Engineering Standard

SAES-H-201 7 February 2017

General Specifications for External and Internal
FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee

Contents
1 Scope ................................................................ 2
2 Conflicts and Deviations .................................... 2
3 References ........................................................ 2
4 Definition............................................................ 3
5 Health, Safety, and Environment ....................... 5
6 Material Storage and Handling .......................... 5
7 Design ............................................................... 6
8 Application and Installation ................................ 6
9 Inspection Methods and Acceptance Criteria .. 10
Revision Summary................................................. 13

Previous Issue: 16 November 2011 Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020

Page 1 of 13
Contact: Mansour, Mana H. (mansmh0c) on phone +966-13-8809557

©Saudi Aramco 2017. All rights reserved.

Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

1 Scope

This Standard covers minimum mandatory requirements governing the application and
installation of pipelines field girth welds external and internal fusion bonded epoxy
(FBE) coating. For internal girth coating, this document covers pipes with diameters
from 8" to 63". Responsibility of the involved contractors in this service are addressed.

2 Conflicts and Deviations

2.1 Any conflicts between this standard and other applicable Saudi Aramco
Engineering Standards (SAESs), Materials System Specifications (SAMSSs),
Standard Drawings (SASDs), or industry standards, codes, and forms shall be
resolved in writing by the Company or Buyer Representative through the
Manager, Consulting Services Department of Saudi Aramco, Dhahran.

2.2 Direct all requests to deviate from this standard in writing to the Company or
Buyer Representative, who shall follow internal company procedure SAEP-302
and forward such requests to the Manager, Consulting Services Department of
Saudi Aramco, Dhahran.

3 References

All referenced Specifications, Standards, Codes, Forms, Drawings, and similar material
shall be of the latest issue (including all revisions, addenda and supplements) unless
stated otherwise.

3.1 Saudi Aramco References

Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure

SAEP-302 Instructions for Obtaining a Waiver of a Mandatory
Saudi Aramco Engineering Requirements

Saudi Aramco Engineering Standards

SAES-H-001 Coating Selection and Application Requirements for
Industrial Plants and Equipment
SAES-H-002 Internal and External Coatings for Steel Pipelines
and Piping

Saudi Aramco Materials System Specifications

09-SAMSS-089 Shop-Applied External Fusion Bonded Epoxy
Coating for Steel Line Pipes

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 2 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

09-SAMSS-091 Qualification Requirements for Shop-Applied

Internal FBE Coatings

3.2 Industry Codes and Standards

The Society for Protective Coatings

SSPC-PA2 Procedure for Determining Conformance to Dry
Coating Thickness Requirements
SSPC-SP1 Solvent Cleaning

International Organization of Standardization

ISO 8501-1 Pictorial Surface Preparation Standard for Painting
Steel Surface
ISO 8501-3 Preparation Grades of Welds, Edges, and other
Areas with Surface Imperfections
ISO 8502-3 Assessment of Dust on Steel Surface Prepared for
Painting
ISO 8502-6 Extraction of Soluble Contaminants for Analysis -
The Bresle Method
ISO 8502-9 Field Method for the Conductometric Determination
of Water-soluble Salts
ISO 21809-3 Field Joint Coating

American Society for Testing and Materials

ASTM D4417 Field Measurement of Surface Profile of Blasted
Cleaned Steel
ASTM D6677 Evaluating Adhesion by Knife

National Association of Corrosion Engineers

NACE SP 0490 Holiday Detection of Fusion Bonded Epoxy
External Pipeline Coatings of 250~760 μm

Canadian Standard Association

CSA Z245.20 Plant Applied External Coating for Steel Pipe

4 Definition

Approved Procedure: Procedure referred to in this specification that has been

approved in writing by the RUS. Approved procedures do not require re-qualification
in new purchase orders.
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Page 3 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

Approved Product: A coating material that has been approved by the RUS as meeting
the requirements of the applicable APCS or SAMSS. Only approved products are
allowed for use in Saudi Aramco jobs. These requirements apply to all coatings
referred to in all the SAES-H-series standards.

Batch: Quantity of material produced in a continuous manufacturing operation using

raw materials of the same source and grade.

Buyer's Representative: The person or persons designated by the Purchasing

Department to monitor / enforce the contract. Normally, this is the on-site inspector.

Cutback: Length of pipe left uncoated at each end for joining purpose.

