Method of

Statement
for Pipeline
Works

Method of Statement KAFD Project

Introduction
This Method statement describes in detail the trench excavation,
bedding, backfilling, lining of pipes and supports, welding process
and cleaning, testing and commissioning for pipe work of King
Abdullah Financial District Project.
Contents
1.0 Trench Excavation, Disposal of Excavated Material, Excavation to be
Kept Free from Water, Bedding For Pipe, Backfilling
2.0 Handling of Pipe
3.0 Lowering Pipes and Supports
4.0 Lining Up Pipes and Supports
5.0 Anchor Blocks
6.0 Welding
7.0 Cleaning, Testing and Commissioning
8.0 List of Main Equipment, Tools, Instruments
9.0 Health, Safety and Environment Measures

1.Trench Excavation

(1) The line and level of trenches will be as shown on the drawings. Before
commencing excavation, the alignment of the trench will be pegged out
accurately and the ground level will be agreed with the Engineer.
(2) The bottom of the trenches will be accurately graded to provide
uniform bearing and support for each section of the pipe on undisturbed
soil at every point along its length, except for the portions of the pipe
where it is necessary to excavate for bell-holes and for proper sealing of
joints. Bell holes and depression for joints will be dug after the trench

Method of Statement KAFD Project

bottom has been graded.

(3) Care will be taken not to excavate below the depths indicated. Where
rock is encountered, the rock will be excavated to the required depth.
Uneven surfaces of the bottom of trench will be excavated 150mm deeper.
Such depth, if in rock, will be backfilled with concrete grade C20 as
specified and when in earth, will be backfilled with approved material at
the Contractors own expense.
(4)Whenever unstable soil which in the opinion of the Engineer, is
incapable of properly supporting the pipe or duct is encountered in the
bottom of the trench, such soil will be removed to the depth required and
the trench backfilled to the proper grade with approved material, fine
gravel or other suitable material approved by the Engineer.
(5) No length of trench excavation will be started until pipes, fittings, etc.
to be laid in that length are available on site.
(6)Any widening or deepening of trench necessary to accommodate
curves, bends, joints, etc. will be measured
(7)Subject to any specific requirements of the Contract the backfilling and
temporary surface reinstatement of trench excavation will be commenced
and be completed as soon as reasonably practicable after the pipes have
been laid and joined. Pipe laying will follow closely upon the progress of
trench excavation.
(8)Trench excavations in roads and at thrust blocks in all locations will
have vertical sides and be supported as required to ensure safe working.
(9)Special precautions will be taken at all times to prevent settlement in
the vicinity of the trenches
(10) All top soil will be carefully placed aside (but not in the road /
alleyway etc) and afterwards replaced in its original position.
1.1. Disposal of Excavated Material
(1) Excavated material which is not required immediately or is unsuitable
for reuse in the works will be disposed of. Material ordered to be
disposed of the Employer and will be deposited at places where
showed.
(2) Subject to any specific requirements of the Contract, the disposal of
excavated material within the site will be at the Contractor's

Method of Statement KAFD Project

discretion but will be arranged as to be acceptable to the Engineer

and to suit the overall requirements for the construction of the works.
The Contractor will ensure that no excavated material which is
suitable for and is required for reuse in the works is disposed of
outside the site.
1.3. Excavation to be Kept Free from Water
(1) The excavation will be kept free from flooding, whether above or
below the groundwater table, by storm water, percolating water,
subsoil water, or other means. The sufficient pumping equipment will
be providing for the needs of the works on site at any time.
(2) No water will be discharged into any water course, onto roads, tracks,
footpaths, yards or any other area used by vehicular or pedestrian
traffic, unless approved by the Engineer.

1.4. Bedding For Pipe

(1)Prior to placing bedding, the ground surface to receive bedding will be

inspected and approved by the Engineer.
(2)Bedding and backfill material for coated and pre-insulated chilled water
pipe will be clean sand or soft (dune) sand well worked around the pipe
so that at least 1/3 of the pipe surface is fully supported.
(3)Sand will pass a 2mm screen and not more than 12 percent will pass a
0.075 mm size sieve. Sand will be uniformly compacted to a depth of
150 mm beneath the pipe or conduits with particular care given to the
bedding at the haunches of the pipe. Bedding material will be placed in
150mm loose layers and mechanically compacted. Sand will be placed
to a height of 300mm unless specified otherwise on the drawing(s)
above the top of the pipe.

