18 AAC 75.080 - Requirements for facility oil piping

(a) The owner or operator of an oil terminal, crude oil transmission pipeline, exploration facility, or production facility shall ensure that all facility oil piping associated with that facility meets the requirements of this section.

(b) The owner or operator shall maintain metallic facility oil piping containing oil in accordance with a written corrosion control program.

(c) Unless the owner or operator must comply with a more stringent requirement set out in this section, the owner or operator shall ensure that facility oil piping placed in service after December 30, 2008 is designed and constructed in accordance with one of the following standards, as appropriate:

(1) American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Process Piping,2004 Edition (ASME B31.3-2004), adopted by reference;

(2) American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Pipeline Transportation Systems for Liquid Hydrocarbons and Other Liquids, 2002 Edition (ASME B31.4-2002), adopted by reference;

(3) American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems,2003 Edition (ASME B31.8-2003), adopted by reference;

(4) another equivalent standard approved by the department.

(d) The owner or operator shall ensure that buried metallic facility oil piping placed in service between May 14, 1992 and December 30, 2008 is protected from corrosion by installing protective coating and cathodic protection appropriate for local soil conditions, and is of all welded construction with no clamped, threaded, or similar connections for lines larger than a one inch nominal pipe size.

(e) The owner or operator shall ensure that buried facility oil piping placed in service after December 30, 2008

(1) is of all welded construction with no clamped, threaded, or similar connections for lines larger than a one inch nominal pipe size; and

(2) unless constructed of a corrosion-resistant material approved by the department, is

(A) protected from corrosion by installing protective coating; and

(B) cathodically protected in accordance with (f) of this section.

(f) The owner or operator shall ensure that, after December 30, 2008, cathodic protection systems installed on facility oil piping are

(1) consistent with NACE International's Standard Recommended Practice: Control of External Corrosion on Underground or Submerged Metallic Piping Systems, 2002 edition (NACE RP0169-2002), adopted by reference;

(2) designed by a corrosion expert; and

(3) installed under the supervision of a corrosion expert.

(g) The owner or operator shall ensure that, if a piping segment of a buried facility oil piping installation is exposed for any reason, the segment is carefully examined for damaged coating or corroded piping in accordance with Section 9.2.6 of Piping Inspection Code: Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Rerating of In-service Piping Systems(API 570), adopted by reference in (j) of this section. If active corrosion is found during that examination,

(1) the owner or operator shall implement actions for control of future corrosion; and

(2) significant repairs or replacements must meet the requirements of (c) and (e) of this section.

(h) An owner or operator of a buried facility oil piping installation of metallic construction without cathodic protection shall ensure that the piping

(1) is electrically inspected by a corrosion expert for active corrosion at least once every three years, but with intervals between inspection not exceeding 39 months; and

(2) in areas in which active corrosion is found, is cathodicaily protected in accordance with (d) or (f) of this section, as appropriate.

(i) The owner or operator shall ensure that aboveground facility oil piping is supported consistent with the requirements of Paragraph 321 of Process Piping(ASME B31.3-2004), adopted by reference in (c) of this section.

(j) After December 30, 2007, unless the owner or operator must comply with a more stringent requirement set out in this section, the owner or operator shall ensure that all facility oil piping is maintained and inspected under

(1) a program developed in accordance with the requirements of the American Petroleum Institute's (API) Piping Inspection Code: Inspection, Repair, Alteration, and Rerating of In-service Piping Systems,Second Edition, October 1998, Addendum 1, February 2000, Addendum 2, December 2001, and Addendum 3, August 2003 (API 570), adopted by reference; or

(2) another equivalent program approved by the department.

(k) Unless the owner or operator must comply with a more stringent requirement set out in this section, the operation and maintenance of a cathodic protection system on facility oil piping must

(1) be consistent with Section 10 of Standard Recommended Practice: Control of External Corrosion on Underground or Submerged Metallic Piping Systems(NACE RP0169-2002), adopted by reference in (f) of this section;

(2) include a cathodic protection survey by a corrosion expert or qualified cathodic protection tester; and

(3) include maintenance of test lead wires, in a condition that enables electrical measurements to be taken to determine the effectiveness of a cathodic protection system.

(l) The owner or operator of above ground facility oil piping, other than piping specified in (m) of this section, shall ensure that the piping is protected from atmospheric corrosion by the application of a protective coating or by the use of corrosion-resistant material unless the owner or operator demonstrates by test, investigation, or experience appropriate to the environment of the piping segment that the anticipated extent of corrosion will

(1) only be a light surface oxide; or

(2) not affect the safe operation of the piping before the next scheduled inspection under a program developed under (j) of this section.

(m) The owner or operator of aboveground facility oil piping located outside a sufficiently impermeable deck on board a marine structure or at a soil-to-air interface shall ensure that the piping is protected against external corrosion through the application of a protective coating or by the use of corrosion-resistant materials.

(n) The owner or operator of aboveground facility oil piping and valves shall ensure that the piping and valves are

(1) visually checked for leaks or damage during routine operations or at least monthly; and

(2) appropriately protected from damage by vehicles.

(o) The owner or operator of facility oil piping that is removed from service for more than one year shall ensure that the facility oil piping is free of accumulated oil, identified as to origin, marked on the exterior with the words "Out of Service" and the date taken out of service, secured in a manner to prevent unauthorized use, and either blank flanged or otherwise isolated from the system. For piping removed from service after December 30, 2006, the owner or operator shall notify the department when facility oil piping is removed from service and when the actions required by this subsection are completed.

(p) In this section,

(1) "active corrosion" means continuing corrosion that, unless controlled, could result in a spill;

(2) "buried" means covered or in contact with soil;

(3) "protective coating" means a durable external coating that is applied to piping and that

(A) isolates the external surface of the piping from the environment;

(B) has sufficient adhesion to effectively resist underfilm migration of moisture;

(C) is sufficiently ductile to resist cracking in the range of temperatures encountered during bending, handling, installation, and operation;

(D) has sufficient strength and adhesion, or is otherwise protected, to resist mechanical damage;

(E) resists degradation throughout the range of temperatures encountered during storage, shipping, construction, and operation; and

(F) is compatible with the cathodic protection system in use on the piping;

(4) "removed from service" means not in regular use for the service intended and not included in a regular maintenance and inspection program in accordance with (j) of this section;

(5) "submerged" means located below the surface of waters of the state.

Notes

18 AAC 75.080

Eff. 5/14/92, Register 122; am 12/30/2006, Register 180; am 3/23/2017, Register 221, April 2017

The publications adopted by reference in 18 AAC 75.080 may be reviewed at the department's offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, or Juneau, or may be obtained directly from the appropriate publisher. The mailing address, telephone number, facsimile number, and website, if available, for each publisher are as follows: American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 22 Law Drive, P.O. Box 2300, Fairfield, New Jersey 07007-2300; telephone (800) 843-2763; fax (201) 882-1717; website: http://www.asme.org; NACE International, 1440 South Creek Drive, Houston, Texas 77084-4906; telephone (800) 797-6223; fax (281) 228-6300; website: http://www.nace.org; American Petroleum Institute (API), 1220 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-4070; telephone (202) 682-8000; fax (303) 397-2740; website: http://global.ihs.com/?RID=API1;

As of Register 210 (July 2014), and acting under AS 44.62.125(b)(6), the regulations attorney made a technical revision to 18 AAC 75.080(c).

Authority:AS 46.03.020

AS 46.04.030

AS 46.04.070