control of heating, including
emergency shut-down procedure.
f) The extent of the zones to be preheated
including the limits of any localized heating
applied as welding proceeds.
g) The type and distribution of temperature
measuring devices.
h) The frequency of temperature measurement.
i) Details of any supplementary heating placed
upstream of the preheating zone.
25 Sequence of welding
25.1 As the type of fitting used may vary
considerably, it is not possible to give definitive
rules to suit each fitting. The following are basic
guidelines.
a) The amount of in-situ welding should be kept
to a minimum, i.e. a maximum amount of
pre-fabrication should be carried out off site by
normal welding techniques. This work should be
subject to thorough inspection, and where
practicable, pressure testing. Certification to
cover this work should be available.
b) Clamping is preferred to tack welding. When
tack welding is necessary it should be made in
positions that do not restrict expansion or
contraction of the fitting along the longitudinal
axis of the live or pressurized pipe.
25.2 The in-situ welding may be divided into two
types:
a) Welds which involve a direct connection on to
the live or pressurized pipe.
b) Welds which are separated from the live or
pressurized pipe by an air gap or backing
material.
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26 Inter-run cleaning
Each run of weld metal should be thoroughly
cleaned, either by hand or power tools, before a
further run is applied.
Visible flaws such as cracks, cavities and other
deposition faults should be removed and particular
attention paid to the cleanliness of the junctions
between the weld metal and the fusion faces before
deposition of further weld metal.
Clusters of surface porosity, stops and starts and
high points should be removed by grinding.
Stop and start positions in adjacent runs should be
staggered by at least 20 mm.
27 Inspection
27.1 General
All welds should be inspected by visual examination
during and after welding. On completion of welding,
visual examination should be followed by a method
or combination of methods of non-destructive
testing as specified by the employer.
NOTE The agreement of the statutory authority may also be
required.
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29 Rectification of welds
29.1 Butt welds
The requirements of BS 4515 should be taken into
account but with the following provisos:
a) it is preferable to make a local repair to a joint;
b) if the size or nature of the flaw requires
removal of a weld then the entire fitting should be
removed, remachined and the reweld treated as a
completely new weld.
29.2 Fillet welds
29.2.1 Imperfections confined to the weld metal
alone. The requirements of BS 4515 should be
followed except that extensive flaws may be
repaired in sections to retain the preheating
temperature within a manageable area.
29.2.2 Imperfections positioned within the original
pipe surface. Imperfections found which extend
below the original pipe surface should be treated
with utmost caution.
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Publications referred to
BS 499, Welding terms and symbols.
BS 499-1, Glossary for welding, brazing and thermal cutting.
BS 638, Arc welding power sources, equipment and accessories.
BS 679, Specification for filters for use during welding and similar industrial operators.
BS 2633, Specification for Class I arc welding of ferritic steel pipework for carrying fluids.
BS 3923, Ultrasonic examination of welds.
BS 3923-1, Methods for manual examination of fusion welds in ferritic steels.
BS 4105, Specification for liquid carbon dioxide, industrial.
BS 4515, Specification for welding of steel pipelines on land and offshore.
BS 4677, Specification for arc welding of austenitic stainless steel pipework for carrying fluids.
BS 5289, Code of practice. Visual inspection of fusion welded joints.
BS 5996, Specification for acceptance levels for internal imperfections in steel plate, strip and wide flats,
based on ultrasonic testing.
BS 6072, Method for magnetic particle flaw detection.
BS 6443, Method for penetrant flaw detection.
BS 8010, Code of practice for pipelines.
BS 8010-1, Pipelines on land: general.
CP 2010, Code of practice for pipelines.
CP 2010-2, Design and construction of steel pipelines in land.
BS EN 167, Personal eye protection Optical test methods.
BS EN 168, Personal eye protection Non-optical test methods.
BS EN 169, Specification for filters for personal eye-protection equipment used in welding and similar
operations.
BS EN 287-1, Approval testing of welders for fusion welding Part 1: Steels.
BS EN 288-3, Specification and approval of welding procedures for metallic materials Part 3: Welding
procedure tests for the arc welding of steels.
BS EN 439, Welding consumables Shielding gases for arc welding and cutting.
BS EN 30012-1, Quality assurance requirements for measuring equipment Part 1: Metrological
confirmation system for measuring equipment.
BS EN 50078, Torches and guns for arc welding.
BS EN 60974-11, Arc welding equipment Part 11: Electrode holders.
BS EN 60974-12, Arc welding equipment Part 12: Coupling devices for welding cables.
BS EN ISO 9000, Quality management and quality assurance standards1).
1)
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