Bolting Torquing Requirements

Sipchem
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
Standard Title:
Bolting Torquing Requirements
Standard Number Rev Date Sheet

00-PI-00-SS-012 A1 14 Jul 2009 1 of 17
Internal Review Sipchem Review Design Entire Standard Attached
Editing Bid Approval Revised Sheets Only Attached
Approvals
Rev Date By Ck Sipchem Remarks

Proj Engr Project
Engr Mgr Mgr Engr Project
Mgr Mgr
A1 14 Jul 2009 RL KH KH Changed to Sipchem Standard.
This sheet is a record of each issue or revision to the subject document. Each time this document is changed, the complete document should
be re-issued. The exact sheets changed and the nature of the change should be noted in the Remarks column; however, these remarks are
not a part of the document. Revisions shall be marked with a revision triangle and ONLY the latest revised sections shall be underlined.
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION
Controlled Documents are kept electronically.

All Printed versions of this document are uncontrolled.
Standard Title Standard Number Rev Date Sheet
Bolting Torquing Requirements 00-PI-00-SS-012 A1 14 Jul 2009 2 of 17
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 SCOPE & DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................................... 3

1.1 Scope ............................................................................................................................................. 3
1.2 Definitions ..................................................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Technical Definitions ................................................................................................................... 4
2.0 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................... 5
2.1 International Codes ...................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Sipchem Standards ...................................................................................................................... 5
2.3 Project Standards and Specifications ........................................................................................ 6
2.4 Standard Drawings ....................................................................................................................... 6
2.5 Government Regulations ............................................................................................................. 6
3.0 SAFETY ............................................................................................................................................. 6
4.0 CONTROLLED TIGHTENING CRITERIA ......................................................................................... 6
5.0 MATERIALS AND CALIBRATION.................................................................................................... 6
5.1 Materials ........................................................................................................................................ 6
5.2 Calibration ..................................................................................................................................... 7
6.0 BOLT-UP PREPARATION ............................................................................................................... 7
6.1 General .......................................................................................................................................... 7
6.2 Flange Fit and Alignment ............................................................................................................. 7
7.0 BOLT TORQUING PROCEDURE ..................................................................................................... 7
8.0 BOLT TENSIONING PROCEDURE .................................................................................................. 8
9.0 ULTRASONIC BOLT STRESS DETERMINATION .......................................................................... 9
10.0 FLANGE DISASSEMBLY AND BOLT RETIGHTENING .............................................................. 9
ATTACHMENT 1 – BOLT TORQUING SEQUENCE ............................................................................... 10
ATTACHMENT 2 – TORQUE VALUES TO ACHIEVE REQUIRED BOLT RESIDUAL STRESS LEVELS
.................................................................................................................................................................... 16
ATTACHMENT 3 – TIGHTENING METHOD AND LEVEL OF ULTRASONIC BOLT STRESS
MEASUREMENT ........................................................................................................................................ 17
CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION 00-PI-00-SS-012 Rev A1

1.0 SCOPE & DEFINITIONS

1.1 Scope
1.1.1 This Standard defines the requirements for the controlled tightening of flanged joints
using hydraulic bolt tensioners or torque wrenches for the Sipchem Projects, Saudi
Arabia. (Torque wrenches may be hydraulically, pneumatically o r manually
powered).
1.1.2 It is recognized that vessel/ heat exchanger manufacturers and specialist bolting
CONTRACTORs may have their own bolt tightening procedures. These may be
used following review by and written approval from COMPANY.
1.1.3 In the absence of approved bolt tightening procedures the requirements of this
Standard apply to the controlled tightening of bolted joints.
1.2 Definitions
Except as otherwise expressly provided, or unless the context otherwise requires, the terms
defined in this Standard shall have the following meanings:
“Acceptable Manufacturer’s List or AML” is contained in Standard 00-PQ-00-ML-001.
“Approve”, “Approved” or “Approval” means COMPANY’s written concurrence with

CONTRACTOR’s proposed course of action, or of results achieved as a result of
CONTRACTOR’s action. If another party’s consent is required in addition to or in place of
COMPANY, that party will be identified. COMPANY’s approval does not remove from
CONTRACTOR any of its duties or obligations under the Contract, nor does it explicitly or
implicitly assign any of those duties or obligations to COMPANY.
“COMPANY” is the company defined as “COMPANY” in the Contract Signature Document.
“Contract” means the contract defined in the Contract Signature Document, agreed and
executed by COMPANY and CONTRACTOR.
“CONTRACTOR” is the company defined as “CONTRACTOR” in the Contract Signature

Document, with whom COMPANY has entered into the Contract. CONTRACTOR includes
CONTRACTOR’s Representatives, Subcontractors, successors and permitted assignees.
“Facility” means the plant to be engineered, designed and procured by CONTRACTOR

and constructed by Construction Contractor, including systems and components which
comprise a fully functional and operational plant required to provide safe and reliable
supplies of product in full support of the Sipchem Projects.
“IPMT” means the integrated project management team (IPMT) consisting of

representatives of COMPANY, PMC Contractor and their subcontractors representing the
COMPANY to oversee the Contract and monitor the performance of CONTRACTOR.
“Manufacturer” means manufacturer or fabricator of Materials for the Facility as identified

in the AML.

