TECHNIP INDIA LIMITED NUMALIGARH

REFINERY
LIMITED

NRL EXPANSION PROJECT

QUALITY CONTROL PROCEDURE
QCP FOR SOIL INVESTIGATION WORKS
TP-XXX-1ZZZ-CV-QCP-001; REV-A1

Prepared Checked Approved Reviewed Approved

Approved By
By By By By By
Rev.
Date Reason for Issue
No :
SCS ENTERPRISE M-PMC OWNER
Numaligarh Refinery Limited NRL Expansion Project
QCP for Soil Investigation Works TP-XXX-1ZZZ-CV-QCP-001; REV-
A1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. PURPOSE:........................................................................................................................................................... 3
2. SCOPE:............................................................................................................................................................... 3
3. ABBREVIATIONS & DEFINITIONS...................................................................................................................... 3
4. REFERENCE DOCUMENTS.................................................................................................................................. 3
5. RESPONSIBILITY & AUTHORITY........................................................................................................................ 4
6. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES........................................................................................................................... 4
7. FIELD INVESTIGATION...................................................................................................................................... 5
8. IN SITU FIELD TESTING:................................................................................................................................... 7
9. LABORATORY TESTING:..................................................................................................................................... 8
10. GEOTECHNICAL EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL:................................................................................................ 8
11. QUALITY DOCUMENTATION:............................................................................................................................. 9

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1. PURPOSE:

The purpose of this procedure is to define the type and the extent of inspection and testing method, to be
carried out in the soil investigation activities and the responsibility and authority of the construction and
quality personnel with regards to this procedure.

2. SCOPE:

This Quality Control procedure defines the quality control activities applicable to the Soil Investigation
Works at Numaligarh Refinery Expansion Project (NREP) at NUMALIGARH REFINERY LIMITED (NRL).

3. ABBREVIATIONS & DEFINITIONS.

Client / Owner : Numaligarh Refinery Limited

MPMC : Technip India Limited
Contractor : Applicable for all Contractor involved in Soil Investigation Works
Project : Numaligarh Refinery Expansion Project (NREP)
QCP : Quality Control Procedure
ITP : Inspection & Test Plan
QCF : Quality Control Forms
EXP : Execution Plan
ITL : Independent Testing Laboratory
A/IFC : Approved / Issued for Construction
QCI : Quality Control Inspector
QCE : Quality Control Engineer

4. REFERENCE DOCUMENTS

SL. DOCUMENT NO DOCUMENT DESCRIPTION

NO
1 NR-0ZZZZ-CV-SPE-0003 Specification for Geotechnical Investigation.
2 NR-0ZZZZ-CV-SPE-0033 Specification for Site Grading and Earthworks
3 NR-0ZZZZ-CV-BOD-0001 Basis of Design – Civil & Structural
4 IS 1498 Classification and identification of soils for general
engineering purposes
5 IS 1888 Method of load test on soils
6 IS 1892 Code of practice for subsurface investigation for
foundations
7 IS 2131 Method for standard penetration test for soils
8 IS 2132 Code of practice for thin-walled tube sampling of soils
9 IS 2720 Methods of test for soils
10 IS 4434 Code of Practice for In-situ Vane Shear Test for Soils
11 IS 4464 Code of Practice for Presentation of Drilling Information
and Core Description in Geotechnical Investigation
12 IS 5249 Determination of Dynamic Properties of Soil
13 IS 5313 Guide for Core Drilling Observations
14 IS 13030 Method of test for laboratory determination of water
content, porosity, density and related properties of rock
material
15 BS 1377 Methods of Test for Soils for Civil Engineering Purposes
16 BS 5930 Code of practice for ground investigations
17 ASTM D512 Standard Test Methods for Chloride Ion in Water
18 ASTM D516 Standard Test Method for Sulfate Ion in Water

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5. RESPONSIBILITY & AUTHORITY

 Civil Superintend/Civil Supervisor

Civil Superintend / Civil Supervisor shall be responsible for ensuring that Soil Investigation works are
carried out in accordance with applicable drawings and specifications. The request for inspection (RFI)
to Quality Department shall be made at each stage of work as per the applicable ITP requirements.

