PDVSA

ENGINEERING DESIGN MANUAL

VOLUME 13–I

ENGINEERING SPECIFICATION

PDVSA N° TITLE

H–201–O PIPELINE CROSSINGS

1 DEC. 98 GENERAL REVISION 4 Y. K. A.A. J.E.R.

0 MAY.89 FOR APPROVAL 6 J.G. E.S.

REV. DATE DESCRIPTION PAG. REV. APPD. APPD.

APPD.BY Alexis Arévalo DATE DEC. 98 APPD.BY J. E. Rojas DATE DEC. 98

E PDVSA, 1983 SPECIALISTS

 ENGINEERING SPECIFICATION PDVSA H–201–O

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Index
1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.1 PDVSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2.2 American Petroleum Institute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
3 REGULATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
4 CASED ROAD CROSSINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
5 UNCASED ROAD CROSSINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
5.1 Boring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
5.2 Open Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
6 RIVER, STREAM & SWAMP CROSSINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
6.1 Ditching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
6.2 Anchoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
6.3 Clean–Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
7 EXISTING PIPELINE CROSSINGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
7.2 Cathodic Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
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1 SCOPE
This specification covers the minimum requirements for road (cased and
uncased), river, stream and swamp, and existing pipeline crossings.

2 REFERENCES
The following are to be used in conjunction with this specification when
applicable:

2.1 PDVSA
AI–211 Site Clearance & General Earthwork
AK–211 Earthwork–Excavation & Backfill
HA–201 Cathodic Protection (Onshore)
O–201 Painting Material and Application Requirements
SD–253 Survey Data
H–202–O Pipeline Anchors

2.2 American Petroleum Institute

1102 Recommended Practice for Steel Pipelines Crossing Railroads
and Highways.

3 REGULATIONS
Should there be any conflict between Venezuelan laws, standards and
regulations, this specification and API standards, the order of prevalences shall
be as follows:
1. Venezuelan laws, standards and regulations
2. This specification
3. API RP 1102

4 CASED ROAD CROSSINGS

4.1 Pipeline crossing highways and railroads shall be cased if combined stress on the
pipeline caused by external compression and internal pressure is equal or higher
than the maximum allowable stresses for operating conditions. Casing shall
extend beyond the toe of the road ditch backslopes and shall be installed bare.

4.2 Vents shall be installed at each end of a cased crossing. Contractor shall cut vent
holes in casing pipe prior to installing carrier pipe. Vent pipe above ground shall
be painted in accordance with PDVSA Specification O–201, “Painting Material
and Application Requirements”.
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A vent cap fabricated from the vent pipe shall be installed on all casing vents and
a pipeline marker sign shall be bolted to vent cap using drilled and tapper holes
provided in vent cap.
Contractor shall install a cathodic test station on one vent pipe for each casing
as per General Specification HE–201, “Cathodic Protection (Onshore)”.

5 UNCASED ROAD CROSSINGS

5.1 Boring
Where possible, the crossings of uncased roads shall be installed through the
road bed by boring.

5.2 Open Cut

Where boring by conventional methods is rendered impossible, pipeline shall be
layed on an open crossing trench throughout the road. Immediately following the
installation of crossing, the trench shall be backfilled as required by the Owner’s
Representative. Backfills of road crossings shall be tamped in 150 mm (6 inches)
layers. The top 150 mm (6 inches) of backfill shall be material of the same type
as the original road surface. The road shall be restored to the satisfaction of the
Owner’s Representative.

6 RIVER, STREAM & SWAMP CROSSINGS

6.1 Ditching
Boring
6.1.1 The right–of–way shall be extended to the minimum width required for
construction and ditching operations. The ditch shall be excavated by dragline,
dredge or other suitable and approved means. The pipe may be pulled or floated
into the ditch. Equipment and methods as required shall be used to keep the ditch
in conformity with the established survey line regardless of the depth of
excavation and the type of soil or rock encountered. Unless specified otherwise,
river crossings shall be installed with a minimum 1.200 mm (48 inches) of cover
over the pipe in normal soil, and a minimum of 450 mm (18 inches) of cover over
the pipe in solid rock. A minimum 600 mm (24 inches) of cover over concrete
weights is required in normal soil.
6.1.2 Where rock is encountered, the top of the concrete weights may not be higher
than the bottom of the river. Cover shall be measured from the top of the pipe and
concrete weights to the original ground elevation.

6.2 Anchoring
Unless continuous concrete–weight coating is specified, concrete bolt–on or
set–on weights shall be furnished and installed by Contractor on marine
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installations, rivers, swamps or poor drainage areas, in accordance with PDVSA

specification H–202, Pipeline Anchors. The pipe shall be wrapped with 6 mm (1/4
inch) thick rockshield before installing the weights. After protective coating and
concrete river weights have been applied, wooden strips shall be installed
between bolt–on weights and steel cable clamped to each weight to prevent
damage to the coating while the pipe is being pulled across the river or stream.

6.3 Clean–Up
The banks of all streams and rivers shall be restored to their original or better
condition. When required, the banks shall also be properly rip–rapped with sacks
filled with soil, sand, or other suitable material and properly seeded. The beds of
all rivers shall be restored to their original elevations and grade, and spoil, debris,
and other obstructions interfering with normal water flow shall be removed from
the crossing. Spoil removed from the ditch shall be kept within the limits of the
right–of–way and other areas provided for construction. These areas shall be
properly cleaned up by Contractor following the backfilling operation.

7 EXISTING PIPELINE CROSSINGS

7.1 The proposed pipeline(s) shall cross under all foreign pipelines and shall have at
least 305 mm (12 inches) of clearance between the bottom of the foreign pipeline
and the top pipeline. If the depth of the existing pipeline makes it impractical to
cross under the pipeline, the proposed pipeline(s) shall cross over the top of the
existing pipeline provided that Owner’s Representative approval has been
previously obtained.

7.2 Cathodic Protection

Cathodic protection test stations shall be installed as show on drawings and in
accordance with General Specification HA–201 “Cathodic Protection (Onshore)”.
Before any test stations are installed on a existing pipeline, the owner of that
pipeline will be contacted for approval of the installation. Also, the Contractor will
notify the existing pipeline owner before attaching any leads to their pipeline.