PDVSA

ENGINEERING DESIGN MANUAL

VOLUME 13–I

ENGINEERING SPECIFICATION

PDVSA N° TITLE

H–213–OT CONCRETE COATING OF SUBMARINE PIPELINES

1 DEC. 98 GENERAL REVISION 13 Y.K. A.A. J.E.R

0 MAY.89 FOR APPROVAL 13 J.S. J.G. A.O.

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 SPECIALIST

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Index
1 SCOPE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.1 PDVSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2.2 Industry Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
3 MATERIALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.1 Cement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.2 Aggregate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.3 Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
3.4 Reinforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
4 CONCRETE PROPERTY REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.1 Material Proportioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.2 Compressive Strength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.3 Density . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
4.4 Concrete Thickness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5 COATING APPLICATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
5.2 Coating Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
5.3 Curing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6 ANODE BRACELET INSTALLATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6.1 Anode Attachment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
6.2 Corrosion Coat Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
7 COATING OF PIPE SECTION WITH ANODE BRACELET . . . . . . 8
8 IDENTIFICATION AND MARKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
9 INSPECTION AND TESTING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
9.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
9.2 Testing Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
10 REPAIRS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
10.1 Spalling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
10.2 Cracking Due to Pipe Deflection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
11 HANDLING AND STACKING . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
11.1 Handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
11.2 Stacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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1 SCOPE
This specification shall govern the materials, application, inspection, repairs,
handling, and other requirements for placing anode bracelets and external
concrete weight coating on offshore pipelines. The work includes the furnishing
of all labor, materials (except line pipe and anode bracelets, tools, and equipment)
and the performance of all operations and incidentals necessary for the coating,
handling, storing, and shipping of bare and coated pipe.
Contractor shall obtain Owner’s written approval for any deviations from the
requirements of this specification or the specifications, standards, and drawings
referenced herein.
This document is not intended to be all inclusive, and the use of the guidelines set
forth does not relieve the Contractor of his responsibility to supply a product
capable of performing its intended service.

2 REFERENCES
The following codes, standards and specifications, including applicable addenda,
in effect as of the last edition, shall form a part of this specification to the extent
specified herein.

2.1 PDVSA
Inspection Manual

2.2 Industry Standards

American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
C 31 Standard Practice of Making and Curing Concrete Test
Specimens in the Field
C 33 Standard Specification for Concrete Aggregates
C 39 Standard Test Method for Compressive Strength of Cylindrical
Concrete Specimens
C 150 Standard Specification for Portland Cement
A 82 Standard Specification for Steel Wire Plain for Concrete
Reinforcement AASHTO No. M32
A 185 Standard Specification for Steel Welded Wire Fabric for Concrete
Reinforcement
A 641 Standard Specification for Zinc–Coated (Galvanized) Carbon
Steel Wire
A 90 Standard Test method for Weight (Mass) of Coating on
(Galvanized) Iron or Steel Articles with Zinc or Zinc–Alloy
Coatings
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Where conflicting statements exist between the different codes, the most stringent
regulations shall apply unless otherwise specified by Owner.

3 MATERIALS
All coating materials shall be furnished by the Contractor and shall include
portland cement, aggregate, water, and reinforcing steel. The Owner will furnish
line pipe (bare pipe) and anode bracelets. Materials shall conform to the following
specifications:

3.1 Cement
Cement shall conform to ASTM C 150 Type I. The cement shall be stored in a
manner that will satisfactorily protect it from the elements. Cement that has
hardened, partially hardened, or become lumpy shall not be used.

3.2 Aggregate
Aggregate shall be well graded from fine to coarse according to the following sieve
sizes:

Sieve Size Aggregate Passing Percent

1 cm 100
0.65 cm 87–100
No. 4 64–85
No. 8 45–60
No. 16 30–50
No. 30 10–35
No. 50 0–15

The aggregate shall be clean and free of chlorides alkali, harmful substances, or
organic impurities. It shall conform in all respects to ASTM C 33. Owner reserves
the right to reject any aggregate not deemed acceptable by virtue or either sources
or quality.

3.3 Water
Water shall be clean and free from injurious amounts of oil, acid salt, or organic
material and shall be of a quality suitable for drinking.

3.4 Reinforcement
Reinforcing steel shall be welded wire made from high quality steel that is formed
into galvanized wire fabric. The wire fabric shall be minimum 14 gage. The
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chemical and physical properties of the wire shall conform to ASTM specifications
listed in Section 2.0.