 Civil QC Inspector (QCI)

The Civil QC Inspector shall be responsible for verifying that that Soil Investigation works carried out is
complete, correct and meets the specified requirements of specification and the approved drawings.

 Civil QC Engineer (QCE)

The QC Engineer or his designee shall be responsible for ensuring that all inspections and tests are
witnessed as per approved ITP, recorded on applicable ITR and signed off. QCE shall ensure that all
tests are performed by ITL as per code and reported.

6. DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES.

6.1 GENERAL:

The Geotechnical investigation agency shall submit a project specific QA/QC Plan to M-PMC / Owner for
review and approval.
QA/Qc plan shall cover all the activities involved in the Geotechnical Investigation works and shall include
the calibration certificates for the equipment’s used and CV or certificate for competency of operators etc.
Geotechnical investigation agency is responsible for submitting all the quality documents that requires
review and approval in a timely manner and in format acceptable to M-PMC / Owner.
The scope of geotechnical investigation shall be planned on the basis of nature and size of the project,
location and the availability or the lack of any geotechnical information about the area. It is an essential
and primary requirement for any new / existing area and for any important project. The investigation may,
therefore, vary from a few trial pits to a number of exploratory boreholes and field soundings spread over
the areas.
6.2 EXPLORATION REQUIREMENT:

Depending on the type of structures (buildings / elevated / foundation / storage) and equipment (heavy /
tall / vibratory) at the site, the points of exploration e.g. number of boreholes, soundings, pits etc. shall be
so planned as to get the reliable indication of the general character (geological & geotechnical) of the
ground.
Adequate numbers of boreholes shall be located under the equipment / structures to obtain more detailed
information regarding engineering properties (compressibility, shear strength, consolidation, dynamic
modulus, electrical resistivity etc.) of underlying soil and ground water conditions.
However, in absence of any laid-down rule, the following spacing of boreholes shall be used for guidance:
I) Buildings and industrial structures such as workshop, warehouse, pipeline manifolds etc., a grid pattern
with points at 25 m to 50 m distance;
ii) Linear structures such as pipe racks, retaining walls etc., a spacing of 50 m to 200 m;
iii) Special structures (e.g. bridges, stacks, machinery foundations), two to six investigation points per
foundation;

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iv) At tank locations shall consist of boreholes at maximum distance of 30m but not less than 3 boreholes
at 120 degree under the tank perimeter and one borehole at the centre of tank or as directed by the
geotechnical investigation specialist.
The above requirements mentioned may be increased or decreased subject to M-PMC / Owner review /
approval.
6.3 METHODOLOGY & DEPTH:

The methodology and depth of exploration shall be decided on the basis of any available geotechnical
information (weak / hard strata, sandy / clayey soil / rock etc.) of the area, neighborhood site and
anticipated type of foundations (piles / raft / spread). Generally, exploration shall be deep enough to reveal
series of underlying soil layers comprising materials (sand / clay / rock) of varying properties (consistency,
compactness, shear strength, compressibility etc.) and comply with the requirements of IS 1892.
Normally, the exploration shall be done by either wash boring or percussion boring (shell & auger) for an
average depth of 10 m to 20 m for non-piled foundations and 30 m to 40 m for pile foundations. Where
rock is encountered at shallow depth, exploration shall be continued at least for 3.0 m by rotary drilling
(with or without core recovery) to ascertain the soundness of the stratum.
For pipelines (buried / on grade), exploration by trial pits shall be considered adequate to determine
properties of soil strata at shallow depths. The depth of trial pits shall be at least 1.0 m to 2.0 m below the
invert level of the buried pipeline or below the anticipated foundation level for the on grade pipelines.
Spacing of trial pits along the pipeline shall be not be more than 1.0 km unless otherwise specified in the
Contract’s documents. Where there is a change in soil type, an additional trial pit shall be excavated to
establish the location of this change. In addition, a minimum of One (1) borehole (Minimum 10 m Depth)
shall be considered in the following cases:
i) On both side of any road crossing along the pipelines corridor.
ii) Any deep underground pits, i.e for block / sectionalized valves, drip barrel, corrosion monitoring pit etc.