1. 5. Backfilling

(1)Backfilling of the excavations will not be carried out without the

consent of the Engineer.
(2)Except as noted, backfill material will consist of materials imported
from outside the site or excavated from the cut areas, which are in the
opinion of the Engineer, suitable for use in constructing fill. The
material will be free from unsuitable material (as defined above) or

Method of Statement KAFD Project

particles larger than 75mm in the largest dimension. Backfill material

will consist of granular soil with at least 80 percent of material smaller
than 13mm in size. It will have a liquid limit less than 30 per ASTM
D4318, plasticity index of less than 10 per ASTM D4318, and less than
20 percent passing a 0.075 mm size sieve unless indicated otherwise.
(3)All material used as backfill will have a maximum salt content at 1%
and a maximum sulphate content of 5%
(4)Excavation will be carried out in such a manner that material which is
unsuitable for backfilling and compaction will be excavated separately
and removed from the site.
(5)Material for backfilling below will be accepted as unsuitable.
(a) Materials from swamps, marshes and bogs;
(b) Vegetable matter,
decomposition;
(c)

timber

or

similar

material

liable

to

Materials susceptible to spontaneous combustion;

(d) Clay or earth having excess liquid content;

(e) Any kind of soft, non-homogeneous fill material;
(f)

Rock over 100 mm in any dimension.

g)

Polluting material

(6) If the excavated material is unsuitable as backfill, suitable material will

be obtained from site stockpiles or borrow pits, and the suitable fill
material will be backfilled and compacted, all in accordance with this
Section.
(7) Care will be taken during backfill operations to prevent damage to the
permanent works. In particular, damage to membranes will be repaired
before backfill is continued.
(8) Planking, strutting, sheet piles and other supports in excavations will
only be removed as backfilling proceeds to maintain the stability of the
side until backfill is completed. Temporary supports will not be left in the
ground.
(9) Bedding and backfill will be compacted by mechanical tamping
wherever possible. Hand compacted backfill will be permitted only when
mechanical tamping is impractical as determined by the Engineer. Handcompacted bedding will be placed in loose lifts not exceeding 150mm.
Hand-compacted backfill will be placed in loose lifts not exceeding
100mm.

Method of Statement KAFD Project

(10) Machine-compacted bedding will be placed in loose lifts not exceeding

150mm; machine compacted backfill will be placed in loose lifts not
exceeding 200mm. Machine compactors will be suitable for the type of soil
to be compacted.
2. Handling of Pipe
(1) Suitable crane and equipment will be used for placing pipes near
trench or tunnel shafts. Pipes will not be stacked more than 1 level during
the storage near the shaft or near trench. Pipes will be stacked 100mm
clear from ground to prevent sand and water.

3.Lowering Pipes and Supports

(1) Lowering-in can start after removal from trench bottom of any cut-offs,
pipe supports, stones, debris, stakes, rock projections and any other
deleterious materials which could result in damage of the coating.
(2) Lowering-in will follow as soon as possible, after the required length of
pipe section is hydro tested and after completion of the joint coating of the
pipeline.
3) Precautions will be taken immediately after lowering-in to prevent the
movement of the pipe in the trench.
(4) Suitable lifting hooks and crane will be used when lowering pipes,
fittings and support into tunnel. Lifting hooks will be suitable to prevent
damage to the HDPE insulation/ jacket and bevel caps.
(5) Pipes, fittings and supports will be lowered on the track that is in tunnel
by crane. Forklift will be used to lower the pipes, fittings and supports on
tunnel ground. Pipes ends will be remained before welding starts.
(6) Pipes will not be allowed to drop or strike object which may damage
the pipes or insulation/jacket.

4. Lining Up Pipes and Supports

1) Prior to aligning pipes, each length of pipes will be examined
internally/externally to make sure that it is free from visual defects.

Method of Statement KAFD Project

(2)In tunnel supports will be placed according to the alignment line which
defined in the project. Pipes will be lined on the supports described in
project by using necessary equipment.
(3) The pipes will be lined up in suitable sections such that lowering is
possible without any damage and disruption to the existing utilities and
services.
5. Anchor Blocks
(1) Anchor blocks to be constructed in accordance with the details in the
issued drawings.
6. Welding
(1) The pipeline welding will be carried out in accordance with the
approved welding procedure.
6.1 Welding Procedure
(1) Welding procedure specification and procedure qualification record will
be carried out in accordance with ASME SEC.IX. Welding procedure
specification will cover all circumferential butt weld, attachment welds.
(2) All welding procedure should be submitted for approval on form QW482 of ASME SEC.IX.
6.2 Welder Performance Qualification
(1) Welders will be qualified for welding position which they will carry out
production welding.
(2) Welder performance qualification will be carried out in accordance with
ASME SEC.IX

