V.

HDPE Pipe Installation Method Statement

V.1 Earthworks
The contractor will prepare and maintain the hdpe pipe installation area free from
obstructions and other activities during the installation process.

V.2 Storage, Handling and Transportation

Handling and transportation of piping materials shall be done with utmost care to
avoid any damage. The quality level of the materials should be maintained from
delivery to the finished project. Damages of the surfaces (scratches, marks, etc.) have
to be avoided. The storage has to be free from waste such as stones, screws, nails, etc.

 HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) pipes and accessories shall be protected at

storage against humidity and UV (Ultraviolent) radiations (especially
polypropylene)
 HDPE Pipes >630mm, a maximum of two rows may be stored on top of one
another.
 HDPE Pipes >1000mm shall be stored loosely and preferably in a vertical
position.

All materials intended for installation shall be stored on suitable supports (timber,
sandbags, pallets, etc.). No material shall be stored directly on the bare ground. HDPE
pipes have to be stored flat and without bending stress, if possible in a wooden frame.
All open ends of the HDPE pipes & pipe fittings shall be protected by end caps or
covered to avoid dust and dirt collection inside the pipes.

Lifting tools (belts, shackles, chain blocks, etc.) for HDPE pipes shall be used in
accordance with good engineering practice to lift with safety and great care and shall
be inspected prior to work commencement.

The HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) pipes fittings must be securely tied to both sides
and end with belts or ropes. While traveling the HDPE pipes should not vibrate and or
slide on the trailer bed causing damages to the external surfaces.

All spooled parts shall be lifted and transported in a similar manner. Special care shall
be taken to avoid any significant deformation or stress during lifting or transportation.
The target of the unloading operation shall be the minimum lifting and moving
activities for the material. In this way, the damage of the parts/material will be reduced
practically to none.

Prior to the installation of the HDPE pipes and accessories, the face of the pipes and
hdpe pipes fittings shall be cleaned.

All HDPE pipes shall be protected against damage during handling from supplier to
fabrication yard and further to the final installation site. Special care shall be taken to
seal surfaces of hdpe pipes fitting ends, and avoid contact with other materials (e.g.: oil,
grease, etc.) to avoid surface contamination.

This also includes protection during the erection phase in order to avoid contamination
from other activities on the site.

Transportation of any material shall be arranged taking the following points into
consideration:

 HDPE pipes fittings and accessories, item shape, dimensions, and weight
 Transportation route
 Workspace around the installation area
 HDPE pipes and fittings installation sequence
 Certified lifting equipment and tools.
 Safety precautions.
 Qualified personnel (Crane operators, riggers, etc.)

V.3 Pre-fabrication of HDPE Piping and Fittings

HDPE piping and pipe fittings shall be inspected for the sizes required and for
distortion, bending, damages, etc. Each section of pipe and each fitting shall be
thoroughly cleaned before it is installed.

When the work is stopped at the end of the day, the open ends of all hdpe piping &
fittings shall be closed.

Nylon slings shall be used are capable of safely carrying the load to lift, move, or lower
hdpe piping or fittings. Flange adapter and flange fittings shall be centered and aligned
to the mating component before assembling and tightening bolts. Flange bolts shall
not be used to draw the connection into alignment.

Bolt threads shall be lubricated and flat washers shall be used with nuts. All work shall
be carried out by experienced and trained personnel on the joining of HDPE piping
system.
 Butt Fusion Welding of
HDPE Pipe

V.4 Butt Fusion Welding

Butt heat fusion welding of HDPE pipes shall be in accordance with DVS 2207-1.

The butt welding method is the most commonly used method of joining HDPE pipes.
No extra material is used instead the surface to be joined is heated by means of a
heating plate.

The melted surfaces are then pressed together and will fuse into each other forming a
strong joint. The strength of the material is based on the fusion of atoms.

Welding beads shall not be removed and are usually kept as a visual reference for the
welding quality.

Welding machines (heat fusion machines) have strong body frames, guide rods for the
pipes, a pipe end planer, and an electric heater plate.

The compressive thrust is produced hydraulically or by means of a lever or spring

mechanism. To achieve a good welding result it is better to use a proprietary heat
fusion machine.

