Hydrostatic & Pneumatic Procedure
Hydrostatic
testing is most often preferred over pneumatic testing because of safety considerations.
Water is the preferred fluid medium for hydrostatic testing. In addition to its relatively incompressible nature, it is also the safest
fluid because it is nontoxic and nonflammable and it remains in liquid form down to
atmospheric pressure unless heated above the boiling point. Water is readily and
economically
available. ASME B31.1, section 137.4.3, specifies water as the test fluid for
hydrostatic tests unless otherwise specified. ASME B31.3, section 345.4.1, also
specifies water as the test fluid for hydrostatic test unless there is the possibility of
freezing or damage from adverse effects of water on the piping or the process for which the piping system is designed. This section provides for other uses of other nontoxic liquids as long as the flash point exceeds 120F (49C). If hydrostatic testing
is being considered for a system that was designed for use of a gaseous medium as the process fluid, it must first be determined that the piping system will support
the weight of the test liquid or that the piping can be safely supported during the hydrostatic test.
There are some cases where water cannot be employed as a fluid test medium. Traces of water left in the piping may react adversely with the process; for example, in piping for liquid sodium or a cryogenic process. If the test is to be run at temperature conditions which would make freezing likely, antifreeze may be added to the water as long as the antifreeze is not harmful to the piping or the process and the disposal of large amounts of antifreeze is not environmentally unacceptable. If water cannot be employed as the fluid test medium and another liquid is not practical, or if it is not practical to support the weight of a test liquid with piping supports, a pneumatic test may be the next best choice
Checklist for Hydrotest:
● Completed and torqued flanges with no missing bolts or gaskets
● All gravity supports installed
● Proper pipe routing
● Correct valve type and orientation
● Vents and drains installed to allow proper filling and draining
● Proper material type verified using color codes or markings, and heat numbers
recorded if required by the codes
● All required piping stress relief, weld examinations, and welding documentation
completed and acceptable
● Before the test is to be run, make certain, by reviewing the piping against the
P&ID and valve line-up sheet, that
● All equipment not to be tested is disconnected from the test or isolated by closed
valves or testing blinds
● Tagging and lockout of any valves used to isolate the test boundaries is in place
to protect both the testing personnel and any others who may be on site
● All non boundary valves in the test boundary are in the open position
● Expansion joints, if any, have required restraints to protect against damage from
the test pressure
● All springs have travel stops to protect against the weight of the test medium
● All test equipment is checked and all test connections are tight
For gas systems, additional gravity supports may be required temporarily to support the weight of the test liquid. Since requirements vary from project to project, the person responsible for the test will need to make a specific checklist of items for each project before testing can begin.
Hydrostatic Testing Preparation
All joints, including welds and flanges, of the portions of the system to be tested are left uninsulated and exposed for examination during the test. Some insulation may be installed on the straight runs or previously tested piping. If the system is to include jacketed piping, the leak tests should be run before any jacketing is installed.
A flow water pump is substituted for the pressurizing water pump during the filling of the piping. The water source should provide clean chloride-free water. The system is filled from the bottom to facilitate the venting of all air in the portion of the piping system under test. For sloped piping systems, filling should be done against the slope. Vents must be located at all high points in the piping and should be open during the filling stage. Once it is determined the system is completely liquid filled the vents may be closed and a pressurizing water pump connected to the system in place of the flow pump. The pressurizing pump must have a capacity greater than the allowable leakage of the system. Leakage at the packing glands of valves and pumps is permissible by the codes and is necessary to preserve the life of the packing. However, if this leakage is so great that the test pressure cannot be controlled by being trapped, there will be a problem in running the test. It is not very practical to turn the pressurizing pump on and off to maintain the pressure close to the required level. One solution is to temporarily tighten all the packings to a greater compression than is normally used during regular operation of the system. It may also be necessary to tighten flanges, screwed connections, and other mechanical or gland-type joints to eliminate leakage.
Test and Examination Pressures
Test pressure
minimum
|
Test pressure
maximum
|
Test pressure
hold time
|
Examination
pressure
|
Code
|
Test type
|
ASME B31.1
|
Hydrostatic1
|
1.5 times design
|
Max allowable test
pressure any component or 90 percent
of yield
|
10 minutes
|
Design
pressure
|
ASME B31.1
|
Pneumatic
|
1.2 times design
|
1.5 times design or
max allowable test
pressure any component
|
10 minutes
|
Lower of 100
psig or
design
pressure
|
ASME B31.1
|
Initial
service
|
Normal operating
pressure
|
Normal operating
pressure
|
10 minutes or
time to complete leak examination
|
Normal operating
pressure
|
ASME B31.3
|
Hydrostatic
|
1.5 times
design
|
Not to exceed yield
stress
|
Time to complete leak examination
but at least
10 minutes
|
1.5 times
design
|
ASME B31.3
|
Pneumatic
|
1.1 times design
|
1.1 times design plus
the lesser of 50 psi
or 10 percent of test
pressure
|
10 minutes
|
Design
pressure
|
ASME B31.3
|
Initial
service3
|
Design pressure
|
Design pressure
|
Time to complete leak examination
|
Design
pressure
|
ASME I
|
Hydrostatic
|
1.5 times max
allowable
working
pressure4
|
Not to exceed 90 per-
cent yield stress
|
Not specified,
typically 1 hr
|
Max allow
able working
pressure4
|
ASME III
Division 1
Subsection NB
|
Hydrostatic
|
1.25 times system design
pressure5
|
Not to exceed stress
limits of design section NB-3226 or
maximum test pressure of any system
component5
|
10 minutes
|
Greater of
design pressure or .75
times test
pressure
|
ASME III
Division 1
Subsection NB
|
Pneumatic
|
1.2 times system
design
pressure6
|
Not to exceed stress
limits of design section NB-3226 or
maximum test pressure of any system
com
|
10 minutes
|
Greater of
design pressure or .75
times test
pressure
|
ASME III
Division 1
Subsection NC
|
Hydrostatic
|
1.5 times system
design
pressure
|
If minimum test pressure exceeded by
6
percent establish
limit by the lower of
analysis of all test
loadings or maxi-
mum test pressure
of any component
|
10 minutes or
15 minutes
per inch of
design mini-
mum wall
thickness for
pumps and
valves
|
Greater of
design pressure or .75
times test
pressure
|
ASME III
Division 1
Subsection NC
|
Pneumatic
|
1.25 times system design
pressure
|
If minimum test pressure exceeded by
6
percent establish
limit by the lower of
analysis of all test
loadings or maxi
mum test pressure
of any component
|
10 minutes
|
Greater of
design pressure or .75
times test
pressure
|
ASME III
Division 1
Subsection ND
|
Hydrostatic
|
1.5 times system
design pressure for completed components, 1.25
times system
design pressure for piping systems
|
If minimum test pressure exceeded by
6
percent establish
limit by the lower of
analysis of all test
loadings or maxi
mum test pressure
of any component
|
10 minutes
|
Greater of
design pressure or .75
times test
pressure
|
ASME III
Division 1
Subsection ND
|
Pneumatic
|
1.25 times system design
pressure
|
If minimum test pressure exceeded by
6
percent establish
limit by the lower of
analysis of all test
loadings or maxi
mum test pressure
of any component
|
10 minutes
|
Greater of
design pressure or .75
times test
pressure
|
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