“Materials” means all materials (including bulk materials), equipment, machinery,

instruments, spare parts, products, supplies, apparatus and goods of every nature (except
Construction Equipment) to be supplied by CONTRACTOR or Construction Contractor
which are intended to become or become a permanent part of the Facility.
“Sipchem Projects” means the Facility, the Utilities Plant and associated plants, pipelines,
port storage and loading areas which are being or will be constructed at the Sipchem
Projects Site.
“PMC Contractor" or “PMC” means project PMC contractor, and its affiliates.
“Project” means all encompassing schemes, plans, actions and efforts involved in the
engineering, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning, start-up and
testing of the Facility as referred to in and in accordance with this Contract and Construction
Contract.
“SIPCHEM or Sipchem” means Saudi International Petrochemical Company.
“Site” means all the land at Madinat Al-Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, occupied by
COMPANY on which the Facility will be located, as more particularly described in Sipchem
Specifications and any other place or places to which Materials are to be delivered or where
Work is to be done by CONTRACTOR, together with so much of the area surrounding the
same as CONTRACTOR shall, with the consent of COMPANY, actually use in connection
with the Work and all other work to be performed by CONTRACTOR hereunder, otherwise
than merely for the purposes of access.
“Standard(s) or Sipchem Standard(s)” means the base standards which apply to all
Sipchem and affiliate company projects, identified by a prefix of “00” in the standard number.
“Specification(s) or Project Specification(s)” means the Standards, specification,

drawings, data, procedures, instructions, requirements and all other information contained in
the project Invitation to Bid (ITB) package.
“Subcontract” shall mean any contract or agreement between the CONTRACTOR and
any third party for the performance of any part of the Work including, without limitation,
purchase orders for Material and shall include any agreement (of whatever tier) by which the
Subcontractor further subcontracts such Work.
“Subcontractor” shall mean any person, including but not limited to a supplier, vendor,
manufacturer or subcontractor engaged by CONTRACTOR in the performance of the Work
or any part including those providing labor, manufacturing, fabrication or other services or
Materials. Subcontractor also means any of the Subcontractor’s subcontractors of any tier.
“Work” shall mean all work, operations and services required to be performed by the
CONTRACTOR or its Subcontractors to fully comply with this Contract.
1.3 Technical Definitions

Applied Load/Stress – The maximum load/ stress applied to the bolt during the tightening
procedure.

Hydraulic Tensioning – The application of bolt load by stretching the bolt using a hydraulic
nut at the free end of the bolt followed by hand tightening of the service nut.
Residual Load/Stress – The load/ stress in the bolt on completion of the tightening
procedure.
Torque Tightening – The application of bolt load by rotating the in-service nut using a
torque wrench.
2.0 REFERENCES
Where a date or edition of a reference document is shown, this defines the version applicable to the
Project. The latest version approved by the issuing authority as of the effective date of the award of
the Contract shall be the version applicable to the Project.
Design, materials and workmanship shall conform to applicable provisions of listed Standards and
Publications.
2.1 International Codes
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)

B31.1 Power Piping
B31.3 Process Piping
ASME B16.5 Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings
ASME B16.20 Metallic Gaskets for Pipe Flanges – Ring-Joint, Spiral-Wound, and
Jacketed
B1.20.1 Pipe Thread, General Purpose (Inch)
ASME B16.47 Large Diameter Steel Flanges
ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (BPVC)
Section VIII Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code
2.2 Sipchem Standards
00-IP-00-SS-001 Shop and Field Coating

00-IP-00-SS-003 Hot Dip Galvanizing
00-ME-00-SS-046 Positive Material Identification
00-PI-00-SS-001 Piping And Plant Design Layout
00-PI-00-SS-002 Piping Material line Class & Index
00-PI-00-SS-003 Purchase Valves
00-PI-00-SS-004 Purchase Pipe
00-PI-00-SS-005 Purchase Fittings
00-PI-00-SS-006 Purchase Flanges
00-PI-00-SS-007 Purchase Nuts, Bolts and Gaskets

2.3 Project Standards and Specifications

XXX-EM-00-BED-001 Environmental Data
XXX-EM-00-BED-002 Units of Measurement
XXX-EM-00-BED-005 Basic Engineering Design Data
XXX – Project Standard Number

