N-2422 ENGLISH JUN / 93

SAFETY IN INSPECTION AND REPAIR

SUBMERGED WORKS ON PIPELINES

Procedure

The Responsible CONTEC Subcommittee provides guidance on the

interpretation of this Standard when questions arise regarding its contents. The
Department of PETROBRAS that uses this Standard is fully responsible for
CONTEC adopting and applying the clauses thereof.
Comissão de Normas Mandatory Requirement: a provision established as being the most adequate
Técnicas and which shall be used strictly in accordance with this Standard. If a decision is
taken not to follow the requirement ("non-conformity" to this Standard) it shall be
based on well-founded economic and management reasons, and be approved
and registered by the Department of PETROBRAS that uses this Standard. It is
characterized by the verb forms "shall", "it is necessary...", "is required to...", "it
is required that...", "is to...", "has to...", "only ... is permitted", and other
equivalent expressions having an imperative nature.
Recommended Practice (nonmandatory): a provision that may be adopted
under the conditions of this Standard, but which admits (and draws attention to)
the possibility of there being a more adequate alternative (not written in this
Standard) to the particular application. The alternative adopted shall be
approved and registered by the Department of PETROBRAS that uses this
Standard. It is characterized by the verbal form "should" and equivalent
expressions such as "it is recommended that..." and "ought to..." (verbs of a
nonmandatory nature). It is indicated by the expression: [Recommended
Practice].
Copies of the registered "non-conformities" to this Standard that may contribute
to the improvement thereof shall be submitted to the Responsible CONTEC
Subcommittee.
SC – 16 Proposed revisions to this Standard shall be submitted to the Responsible
Industrial Safety CONTEC Subcommittee, indicating the alphanumeric identification and revision
of the Standard, the clause(s) to be revised, the proposed text, and
technical/economic justification for revision. The proposals are evaluated during
the work for alteration of this Standard.
“The present Standard is exclusive ownership of PETRÓLEO
BRASILEIRO S.A. – PETROBRAS, for internal use in the company,
and any reproduction for external use or disclosure, without
previous express authorization, will imply an unlawful act
pursuant to the relevant legislation through which the applicable
responsibilities shall be imputed. External circulation shall be
regulated by a specific clause of Secrecy and Confidentiality,
pursuant to the terms of the intellectual and industrial property
law.”

Foreword
PETROBRAS technical standards are prepared by Working Groups – GTs
(consisting of PETROBRAS specialists and specialists from PETROBRAS Subsidiaries), are
commented by Local Representatives (representatives of the Industrial Units, Engineering Projects,
Technical Divisions and PETROBRAS Subsidiaries), are approved by the Responsible
Subcommittees - SCs (consisting of specialists belonging to the same specialty, representing the
various PETROBRAS Departments and PETROBRAS Subsidiaries), and approved by the CONTEC
General Assembly (consisting of representatives of the Superintendencies of the PETROBRAS
Departments and PETROBRAS Subsidiaries that use PETROBRAS technical standards). A
PETROBRAS technical standard is subjected to revision at any time by the Responsible
Subcommittee and must be reviewed every 5 years to be revalidated, revised or cancelled.
PETROBRAS technical standards are prepared in accordance with standard PETROBRAS N -1. For
complete information about PETROBRAS standards see PETROBRAS Technical Standards Catalog.

PROPERTY OF PETROBRAS 6 pages

 N-2422 ENGLISH JUN / 93

FOREWORD

This Standard is the English version (issued in MAR/2002) of Standard PETROBRAS

N-2422 JUN/93.

1 SCOPE

1.1 This Standard establishes the safety conditions to be observed in inspection and repair
submerged works on pipelines.

1.2 This Standard applies to works done on rigid or flexible pipelines either in or out of
service, used for moving or offloading any product related to the petroleum industry.

2 SUPPLEMENTARY DOCUMENTS

The documents listed below are mentioned in the text and contain valid requirements for the
present Standard.