Generally, the butt welding operation is divided into the following steps.

 Create permissible working conditions.

 Connect the welding device to the mains or to the alternating current generator
and check its function.
 Clean the joining faces beyond the welding area with a cleaning agent and
unused, absorbent, non-dyed paper.
 Align and scrape hdpe pipe ends with the planer.
  Close the hdpe pipe ends against draughts.
 Check the alignment.
 Check the heating tool temperature.
 Clean the tool with a cleaning agent.
 Heat up surfaces to be welded.
 At the end of the heating cycle, detach the joining faces to be welded from the
tool and move the latter out of the welding position.
 Drive the pipe ends together by applying the correct fusion pressure as
indicated in the welding table, while monitoring the welding bead formation.
 Unclamp the welded parts (hdpe pipes, hdpe pipes fittings, etc.) when the
cooling time has elapsed.
 Inspect visually for any visible anomalies.

V.4.1 Measures Before Welding

The welding area shall be protected from unfavorable weathering influences (e.g. wind,
rain, high humidity levels, etc.). When working outdoors; the area used for joining shall
be protected from rain, snow, and wind.

The preferred ambient working temperature for welding is in the range of +5°C to
+45°C. If necessary, protecting the welding area with a tent or similar arrangement
shall be arranged to maintain a constant environment in the working area.

V.4.2 Cleaning
The joining faces of the HDPE pipes, hdpe pipes fittings, tools, and the heating element
must be clean and free from contaminations (oils, fats, grease, chipping, etc.).

The paper used for cleaning must be unused, absorbent, non-fraying, and undyed.

The element must be cleaned with paper before every welding operation. No residues
of cleaning agent or paper shall remain on the element.

The hdpe pipe ends to be joined shall be scraped immediately before the beginning of
the welding.

Any chips must be removed prior to welding of hdpe pipes.

V.4.3 Preparation for the Welding

The heating element temperature shall be checked before the start of the welding pipe
work. A high-speed thermometer shall be used to control the element temperature
prior to each welding process.

Control measurement must happen within the area of the heating element which
corresponds to the pipe surface. In order to achieve a thermal balance, the element
should be used not before 10 minutes after reaching the required temperature.

For optimal welding, the element shall be cleaned with unused, absorbent, non-fraying,
and undyed paper prior to the start of every welding process. The non-stick coating of
the element must be undamaged in the working area.

In addition during the HDPE pipe work welding process by slow movement of the
workpieces occurs a movement pressure or movement power which can be seen on
the indicator of the welding heat fusion machine and should be added to the first
determined joining power of joining pressure.

The nominal wall thickness of the parts to be welded must correspond to the joining
area. Before clamping the pipes in the welding heat fusion machine they must be
aligned axially.

The areas to be welded should be cleaned immediately before the welding process
with a clean, fat-free planner tool so that surfaces are aligned in the clamped position.
The following table provides the permissible gap widths under adapting pressure:

Pipe diameter, d (mm) Permissible gap width (mm)

≤355 ≤0.5

400 <630 ≤1.0

630 <800 ≤1.3

800 <1000 ≤1.5

 1000 ≤2.0

Together with the control of the gap width, any misalignment of HDPE pipes should
also be checked.

The misalignment of the joining areas to one another should not overstep the
permissible degree of 0.1 x wall thickness on the pipe outside or on the table
respectively.

Prepared and cleaned welding surfaces shall not be left open for an extended time, nor
shall they be touched by hands otherwise a renewed preparation (cleaning, scraping,
etc.) is necessary.