6.3 Welding Equipment

(1) All welding equipment will be sufficient capacity for the work to be
performed and will be capable of producing welds of acceptable quality. All
equipment will be maintained in good working condition .any equipment
does not meet the requirement will be replaced.
6.4 Weather Protection

Method of Statement KAFD Project

(1) If the weather condition is not available for adequate welding, shelter
will be used for protecting the welding environment from inclement
weather.
6.5 Parent Material
(1) All material used for work will be stored properly and protected from
weather.
6.6 Welding Consumables
(1) All electrodes will be stored in fully sealed packages in dry storage
rooms. The electrodes should be properly identifiable up to the time of
usage.
(2) All electrodes which are damaged, wet, rusty will be scrapped.
(3) Low hydrogen electrodes for SMAW will be baked at 300 deg. C for at
least one hour. The electrodes may be transferred to an intermediate
storage cabinet at 120deg C - 150deg C and maintained at that
temperature before they are issued for
welding
(4) Cellulose coated SMAW electrodes will be kept in a dry and dust free
enclosure after opening of factory container.
6.7 Electrode Size
(1) The maximum electrode diameter for single sided welding using the
SMAW process will be 3.2mm for the root pass and 5mm for fill and cap
passes.
6.8 Edge Preparation and Joint Alignment
(1) When pipes are cut, edge preparation will be done in accordance with
approved welding procedure. During the weld alignment forklift and
external clamps will be used. The clamps will not be removed when the
root bead is at least 50% completed.
6.9 Interpass Temperature
(1) The maximum interpass temperature will be comply with approved
welding procedure specification.

Method of Statement KAFD Project

6.10 Interpass Cleaning

(1) After each welding pass, the weld will be cleaned of all flux, slag and
spatter by brushing or grinding. Every welding pass will be visually
examined by welder.
6.11 Peening
(1) Weld peening will not be permitted.
6.12 Interruption Of Welding
(1) At least 3 runs have been deposited and 50% of wall thickness is
deposited before interruption of welding.
6.13 Weld Identification
(1) Each weld will be uniquely identified with a weld number and the same
must be represented on the weld identification drawings. After the
completion of each weld and prior to its visual examination, the weld and
welder identifications will be marked adjacent to the weld at a distance of
about 50mm from the weld using paint.
7. Cleaning, Testing and Commissioning
7.1 General
(1) It is an essential requirement of the works that the pipeline system is
handed-over in a clean and leak free condition.
(2 )To achieve these conditions, the following points will be carried out.

Pre-cleaning
Air/hydro testing
Chemical Cleaning
Chemical Treatment
Commissioning

7.2 Pre-Cleaning
(1) Upon completion of the welding of the complete section of the pipeline,
the line will be flushed using potable water at a min. velocity of 1.5m/sec.
Following flushing the pipework will be given a final cleaning by pigging
using a brush pig.

Method of Statement KAFD Project

7.3 Hydrostatic Test Procedure

(1) Immediately completion of the pre-cleaning the sections of the pipeline
and before final joints coating, the pipeline sections will be tested.
(2) After installation of the complete pipeline and after joint
coating/backfilling, the complete pipeline will be subjected to a final
hydrostatic test
(3) The hydro-testing of Station and Terminal Piping Systems will meet the
requirements of ASME B31.4 and Technical Specification of King Abdullah
Financial District Cooling Pipeline Project.
.

7.3.1 Test Equipment

Pump: Used for filling pressurizing the line.
Relief Valve: Used for protection of line against over pressure. Relief valve
will be set to %7 higher value of the test pressure
Chart Recorder: Used for measuring temperature, time and pressure in the
pipeline.
Water Tanker: Used for water supply.
Hose: Used for transferring water from water tank to pipeline.
7.3.2 Test Preparation
Test Medium
(1) For hydrostatic test of carbon steel pipeline system, test medium will
be potable water with ambient temperature.
Isolation of the Line
(1) Blinding will be done in accordance with the configuration of the piping
system to be
tested.
Water Filling
(1) Before the filling water, it ensured that all inside of the pipes and
fittings are clean and free from loose ill scale and foreign matter.

