Engineering Standard 10 August 2021

SAES-L-470
Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements
Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee

Previous Revision: 11 July 2019 Next Revision:10 August 2024

Contact: Hussain, Faiyaz U (hussfu0a) Page 1 of 13
© Saudi Arabian Oil Company, 2021

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

Contents
SUMMARY OF CHANGES ...............................................................................................................................................3
1 SCOPE ....................................................................................................................................................................4
2 CONFLICTS AND DEVIATIONS ................................................................................................................................4
3 REFERENCES ..........................................................................................................................................................4
4 TERMINOLOGY ......................................................................................................................................................5
5. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS ....................................................................................................................................5
6. TRENCHLESS CONSTRUCTION METHODS .............................................................................................................8
7. CORROSION PROTECTION ...................................................................................................................................10
8. TESTING AND INSPECTION ..................................................................................................................................10
9 REPORTING .....................................................................................................................................................11
APPENDIX A - DRILLING EXECUTION PLAN ....................................................................................................12
DOCUMENT HISTORY...................................................................................................................................................13

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

Summary of Changes

Paragraph Number
Change Type Technical Change(s)
(Addition, Modification,
Previous Revision Current Revision Deletion, New)
(11 July 2019) (10 August 2021)
None 5.10 New Added safety
requirements before
executing trenchless
construction.
5.4 5.4 Modification Clarified the specialty to
review trenchless
package in CSD.
8.8 8.8 Modification Clarification on exposed
section requirements.

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

1 Scope
1.1 This standard defines the minimum design, installation, and inspection
requirements governing trenchless pipeline construction.
1.2 Pipeline design and construction shall be according to SAES-L-410 and SAES-L-
450. The design of pipeline under road crossing shall be according to SAES-L-
460.

2 Conflicts and Deviations

2.1 Any conflicts between this document and other applicable Mandatory Saudi
Aramco Engineering Requirements (MSAERs) shall be addressed to the EK&RD
Coordinator.
2.2 Any deviation from the requirements herein shall follow internal company
procedure SAEP-302.
3 References
All referenced specifications, standards, codes, drawings, and similar material
are considered part of this engineering standard to the extent specified, applying
the latest version, unless otherwise stated.
3.1 Saudi Aramco References
Document Type (Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedures)
Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure
SAEP-302 Waiver of a Mandatory Saudi Aramco Engineering Requirement

Documents Type (Saudi Aramco Engineering Standards)

SAES-A-114 Excavation and Backfill
SAES-H-002 Internal and External Coatings for Steel Pipelines and Piping
SAES-L-150 Pressure Testing of Plant Piping and Pipelines
SAES-L-410 Design of Pipelines
SAES-L-450 Construction of on-Land and Near-Shore Pipelines
SAES-L-460 Pipeline Crossings under Roads and Railroads
SAES-W-011 Welding Requirements for On-Plot Piping
SAES-W-012 Welding Requirements for Pipelines
SAES-X-400 Cathodic Protection of Buried Pipelines

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

3.2 Industry Codes and Standards

A.G.A./PRCI Report Installation of Pipeline by Horizontal Directional

PR-227-9321 Drilling

4 Terminology
4.1 Definitions (Heading 2 Text)
HDD: Horizontal Directional Drilling
Micro Tunneling: The process of drilling the hole while pushing the carrier pipe
behind through pipe jacking.
Pipe Jacking: This method requires assembling the pipes at the foot of an
access shaft and pushing them through the ground.
Pipe Ramming: This method requires a pneumatic tool to hammer the pipe or
the casing into the ground.
Auger Drilling: This method is drilling the bore by means of a rotating
mechanical auger.
Drill Locator: Operator of a tracking system

5. General Requirements
5.1 The trenchless technique shall be selected during the project proposal based on
the feasibility of the technique, the underground utilities/equipment, geotechnical
data, schedule, and cost.
Note:
The feasibility of the trenchless techniques is governed by the drill path length, the pipe
diameter, and the subsurface conditions.
5.2 The operator of the trenchless machine shall have a minimum of five years’
experience. The experience records shall be submitted by the contractor and
reviewed by PMT.
The equipment operations manual shall be made available onsite at all times.
5.3 Geotechnical Data
5.3.1 A geotechnical report shall be prepared by Saudi Aramco approved
geotechnical contractor based on a minimum of two vertical
boreholes drilled at each crossing location. Additional boreholes
may be required depending on the length of the drill path and the
type of crossing.