4 CONCRETE PROPERTY REQUIREMENTS

The applied concrete shall conform to the following criteria and applicable
specifications as listed in Paragraph 2.0.

4.1 Material Proportioning

The Contractor shall obtain Owner’s approval to select any proportioning of
materials to produce the minimum requirements of material strength, specified
density and specified coated pipe weight.

4.2 Compressive Strength

The minimum compressive strength of the concrete, as determined from tests
outlined in Paragraph 9.2.1, shall not be less than 211 kg/sq. cm (3000 psi) after
seven days and 327 kg/sq cm (4650 psi) after 28 days.

4.3 Density
Tests outlined in 9.2.2, or approved substitute, shall be used to determine the
density of the applied concrete. Should the Contractor, upon approval by Owner,
plan to rectify lighter than specified coating material with the application of
additional concrete, the additional coating shall be applied uniformly along the
length and within 30 min. of last application.

4.4 Concrete Thickness

The concrete coating shall be of uniform thickness around the circumference of
the pipe and shall not vary more than 6 mm (1/4 in) along any one meter (three
foot) length of a coated pipe joint.

5 COATING APPLICATION
5.1 General
5.1.1 Coating Equipment
The Contractor shall provide mechanical equipment capable of applying coating
at the specified degree of uniformity with respect to thickness, density, and
strength. The Contractor’s equipment shall provide for either the batching of
materials by weight or continuous mixing, where all feeds are accurately
controlled and percentages of mix are calibrated by weight. Any equipment that
tends to separate the ingredients shall not be used.
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5.1.2 Placement
In all cases, the concrete shall be placed within 30 min. after the water is first added
to the mix.

5.2 Coating Operation

Each joint of pipe shall be coated in continuous operation. Where practical, the
total thickness of coating shall be applied on a single pass. If more than one
application is required to produce a coating of the specified thickness, then the
time allowed between successive applications shall not exceed 30 min. If the time
between coats does exceed 30 min., all previous coating shall be removed and
the entire joint shall be recoated. The cost of removing coating and recoating shall
be at the Contractor’s expense.
5.2.1 Coating Limits
Concrete coating shall have a 30–cm (12–in.) cutback on both ends of the pipe.
In conjunction with this, the Concrete coating shall terminate 7.5–cm (3–in.) short
of the end of previously applied corrosion protection coating. Except for the 30 cm
cutback and anode bracelet areas, the coating shall cover the entire length of pipe
section. Coating shall be beveled to a scope of approximately 2:1 and tapered
back a minimum 2.5 cm (1 in) from cutback ends.
5.2.2 Preparation
If kraft paper has been placed on the joint to protect the corrosion coating, the
paper shall be completely removed before the joint is concrete coated.
5.2.3 Reinforcing Steel Application
Reinforcing steel may be applied by any method that will provide for the continuity
of reinforcing. When reinforcing is spooled on, a minimum overlap of
approximately 2.5 cm (1 in) shall result. The reinforcing wrap shall be placed as
close as possible to the center of concrete coating.
Unless approved otherwise by Owner, the number of steel reinforcement wraps
shall be determined by the required thickness of concrete coating as listed below.

Number of Wraps Concrete Coating Thickness

1 1 to 1.75 inch
2 1.75 to 3.0 inch
3 3.0 to 4.5 inch
4 4.5 to 6.0 inch
5 6.0 to 7.5 inch
6 7.5 to 9.0 inch
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Steel reinforcement shall protrude beyond the bevel at the ends of the concrete
coating for a distance of approximately 1.25 cm (1/2 in). The reinforcing material
shall not be in physical or electrical contact with the pipe. Contractor shall check
each coated pipe for electrical contact with a suitable power source and meters.

5.3 Curing
During curing, the concrete coated pipe shall be racked on sand ridges or on a flat
earthen surface that is free of obstructions. Stacking of coated pipe while curing
shall not be allowed. If the joints are placed on sand ridges, they should be so
placed as to eliminate any injurious deflection in the pipe. The concrete may be
cured by water spray or by application of a curing membrane. The concrete shall
not be allowed to dehydrate. All concrete coated pipe shall cure for not less than
four days after application of concrete. Water–spray cured coatings shall be kept
surface–wet during daylight hours for seven days. Coated pipe shall not be
handled or loaded out from the yard until so cured. No deviation from this
requirement shall be permitted.
5.3.1 Water Curing
Water curing shall commence no later than six hours after coating. It shall consist
of keeping the concrete continuously moist for the curing period by means of
intermittent watering by either manual or mechanical means.
5.3.2 Membrane Curing
Membrane curing shall be of the clear compound white–pigmented compound or
plastic membrane type and shall be subject to Company’s approval. It shall be
applied by mechanical apparatus to the coated surface in sufficient quantity to
provide complete coverage in accordance with manufacturer’s
recommendations. The application of this curing compound or sheet shall take
place immediately after coating is completed and preferably before the pipe is
removed from the concrete coating apparatus. A slight spray of water applied after
concrete application and before applying the curing agent shall be required for the
curing compound method.

