ASME B31.
8-2016
operating company determines that the normal cover
provided at the time of pipeline construction has become
unacceptably reduced due to earth removal or line move-
ment, the operating company shall provide additional
protection by providing barriers, culverts, concrete pads,
casing, lowering of the line, or other suitable means.
851.2.2 Maintenance of Cover in Cross-Country
Terrain. If the operating company learns, as a result
of patrolling, that the cover over the pipeline in cross-
country terrain does not meet the original design, it shall
determine whether the cover has been reduced to an
unacceptable level. If the level is unacceptable, the
operating company shall provide additional protection
by replacing cover, lowering the line, or other suitable
means.
851.3 Leakage Surveys
Each operating company of a transmission line shall
provide for periodic leakage surveys of the line in its
operating and maintenance plan. The types of surveys
selected shall be effective for determining if potentially
hazardous leakage exists. The extent and frequency of
the leakage surveys shall be determined by the operating
pressure, piping age, Location Class, and whether the
transmission line transports gas without an odorant.
851.4 Repair Procedures for Steel Pipelines
Evaluation of pipeline defects and associated repair
methods are discussed in paras. 851.4.1 through 851.4.5.
Additional guidance may be found in Parts 2 and 3 of
ASME PCC-2, Repair of Pressure Equipment and Piping,
and in the following PRCI documents: Pipeline Repair
Manual (original or updated version), and Pipeline
Defect Assessment — A Review and Comparison of
Commonly Used Methods. Information on these docu-
ments is found in Mandatory Appendix A.
If at any time a defect mentioned in the following
subsections of para. 851.4 is evident on a pipeline, tem-
porary measures shall be employed immediately to pro-
tect the property and the public. If it is not feasible to
make repairs at the time of discovery, permanent repairs
shall be made as soon as described herein. The use of
a welded patch as a repair method is prohibited, except
as provided in para. 851.4.4(e). Whenever a pipeline
remains pressurized while being exposed to investigate
or repair a likely defect, the operating pressure shall
be at a level that provides safety during excavation,
investigation and/or repair operations.
(a) If there is sufficient information about the defect
to determine through engineering analysis the pressure
at which excavation, investigation, and/or repair opera-
tions may be conducted safely, the pipeline shall be oper-
ated at or below this pressure during these activities.
(b) If there is insufficient information about the defect
to determine the pressure at which excavation, investiga-
tion, and/or repair operations may be conducted safely,
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the pipeline shall be operated at a pressure no greater
than 80% of the operating pressure at the time of discov-
ery. The operating pressure shall remain at or below this
reduced pressure during these activities unless sufficient
information becomes available to determine a different
pressure.
Nonleaking corroded areas that must be repaired or
replaced are defined in para. 860.2(a). Longitudinal weld
seams are commonly identified by visual inspection,
etchants, or ultrasonic testing.
A full encirclement welded split sleeve with welded
ends shall have a design pressure at least equal to that
required for the maximum allowable operating pressure
of the pipe being repaired [see para. 841.1.1(a)]. If condi-
tions require that the sleeve carry the full longitudinal
stresses, the sleeve shall be at least equal to the design
strength of the pipe being repaired. Full encirclement
sleeves shall not be less than 4 in. (100 mm) in width.
If the defect is not a leak, the circumferential fillet
welds are optional in certain cases as described in the
following sections of para. 851.4. If circumferential fillet
welds are made, the sleeve’s longitudinal welds shall be
butt welds. The welding procedures for the circumferen-
tial fillet welds shall be suitable for the materials and
shall consider the potential for underbead cracking.
Backup strips are not required. If the circumferential
fillet welds are not made, the longitudinal welds may
be butt welds, or fillets to a side bar. The circumferential
edges, which would have been sealed had the fillet weld
been made, should be sealed with a coating material
such as enamel or mastic, so that the soil environment
will be kept out of the area under the sleeve.
Prior to the installation of a sleeve, the pipe body
shall be inspected by ultrasonic methods for laminations
where sleeve fillet welds will be deposited onto the
pipe body.
Consideration shall be given to the toughness charac-
teristics and quality of all seam welds when depositing
welds across the seam in the course of repairs.
851.4.1 Definition of Injurious Dents and Mechanical
Damage
(a) Dents are indentations of the pipe or distortions
of the pipe’s circular cross section caused by external
forces.
(b) Plain dents are dents that vary smoothly and do
not contain creases, mechanical damage [such as
described in (c)], corrosion, arc burns, girth, or seam
welds.
(c) Mechanical damage is damage to the pipe surface
caused by external forces. Mechanical damage includes
features such as creasing of the pipe wall, gouges,
scrapes, smeared metal, and metal loss not due to corro-
sion. Cracking may or may not be present in conjunction
with mechanical damage. Denting of the pipe may or
may not be apparent in conjunction with mechanical
damage.