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

5.3.2 The geotechnical report must be prepared by a contractor on

CSD’s list of approved Geotechnical Engineering Offices.
Boreholes shall be conducted by a contractor on Inspection
Department’s list of approved Geotechnical Third Party Testing
Laboratories.
5.3.3 The boreholes depth shall be a minimum of 2 meters below the
depth of the crossing.
5.4 The pipeline trenchless package shall be reviewed by CSD Specialties (Piping,
Geotechnical and Coating) and approved by PMT or operating organization as
applicable.
5.4.1 The pipeline trenchless packages that have the same essential
parameters of previously reviewed packages do not require a new
review. The essential parameters included trenchless technology,
trenchless operator, pipe diameter, and soil type.
5.4.2 The package shall include as a minimum the following where applicable.
A checklist of the deliverables shall be prepared by the contractor,
reviewed by PMT, and attached to the package.
• Type of pipeline trenchless technique with selection justification.
• Pipeline design parameters (pressure, temperature, size &
material specification)
• Proposed coating types for girth welds and overall Abrasion
Resistant Overlay (ARO) for the pipeline.
• A geotechnical report per paragraph 5.3.
• A plan drawing based on a detailed survey of the crossing area
showing the pipeline route and any surface or subsurface
equipment or utilities within 20 meters of the proposed drill path.
• A cross sectional elevation drawing. The drawing shall include
the grade profile and any underground equipment or utilities.
• Operation and installation load calculations of the pipeline such as
allowable elastic bending stress, allowable elastic bend angle,
allowable external hoop stress of the pipe, approximate external
pressure stress exerted by the drilling mud. For HDD,
A.G.A./PRCI Report, PR-227-9321 should be used as a design
guide.
• A drilling fluid design plan that includes mixing, storage, pumping,
filtration, recycling, etc.
• The reaming sequence and sizes (HDD) including final bore
diameter.
• A buoyancy control plan per paragraph 6.3.9.1.

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

• An Excavation Plan as per paragraph 6.4.1.

• A drilling Execution Plan as per Appendix A.
• The equipment operator’s resumes per paragraph 5.2.
5.5 The bore profile shall be designed to maintain a minimum two meters clearance
between any underground facility and the final hole.
5.6 The pipeline installation loads shall be calculated and evaluated. In case of
HDD, the pullback stress and bending stress should be within the acceptable
limits per applicable codes.
The contractor shall evaluate the operational loads based on the geotechnical
survey.
5.7 During boring process, if abnormal readings, outside the recommended values
by the machine manual, are noticed by the machine’s operator, the operation
shall be stopped for evaluation of the readings before continuing with the
operation.
5.8 All additives in the drilling fluid shall be environmentally safe and shall not cause
any harm to the environment.
Note:
To adjust the properties of the drilling fluid such as density and viscosity, various
chemical and materials are added to the drilling fluid.
5.9 All wastes including the drilling wastes shall be disposed of in a designated site
by PMT.
5.10 Each trenchless construction shall have a detailed safety requirement for
execution prepared by the Contractor and Approved by SAPMT. All safety
requirements as addressed in LPD Construction Safety Manual CSM Section
1.16.8 shall be adhered to as a minimum. In addition, a comprehensive Job
Safety Analysis (JSA) shall be prepared and approved prior to execution,
detailing contingency plans to be implemented for all possible scenarios such as
unplanned stoppage of work, piping getting stuck, equipment lost, etc..