Contractor: Welding contractor

DFT: Dry film thickness

FBE: Fusion bond epoxy coating

Field Joint Area: Weld zone uncoated area that results when two pipe sections or a
pipe section and a fitting with coating cutbacks are assembled, by welding, in the field.

Holiday: Coating discontinuity that exhibits electrical conductivity when exposed to a

specific voltage.

Manufacturer: Company which manufactures FBE powder coatings and corresponding

repair materials.

Overlap: Length of the field joint coating over the shop-applied coating including the
coating bevel.

Pre-Production Trial (PPT): Conducting a field trial prior to start of the actual
production for the surface preparation, coating application and inspection to confirm
meeting the requirement of the approved coating application procedure.

PWHT: A method for reducing and redistributing the residual stresses in the material
that have been introduced by welding.

Responsible Unit Supervisor (RUS): The Engineering Consultant of Nonmetallic,

CP & Coatings Group who is designated by the Manager, Consulting Services
Department.

Vendor: Girth weld coating applicator

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 4 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

5 Health, Safety, and Environment

Applicable safety requirements addressed in Section 5 of SAES-H-001 and safety data

sheet of the coating product and equipment shall be followed.

6 Material Storage and Handling

6.1 Coating material shall be stored and handled in accordance with the
Manufacturer's recommendations.

6.2 Powder shall be transported and stored in a sealed container that prevents the
ingress of moisture or water.

6.3 Powder shall be kept dry at all times and not exposed to direct sunlight or used
within 15 m of any source of ignition.

6.4 Transportation and storage climate shall be controlled to meet the

manufacturer’s requirements and conformance shall be demonstrated by
temperature-indication tags or other logging devices.

6.5 Vendor shall load only enough materials to be used in the same day.
Opened, unused powder shall not be used.

6.6 Expired coating materials shall not be used.

6.7 Abrasive blasting materials shall be stored in a dry and controlled environment.

6.8 Health and safety requirements shall be in accordance with Saudi Aramco
requirements and Manufacturer's instructions.

6.9 The Vendor shall use only Saudi Aramco approved products.

6.10 Powder coating materials supplied to the Vendor shall be certified by

Manufacturer with the following information, which must meet initially
approved material:
a) The Manufacturer's name
b) Product description
c) Mass of material
d) The material identification number
e) The batch number
f) Date of manufacture
g) Location of manufacturing
h) Temperature required for transportation and storage

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 5 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

i) The shelf life (or expiration date)

j) Material identification fingerprints

6.11 Each batch of FBE coating must be tested and certified by the Manufacturer in
accordance with the requirement of Table 1. Vendor shall conduct the same
tests to verify compliance with the requirements.

Table 1 - Epoxy Powder Properties

Property Acceptance Criteria Test Method
CSA Z245.20
Density Meets Manufacturer specification
Clause 12.6
3.0% maximum retained on 150 μm mesh and CSA Z245.20
Particle Size
0.2% maximum retained on 250 μm mesh. Clause 12.5
CSA Z245.20
Gel Time Meets Manufacturer specification
Clause 12.2
CSA Z245.20
Cure Time Meets Manufacturer specification
Clause 12.1
CSA Z245.20
Moisture Content 0.5% maximum
Clause 12.3
Thermal Meets Manufacturer specification for Tg1 (°C), CSA Z245.20
Characteristics Tg2 (°C), ΔH (J/g) Clause 12.7

7 Design

7.1 External FBE powder shall meet the requirements of 09-SAMSS-089 and
SAES-H-002, APCS-104A/B/C.

7.2 Internal FBE powder shall meet the requirements of 09-SAMSS-091 and
SAES-H-002, APCS-102A/B/C.

7.3 Semi-automated application process shall be used for the application of external
coating.

7.4 Robotic system shall be used for the inspection, surface preparation and coating
application of internal girth weld.

8 Application and Installation

8.1 General

8.1.1 Application of FBE coating shall be strictly in accordance with the

Vendor’s application procedure approved by the RUS. FBE materials
and method of application and equipment to be used shall be specified in
this procedure.

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 6 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

8.1.2 For welds that require post weld heat treatment (PWHT), FBE coating on
both Internal and External welds shall be done after PWHT and welds
accepted by responsible Inspector. Demonstration shall be conducted
prior to actual work to determine the required internal and external
cutback after the completion of PWHT. If the cutback is exceeding
280 mm, approved liquid coating can be used for the internal girth weld.