6.4 EXECUTION:
The geotechnical investigation shall be entrusted to an approved specialist contractor in this field with full
time engagement of a team of qualified engineers, supervisors, drillers as well as skilled laboratory
supervisors who have the adequate experience in the complete soil exploration work. All the field,
laboratory and office work indicated in this specification shall be performed under the direct supervision
and guidance of registered, qualified and experienced senior geotechnical engineer approved by EIC.

7.0 FIELD INVESTIGATIONS:

a. Contractor shall locate (plan and elevation) the soil borings and other field tests by field survey, and
provide the records of the survey to NRL. Locations and elevations shall be in accordance with NR-
0ZZZZ-CV-BOD-0001.
b. The field investigations pertaining to any soil exploration work shall have the following requirements as
a minimum:
 Boreholes with SPTs
 Trial pits & trenches
 Sampling
 In-situ testing
 Groundwater monitoring.

7.1 BOREHOLES:

The objective is to get the adequate information to describe the soil condition and to establish the soil and
rock engineering profiles.
In all Boreholes the Standard Penetration Test are to be carried out. If the soil is cohesive, then the thin
walled sample shall be obtained.

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Boreholes shall be made to the diameter and the scheduled depth by the method of exploration as
specified in the Contract’s geotechnical scope of work with the collection of undisturbed (UDS) & disturbed
samples (DS) and carry-out of in-situ testing.
Normally, one of the following methods of exploration shall be employed for the advancement of a
borehole. Boring shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of IS 1892.

i. Auger Boring (Hand & Mechanical).

ii. Wash Boring.
iii. Percussion Boring.
iv. Rotary Drilling.
Suitable casing or other methods shall be employed to prevent the collapse of hole or disturbance of soil.
Soil Sample from each bore shall be uniquely identified and referenced.
All boreholes after the completion of work shall be backfilled with the cement or bentonite grout in such a
way to minimize the subsequent depression at the ground level due to the settlement of the backfill and
also to prevent any ingress of water.
Ground water shall be monitored after the stabilization of the groundwater in the borehole. Geotechnical
Investigation agency shall establish ground water level and the changes in the ground water level through
boreholes carried out at site. Water level shall be recorded at the beginning and end of the each shift or
other rest periods during the investigation period.
7.2 TRIAL PITS AND TRENCHES:

Pits and trenches shall usually be made at shallow depths in the existing plant to locate the utility services
below ground, to inspect the top soil layers for lightly loaded foundations (new / old) or to ascertain the
depth of soil from any contaminants like hydrocarbon etc. For new areas pits at shallow or deeper depths
shall be made to ascertain the suitability of sites from landfills, contaminated soils, ground water level prior
to any detailed site investigation.
Generally, pits and trenches are of following type:
i. Shallow trial pits & trenches.
ii. Observation pits & trenches.
iii. Inspection pits.
Unless otherwise mentioned in the Contract’s geotechnical scope of work, the general dimensions of pits
and trenches shall be followed as below:
i) Trial pits and observation pits shall have a minimum base area of 9.0 m2.
ii) Trenches shall be 1.5 m wide.
Photographic records shall be taken for each excavated layer of soil / materials inside all test pits and
included in the final report. In-situ tests shall be conducted and undisturbed samples obtained immediately
on reaching the specified depths, so as to avoid substantial moisture changes in the subsoil.
Proper precautions shall be considered to prevent sudden collapse of sides for any unsupported pit. Shoring
shall be installed for pits in weak soils or for pits deeper than 3.0 m in hard soils. All pits and trenches shall
be kept free of water by dewatering, if the pit or trenches is extended below water table. Ground water
shall be controlled by pumping from a sump to permit continuous work in so far as the rate of inflow of
groundwater can be controlled by use of a 50 mm outlet diameter pump and the excavation remains
stable.
Backfilling of pits and trenches shall be carried out as soon as possible with the same or similar materials
encountered. The backfilling shall be compacted to 95% of Modified Proctor’s dry density at optimum
moisture content or in such a manner to avoid any depression at the ground surface. In paved areas, the
reinstatement shall be done as per the original paving.
7.3 SAMPLING:

7.3.1 GENERAL
Large number of samples shall be extracted from the soil layers with the advancement of boreholes for
visual examination and various laboratory testing to determine the engineering properties of soils and log
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the soil profile within the scheduled borehole.