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

6. Trenchless Construction Methods

6.1 Pipe jacking and pipe ramming methods are not permitted for the carrier pipe.
Pipe ramming may be used for the casing pipe.
6.2 Trenchless construction in rocky areas should be used for the casing pipe only.
The carrier pipe shall be installed in the casing pipe.
6.3 Auger boring are permitted in a crossing length of less than 50 meters.
Guided auger boring shall be used in area where alignment precision is required.
6.4 Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD)
6.4.1 Based on the topographical survey of the crossing site, the entry and exit
points of the HDD shall be clearly marked.
6.4.2 The design of the drill path shall be based on the following as minimum:
• The geotechnical data
• The entry and exit angles.
• Bend Radius of the pipe. Bends in the drill path shall be elastic
with a minimum radius (in feet) not less than 100 times the pipe
nominal diameter.
6.4.3 The type and the size of HDD drill rig shall be selected based on the
required calculated bore drilling and pipe string pulling loads.
6.4.4 Drilling bits selection shall be based on the geotechnical report.
6.4.5 Steering tool system and drill bit tracking tools shall be provided during
drilling of the pilot hole.
6.4.6 Only factory made back reamers suitable for the type of soil shall be used.
6.4.7 Adequate flow of drilling mud shall be pumped during the pilot bore
drilling, reaming stages and pipe pulling.
6.4.8 The final bore diameter shall be 1.2 to 1.5 times the pipe outside diameter.
1.5 times the pipe diameter bore may be used for pipes up to 32 inches,
and to be reduced for larger diameter pipes.
6.4.9 Pipe Installation
6.4.9.1 A buoyancy control plan shall be developed for pipe
diameter 36 inches and larger.
6.4.9.2 The pipe string shall be laid over roller supports or held with
side booms with cradles. Holding the pipe string by belts
through cranes or side booms is not permitted.
6.4.9.3 A swivel shall be attached between the pipe string and the
reamer.

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

6.4.9.4 A safety break-away swivel shall be connected between the

pipe pulling head and the rotational swivel.
Note:
This is to ensure that the exerted pulling force is not greater than the
maximum allowed for the pipe string.
6.4.9.5 Prior to pipe pulling, the entire bore between exit and entry
points shall be filled with drilling mud.
6.4.9.6 During pulling, the pipe string shall be lifted and held such
that the pulling end is at an angle to match that of the bore
entry angle.
6.4.9.7 The pullback operation shall be completed without
interruption.

6.5 Micro Tunneling

6.5.1 In addition to the pre-planning design and construction requirements
stipulated in Section 5, the design drawings shall also show the size and
depth of the jacking and receiving pit.
The excavation and shoring requirements for the jacking and receiving pits
shall comply with SAES-A-114 and Saudi Aramco Safety Management
Guide No. 06-002-2008.
6.5.2 The receiving pit shall be completed before starting the micro tunneling
operation.
6.5.3 All required calculations shall be conducted such as the maximum jacking
resistance, the maximum allowable face pressure or slurry pressure and
the relationship between hydraulic jacking pressure and force applied to
pipe during jacking.
6.5.4 The Micro Tunneling Machine shall be equipped with a control system to
enable the drilling operator to monitor at all times the X-Y coordinates of
the boring head and its longitudinal inclination, the direction of rotation,
and all other aspects of the operation to ensure a successful boring
process.
6.6 Direct Pipe Drilling
6.6.1 Direct Pipe drilling is permitted for pipe sizes 30inch NPS and larger.
6.6.2 All applicable calculations for combined HDD and Micro Tunneling
operation is required to be completed for direct pipe thrust boring.

