Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Contents
1 Scope ................................................................ 2
2 Conflicts and Deviations .................................... 2
3 References ........................................................ 2
4 Definition............................................................ 3
5 Health, Safety, and Environment ....................... 4
6 Material Storage and Handling .......................... 5
7 Design ............................................................... 6
8 Application and Installation ................................ 6
9 Inspection Methods and Acceptance Criteria .. 10
Revision Summary................................................. 13
1 Scope
This Standard covers minimum mandatory requirements governing the application and
installation of pipelines field girth welds external and internal fusion bonded epoxy
(FBE) coating. For internal girth coating, this document covers pipes with diameters
from 8" to 63". Responsibility of the involved contractors in this service are addressed.
2.1 Any conflicts between this standard and other applicable Saudi Aramco
Engineering Standards (SAESs), Materials System Specifications (SAMSSs),
Standard Drawings (SASDs), or industry standards, codes, and forms shall be
resolved in writing by the Company or Buyer Representative through the
Manager, Consulting Services Department of Saudi Aramco, Dhahran.
2.2 Direct all requests to deviate from this standard in writing to the Company or
Buyer Representative, who shall follow internal company procedure SAEP-302
and forward such requests to the Manager, Consulting Services Department of
Saudi Aramco, Dhahran.
3 References
All referenced Specifications, Standards, Codes, Forms, Drawings, and similar material
shall be of the latest issue (including all revisions, addenda and supplements) unless
stated otherwise.
4 Definition
Approved Product: A coating material that meets the requirements of the applicable
APCS or SAMSS. Only approved products are allowed for use in Saudi Aramco. These
requirements apply to all standards under SAES-H-series.
Cutback: Length of pipe left uncoated at each end for joining purpose.
Field Joint Area: Weld zone uncoated area that results when two pipe sections or a
pipe section and a fitting with coating cutbacks are assembled, by welding, in the field.
Overlap: Length of the field joint coating over the shop-applied coating including the
coating bevel.
Pre-Production Trial (PPT): Conducting a field trial prior to start of the actual
production for the surface preparation, coating application and inspection to confirm
meeting the requirement of the approved coating application procedure.
PWHT: A method for reducing and redistributing the residual stresses in the material
that have been introduced by welding.
6.1 Coating material shall be stored and handled in accordance with the
Manufacturer's recommendations.
6.2 Powder shall be transported and stored in a sealed container that prevents the
ingress of moisture or water.
6.3 Powder shall be kept dry at all times and not exposed to direct sunlight or used
within 15 m of any source of ignition.
6.5 Vendor shall load only enough materials to be used in the same day.
Opened, unused powder shall not be used.
6.7 Abrasive blasting materials shall be stored in a dry and controlled environment.
6.8 Health and safety requirements shall be in accordance with Saudi Aramco
requirements and Manufacturer's instructions.
6.9 The Vendor shall use only Saudi Aramco approved products.
6.11 Each batch of FBE coating must be tested and certified by the Manufacturer in
accordance with the requirement of Table 1. Vendor shall conduct the same
7 Design
7.1 External FBE powder shall meet the requirements of 09-SAMSS-089 and
SAES-H-002, APCS-104A/B/C.
7.2 Internal FBE powder shall meet the requirements of 09-SAMSS-091 and
SAES-H-002, APCS-102A/B/C.
7.3 Semi-automated application process shall be used for the application of external
coating.
7.4 Robotic system shall be used for the inspection, surface preparation and coating
application of internal girth weld.
8.1 General
8.1.2 For welds that require post weld heat treatment (PWHT), FBE coating on
both Internal and External welds shall be done after PWHT and welds
accepted by responsible Inspector. Demonstration shall be conducted
prior to actual work to determine the required internal and external
cutback after the completion of PWHT. If the cutback is exceeding
280 mm, approved liquid coating can be used for the internal girth weld.
8.1.3 Before welding, the cut back of internal pipe shall be blast cleaned and
the overlap area on shop-applied FBE pipe coating must be feathered.
After blasting, no further mechanical work is allowed, which could affect
the quality of the prepared surface.
8.1.4 The maximum length of the FBE field application is limited by the total
length of the cutback, 50-75 millimeters (2-3 inches), plus a reasonable
overlap, 1-2 inches, to tie in with the initial FBE coating. In the case of
PWHT, demonstration must be conducted to determine the required
length.
8.1.5 Internal cleaning and FBE coating application of line pipes with diameter
of 8" and above shall be commenced by the fully remote controlled
crawling machine fitted with 2 cameras to monitor the work.
8.1.6 A PPT must be conducted at the start of each shift to verify the correct
functioning of the used equipment. The PPT should be conducted on a
spool similar to the pipes to be coated. The following tests in tables 2
and 3 shall be conducted by the Vendor and the result shall be shared
with Saudi Aramco inspector.
8.2.2 All weld joints including adjacent areas to be FBE coated either Internal
or External shall be ground smooth and free from burrs, weld spatter,
sharp edges. Weld toes shall be merged smoothly and rounded with no
sharp undercuts. The weld cap or internal root protrusion shall not be
more than 1.5 mm. Increasing coating thickness shall not be used to
overcome such defects.
8.2.3 The bare metal joint shall be abrasive blasted to near white metal
cleanliness, Sa 2½ , for external and to white metal cleanliness, Sa 3, for
internal. The surface profile shall be 50 to 100 micrometers. For internal
girth weld, it should be done by the Contractor, unless otherwise specified
in the scope of work. Pipe bung shall be used to protected shop- applied
pipe coating.
8.2.4 The gloss shall be feathered out from the shop-applied FBE pipe coating
that will be overlapped by the field coating by light abrasive (sweep)
blasting or sanding. Wire brushes shall not be used for this purpose.