The depths below ground level at which samples are taken shall be recorded in the borehole log. For open
tube and piston samples, the depth to the bottom and bottom of the samples, and the length of sample
obtained shall be noted. For bulk samples, the limits of the sampled zone shall be recorded.
Samples shall be labelled, protected, transported and disposed in accordance with Clause 8.0 of this
Specification

7.3.2 SAMPLING PROCEDURE:

The sampling procedure shall conform to IS 2132. Both the area ratio of the cutting edge, as well as
recovery ratio of the cutting edge, as well as recovery ratio of the sample shall be measured and reported.
For normal soils, area ratio of the sampling tubes, shall conform IS 2132, that is, it may vary from 10.9
percent to 12.4 percent but for sampling in very hard and dense soils, use of thick walled sampling tubes
with area ratio not exceeding 20% may be permitted subject to the approval of EIC.
Before an open tube or piston sample is taken, the bottom of the hole shall be carefully cleared of loose
materials and where a casing is being used the sample shall be taken below the bottom of the casing.
Following a break in the work exceeding one hour, the borehole shall be advanced by 250 mm before open
tube or piston sampling is resumed.
Depending on the ground conditions (sand, clay or rock), suitable sampling techniques shall be employed
to obtain variety of quality samples in disturbed (DS) and undisturbed (UDS) conditions for appropriate
laboratory tests.
Groundwater samples shall be taken from each exploratory hole where groundwater is encountered or any
other depths specified by Engineer-in-Charge. Where water has been added previously, hole shall be baled
or pumped out so that fresh ground water flows into the borehole before sampling so that only
groundwater is present. Care shall be taken in avoiding any contamination with surface water at any time.
Water sample shall be collected in a five litre polythene or glass container and labelled properly. Minimum
quantity of the sample water shall not be less than 0.25 litres.
Where an attempt to take an open tube or piston sample is unsuccessful, the hole shall be cleaned out for
the full depth to which the sampling tube has penetrated and the recovered solid saved as a bulk disturbed
sample. A fresh attempt shall then be made from the level of the base of the unsuccessful attempt. In
case, this second attempt also proves unsuccessful, the contractor shall find alternative means of sampling.
Immediately after recovery of the sample, all exposed faces shall be sealed with wax or any other sealed
materials approved by NRL to preserve their natural moisture content and the sample shall be properly
labelled and transferred to the laboratory immediately.
7.3.2 SAMPLING FREQUENCY:
The frequency of sampling and in-situ testing is dependent on the ground conditions. Unless otherwise
specifically mentioned in the Contract’s geotechnical scope of work, the intervals shall be observed as
follows:
a. In boreholes
i. First open tube sample (generally in clay soils) or standard penetration test (SPT) (generally in
granular soils) at 0.5 m depth, the next at 1.0 m depth, thereafter 1.0 m intervals to 5.0 m depth,
then at 1.5 m intervals.
ii. Small disturbed samples shall be taken from topsoil, at each change in soil type or consistency and
midway between successive open tube samples or SPTs.
iii. Bulk disturbed samples shall be taken of each soil type.
b. In pits and trenches
i. Small disturbed samples shall be taken of the topsoil, at each change in soil type or consistency
and between successive bulks disturbed samples.
ii. ii) Bulk disturbed samples shall be taken at 1.0 m with at least one large bulk disturbed samples of
each soil type.