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

7. Corrosion Protection
7.1 The external surface of steel pipe and casing shall be coated with a factory
applied external corrosion protection coating in accordance with SAES-H-002.
7.2 All pressure pipes shall have an additional Abrasion Resistance Overlay (ARO)
layer in accordance with SAES-H-002 Para 5.1.12.
7.3 All field welds shall be NDT tested and accepted then coated with an approved
field corrosion protection coating in accordance with SAES-H-002 prior to
applying the ARO layer.
7.4 Cathodic protection of cased and uncased pipeline shall be in accordance with
SAES-X-400 and applicable Saudi Aramco Standard Drawings. Casing welded
to the carrier pipe shall be considered part of the pipeline. Casing electrically
isolated from the carrier pipe shall have a separate dedicated Cathodic
Protection system.

8. Testing and Inspection

8.1 Ensure that site conditions, preparations, and selected drilling rigs equipment are
per approved pipeline trenchless package.
8.2 All drilling tracking instruments shall be calibrated at site. All battery operated
instruments shall have fresh batteries installed before use.
8.3 The coated carrier pipe per SAES-H-002 shall be holiday tested prior to applying
the ARO layer.
8.4 Field girth welds in the carrier pipe shall be inspected by non-destructive test
methods in accordance with SAES-W-011 or SAES-W-012 as applicable.
8.5 The carrier pipe shall be hydrostatically tested at the same pressure as the
overall pipeline per SAES-L-150.
When using HDD for pipeline construction, the pipe string may be hydrostatically
tested prior to pull back. It also shall be tested as part of the mainline without the
90% requirements based on the area class wall thickness.
8.6 The ARO layer shall be applied by vendor certified applicators and in full
accordance with vendor instruction. Copy of application procedure and curing
instructions shall be made available for Project Inspection.
8.7 The drilling mud mix to be used with pipe pulling shall be verified and recorded
by Project Inspection to meet the approved trenchless package.
8.8 Pipe string shall be pulled to expose at least 6 meters at the exit end for pipeline
inspection. The exposed section shall be have the same ARO layer for
inspection of the coating. Any damage in the pipeline such as dent or gouges
shall be assessed per the applicable codes. For coating damage, CSD and
Proponent CP specialists shall be involved in the evaluation in addition to the
Coating specialists.

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

9 Reporting
9.1 The contractor shall provide copies of inspection and quality monitoring report
forms that includes the frequency and type of monitoring. The contractor shall
provide the inspection results of the first received pipeline joint for review.
9.2 For HDD, the contractor shall provide the drilling mud mix and the amount of
drilling mud injected during the final pull of the pipe string.
9.3 PMT shall provide the as built drawings in the form of cross-sectional profile and
plan view showing the actual path of the pipe.

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

Appendix A - Drilling Execution Plan

The drilling contractor shall develop a plan for the drilling execution. The plan shall
include the following as minimum:
1. Specifications of drilling rigs.
2. Drilling rig anchorage system.
3. Drilling pipes specification.
4. Details of the drilling steps operation that includes but not limited to surface
preparations, sump construction, pilot hole drilling, hole opening operation,
pull back operation, etc.
5. Drilling fluid volume and drilling fluid recycling system.
6. Steering system.
7. Pressure monitoring type.
8. Sample of daily drilling reports.
9. Contingency Plan for any obstruction during the operation such as piping
getting stuck, equipment lost, etc.
10. Description of the drilling fluid type and the additives.
11. Disposal plan for the drilling fluid.

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 Document Responsibility: Piping Standards Committee SAES-L-470
Issue Date: 10 August 2021
Next Revision: 10 August 2024 Trenchless Pipelines Construction Requirements

Document History
25 September 2012 New Saudi Aramco Engineering Standard.
1 October 2017 Major revision per requirements against company needs
according to latest related industry practices and recent
project experience. The revision also included introducing
recent technologies of trenchless construction.
28 January 2018 Editorial revision.
11 July 2019 Editorial revision to extend the Next Planned Update to 1
October 2022.
10 August 2021 Major revision to include additional safety requirements from
recent project experiences.

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