8.1.3 Before welding, the cut back of internal pipe shall be blast cleaned and
the overlap area on shop-applied FBE pipe coating must be feathered.
After blasting, no further mechanical work is allowed, which could affect
the quality of the prepared surface.

8.1.4 The maximum length of the FBE field application is limited by the total
length of the cutback, 50-75 millimeters (2-3 inches), plus a reasonable
overlap, 1-2 inches, to tie in with the initial FBE coating. The maximum
total length of the coating on the girth weld shall be 10 inch (250 mm).
Consult with the RUS, if the length is extended.

8.1.5 Internal cleaning and FBE coating application of line pipes with diameter
of 8" and above shall be commenced by the fully remote controlled
crawling machine fitted with 2 cameras to monitor the work.

8.1.6 A PPT must be conducted at the start of each shift to verify the correct
functioning of the used equipment. The PPT should be conducted on a
spool similar to the pipes to be coated. The following tests in tables 2
and 3 shall be conducted by the Vendor and the result shall be shared
with Saudi Aramco inspector.

Table 2 - PPT On-Site Required Tests

Acceptance
Test Test Method Frequency
Criteria
DFT Para 9.4 SSPC-PA2 All
Holiday Detection No holiday Para. 9.3 All
Cure Test (MEK) No softening Para. 9.2.3 All
Adhesion Test Pass ASTM D6677 All

Table 3 - PPT Required Lab Tests

Acceptance
Test Test Method Frequency
Criteria
Hot-water soak
NACE SP0394-2013, Once out of
Hot-water adhesion: Rating of 1
(Appendix J) twenty PPT
(48 hours) 75 ± 3°C

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 7 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

Acceptance
Test Test Method Frequency
Criteria
Cathodic Disbondment
CSA Z245.20, Once out of
24 hours 10 mm
Clause 12.8 twenty PPT
@ 65°C, -3.5V
CSA Z245.20, Once out of
Cross-section Porosity Rating of 1
Clause 12.10.3 twenty PPT
ΔTg = -2, +3°C, CSA Z245.20, Once out of
Thermal Characteristics
95% conversion Clause 12.7.3.2.2 twenty PPT

8.2 Surface Preparation

8.2.1 Prior to blast cleaning, all hydrocarbon contaminants within a 500 mm

wide band centered over the weld shall be removed from the pipe by
solvent cleaning per SSPC SP-1. Kerosene, diesel, or similar degreasers
that leave an oily film shall not be used. For internal girth weld, it
should be done by the Contractor, unless otherwise specified in the scope
of work. The responsibilities of Contractor and Vendor for internal girth
weld coating are summarized in Table 4.

8.2.2 All weld joints including adjacent areas to be FBE coated either Internal
or External shall be ground smooth and free from burrs, weld spatter,
sharp edges. Weld toes shall be merged smoothly and rounded with no
sharp undercuts. The weld cap or internal root protrusion shall not be
more than 1.5 mm. Increasing coating thickness shall not be used to
overcome such defects.

8.2.3 The bare metal joint shall be abrasive blasted to near white metal
cleanliness, Sa 2½ , for external and to white metal cleanliness, Sa 3, for
internal. The surface profile shall be 50 to 100 micrometers. For internal
girth weld, it should be done by the Contractor, unless otherwise specified
in the scope of work. Pipe bung shall be used to protected shop- applied
pipe coating.

8.2.4 The gloss shall be feathered out from the shop-applied FBE pipe coating
that will be overlapped by the field coating by light abrasive (sweep)
blasting or sanding. Wire brushes shall not be used for this purpose.

Pre-clean the pipe internal coating cutback prior to welding using an

internal pipe bung.

8.2.5 Blasting abrasives shall comply with paragraphs 6.3 and 8.2 requirements
of SAES-H-001 and shall contain less than 50 ppm chlorides and sulfates.
They shall be stored in a dry condition and maintained dry during use.
Sand shall not be used as an abrasive. The Vendor shall furnish chemical

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 8 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

analyses for all batches of abrasives used to demonstrate compliance with

these requirements.

8.2.6 The first blasted girth weld in each shift shall be tested for chlorides.
Residual chloride on the surface shall not exceed 20 mg/m² in accordance
with ISO 8502-6. Test one out of each successive 20 girth weld areas.

8.2.7 In the event of a failure, re-test the piece. If it fails, test all pieces that
were blast cleaned both before and after the contaminated girth welds
until five in a row pass the test. All girth welds coated after the last good
test must be re-blasted, re-tested, and re-coated.