2.4 Standard Drawings
None.
2.5 Government Regulations

None.
3.0 SAFETY
The Tensioning/ torquing shall be conducted by competent and trained operators to ensure the
safety of the people and equipment in the area.
4.0 CONTROLLED TIGHTENING CRITERIA

4.1 Flanged joints which comply with any of the criteria listed below shall be made using a
controlled tightening procedure. Joints to be considered:
a.) Pipeline flanged joints.
b.) Pipeline to vessel joints
c.) The Vessel joints including manway covers and girth flanges.
d.) The Equipment joints
Each joint shall be identified on the piping isometric for line joints, vessel drawing for line to
nozzle, manway and girth joints and on the equipment drawings/ documentation for
equipment items.
The level of ultrasonic bolt stress measurement shall be as given in Attachment 3.
4.2 Individually designed flanged joints where a required bolt stress is a design requirement.
4.3 Joints with a bolt size greater than or equal to 38 mm
4.4 Any other flanged joint defined as critical by COMPANY.
5.0 MATERIALS AND CALIBRATION

5.1 Materials
Bolting and gasket materials, flange finish and bolt lubrication are specified in the individual
line classes or on pressure vessel and equipment drawings.
See individual line classes for gasket details.

5.2 Calibration
All torquing devices and hydraulic tensioners shall be calibrated monthly. All ultrasonic
equipment shall be calibrated daily. Calibration records shall be filed and indexed in an
orderly manner and shall be subject to review by the Field engineer.
6.0 BOLT-UP PREPARATION

6.1 General
6.1.1 Bolt and gasket types and sizes are indicated on piping isometrics.
6.1.2 Check all bolting, nuts, and gaskets to ensure materials and markings are in
accordance with applicable material specifications. Do not mix and match.
6.1.3 Bolts and nuts shall be clean and free from all paint, dirt and foreign material.
These items shall be inspected for worn or damaged threads. Damaged items shall
be replaced.
6.1.4 Bolts shall be lubricated.
6.1.5 Spiral wound and double jacketed gaskets are designed for “one-time” installation
and therefore must not be re-used.
6.1.6 Gaskets shall be handled carefully. Special care shall be taken not to damage the
gasket face and to keep the face clean of grease and debris. Additional precautions
shall be taken with large diameter spiral wound gaskets to avoid “springing” the
windings. Sealing surfaces of both flanges and gaskets shall be clean and free from
defects. Any damage to the gasket contact face that would prevent seating the
gasket shall be repaired, or at the option of the COMPANY’s Field engineer, the
flange shall be replaced.
6.1.7 Flange nut seating areas shall be free of burrs and pits and shall conform to ASME
B16.5 or B16.47, as applicable.
6.1.8 Bolt torquing/ tensioning shall be carried out before flange thermal insulation,
hydrotesting or flushing/ cleaning operations.
6.2 Flange Fit and Alignment
6.2.1 For non-metallic and semi-metallic gaskets, flange faces shall be parallel to within
1.5 mm per 300 mm of flange face OD (maximum) prior to tightening, and flange
bolt holes shall be aligned to within 3 mm maximum off-set. System flexibility should
allow sealing of the gasket with the specified bolt load.
6.2.2 Bolts shall be centered in bolt hole and true to hole centerline. Nuts shall be free
running.
7.0 BOLT TORQUING PROCEDURE

The bolt torquing procedure is as follows:
1.) Lubricate bolts by applying the appropriate nickel lubricant to the nuts, bolts and contact face
of the nuts. The lubricant should coat the entire threaded area. Ensure that the lubricant
does not come into contact with the gasket or the gasket seating surface.

2.) Install bolts on the bottom half of the flange.

3.) Install the gasket on the flange surface to be sealed. The gasket shall be located centrally in
the flange assembly. The gasket shall not be forced into position.
4.) Bring the opposing flange into contact with the gasket.
5.) Install the rest of the bolts and nuts finger tight. Ensure that at least one full thread is visible
beyond the nut for all bolts.
6.) Tighten bolts in sequential order as shown in Attachment 1 until bolts are snug-tight, and
flanges close fitting. This step may be assisted with the use of a wrench. Do not over-
torque bolts.
7.) Torque the bolts in three passes using the sequential order in Attachment 1 for each pass.
Apply 30% of the final target torque value in the first pass, 60% in the second, and 100% in
the third.
8.) After the final target torque value is reached, tighten in the rotational order in Attachment 1 in
a clockwise direction, followed by a second round in the counter clockwise direction.
(Repeat until no further nut movement occurs.)
9.) Following hydrotest, complete a check of the bolt torque levels in 5% of the bolts on any
flanges sized 24 inches and up or with pressure ratings 900# and up.
10.) After torquing is completed, stud ends shall be painted. This provides verification that the
bolts have been torqued.
8.0 BOLT TENSIONING PROCEDURE