8.2.5 Blasting abrasives shall comply with paragraphs 6.3 and 8.2 requirements
of SAES-H-001 and shall contain less than 50 ppm chlorides and sulfates.
They shall be stored in a dry condition and maintained dry during use.
Sand shall not be used as an abrasive. The Vendor shall furnish chemical
analyses for all batches of abrasives used to demonstrate compliance with
these requirements.
8.2.6 The first blasted girth weld in each shift shall be tested for chlorides.
Residual chloride on the surface shall not exceed 20 mg/m² in accordance
with ISO 8502-6. Test one out of each successive 20 girth weld areas.
8.2.7 In the event of a failure, re-test the piece. If it fails, test all pieces that
were blast cleaned both before and after the contaminated girth welds
until five in a row pass the test. All girth welds coated after the last good
test must be re-blasted, re-tested, and re-coated.
8.3.6 As soon as the correct metal temperature has been reached, the induction
coil shall be removed from the welded joint area and the powder
application equipment placed in position. Powder application shall start
immediately. Coating shall be applied before the surface temperature
drops below the specified application temperature in the manufacturer
datasheet.
8.3.6.2 Care shall be taken to prevent the spray head, braces or hoses,
etc., from dragging on the ground during application operations.
Dirt or deleterious materials shall not contaminate the powder
coated area during the application and curing stages.
8.3.7 During periods of bad weather (rain, high winds, etc.) cleaning and
coating operations will only proceed if protective canopies are used to
the satisfaction of the Saudi Aramco Inspector.
9.1 General
This section gives the mandatory inspection methods and acceptance criteria that
shall be met before the FBE-coated welds can be put into service. The inspection
requirements are summarized in Table 6.
9.2.1 The Inspector shall verify that the surface preparation requirements of
paragraph 8.2 are met prior to the commencement of preheating.
9.2.2 Thickness checks shall be made on each coated weld joint using an
approved, correctly calibrated dry film thickness gauge (e.g., Microtest,
Elcometer or equivalent). The instrument shall be calibrated in
accordance with SSPC-PA2.
9.2.3 For external and accessible internal girth weld coating, the quality of
cure shall be checked on the first 5 joints of the job and every 20 joints
thereafter, by maintaining a MEK soaked pad in contact with the coating
surface for one minute and then rubbing vigorously for 15 seconds.
There shall be no softening of the coating or substantial color removal
from the coating. For un-accessible internal girth weld coating, conduct
the cure test as specified in paragraph 8.1.6.
9.2.4 The finished coating shall have a uniform, glossy appearance and be free
of defects such as holidays, fish eyes, lumps, dry spray, sags and runs.
Coating overlap shall be within the thickness specified in 09-SAMSS-089
for external and 09-SAMSS-091 for internal.
9.2.5 Cameras fitted on the crawling machine shall be used during the
inspection of internally coated pipeline with diameters from 8" and above.
9.3.1 100% of the coated girth weld surface area shall be holiday detected,
inspected, and repaired in accordance with the procedures and equipment
specified in 09-SAMSS-089 for external and 09-SAMSS-091 for
internal. Holiday detection shall not be conducted if the surface
temperature of the coated girth weld area exceeds 80°C.
9.4.1 Using a sharp knife with a narrow width blade, make two, approximately
13-mm long incisions through to the metal substrate to form an X in
accordance with ASTM D6677.
9.4.2 Starting at the intersection of the X, attempt to force the coating from the
steel substrate with the knife point. Refusal of the coating to peel
constitutes a pass. Partial or complete adhesion failure between the
coating and the metal substrate constitutes a failure. Cohesive failure
caused by voids in the coating leaving a honeycomb structure on the
specimen surface also constitutes failure.
9.4.3 This shall be performed once every hour. When three consecutive tests
are successful, the frequency shall be reduced to once every two hours.
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Page 11 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 31 May 2018 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds
9.4.4 If coating fails to meet the acceptance criteria in paragraph 9.4.2, the
adjacent field girth weld areas shall also be tested until acceptable
coatings are found on both sides of the defective coating. The defective
coatings shall all be completely removed and the areas recoated. At least
one of the repaired areas shall be re-inspected, and the subsequent
inspection frequency shall be as given in paragraph 9.4.3.
9.5 Repairs
9.5.1 General
The pipe surface to be recoated shall be cleaned to remove all dirt and
damaged or disbonded coating using abrasive blasting or other approved
and suitable means. The edges of the original coatings shall be
“feathered out” approximately 50 mm around the specific area to be
coated, and all dust wiped off before applying the patch coating.
9.5.3 To repair holidays in un-accessible internal girth weld FBE coatings, use
the cleaning machine to lightly abrade the existing girth weld coating for
band width of 200 mm (8 inches) to create enough roughness, 1.0 mil,
for the adhesion of FBE powder coating. The coating shall be inspected
for holidays and thickness. If a holiday is detected, the field joint should
be cut out to determine the cause. Cold cutting method shall be used to
prevent damaging the internal pipe coating. Flame cutting is not allowed.
The Vendor shall be responsible for all quality control processes including
visual inspection, surface cleanliness and profile checking, thickness
measurements, and holiday testing. The Vendor shall keep daily records of the
work progress and results of all inspection activities in a form suitable to the
Saudi Aramco Inspector surveillance and approval.
Revision Summary
16 November 2011 Editorial revision to remove the committee members list and change the primary contact.
Revised the "Next Planned Update."
7 February 2017 Major revision to clarify some of the requirements, summarize required tests in tables,
specify coating thickness for each system, revise acceptance criteria, highlight safety
requirements, clarify tasks of involved vendors, and add new tests.
31 May 2018 Editorial revision to modify paragraph (4), (8.1.1), and (8.1.4)