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N-1593 REV. G ENGLISH 08 / 2013

Non-Destructive Testing -
Leak Testing

Procedure

This Standard replaces and cancels its previous revision.

The CONTEC - Authoring Subcommittee provides guidance on the
interpretation of this Standard when questions arise regarding its contents. The
Department of PETROBRAS that uses this Standard is responsible for adopting
and applying the sections, subsections and enumerates thereof.

Technical Requirement: A provision established as the most adequate and

CONTEC 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
Comissão de Normalização based on well-founded economic and management reasons, and be approved
Técnica and registered by the Department of PETROBRAS that uses this Standard. It is
characterized by imperative nature.
Recommended Practice: 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 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 CONTEC - Authoring
SC - 27 Subcommittee.

Non-Destructive Testing
Proposed revisions to this Standard shall be submitted to the CONTEC -
Authoring Subcommittee, indicating the alphanumeric identification and revision
of the Standard, the section, subsection and enumerate to be revised, the
proposed text, and technical/economic justification for revision. The proposals
are evaluated during the work for alteration of this Standard.

“This Standard is exclusive property of Petróleo Brasileiro S. A. -

PETROBRAS, internal application and PETROBRAS Subsidiaries and
shall be used by its suppliers of goods and services under contracts or
similar under the conditions established in Bidding, Contract, Agreement
or similar.
The use of this Standard by other companies / organizations / government
agencies and individuals is the sole responsibility of the users..”

Introduction
PETROBRAS Technical Standards are prepared by Working Groups - WG
(consisting specialized of Technical Collaborators from Company and its Subsidiaries), are
commented by Company Units and its Subsidiaries, are approved by the Authoring Subcommittees -
SCs (consisting of technicians from the same specialty, representing the various Company Units and
its Subsidiaries), and ratified by the Executive Nucleus (consisting of representatives of the Company
Units and its Subsidiaries). A PETROBRAS Technical Standard is subject to revision at any time by its
Authoring Subcommittee and shall be reviewed every 5 years to be revalidated, revised or cancelled.
PETROBRAS Technical Standards are prepared in accordance with PETROBRAS Technical
Standard N-1. For complete information about PETROBRAS Technical Standards see PETROBRAS
Technical Standards Catalog.

PROPERTY OF PETROBRAS 6 pages, Index of Revisions and WG

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N-1593 REV. G ENGLISH 08 / 2013

Foreword

This Standard is the English version (issued in 11/2013) of PETROBRAS N-1593 REV. G 08/2013. In
case of doubt, the Portuguese version, which is the valid document for all intents and purposes, shall
be used.

1 Scope

1.1 This Standard sets the demandable conditions and the recommended practices for the
performance of the leak test by passing pressurized gases (bubble formation) or by the penetration of
liquids by capillarity, complementing national and foreign applicable design standards.

1.2 This Standard is applied for the detection of defects allowing leakage in welded joints, plates,
castings and forgings.

NOTE The sole function of the leak testing is the detection of occasional leaks. Therefore, all
testing procedures mentioned herein are not aimed at the analysis of mechanical strength,
structural deformation and structural settlement covered by other tests, hydrostatic and/or
pneumatic, although the latter are also intended for the detection of leaks.

1.3 This Standard applies to procedures started from its issue date.

1.4 This Standard contains only Technical Requirements.

2 Normative References

The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document applies.

INMETRO VIM:2012 - Vocabulário Internacional de Metrologia: Conceitos Fundamentais e

Gerais e Termos Associados (Edição Luso-Brasileira);

PETROBRAS N-1597 - Ensaio Não Destrutivo - Visual;

ABNT NBR 15571:2008 - Ensaios Não Destrutivos - Estanqueidade - Detecção de

Vazamentos Passantes;

ABNT NBR NM ISO 9712 - Ensaio não Destrutivo - Qualificação e Certificação de Pessoal;

ISO IEC 17024:2012 - Conformity Assessment - General Requirements for Bodies Operating
Certification of Persons;

ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code - Section V: 2010 - Nondestructive Examination.

NOTE For documents referred in this Standard and 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 Terms and Definitions

For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions of INMETRO VIM:2012 and those below
are adopted.

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3.1
addition
addition of a new paragraph or of a text to a paragraph

3.2
alteration
replacement of an entire paragraph or modification of part of it

3.3
suppression
deletion of the paragraph or of part of it

3.4
base standard
assembly, construction, manufacturing and design standards relating to the inspected equipment item,
and complementary standards mentioned by them

4 General Conditions

4.1 When a base standard referenced in Section 2 is not mentioned in Section 5 of specific
conditions, it shall be fully applied.

4.3 For the base standards in Section 2 regarding personnel qualification, it is necessary to add 5.1
and 5.2 of this Standard, in order to complement them about the requirements specified therein for
leak testing.

4.3 To perform the capillarity test, the requirements of ABNT NBR 15571:2008 shall be applied,
supplemented by 5.2 of this Standard.

5 Specific Conditions

5.1 Personnel Qualification

5.1.1 For services performed in Brazil, the qualification and certification of personnel for leak testing
shall be made by the Sistema Brasileiro de Qualificação e Certificação de Pessoal em END - ABENDI,
according to ABNT NBR NM ISO 9712.