The bolt tensioning procedure is as follows:
1.) Measure the free length of the bolts ultrasonically. This must be done prior to applying any
load to the bolt.
2.) Install bolts on the bottom half of the flange. The bolts must extend one to one and a half
bolt diameters from the face of the nut on the side to be tensioned.
3.) Install the gasket on the flange surface to be sealed. The gasket shall be located centrally in
the flange assembly. The gasket shall not be forced into position.
4.) Bring the opposing flange into contact with the gasket.
5.) Assemble bolt tensioners on the first set of bolts in the pattern (50% of the bolts).
6.) Pressurize the tensioners to the first pass pump setting. Turn the nuts down against the
flange face.
7.) Release the pressure after the required pressure is reached and the nuts have been turned
down against the joint face.
8.) Transfer stud tensioners to the second set of bolts in the pattern and repeat the above.
9.) Measure the residual stress in the bolts ultrasonically as per Section 9.
10.) Following hydrotest, complete a check of the bolt stress levels in 5% of the bolts on any
flanges sized 24 inches and up or with pressure ratings 900# and up.
11.) Once the tensioning procedure is complete, apply a liberal coating of nickel lubricant to the
stud ends protruding from the nuts.
12.) For each controlled tensioned flange set, a tensioning summary report traceable to each
flange set and bolt number shall be furnished.
13.) After tensioning is completed, stud ends shall be painted. This provides verification that the
bolts have been tensioned.

9.0 ULTRASONIC BOLT STRESS DETERMINATION

9.1 Ultrasonic measurement of bolt stresses shall be performed at the percentage levels given
in Attachment 3.
9.2 The ultrasonic probe must be positioned on the end of a flat stud. If both ends of the stud
are not flat or if there are markings on either end, the ends must be ground flat. The surface
is considered flat if it has a surface finish of 63 to 80 in Ra and end parallelism of +/- 0.125
mm.
10.0 FLANGE DISASSEMBLY AND BOLT RETIGHTENING

10.1 When disassembly of a joint is required, the bolts shall be loosened in the same sequence
as prescribed for tightening.
10.2 Loosen each nut by 1/12th turn in proper sequence. Repeat the sequence at least once
before completely loosening any bolts.
10.3 To retighten bolts during reassembly, follow the original tightening procedures in Sections 8,
9 and 10, as applicable. Spiral wound and double jacketed gaskets are designed for “one-
time” use and must not be re-used.

ATTACHMENT 1 – BOLT TORQUING SEQUENCE






ATTACHMENT 2 – TORQUE VALUES TO ACHIEVE REQUIRED BOLT RESIDUAL STRESS

LEVELS
Nominal Bolt Residual Stress Level (2)(3)

Diameter Of Bolt
Control Torque Torque Only Tension Only
(1) (4) (4)
35,000 psi 45,000 psi 30,000 psi (4)
Inches Torque Torque Torque

Ft-lbs Ft-lbs Ft-lbs
0.500 30 45 (5)
0.625 60 90 (5)
0.750 100 150 (5)
0.875 160 240 (5)
1.000 245 368 (5)
1.125 355 533 (5)
1.250 500 750 (5)
1.375 680 1020 (5)
1.500 800 1200 (5)
1.625 1100 1650 (5)
1.875 2000 3000 (5)

Notes:
1) These values are for new bolts only
2) Torque Values are based on use of Nickel lubricant
3) Torque values are based on the use of Grade “B7” and “B16” bolts only
4) Minimum and maximum from target may vary by +/- 5% respectively
5) To be calculated by torquing / tensioning CONTRACTOR

ATTACHMENT 3 – TIGHTENING METHOD AND LEVEL OF ULTRASONIC BOLT STRESS

MEASUREMENT
ASME Class 150, 300, 600, and 900
Equipment type Tightening method to Percentage or number of

be used bolts to be tested
Exchangers Torquing 10% as a minimum
All other equipment Torquing 5% as a minimum
Piping (only when 4 studs Torquing 2

controlled torquing is 8 - 12 studs (see note 1) 2
required)
> 12 Studs 4
ASME Class 1500 and 2500
Tightening method to Percentage or number of

Equipment type be used bolts to be tested
Reactors / reactor piping Tensioning or torquing 100%
Exchangers Tensioning or torquing 100%
All other equipment Tensioning or torquing 10% as a minimum

Piping 4 studs Torquing 2
> 4 studs 50% minimum
Note 1 – for class 150/ 300/ 600 flange sizes 1.5-inch and less manual tightening is acceptable.
– for class 150 flange sizes 2-inch and 3-inch with ring type gaskets manual tightening is acceptable
End of Standard


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Sipchem

Jubail, Saudi Arabia

Standard Number Rev Date Sheet

Rev Date By Ck Sipchem Remarks

A1 14 Jul 2009 RL KH KH Changed to Sipchem Standard.

Controlled Documents are kept electronically.