V.4.4 Welding of HDPE Pipes

 Place the heat fusion machine on even, horizontal, and dry ground.
 Check that the right sizes of clamps are fitted into the machine.
 Place the supports line up by eye.
 Pull the pipe into fixed clamp, longer pipes always should be on the fixed pipe
clamp side.
 The pipe end should be 50mm outside of the pipe clamp to allow trimming and
heating.
 Adjust supports to ensure the pipe is in line both vertically and horizontally with
the machine.
 Lift upper pipe clamp onto the machine. Screw-on pipe clamp nuts. Upper bolts
protrude through holes in the upper pipe clamp, bottom then aligns
automatically.
 Tighten the pipe clamps nuts by hand or socket spanner.
 Load shorter pipe into movable pipe clamp side. The pipe must be aligned so
that when ends are not straight, they initially are loaded into the machine
point to facilitate straight trimming.
 Check the position of the movable pipe clamp. The clamp should be in a fully
open.
 position to allow proper heating and welding, if the clamp is in a closed or nearly
closed position the moving range of the clamp (hydraulic cylinders) is not
enough and the forces during welding will load the body frame of the machine
only.
 Adjust supports to ensure the pipe is in line both vertically and horizontally with
the heat fusion machine.
  Tighten pipe clamp nuts. Pipe clamp nuts should be tightened to give coarse
alignment of pipe ends. Bottom nuts will move pipe end up. Top nuts will
move pipe end down.
 Adjust pipe ends for fine alignment with the centering blocks.

V.4.5 Trimming of HDPE Pipe Ends

 Clean planer disc on both sides.
 Clean pipe ends of each pipe (20mm) using lint-free cloth and fluid (Ethanol).
 Align gear in the center of the gap.
 Place planer into the machine. Ensure planer is the incorrect rotating direction
to cut.
 Lock planer into place with planer holder.
 Start the planer motor.
 Move movable pipe clamp until it touches the planer’s face.
 Trim the pipe ends (Safety measures while trimming are included in the health
and safety section).
 Allow hydraulic pressure to fall to “0” zero. Planer will be rotating freely.
 Open hydraulic valve.
 Open the machine.
 Turn off the planer motor.
 Remove the planer.
 Remove cuttings from pipe ends. Only use a cloth to remove cuttings from
inside the pipes.
 Close machine and check alignment of end faces.
 Repeat trimming if pipes faces are not properly aligned face to face.
 Close movable pipe clamp side.
 Note and record friction force (also called “drag force”).

V.4.6 Temperature Setting

The fusion welding process requires the pipe surfaces to be joined, to be warmed up to
the required welding temperature by means of a heating element prior to them being
joined together under pressure. The element temperatures are listed in the following
table.

Generally, the aim is to use higher temperatures for smaller wall thicknesses and lower
temperatures for larger wall thicknesses.

PE PP PVDF ECTFE
 Heating Element
200 up to 220 200 up to 220 232 up to 248 275 up to 285
Temperature (Degrees C)

PE-(Polyehylene), PP- (polypropylene), PVDF-(Polyvinylidene fluoride),ECTFE-

(Ethylenechlorotrifluorethylene)
Heat the plate to the required temperature range of 200-220 °C.

Check the temperature and the spread of temperature over the entire heater plate by
means of a surface thermometer. Variation of the temperature over the surface should
not be more than 10 °C from the set value.

V.4.7 Heating of HDPE Pipe Ends

 Clean the heater plate surface using a cleaning agent which should be a 100%
vaporizable solvent.
 Place the heater plate into the machine between the pipe surfaces to be welded.
 Move the movable pipe clamp side until trimmed pipe ends touch the heater
plate.
 Close the hydraulic valve and apply heating pressure.
 Attach heater plate chains (if applicable) in order to separate pipe ends from the
heater plate and allow removal of the heater plate.
 Observe the formation of beads against the heater plate. The bead should be
uniform around the whole circumference of the pipe. The bead should
normally be formed in a few minutes depending upon the diameter and wall
thickness of the pipe. If major deviation occur, recheck welding conditions and
start again.
 When the bead has been formed, reduce the hydraulic pressure (P1) to maintain
the pressure (P0) through the post heating period (t2) to allow deep
plasticizing of pipe wall. If the heating time is too short, the molten material
may be totally squeezed out when pipe ends are pressed together and fusion
takes place between un-plasticized cold surfaces.
 Open the movable pipe clamp so that pipes ends are clearly separated from the
heater plate.
 Remove the heater plate. Do not pull the plate along the pipe ends or twist it
because the plasticized area may be distorted. Check both pipe ends by eye
 for bead damage. The removal time of heater plate shall be minimized as
specified in welding parameters cycle (t3).
 Close the movable pipe clamps by means of the hand lever.
 Close the hydraulic valve and apply the welding pressure (t4). Increase the
pressure gradually to the required pressure (P1).
 Observe the size and the shape of the formed welding bead, which should be
even on the entire circumference of the pipe.