5.1.2 For services performed abroad, qualification and certification shall be made as established in
5.1.1 or by independent international entities, accredited by national bodies in their respective
countries, which fully meet the requirements of ISO IEC 17024:2012, and that operate in full
compliance with the ISO 9712:2012.

NOTE Self-certification systems, such as Nondestructive Personnel Qualification and Certification

ASNT SNT-TC-1A, in which the certification method is established or enforced by the
employer itself, according to its criteria, are not accepted by PETROBRAS, even if they are
mentioned in the base standards of this document.

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5.2 Alteration, Addition and Suppression of Standard ABNT NBR 15571:2008

Item 14 - Testing Report - Add: The testing report shall also inform the following items:

a) identification of tested material;

b) method or technique employed.

5.3 Alteration, Addition and Suppression of Standard ASME Section V:2010, Article 10

5.3.1 T-1021.3 - Procedure Qualification - Add

5.3.1.1 The procedure shall be evaluated, checking its compatibility with its application, this stage
being a pre-requisite for qualification.

5.3.1.2 The qualification procedures shall be performed by a level 3 professional, in accordance with
design, manufacture, construction and assembly standards.

5.3.2 T-1041 - Cleanliness - Add

5.3.2.1 For austenitic stainless, duplex or superduplex steels and nickel alloys, the surface
preparation tools of those materials shall not be used to prepare other materials, in order to avoid
contamination. These tools shall meet the following requirements:

a) be made of stainless steel or coated with stainless steel;

b) cutting and grinding disks shall have a nylon or similar core.

5.3.2.2 In testing of nickel-based alloys, austenitic stainless steels, duplex, superduplex and titanium,
the cleaning and testing products shall be analyzed regarding their content of contaminant elements.
In case of titanium, austenitic stainless steel, and duplex or superduplex steel, the maximum content
- -
of halogens (Cl + F ) allowed is 1 %; for nickel alloys, the maximum content of sulfur (S) is 1 %. In both
cases, the analysis is done as a function of the obtained residue, according to ASME BPVC Section V
article 6 appendix II.

5.3.3 T-1052 - Test Sequence - Add

The leak test shall be performed after approval in visual examination, performed in accordance with
PETROBRAS N-1597.

5.3.4 T-1091 - Test Report - Add

5.3.4.1 The report of recorded results shall also inform the following items:

a) name of issuer (department of PETROBRAS or executing firm);

b) numerical identification of report;
c) record of results;
d) reference standards and/or values for interpretation of results.

5.3.4.2 The test results shall be recorded through an identification and traceability system, allowing
the correlation of the report with the tested location.

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5.3.5 I-1021 - Written Procedure Requirements - Change

The inspection procedure of executing firm shall contain at least the items of Table 1.

5.3.6 Table I-1021 - Requirements of a Direct Pressure Bubble Leak Testing Procedure and
Table II-1021 - Requirements of a Vacuum Box Leak Testing Procedure - Change

The procedure shall be re-qualified whenever any of the essential variables from Table 1 is changed.

Table 1 - Requirements of Leak Testing Procedure

Positive pressure Negative pressure

Item Non- Non-

Essential Essential
essential essential
variable variable
Variable Variable
Name of issuer, numbering and indication of
x x
revision
Objective and indication of testing method x x
Reference standards x x
Sketch showing component or equipment and
x x
pressurization system (when applicable)
Component or equipment material x x
Region to be tested x x
Apparatus used (identification of manufacturer
x x
and model or indication of requirements)
Location, scale and calibration of manometers x
materials employed (gas and bubble-forming
x x
solution, capillary liquid or developer);
Method of application for solution or capillary
x x
liquid

Temperature range of surface to be tested x x

Method of sealing openings x x

Condition required for surfaces to be tested
x x
and preparation method
Cleaning materials and products x x
Testing pressure x x

Pressurization or penetration time (capillarity) x x

Inspection method (direct or remote) x x

Lighting intensity, instruments or devices to be
x x
used, if necessary
Additional requirements, when applicable x x
Final cleaning x x
Systematic procedure for recording results x x
Acceptance criterion x x
Form or minimum content of report recording
x x
results

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5.3.7 I-1030 - Equipment - Add

The nipple to be connected up with the test hole shall contain a groove at the end, in order to prevent
blocking of gas in case the end of the nipple enters into contact with the plate opposite to the testing
hole (see Figure A.1 of Annex A of standard ABNT NBR 15571:2008), or the length of the thread is at
least 8 mm less than the thickness of the part to which it is to be connected.

5.3.8 II-1021 - Written Procedure Requirements - Change

The inspection procedure of executing firm shall contain at least the items of Table 1.

5.3.9 II-1075 - Vacuum Box Overlap - Change

The test shall always be performed with a minimum overlap of 100 mm between the region already
tested and the subsequent region to be tested.

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INDEX OF REVISIONS

REV. A, B, C and D
There is no index of revisions.

REV. E
Affected Parts Description of Alteration

All Revised

REV. F
Affected Parts Description of Alteration

All Revised

REV. G
Affected Parts Description of Alteration

All Revised

IR 1/1