6 ANODE BRACELET INSTALLATION

Anodes shall be furnished by the Owner and installed by the Contractor at the
center of the individual 12 m pipe joints. Procedures for installation of the anodes
to the pipe joints are given in paragraphs that follow.

6.1 Anode Attachment

Prior to installation of the anode, a small area of the pipe corrosion coating shall
be removed to bare metal of the pipe joint. Steel surfaces on the anode that will
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be welded shall also be cleaned to bare metal. The anode shall be placed on the
pipe and carefully aligned so that the bonding plates are in contact with the
previously prepared bare metal surfaces. After checking the alignment of the two
bracelet halves, they shall be welded together. The molded cylindrical–type zinc
anode bracelets shall be connected to the pipeline by circumstantially welding
T–shaped tabs in four evenly–spaced places for each bracelet (see Fig. 1).

6.2 Corrosion Coat Repair

After the anode has been installed, the weld areas shall be thoroughly cleaned
with a wire brush. All steel surfaces, including the pipe, bonding plates, etc.,
exposed for welding purposes shall be repaired in accordance with PDVSA
Inspection Manual. Care should be exercised to prevent the corrosion coat from
touching the outer face of the anode. Damage to the pipe corrosion coat for any
reason other than welding the bonding plate to the pipeline shall be repaired in
accordance with General Specification H–212, “Coating and Wrapping of
Underground Steel Pipe”.

7 COATING OF PIPE SECTION WITH ANODE BRACELET

Corrosion protection coating shall be repaired on pipe sections where anode
bracelets have been installed. After proper curing of repairs to the corrosion
coating, the concrete weight coating shall be applied. The anode shall be
protected to insure that no coating contacts the exterior surfaces of the anode
bracelet. Wire reinforcing shall terminate a minimum of five centimeters (two
inches) from the anode bracelet.

8 IDENTIFICATION AND MARKING

Each joint of pipe shall be stenciled with paint on the inside pipe surface with the
average thickness of concrete coating and the measured weight of the coated
pipe. If required by Owner, coated pipe shall be color coded externally. Thickness
and weights shall be in metric units.

9 INSPECTION AND TESTING

9.1 General
The Owner’s representative shall have full and free access to every part of the
coating yard and to the on/off loading facilities on the Contractor. Contractor shall
provide reasonable assistance to Owner’s Representative at every stage of
inspection. Pipe coating not meeting the requirements outlined herein shall be
rejected and recoated by the Contractor without expense to the Owner. Coatings
shall be rejected for the following reasons:
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1. Improper placement of reinforcing steel.

2. Damage during handling or storage considered by the Company to be
excessive and beyond repair.
3. Unfinished coatings that have been allowed to remain unfinished for a
period of 30 min. or more.
4. Concrete strength below the specified values.
5. Concrete density outside the specified range.
6. Individual coated joint weight outside the specified range or five joint
average below the specified coated pipe weight.

9.2 Testing Methods

Daily samples of the concrete mix, as applied during the coating operation, shall
be taken to determine the compressive strength and density of the concrete
coating. Each joint of pipe shall be weighted and the final coated weight shall be
calculated.
All testing shall be at the Contractor’s expense and as directed by Owner. The
testing and methods to be used are outlined in the following paragraphs.
9.2.1 Compressive Strength
Compressive strength of the mix shall be determined from the samples prepared
at the jobsite in cylindrical Proctor–type molds and obtained in accordance with
practices outlined in ASTM C31. A minimum of one test cylinder shall be taken
in the morning and one in the afternoon for each day of production. These
cylinders shall be tested according to procedures outlined in ASTM C39 to
determine the 7 and 28–day compressive strengths of the concrete.
9.2.2 Density
The density of the concrete shall be determined from hardened and cured
concrete that is not less than four days of age and is taken from the coating mix
as applied in normal coating operations. One cylinder shall be taken for each
morning and one for each afternoon of production to be used for these tests.
A sample shall be dried at 100 °C (212 °F) to constant weight. When constant
weight is attained, a sample shall be allowed to cool to room temperature and then
weighed to the nearest gram. The sample shall be submerged in seawater at
room temperature for not less than 48 hrs. It shall then be withdraw from the water,
the excess of surface moisture removed, and weighed to the nearest gram.
The sample shall then be weighed, while submerged in seawater, to the nearest
gram. The weight per cubic meter shall be calculated as follows:
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Bulk specific gravity =