V.4.8 Cooling of HDPE Pipes

Maintain the pressure throughout the cooling period (t5). Cooling should not be
accelerated for instance by water or air. Proper cooling time as per welding parameters
under pressure must be ensured to create a strong joint.

V.4.9 Removal of Pipes

 Open all centering blocks, dismantle fastener if welding a stub end.
 Check that hydraulic pressure is fully released.
 Open the pipe clamps and remove the upper sections from the machine.

V.4.10 Flange Joints

The construction length of the neck must be taken into consideration when welding
necks are joined to the pipe using the butt welding process.

For short welding necks that do not have sufficiently long cylindrical ends for clamping,
welding machines with a neck holder must be used, if possible. In particular, this
applies whenever, due to constraints, the loose flange has to be pushed over the neck
before welding.
When integral flanges are to be welded, it must be ensured that the bolt holes are
arranged symmetrically to both main axes of the pipe.

When installing butterfly valves in thick-walled thermoplastics pipe system, it must be

ensured that the disc can be opened totally without hitting the inside surface of the
pipe.

If possible, butterfly valves that are adapted to plastic pipes and whose disc is adjusted
to the reduced inside diameter of the pipe shall be used.

Loose flange, welding neck, integral flange, seal, and the loose flange shall be aligned
centrally with the pipe axis. When aligning the seal, it must be checked whether the
seal dimensions conform to the outside and inside diameters of the welding neck.

Before the bolts are tightened, gasket faces of the welding neck, neck bush, or the
integral flange must be located parallel to one another and must be in close contact
with the seal.

V.5 Joint Numbering and Report

After completing a welded joint, a unique number shall be given for traceability and
recording purposes. The given number shall be clearly visible and must be written
adjacent to the welded joint. This number shall allow the tracing of the welder name
and the date of the weld on the welding log sheet.

The welding log sheet is prepared by the qualified welder and checked by the
responsible QC Engineer and/or Project Engineer.

V.6 Inspection of HDPE Piping, Fittings, and Joints

Welding is attended to and inspected visually for the size and evenness of the bead as
well as the matching of pipe ends to each other.

Welding inspection is done as per DVS 2202 standard.

 No bubbles or pores in the welding joint are allowed.

 Joint number is noted and recorded.
 Inspection is visual and based on the respective size and shape of the
pipe/fitting bead.
 V groove depth of bead is also noted.
 Other methods applied are destructive material testing procedures for hdpe
involving bending and tensile tests of sample pieces cut from the weld area of
 the pipe. Destructive test will be done on dummy joint on site and as specified
under the welding principles.
 Visually unacceptable joints should be cut out and re-welded using the correct
procedure.
 All parameters shall be maintained as per standard welding tables.
 All actual welding mechanical parameters shall be recorded in the weld log
sheet.
 Welding specialist shall follow and record the welding parameters for each joint.
 Sample weld tests by a qualified third party testing laboratory may be provided
upon request.

Acceptance levels for welds made by butt welding shall be in accordance with DVS
2202-1 7.3 Table.

V.7 Welding Principle

The principle of butt-fusion welding consists of heating two surfaces to the designated
temperature and fusing them by applying a sufficient force. The applied force causes
the melted materials to flow and mix thereby resulting in a strong fusion.

When fused in accordance with the proper welding procedures, the joint area is
expected to become as strong as, or even stronger than the pipe itself in both tensile
and pressure properties.

As soon as the joints cool to near ambient temperature, the welded pipes can be
handled safely.

V.7.1 Butt Fusion Welding Parameters

The reference values for heating element butt welding of HDPE, PP, PVDF, and ECTFE
pipes are given at outside temperatures of about 20°C and low airspeed rate.

V.7.2 Specific Heating Pressure

In most cases, the heating pressure (bar) or the heating force (N) which has to be
adjusted, may be taken from the tables on the welding machines.