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c. Any special sampling, if required, shall be carried out in accordance with IS 1892 under onsite
supervision of the contractor’s geotechnical engineer and as instructed by NRL.
8. IN SITU FIELD TESTING:
All measuring equipment to be used in the testing shall be properly calibrated in accordance with the
Manufacturer’s instructions. Evidence of calibration and copies of calibration charts shall be supplied to the
EIC prior to commencing work and when otherwise requested.
The following information for each test record shall be included in the daily report, preliminary log and
factual report:
i. Date of test.
ii. Project name, exploratory borehole number & location.
iii. Depth and location of test or depths covered by tests, together with reduced levels on preliminary
logs and in the factual report.
iv. Information on groundwater levels in exploratory borehole during testing.
v. Original ground level at test site.
vi. Soil type and descriptions as visually identified from the samples.
The standard penetration test shall be discontinued when N is greater than 75 blows for 30 cms of
penetration. Dynamic cone penetration tests shall be terminated when blow counts (NC) exceed 150 for
two successive penetrations of 30 cms each.
The following in-situ tests as per Table-2 & Table-3 as mentioned in the project specification NR-0ZZZZ-CV-
SPE-0003 shall be carried out and reported in accordance with BIS Codes or equivalent BS & ASTM
Standards.

9. LABORATORY TESTING:
In addition to in-situ field tests, laboratory tests shall be conducted on the collected samples (DS / UDS)
from the boreholes to identify and classify the soils as well as to determine the physical, mechanical and
chemical properties for proper use in the design and construction.
Calibration of load - displacement or other measuring equipment shall be carried out in accordance with the
appropriate standards and the Manufacturer’s recommendations. Evidence of current calibrations shall be
supplied to the NRL whenever requested.
All tests shall be made under the supervision of the qualified laboratory supervisors having experience in
geotechnical testing and under the overall guidance of the contractor’s senior geotechnical Engineer-in-
charge of the investigation.
All tests mentioned in Table-8 & 9 of project specification NR-0ZZZZ-CV-SPE-0003 shall be carried out in
accordance with relevant BIS Codes & standards or equivalent BS & ASTM standards to meet the following
requirements unless otherwise mentioned:

10. GEOTECHNICAL EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL:

Contractor shall supply and provide all necessary equipment to carry out all the geotechnical activities. All
equipment used by the Contractor shall be good in all times and usable condition. Geotechnical work shall
not be performed with defects / improper and poor adjustment instruments or equipment which is
incapable of producing the accuracy required in the work.
Contractor shall ensure that all equipment necessary to carry out the geotechnical activities have been
calibrated within the Three (3) months prior to use. Copies of relevant calibration test certificates shall be
made available to NRL prior to commencement of geo-technical work and also it shall be available with
geotechnical engineer at site.
Contractor shall furnish the total list of equipment with Manufacturer's name and its salient data. Each item
of geotechnical equipment shall be identified by a unique tag number, shown on its identification plate. The
identification plate shall indicate the following data:
i) Date of the last calibration / setting carried out on the equipment by a recognized institute.
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ii) Validity period and expiry date of the calibration / setting.

All geotechnical works shall be carried out by qualified personnel under the supervision of a fully
experienced and qualified geotechnical engineer who shall be assigned full time on site. Contractor shall
appoint a senior geotechnical engineer to manage and co-ordinate all aspects of the work, including the
geotechnical teams, data processing, drawings and report production.
Senior geotechnical engineer shall have minimum Ten (10) years’ of experience. Each geotechnical team
shall include as a minimum:
i) One (1) number qualified geotechnical engineer with at least Five (5) years’ of experience.
ii) Two (2) numbers geotechnical assistants with at least Three (3) years’ of experience.

11. QUALITY DOCUMENTATION:

The contractor shall submit the geotechnical Investigation reports in three types namely
1. Daily Reports (Daily Exploration Reports)
2. Interim Reports. Within Seven (7) days of completion of the laboratory testing, an interim factual
report shall be issued for EIC review.
3. Final reports shall be issued by the contractor for EIC approval within two weeks after receipt of the
comments on the interim report. This shall include executive summary reports, conclusions and
recommendations, Scope of investigation work, description of exploration methods and sampling
techniques etc.
4. One (1) hard bound copy and Three (3) soft copies of interim factual report shall be submitted to EIC
for review and approval within Seven (7) days completion of laboratory testing. Finally Two (2) hard
bound copies and Three (3) soft copies of final report shall be submitted to EIC within Two (2) weeks
of the receipt of approval on interim factual report.

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