Polyethylene Pipe for Gas Gathering Covered in New ASTM Standard

ASTM International Committee F17 on Plastic Piping Systems has developed a new standard that covers use of polyethylene pipe for gas gathering purposes. F 2619/F 2619M, Specification for High-Density Polyethylene (PE) Line Pipe, is under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee F17.60 on Gas.
“Polyethylene pipe does not rust, rot or corrode, does not require cathodic protection and for many hazardous liquid applications can provide a cost-effective solution,” says Bill Adams, senior engineer, WL Plastics Corporation, and a member of Committee F17. “But for use in federal regulations, a consensus standard is required. Hence the need for F 2619.”

Gas gathering (getting gas from wells to production facilities) is a different application from gas distribution (getting gas to homes and businesses). While polyethylene pipes are commonly used for gas gathering in the United States, there are areas in which population density requires adherence to Federal Regulation CFR 49 Part 192, which states that polyethylene pipe must comply with ASTM D 2513, Specification for Thermoplastic Gas Pressure Pipe, Tubing and Fittings. However, D 2513 is a standard that covers pipe for gas distribution, not gathering.

Adams says Subcommittee F17.60 is hopeful that the U.S. Department of Transportation will incorporate F 2619 in U.S. codes for the transport of hazardous liquids and gases. “The incorporation of F 2619 into federal codes will provide a non-corroding alternative for operators of hazardous liquid pipelines and provide operators of regulated gas gathering systems with polyethylene pipes that are specifically for gas gathering systems,” says Adams.

All interested parties, especially piping system operators, are welcome to join in the standards developing activities of Subcommittee F17.60. ASTM International standards can be purchased from Customer Service (phone: 610/832-9585; service@astm.org) or at http://www.astm.org/.

For further technical information, contact Bill Adams, WL Plastics, Cedar City, Utah (phone: 435/867-8908; badams@wlplastics.com). Committee F17 meets April 7-10 at the April committee week in Anaheim, Calif. For membership or meeting information, contact Robert Morgan, Technical Committee Operations, ASTM International (phone: 610/832-9732; rmorgan@astm.org).

Release #7922

API becomes registrar for ISO 9000

Washington, D.C.-The American Petroleum Institute (API) has become an accredited International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9000 quality system registrar. ISO 9000 is a general term for a series of five related quality management and assurance standards that provide internationally recognized models for operating a quality assurance system.

According to API, its new service, called API Quality Registrar (APIQR), will provide a one-stop shop for companies seeking to obtain registrations for ISO quality systems and for examining existing API quality programs through a single audit.

"Having a quality system in place facilitates a company's ability to produce quality goods and services," said Ronald Jones, API vice president for industry operations. "Being accredited to offer this international registration of quality systems means API will be able to help companies meet the demands of an increasingly competitive global business environment," he added.

The ISO 9000 registrar accreditation program is an extension of API's existing quality licensing portfolio, which includes approving licenses for API's Monogram Program and the Petroleum Test Laboratory Accreditation Program. An API spokeswoman said nearly 1,200 companies worldwide are licensed to use the API monogram on equipment produced for the oil and gas industry. API's Petroleum Test Laboratory Program accredits refinery and commercial laboratories that test petroleum products.

API plans to offer a dual registration option, handling two registrations with a single audit, to companies interested in the ISO 9000 certification and either the monogram or test laboratory accreditation programs.

Companies with quality systems that meet ISO 9000 requirements and pass an on-site audit will be able to display APIQR's registration mark confirming that its quality system meets ISO international standards.

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Background

ISO/TS 29001 First edition was published on September 15, 2003, see ISO Press Release for details. ISO/TS 29001:2003 was prepared to provide supplemental requirements to ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management Systems – Requirements and, accordingly, includes the original text of ISO 9001:2000 unaltered and in its entirety as boxed text, while the supplemental requirements are outside the boxes.

ISO/TS 29001:2003 was prepared in cooperation with the American Petroleum Institute in a joint working group between ISO/TC67/WG2 with liaison from ISO/TC176/SC2, and the API SC18 Q1 Task Force. The original text of ISO/TS 29001:2003 unaltered and in its entirety has been adopted as the Quality Management System (QMS) within API Spec Q1 Seventh edition, June 15, 2003, Effective date December 15, 2003. API Spec Q1 also includes, as Annex A, the provisions for the API Monogram Program; this Program is proprietary to API and is not included in ISO/TS 29001:2003.

The questions and issues addressed here have arisen from various parts of the industry and the responses have been developed based on the best information available to the Management Committee (MC) of ISO/TC67 Materials, equipment and offshore structures for petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries, and have been endorsed by the TC67 MC for distribution to its members for information.

A brief discussion of the "infrastructure" relevant to ISO 9001 may help to clarify some of the terms and the issues relevant to ISO/TS 29001:

1 - If a Certification Body (CB) claims that it is competent to certify according ISO 9001 it can issue the certificates to any interested organization;
2 - If the CB is accredited by a National Accreditation Body (NAB) as an Accredited Certification Body (ACB) and as competent to certify according to ISO 9001 the certificate can show the NAB logo;
3 - If the NAB takes part in the Multilateral Recognition Agreement (MRA) of the International Accreditation Forum (IAF) it can readily be recognized by another NAB (inside IAF/MRA). In this case the certificates issued by the ACB can show the logo of the other NAB as well. So, a certificate can be issued in one country and exhibit the logo of the NAB of another country. This ensures that the certificate is "recognised" within that other country. This rule is intended to minimize multi-accreditation by the ACBs and reduce the costs of certification.

The "infrastructure" implied by [2] and [3] above is neither in place nor currently planned with respect to ISO/TS 29001.
Note that the term Registrar is sometimes used; the definition is the same as for Certification Body.

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