Portaria do Ministério do Trabalho - n.º 3214, 08 de Junho de 1978 - NR-15

ANEXO n.º 6;
PORTOMARINST n.º 10-21 - Normas Gerais para o Pessoal do 7.º Grupo de
Mergulhadores - Controle das Atividades Subaquáticas;
PETROBRAS N-2162 - Work Permit;
PETROBRAS N-2163 - Welding or Hot Tapping on In-service Equipment or
Pipelines;
PETROBRAS N-2349 - Safety in Welding and Cutting Works;
PETROBRAS N-2350 - Classification, Temporary Storage, Transport,
Treatment and Disposal of Industrial and Commercial
Wastes;
API RP 2209 - Pipe Plugging Practices.

Note: For documents for which only the Portuguese version is available, the
PETROBRAS department that uses this Standard should be consulted for any
information required for the specific application.

3 DEFINITIONS

For the purposes of this Standard the definitions in 3.1 to 3.3 are adopted.

3.1 Pipeline

A closed conduit designed for transportation of fluid under pressure.

3.2 Submerged Pipeline

A pipeline section that is submerged in water.

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3.3 Isolation with Rackets

Operation for ensuring the isolation of a pipeline section by inserting rackets between the
flanges of a connection.

4 GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR INSPECTION AND/OR REPAIR WORKS

4.1 Control of Ignition Sources

4.1.1 The work planning shall consider the situations in which the use of an equipment
approved for electrically classified areas such as intrinsic safety, increased safety or
explosion-proof is mandatory. (repair)

4.1.2 Explosivity conditions in the area in which the repair work has to be done shall be
periodically measured. (repair)

4.1.3 Vessels shall approach the working area in accordance with the provisions in 6.1 i)
and with the permission of the agent responsible for the work. (inspection and repair)

4.2 Soil Conditions in the Section to be Repaired

4.2.1 Desilting of the pipeline section under inspection or repair shall ensure safe access
and working conditions. (inspection and repair)

Note: (inspection), (repair), (inspection and repair), means that the item is only applicable
to the work within parentheses.

4.2.2 Precision bathymetric surveys and facies maps of the work location shall be available.
(inspection and repair)

4.3 Collection of Leaked Product

Facilities shall be provided for collection, conditioning and transport of leaked products and
wastes in accordance with PETROBRAS N-2350. (inspection and repair)

5 PRELIMINARY MEASURES FOR INSPECTION AND/OR REPAIR WORKS

5.1 Planning

Any inspection or preparation work shall be previously planned so that all its following
phases can be detailed:

a) define the operational procedures needed for conditioning and/or release the
pipeline;

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- such procedures should be: interruption of operation, blocking of valves,

isolation with rackets, drainage, displacement of product with water, removal
of wastes or changes in the operational conditions (pressure reduction,
product replacement and so on); (repair)
b) define the work performance procedures; (inspection and repair)
c) define the duties of the operational departments involved in the procedures
mentioned in 5.1 a) and b); (inspection and repair)
d) define those responsible for each work stage; (inspection and repair)
e) prepare a specific emergency plan with care for injured people, protection of
third parties and the environment in case of leakage, either followed or not by
fire, and so on, covering all emergency prevention and control aspects
mentioned in item 8. (repair)

5.2 Personnel Training

5.2.1 Every professional engaged in this type of work shall be qualified to exercise his
respective function. In the case of divers, they shall be qualified and standard NR-15 -
(ANNEX No. 6) and PORTOMARINST No. 10-21 shall have been complied with. (inspection
and repair)

5.2.2 The teams engaged in pipeline inspection and repair shall undergo integration and
recycling training, comprised of at least: use of personal and collective protection equipment,
fire fighting, leakage control, first aid, work permit and general risks associated with this type
of work. (inspection and repair)

5.2.3 Emergency simulation training shall be provided to the teams involved in inspection
and repair of offshore pipelines in accordance with the respective emergency plan.
(inspection and repair)

5.3 Communication

5.3.1 During the entire period of the inspection and repair work, the responsible team shall
be permanently in contact with the operational departments involved. (inspection and repair)

5.3.2 In inspection and repair works, communications shall comply with the requirements of
standard NR-15 - ANNEX No 6. (inspection and repair)