For checking purposes or if the table with pressure data are missing, the required
pressure has to be calculated according to the following formula:

When using hydraulic equipment, the calculated welding force (N) has to be converted
into the necessary adjustable hydraulic pressure.
Calculation of the welding area:

Calculation of the welding force:

V.7.3 Alignment
In order to achieve a perfect alignment, the surfaces to be joined are pressed on the
heating element until the entire area is flat and parallel to the element. This can be
checked by the development of beads.

The alignment is finished when the bead height has reached the requested values on
the entire pipe circumference.

The bead height indicates that the joining areas are entirely touching the element.
Before the welding process of pipes with a larger diameter (>630mm), sufficient bead
development also on the inside of the pipe shall be checked.

V.7.4 Pre-Heating
During the pre-heating process, the surfaces to be welded must touch the element with
low pressure. The pressure will fall nearly to zero (<0.01 N/mm²) once the material is
molten.

Pre-heating is crucial to warm the required areas of the parts to be welded.

V.7.5 Adjustment
Once preheating is complete, the surfaces of the pipe shall be separated from the
heating element.

The element must be removed promptly and without damaging the molten material.

The pipe surfaces must then be brought together quickly and the welding pressure
shall be reached to ensure that the plasticized material is still hot.
The quality of the welding seam is influenced by the temperature of the plasticized
material. A cold joint will have a negative influence on the long-term performance of
the pipe.

V.7.6 Clamping Device

In order to avoid stresses in the pipe and potential deformations, the clamping devices
should surround the pipe casing as parallel as possible to the welding plane. The
geometric circular shape of the pipes shall be maintained and ovality shall be avoided.

Pipes shall be clamped tightly to avoid movement or sliding of the pipes even under
the highest working forces. For hdpe pipes fittings, such as stub flanges and welding
neck flanges, special clamping devices which prevent deformation of the workpiece
have to be used.

The pipe clamped at the movable side of the machine has eventually to be supported
and exactly adjusted by means of easy-running dollies so that the working pressures
and conditions required for welding can be maintained. If possible, the use of clamp
elements adjustable in height is recommended to allow for better centering of the
workpieces.

V.8 Weld Qualification

Visual inspection should be conducted for qualifying the welding and weld joints by a
qualified third-party inspector as per DVS 2202 Standard.

V.9 Conducting Survey and Laying Out the HDPE Piping

The area will be marked in a grid system after the baseline ground level is completed
using a GPS system. All underground as well as existing services and obstructions are
carefully identified and dealt with before this work begins.

The surveyor must ensure that all survey equipment has a valid calibration certificate,
as well as those pipe layings (for example drainage pipes, irrigation pipes, and other
related underground services), are completed to the required line and level.

Other relevant data should be included in addition to the survey report.

The entire construction site’s original ground level will be surveyed and recorded. The
data collected will be printed in hard copies for joint signature after the daily joint
survey is completed.
Work will only begin in the surveyed area where the survey report is fully signed. 

A plan will be developed and submitted for approval after the full survey record is
established.

Existing services must be identified using cable detectors and trial excavation, and they
must be appropriately marked on the job site.

V.10 Trench for HDPE Piping

In general, the trench width should be the minimum size that permits for safe
operation and effective pipe laying, jointing, and bedding.

All pipes must have a cover height of at least 1200 mm measured from the top of the
pipe to the final grade level or as specified as per approved shop drawings.

Where trenches are required to be deeper than the general depth mentioned the
trench shall be dug to a required depth with a gradual slope necessary for the proper
laying of the pipeline.

The trench width depends on the nature of the ground, depth, and pipe sizes. The clear
width of the trench at any level shall be a minimum of one pipe diameter plus 300mm
(±50mm).

The pipeline shall not be closer than 300mm to the other pipeline services or
structures.

In all cases, the trench shall be excavated sufficiently to ensure efficient laying and
jointing of pipes.

V.11 HDPE Pipe Bedding and Surround Material

Pipe bedding and surround material for HDPE pipes shall be as per project
specification.

All bedding and surround material shall be approved prior to use.

Pipe surround material shall be wetted and lightly tamped or compacted in place.

V.12 Laying of HDPE Piping

All pipes shall be laid in trenches at the required depth below the surface as per
approved shop drawing and road details.
Pipes crossing the roads shall be protected fully and embedded in the sand.

All pipes, fitting etc. shall be carefully lowered into the trench with suitable equipment
in a manner that will prevent damage.

