255.243 Nondestructive testing-pipeline to operate at 125 psig (862 kPa) or more.

(a)Nondestructive testing of welds must be performed by any process, other than trepanning, that will clearly indicate defects that may affect the integrity of the weld.#

(b)Nondestructive testing of welds must be performed in accordance with written procedures and by persons who have been trained and qualified in the established procedures and with the equipment employed in testing.#

(c)Procedures must be established for the proper interpretation of each nondestructive test of a weld to ensure the acceptability of the weld under section 255.241(c) of this Part.#

(d)The following percentages of each day's field butt welds, selected at random by the operator, must be nondestructively tested over their entire circumference:#

(1)in Class 1 locations, at least 10 percent;#

(2)in Class 2 locations, at least 15 percent;#

(3)in Class 3 and Class 4 locations, 100 percent;#

(4)in Class 1 or 2 locations at crossings of major or navigable rivers, at crossings of major roads, and within railroad or public highway rights-of-way, including tunnels, bridges, and overhead road crossings, 100 percent; and#

(5)at pipeline tie-ins, including tie-ins of replacement sections, 100 percent.#

(e)Except for a welder or welding operator whose work is isolated from the principal welding activity, a sample of each welder's work for each day must be nondestructively tested.#

(f)Each operator must retain, for the life of the pipeline, a record showing by mile-post, engineering station, or by geographic feature, the number of girth welds made, the number nondestructively tested, the number rejected, and the disposition of the rejects.#