5.4 Major Block Valves

The maintenance and safety teams of the department responsible for pipeline operation as
well as the teams of other operational departments of the region shall know where the block
valves of the pipeline are located. This information shall appear in a document to be kept in
the area in which the repair work has to be done or in other locations to be defined in the
specific emergency plan mentioned in 5.1 e). (repair)

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6 CONDITIONS REQUIRED FOR STARTING INSPECTION AND/OR REPAIR

WORKS

6.1 The works shall be started after at least the following measures have been taken:

a) make sure there is in the support area an execution procedure according to

item 5.1 b), the emergency plan referred to in 5.1 e) and the equipment and
materials listed therein; (inspection and repair);
b) the rectifier stations nearest to the section to be repaired shall be taken out of
service, maintaining the electrical continuity of the pipeline; (repair);
c) make sure the pipeline is correctly positioned (centerline and elevation) on the
seabed; (inspection and repair);
d) make sure the pipeline is under the operational conditions specified for the work
performance; (inspection and repair);
e) identify and place signs on pipeline sections through inspections, buoys or other
devices so as to avoid mistakes with neighboring facilities; (inspection and
repair);
f) block or isolate with rackets the block valves needed for work safety; (repair);
g) thermal relief devices and/or other connections on non-submerged sections
shall be disconnected and plugged; (repair);
h) place signs on the strip where work has to be done in accordance with
NR-15 - ANNEX No 6; (inspection and repair);
i) notify the vessels in the area where the work has to be done; (inspection and
repair);
j) request a work permit, issued according to standard PETROBRAS N-2162;
(repair);
k) notify the port authorities about the work to be done, according to the standard
PORTOMARINST No. 10-21. (inspection and repair).

7 REPAIR WORKS PERFORMANCE

7.1 Pipeline cutting shall be preferably considered as cold work. (repair)

7.2 Hot cutting work on the pipeline should be permitted in those cases in which the pipeline
is dismantled after the product has been displaced with water, residual vapors have been
eliminated and the ends of the section to be cut off have been opened. In that case,
explosives shall be preferably used for cutting operations. (repair)

7.3 When cutting the pipeline, precautions shall be taken as to risks of sudden ruptures
caused by stresses from assembly or laying activities. (repair)

7.3.1 Electrical continuity shall be provided between the sections to be cut off. (repair)

7.3.2 The internal pressure in the sections to be cut off shall be equaled to the atmospheric
pressure immediately before cutting operations are started. (repair)

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7.4 Surface Preparation by the Abrasive Process

The surface shall only be prepared by the abrasive process after the pipeline wall thickness
has been measured and the value found has been evaluated. (repair)

7.5 Welding and hot tapping works on in-service pipelines shall comply with standards
PETROBRAS N-2163 and N-2349. (repair)

7.6 The arrangements for circumferential butt welding shall adopt the following measures:
(repair)

a) displacement of product with water in the pipeline section;

b) sealing at both ends of the welding zone by means of barriers, according to the
criteria recommended in API RP 2209.

7.7 Any pipeline handling operations involving the use of hoisting equipment shall be carried
out after shutting down pumping operations. (repair)

8 EMERGENCY PREVENTION AND CONTROL

The possibility of accidental leaks during inspection and repair works shall be considered and
preventive and emergency control and response procedures shall be drawn up. The
following measures shall be considered, among others:

a) notify the competent municipal, state and federal authorities; to that end, the list
containing their addresses and phone numbers shall be kept up to date;
b) control or interrupt traffic in the affected waters;
c) isolate the area of the accident for protection of the neighboring community as
appropriate;
d) estimate the area affected by the leak;
e) monitor the displacement or dispersion of leaked product;
f) evacuate the dwellings situated near the working area as appropriate;
g) provide support resources, such as: support vessels; barriers for containment of
oil in water; vacuum trucks, suction pumps, tank trucks; fire fighting equipment;
personal and collective protection equipment; equipment for first aid and care
for injured people; equipment for cleaning affected areas;
h) protect the environment.

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