 ASME B31.8-2016
(d) Plain dents are defined as injurious if they exceed
a depth of 6% of the nominal pipe diameter. Plain dents
of any depth are acceptable provided strain levels associ-
ated with the deformation do not exceed 6% strain.
Strain levels may be calculated in accordance with
Nonmandatory Appendix R or other engineering meth-
odology. In evaluating the depth of plain dents, the need
for the segment to be able to safely pass an internal
inspection or cleaning device shall also be considered.
Any dents that are not acceptable for this purpose should
be removed prior to passing these devices through the
segment, even if the dent is not injurious.
(e) All external mechanical damage with or without
concurrent visible indentation of the pipe is considered
injurious.
(f) Dents that contain corrosion are injurious if the
corrosion is in excess of what is allowed by para. 860.2(a),
or if they exceed a depth of 6% of the nominal pipe
diameter.
(g) Dents that contain stress corrosion cracks or other
cracks are injurious.
(h) Dents that affect ductile girth or seam welds are
injurious if they exceed a depth of 2% of the nominal
pipe diameter, except those evaluated and determined
to be safe by an engineering analysis that considers weld
quality, nondestructive examinations, and operation of
the pipeline are acceptable provided strain levels associ-
ated with the deformation do not exceed 4%. It is the
operator’s responsibility to establish the quality level of
the weld.
(i) Dents of any depth that affect nonductile welds,
such as acetylene girth welds or seam welds that are
prone to brittle fracture, are injurious.
(j) The allowable height of mild ripples in carbon steel
pipe formed during the cold bending process can be
determined from Fig. 851.4.1-1, where d is the maximum
depth or crest-to-trough dimension of the ripple and D
is the specified outside diameter of the pipe. Ripples in
carbon steel pipe are acceptable if their height is below
the line shown. Ripples with heights above the line may
be demonstrated to be acceptable using a more rigorous
analysis.
851.4.2 Permanent Field Repairs of Injurious Dents
and Mechanical Damage
(a) Injurious dents and mechanical damage shall be
removed or repaired by one of the methods below, or
the operating pressure shall be reduced. The reduced
pressure shall not exceed 80% of the operating pressure
experienced by the injurious feature at the time of dis-
covery. Pressure reduction does not constitute a perma-
nent repair.
(b) Removal of injurious dents or mechanical damage
shall be performed by taking the pipeline out of service
and cutting out a cylindrical piece of pipe and replacing
same with pipe of equal or greater design pressure, or
79
by removing the defect by hot tapping, provided the
entire defect is removed.
(c) Repairs of injurious dents or mechanical damage
shall be performed as described below.
(1) Plain dents, dents containing corrosion, dents
containing stress corrosion cracking, and dents affecting
ductile girth welds or seams may be repaired with either
a full encirclement steel sleeve with open ends or with
ends welded to the pipe.
(2) External mechanical damage, and all dents
affecting acetylene girth welds or seam welds that are
known to exhibit brittle fracture characteristics may be
repaired with a full encirclement steel sleeve with ends
welded to the pipe.
(3) External mechanical damage, including cracks,
may be repaired by grinding out the damage, provided
any associated indentation of the pipe does not exceed
a depth of 4% of the nominal pipe diameter. Grinding
is permitted to a depth of 10% of the nominal pipe wall
with no limit on length. Grinding is permitted to a depth
greater than 10% up to a maximum of 40% of the pipe
wall, with metal removal confined to a length given by
the following equation:
(U.S. Customary Units)
3 11 24
1/2
2
2
a/t
L p 1.12 (Dt) −1
1.1a / t − 0.11
(SI Units)
3 4
3 11 24
1/2
2
2
a/t
L p 28.45 (Dt) −1
1.1a / t − 0.11
where
a p measured maximum depth of ground area, in.
(mm)
D p nominal outside diameter of the pipe, in. (mm)
L p maximum allowable longitudinal extent of the
ground area, in. (mm)
t p nominal wall thickness of pipe, in. (mm)
Grinding shall produce a smooth contour in the pipe
wall. The remaining wall thickness shall be verified
using ultrasonic testing. After grinding, the surface shall
be inspected for cracks using a nondestructive surface
examination method capable of detecting cracks and the
surface shall be inspected with a suitable etchant per
para. 841.2.4(e). If grinding within the depth and length
limitations fails to completely remove the damage, the
damage shall be removed or repaired in accordance
with (c)(2).
(4) Dents containing stress corrosion cracking may
be repaired by grinding out the cracks to a length and
depth permitted in para. 860.2(a) for corrosion in plain