8.3 Coating Application Procedures

8.3.1 Coating application shall be performed after completion of welding and

NDT of field welding, to prevent formation of adherent rust, which may
require to cut the joint and reblast.

8.3.2 As soon as surface preparation is completed, the area to be coated shall

be cleaned of any deleterious matter by blowing with clean, dry, oil-free
compressed air.

8.3.3 Preheating shall be accomplished by using induction heating coils only.

8.3.4 The area to be coated shall then be immediately heated to a temperature

in accordance with the Powder Manufacturer's recommendation using
induction heating coil.
Commentary Note:

Temperatures in excess of the Manufacturer's recommended maximum

can damage the adjacent internal and external coating.

8.3.5 Preheating temperatures shall be measured with contact pyrometers.

Temperature crayons shall not be used.

8.3.6 As soon as the correct metal temperature has been reached, the induction
coil shall be removed from the welded joint area and the powder
application equipment placed in position. Powder application shall start
immediately. Coating shall be applied before the surface temperature
drops below the specified application temperature in the manufacturer
datasheet.

8.3.6.1 The machine shall apply powder to a uniform rate, to a correct

width centered on the girth weld, to the coating thickness
specified Table 5, in the least number of passes possible.

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 9 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

8.3.6.2 Care shall be taken to prevent the spray head, braces or hoses,
etc., from dragging on the ground during application operations.
Dirt or deleterious materials shall not contaminate the powder
coated area during the application and curing stages.

8.3.7 During periods of bad weather (rain, high winds, etc.) cleaning and
coating operations will only proceed if protective canopies are used to
the satisfaction of the Saudi Aramco Inspector.

Table 4 - Responsibilities of Contractor and Vendor

for Internal Coating Application Process
Party Responsibility and Activity

 Remove hydrocarbon and other contaminants

 Surface preparation to achieve require anchor profile and
Contractor cleanliness level
 inspect welds and make sure it meets coating requirements
 Repair weld defects, if any
 Surface preparation and inspection, after welding
Vendor  Coating application and inspection
 Repair coating defects

Table 5 - DFT Requirement of Girth Weld (Internal and External)

Internal DFT Range (μm) External DFT Range (μm)
APCS-102A 375-625 APCS-104A 350-525
APCS-102B 500-750 APCS-104B 575-750
APCS-102C 500-750 APCS-104C As per CMR(1)
(1)
CMR (Coating Manufacturer’s Recommendation)

9 Inspection Methods and Acceptance Criteria

9.1 General

This section gives the mandatory inspection methods and acceptance criteria that
shall be met before the FBE-coated welds can be put into service. The inspection
requirements are summarized in Table 6.

9.2 Visual Inspection

9.2.1 The Inspector shall verify that the surface preparation requirements of
paragraph 8.2 are met prior to the commencement of preheating.

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 10 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

9.2.2 Thickness checks shall be made on each coated weld joint using an
approved, correctly calibrated dry film thickness gauge (e.g., Microtest,
Elcometer or equivalent). The instrument shall be calibrated in
accordance with SSPC-PA2.

A minimum number of 8 readings shall be taken on each field joint

coating, 4 readings in each side, to verify compliance with the thickness
requirement in Table 5.

9.2.3 For external and accessible internal girth weld coating, the quality of
cure shall be checked on the first 5 joints of the job and every 20 joints
thereafter, by maintaining a MEK soaked pad in contact with the coating
surface for one minute and then rubbing vigorously for 15 seconds.
There shall be no softening of the coating or substantial color removal
from the coating. For un-accessible internal girth weld coating, conduct
the cure test as specified in paragraph 8.1.6.

9.2.4 The finished coating shall have a uniform, glossy appearance and be free
of defects such as holidays, fish eyes, lumps, dry spray, sags and runs.
Coating overlap shall be within the thickness specified in 09-SAMSS-089
for external and 09-SAMSS-091 for internal.

9.2.5 Cameras fitted on the crawling machine shall be used during the
inspection of internally coated pipeline with diameters from 8" and above.

9.3 Holiday Detection

9.3.1 100% of the coated girth weld surface area shall be holiday detected,
inspected, and repaired in accordance with the procedures and equipment
specified in 09-SAMSS-089 for external and 09-SAMSS-091 for
internal. Holiday detection shall not be conducted if the surface
temperature of the coated girth weld area exceeds 80°C.