When work is not in progress, the open ends of the laid pipeline shall be securely
plugged.

Install all pipes in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendation, fixing each
item firmly in position, level, plumb, and properly joined.

If necessary, special foundations or other fixing supports/blocks must be provided.

To prevent the pipeline from floating, the backfill must be sufficient to prevent the pipe
from being exposed to foreign objects.

Any pipe that has floated must be removed from the trench and reinstalled in a dry
trench.

After the various system components have been installed, all of the equipment and

surrounding areas should be adequately cleaned before final
closing. Any foreign material that is still on the equipment and in the surrounding
areas should be removed.

V.13 Installation Testing of HDPE Piping and Fittings

Upon completion of backfilling, hydro-testing procedures for HDPE piping system:

 Ensure proper soil backfilling of the testing pipe, keep the joints open for

inspection, and fill, pressurize, and test the section within the schedule time.
One end of the test section should be closed with an endcap or blind
flange, and the other ends of the test section to be connected with the testing
flange having water inlet connected to the calibrated pressure gauge & air out
let.
 The test section should be filled slowly with water and ensure that no air is
trapped in the section. The air release valve should be
connected at the highest point of the system to expel any trapped air and
to ensure that the system is completely filled with water.
 Gradually increase the pressure in the test section to the required test pressure.
 Maintain maximum test pressure by adding make-up water as needed.
 Keep track of the test section during the test period.
 As per ISO standard, a test at 15 times the rated pressure can be conducted at
20°C for 2 hours.
V.14 Construction of Appurtenances
The pipeline installation will progress as thrust blocks, valves, chambers, wash-out
chambers, etc., are constructed based on approved shop drawings.

V.15 Construction of HDPE Piping within the Pump House and Valve
Rooms
Pipes will be connected with flanged joints as per approved shop drawings and shall be
hydrostatically tested at the pressure specified.

To ensure proper maintenance of flanges, the flange gasket must be centrally located,
and the flange bolts must be tightened as per the manufacturer’s specifications.

Torque wrenches are recommended for securing the required compression. In

accordance as per approved shop drawings, the proper supports should be installed
taking into account their elevation and location.

It is recommended that torque be set according to the manufacturer’s

recommendation.

VI. Risk Assessment for Installation Method Statement

of HDPE Piping
Please refer to the attached document in Appendix B.

VII. Permit and Licensing Requirements

Refer to Appendix C for Permit to Work.

VIII. Drawings, Diagrams, Maps, and Survey Data

Please refer to Appendix A.

IX. Pre-Start Safety Briefing Arrangements

Refer to Risk Assessment on Appendix B.
 1. Protective and Safety Equipment
All workers involved shall be equipped with adequate PPE as stated below:
a. Safety Helmet with Company Logo
b. Safety Boots
c. High Visibility Vest
d. Safety Goggles
e. Welding Gloves
f. Coveralls
2. Information to Personnel
a. Safety Induction
b. Job training
c. Notices/Memos
d. Toolbox talks
e. STARRT Card
3. Special Safety Requirements
a. All necessary personal/protective equipment (PPE) as well as harness be
provided.
b. Banksman, wearing distinctive vests, shall be assigned to help operators
maneuver their equipment.
c. The equipment operators shall possess the required licenses and
certificates.
d. Generated dust shall be controlled by water spraying.
e. The project safety officer is responsible along with the project zone site
engineer for ensuring that all operations are carried out with due regard to
the safety of all project personnel & property.
f. All working activity shall comply with client safety procedure.
g. First aid material.
h. General management of protection/operation hazards are to be observed.

X. Environment and Quality Issues

Precautionary Measure
All precautionary measures shall be briefed to all workers prior to commence the
activity.

Disposal Requirements
All waste shall be disposed of as per Construction Environmental Management Plan
and as per government-approved disposal areas.
Inspection, Test, and Sampling
Request for Inspection and Testing will be submitted prior to and after execution of
works.

MIR – Material Inspection Request

WIR – Work Inspection Request

XI. Quality Assurance Requirements

Refer to Project Quality Plan
a. Project Specifications

XII. Attachments-Installation Method Statement for

HDPE Pipe