Method of Statement KAFD Project

(2) Prior to commencing filling, all hose will be checked. All of bolt
connection will be tightened and hose connection will be fitted properly
before filling water.
(3) Water tanker will be used for water supply according to volume of
pipeline system to be tested.
(4) The pump will be used for filling the pipeline system to be tested.
(5) Butterfly valves will be open during the test.
(6) Water filling will be done lowest point of pipeline system to be tested to
minimize entrapped air and all vent will be open during the filling.
Pressurizing The Line
(1) Before start pressurizing, all hose connection will be checked. Water
pump will be used for pressurizing pipeline system to be tested.
(2) Pressurizing will be done in accordance with ASME B31.3
(3) Test pressure will be gradually increased until reaching the test
pressure. The speed of pressurizing will not pass 2 bar/min. till reaching of
%40 of test pressure. In the rest of %60, the speed of pressurizing will not
pass 1 bar/min. Test pressure will be between 225 to 230 Psi and held
pressure for a period of min. 24 hours.
Inspection And Completion Of The Test
(1) The line will be hold min. 24 hours during the test. During the holding
time, all flange connection, threaded joint and welded joint will be
checked. No drop in pressure is allowed during the hold period. In the case
there is a drop in pressure, it will be explained that drop in pressure is due
to the drop in temperature. The pressure and and temperature will be
recorded using chart recorders having valid calibration certificates.
Draining of Water
(1) Release of pressure and draining will be done on lowest level of
pipeline system.
Removal And Reconnection Of Component
(1) All temporary item installed for testing will be removed. Items were
removed from testing will be reinstalled.
7.4 Air Test

Method of Statement KAFD Project

(1) In place where backfilling is required to be carried out immediately

after welding, an air test using a low pressure(between 5 psi-10psi) and
liquid soap solution will be carried out.
7.5 Chemical Cleaning
(1) When the pressure testing has been completed and accepted,
immediately chemical cleaning of total system will be done. The chemical
used will be of an approved pH neutral type specifically produced to
remove preservatives, oil and greases ,dirt and general construction
debris. Water circulation, chemical addition and bleeding will continue until
the iron content measurement is no more than 0.5 mg/l above the
incoming water level.
7.6 Chemical Treatment
(1 )After satisfactorily completion
treatment will be carried out.

of

chemical

cleaning,

chemical

(2) The chemicals to be dosed will be a corrosion inhibitor and a microbiocide of a type and manufacture approved by an engineer. Chemical
treatment will be continued until the samples taken confirm acceptable
level in accordance with the manufacturers recommendations.
7.7 Pipeline Commissioning
(1) Commissioning and integrating the new pipeline system with existing
system will be done.
7.8. Documentation
(1) The following documentation will be provided that describe the
inspection test results.
These will include for example:
Test Records in accordance conform as below.

Date of Test
Identification of Piping System Tested
Test Fluid
Test Pressure

Method of Statement KAFD Project

8.0 List of Main Equipment, Tools, Instruments

8.1 Equipment And Tools

A. Tractor
B. Forklift
C. Trailer
D. Generator
E. Crane
F. Projector
G. Electrical Panel
H. Slingshot
I. Alignment Tools (External clamps)
J. Welding Personnel Protective Equipments
K. Hand tools
M. Steel measuring tape
N. Angle & Straight Grinders
O. Welding Machines
P. Steel Scaffolding and Ladders
R. Welding tent
S. Ventilator
9.0 Health, Safety and Environment Measures
9.1 Preparation
Notify all concerned in site for the date of material
delivery.
-

Coordinate with Safety Department for delivery trucks access routes.

Ensure all workers involved in the hauling operation put on PPE all
times.
-

Brief individual worker the roles and responsibilities of each.

Ensure transporter route is cleared of obstruction.

Coordinate with Construction Department for Pipe Hoisting area.

Ensure designated hoisting area is cleared of obstruction.

Method of Statement KAFD Project

The lorry transporting the pipes will be guided to the designated

hoisting area

and released all the latching belts only after the

lorry parked firmly.

9.2 During Site Execution
-

Ensure workers are distributed to each designated place.

Ensure workers at all times to be in proper gear where required.

Ensure all workers assigned are involved in its particular task.

Brief individual worker the roles and responsibilities before start work.

Ensure the pipe lengths to suit site routes into designated work area.

Ensure pipe support systems are installed accordingly as required.

Ensure all tools to be used have been inspected and tag by Safety
Dept.
-

Ensure work areas are clearly marked to restrict access to

authorized

personnel only.

Ensure that equipments to be used are properly tagged and checked.

9.3 Housekeeping
-

Maintain cleanliness and orderly stocking of materials & tools.

Pick up and dispose wastes & other debris prior to leaving site area.

Remove safety yellow tape or other warning devices that were

used to control access to the work area.

Store tools, equipment and unused materials properly at the

end of the

workday.

9.4 Safety Inspections

(1) It will be responsibility of the Supervisor to routinely inspect the
physical areas under their control in pipe welding works. This
inspection will include determining if pipes, supports, scaffolds and
ladders are appropriately installed and/or use, and if the job site is
cleaned up after the days work.

Method of Statement KAFD Project