Oven–Dry Weight x 0.83 kg.cu m
Saturated Weight – Suspended Immersion Weight

9.2.3 Coated Pipe Weight Tests

The weight of a coated pipe joint shall not deviate in excess of plus seven percent
(+7%) or minus five percent (–5%) from the specified weight in air. In addition,
the average weight in air of five successfully coated joints shall be greater than or
equal to the required weight in air.
The coated pipe weight in air shall be computed using the following formula:
Wair = (Wm–Ws) (Lp–Lc) /Lc
Where:
Wair = Weight–per–meter in air of the coated pipe (kg/m).
Wm = Weight of coated joint of pipe measured by Contractor (kg).
Ws = Weight–per–meter in air of uncoated steel pipe (kg/m). API
nominal weights are acceptable.
Lp = Pipe length (m).
Lc = Length of concrete coating measured between the crowns of
the two tapers (m).
Scales used for obtaining weights shall have a certified accuracy of plus or minus
one percent ($1%). Lengths shall be obtained to the nearest 0.015 m. Testing
shall take place after the four–day curing period.

10 REPAIRS
After concrete coatings have hardened, damage during handling and storage
shall be repaired in accordance with the paragraphs that follow.

10.1 Spalling
Spalling caused by impact with other objects shall be repaired as follows:
1. Damaged areas of less than 0.1 sq. m (one sq. ft.) where depth of damage
does not expose the reinforcing wire and where the surrounding concrete
is sound, shall be accepted without repairs.
2. Damaged area exceeding any of the criteria of part (1), above, up to a total
damaged area of 0.3 square meters (three square feet) shall be undercut
to provide a key lock for repairs.
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3. Damaged areas exceeding 0.3 sq. m shall have the concrete coating
removed around the entire pipe circumference and for a sufficient length
to include the entire damaged portion.
Repairs shall be made by satisfactorily restoring the reinforcing, if necessary, and
removing any cracked or broken concrete at the point of coating damage. The
fresh surface of the broken coating shall be wetted and a mixture or cement, water,
and aggregate in the same proportions as the coating and troweled into and
through the reinforcing. This mixture shall be built up until the surface is level with
the coating around the repair. The pipe shall then be carefully laid in a safe
position and moist–cured for a minimum four days.

10.2 Cracking Due to Pipe Deflection

Cracks that are in excess of 2 mm (1/16 in.) wide and extend over 180
circumstantially around the pipe, or where cracks are over 30 cm (12 in.) in length
longitudinally along the pipe, irrespective of width, shall be repaired. Repair shall
be made by chiseling the crack out to a width of not less than 2.5 cm (1 in)
throughout the length of the crack. The crack shall be repaired with materials
similar to that from which the coating is made. The repairs shall be kept moist and
be allowed to remain undisturbed for a period of not less than 36 hours.

11 HANDLING AND STACKING

The concrete coated pipe shall be handled and stacked in accordance with the
following paragraphs and applicable specifications as listed in Paragraph 2.0.

11.1 Handling
Pipe shall be handled in a manner to prevent damage to coating, pipe walls, and
beveled ends. Boomers or equivalent load binding members shall always be used
in cross–country, rough road, and sea handling. Adequate strapping and padding
shall be provided when loading for transfer to any location.
Pipe shall be raised or lowered by using brass–lined end hooks inserted in the
ends of the pipe, and carried by a wire rope or chain sling with a spreader bar
between the lines. All pipe handling shall be with equipment approved by Owner.
If the coating or pipe has been damaged due to handling, the Owner may require
the Contractor to take immediate corrective action at the Contractor’s expense.
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11.2 Stacking
Contractor shall obtain Owner’s approval for stacking heights of bare pipe,
corrosion coated pipe, and concrete coated pipe. Stacking height shall be reduced
at the Owner’s request if deleterious effects to the pipe or its coating due to
stacking become evident. Recommended stacking limits are ten layers for bare
pipe and five layers for concrete coated pipe. Stacking height limits and number
of layers may be affected by the selected pipe sizes and concrete thickness. Any
recommendation to adjust stacking height limits is subject to Owner’s approval.
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FIG. 1