9.3.2 All holidays, imperfections, and damaged areas shall be carefully

identified with a waterproof marker. All markings shall be sufficiently
distant from the area to be repaired to allow surface preparation and
coating application without being a detriment to the adhesion of the
repair coating. This procedure is applicable for external coating and/or
accessible internal coating.

9.4 Destructive Testing

9.4.1 Using a sharp knife with a narrow width blade, make two, approximately
13-mm long incisions through to the metal substrate to form an X in
accordance with ASTM D6677.

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 11 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

9.4.2 Starting at the intersection of the X, attempt to force the coating from the
steel substrate with the knife point. Refusal of the coating to peel
constitutes a pass. Partial or complete adhesion failure between the
coating and the metal substrate constitutes a failure. Cohesive failure
caused by voids in the coating leaving a honeycomb structure on the
specimen surface also constitutes failure.

9.4.3 This shall be performed once every hour. When three consecutive tests
are successful, the frequency shall be reduced to once every two hours.

9.4.4 If coating fails to meet the acceptance criteria in paragraph 9.4.2, the
adjacent field girth weld areas shall also be tested until acceptable
coatings are found on both sides of the defective coating. The defective
coatings shall all be completely removed and the areas recoated. At least
one of the repaired areas shall be re-inspected, and the subsequent
inspection frequency shall be as given in paragraph 9.4.3.

Table 6 - Test Items for Internal/External Girth Weld (FBE) Coating

Stage Item Acceptance Criteria Frequency
Surface No contamination
All
Contamination (including hydro carbon)
First girth weld each
Before Residual Salt Less than 20 mg/m² joint, then one of each
Welding successive 40 girth weld
Sa 3 (for internal)
Cleanliness Level All
Sa 2.5 (for external)
Anchor Profile 50-100 μm All

After Welding Condition No defect(1) All

Welding Cleaning No contamination All
Visual Inspection No defect All
DFT See Table 5 All
After
Coating Holiday No holiday All
Application
Adhesion Para. 9.4.2 Para. 9.4.3
Curing No softening Para. 9.2.3
(1) No weld defect as per ISO 8501-3 P3 Grade (Table 1. Imperfections and Preparation Grade).

9.5 Repairs

9.5.1 General

Defects shall be repaired in accordance with the criteria and methods

below. If the number of defects is more than 3 holidays on any girth

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 12 of 13
Document Responsibility: Paints and Coatings Standards Committee SAES-H-201
Issue Date: 7 February 2017 General Specifications for External and Internal
Next Planned Update: 7 February 2020 FBE Coatings of Pipeline Field Girth Welds

weld, the coating shall be completely blasted off and the area recoated at
no cost to Saudi Aramco.

9.5.2 Preparation of Surface

The pipe surface to be recoated shall be cleaned to remove all dirt and
damaged or disbonded coating using abrasive blasting or other approved
and suitable means. The edges of the original coatings shall be
“feathered out” approximately 50 mm around the specific area to be
coated, and all dust wiped off before applying the patch coating.

9.5.3 To repair holidays in un-accessible internal girth weld FBE coatings, use
the cleaning machine to lightly abrade the existing girth weld coating for
band width of 200 mm (8 inches) to create enough roughness, 1.0 mil,
for the adhesion of FBE powder coating. The coating shall be inspected
for holidays and thickness. If a holiday is detected, the field joint should
be cut out to determine the cause. Cold cutting method shall be used to
prevent damaging the internal pipe coating. Flame cutting is not allowed.

9.5.4 To repair holidays in an accessible internal or external girth weld

coating, two part epoxy should be used in accordance with the coating
manufacturer’s requirement. The surface should be prepared as specified
in 9.5.2.

9.5.5 All repairs shall be holiday tested.

9.6 Vendor Responsibilities

The Vendor shall be responsible for all quality control processes including
visual inspection, surface cleanliness and profile checking, thickness
measurements, and holiday testing. The Vendor shall keep daily records of the
work progress and results of all inspection activities in a form suitable to the
Saudi Aramco Inspector surveillance and approval.

Revision Summary
16 November 2011 Editorial revision to remove the committee members list and change the primary contact.
Revised the "Next Planned Update."
7 February 2017 Major revision to clarify some of the requirements, summarize required tests in tables,
specify coating thickness for each system, revise acceptance criteria, highlight safety
requirements, clarify tasks of involved vendors, and add new tests.

Saudi Aramco: Company General Use

Page 13 of 13