{"operation":"document","citation":"PI-92-047","title":"American Gas Association — Pipeline Safety Interpretation","source_type":"guidance","agency":"Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration","status":"guidance","official":true,"published_on":"1992-09-16","effective_on":null,"summary":"PI-92-047 response to American Gas Association concerning 192.513.","machine_formats":{"json":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-pi-92-047.json","markdown":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-pi-92-047.md"},"app_url":"https://regulus.evalyn.ai/document/phmsa-interpretation-pi-92-047","source_url":"https://www.phmsa.dot.gov/sites/phmsa.dot.gov/files/legacy/interpretations/Interpretation%20Files/Pipeline/1992/PI92047.pdf","body":"<<<PAGE 1>>>\n\nSeptember 16, 1992\nMr. Michael Baly, III\nAmerican Gas Association\n1515 Wilson Boulevard\nArlington, VA 22209\nDear Mr. Baly:\nThis responds to requests by members of your staff regarding the status of Petition P-43. Petition\nP-43 proposes that § 192.513, Test Requirements for Plastic Pipelines, be amended to exempt\nnew plastic pipe, 10 feet or less in length, from pressure testing requirements. To quality for\nexemption, the pipe would have to be visually checked, leak tested at operating pressures, and\ncontain no joints.\nThe fundamental issue for consideration in this petition is whether visual inspection of new plastic\npipe, 10 feet or less in length, coupled with leak testing at the operating pressure, would\nsufficiently provide pipeline safety. The petition asserts that pipe flaws that could rupture in field\npressure tests would be detected by visual inspection, and that safety is further assured by the\nmanufacturer's quality assurance testing and the absence of connecting joints in the pipe.\nThe petition does not reference or provide test data or other information to substantiate that\nrelaxation of the pressure test requirement, as proposed, would provide an acceptable level of\npublic safety. So, for guidance on this issue, we examined the 1989 edition of the ASME B31.8\nCode. It establishes the industry standard for minimum test requirements of plastic pipe used in\ngas pipelines. Section 842.5 requires \"all plastic piping\" (except tie-in sections) to be pressure\ntested after construction and before being placed in operation to prove its strength. The code\nmakes no exceptions based on pipe length or any of the other conditions described in the petition.\nLacking information to verify the safety of the rule the petition proposes, and in view of the\ncurrent industry standard for testing of plastic piping, we must dent the petition.\nSincerely,\n/signed/\nCesar De Leon\nDirector,Regulatory Programs\nOffice of Pipeline Safety\nDB\nC:\\WP51\\INTERPRT\\192\\513\\92-09-16\n1","truncated":false,"body_characters":2002}