Materials System Specification

34-SAMSS-010 03 October 2019

Quality Requirements for Pressure Retaining Instruments
Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee

Contents

Summary of Changes................................................. 2
1 Scope..................................................................... 3
2 Conflicts and Deviations ....................................... 3
3 References ............................................................ 3
4 Purchase Order Information ................................. 4
5 General Requirements ......................................... 5
6 Specific Requirements by Product Type ............. 6
7 Inspection and Testing Requirements ................. 7
8 Other Miscellaneous Requirements..................... 8
Document History ..................................................... 10

Previous Issue: 15 September 2016 Next Revision: 03 October 2024

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©Saudi Aramco 2019. All rights reserved.

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 Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee 34-SAMSS-010
Issue Date: 03 October 2019
Next Planned Update: 03 October 2024 Quality Requirements for Pressure Retaining Instruments

Summary of Changes

Change Type
Paragraph (modification, Technical Change
addition, deletion)
1 References addition Adding ISO 15614 to reference list
2 5.3 deletion Deleting product quality plan
3 7.3 addition Adding ASME B31.3 for MT

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 Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee 34-SAMSS-010
Issue Date: 03 October 2019
Next Planned Update: 03 October 2024 Quality Requirements for Pressure Retaining Instruments

1 Scope

This specification, together with the applicable instrument specification sheet and
inspection form, defines the minimum inspection and testing requirements for pressure
retaining instruments used for process measurement.

Requirements of this document are in addition to the existing requirements, if any, that
are stated in individual equipment SAMSS.

Pressure retaining instruments include, but are not limited to, cone meters, flow nozzles,
level gauges, magnetic flowmeters, orifice assemblies, thermowells, turbine flowmeters,
ultrasonic flowmeters, Venturi tubes, and vortex flowmeters.

Specifically excluded from the scope are: valves, transmitters, manifolds, and analyzer
systems.

2 Conflicts and Deviations

Any conflicts between this document and other applicable Mandatory Saudi Aramco
Engineering Requirements (MSAERs) shall be addressed to the EK&RD Coordinator.

Any deviation from the requirements herein shall follow internal company procedure
SAEP-302.

3 References

Material or equipment supplied in accordance with this specification shall comply with
the latest edition of the references listed below, unless otherwise noted.

3.1 Saudi Aramco References

Saudi Aramco Engineering Procedure
SAEP-302 Waiver of a Mandatory Saudi Aramco Engineering
Requirement
Saudi Aramco Engineering Standard
SAES-A-206 Positive Material Identification
Saudi Aramco Inspection Requirements
Form 175-341700 Pressure Retaining Instruments
Saudi Aramco Form and Data Sheet
NMR-7907 Non-material Requirements for Instrumentation (General)
3.2 Industry Codes and Standards
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
ASME B16.5 Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings

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 Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee 34-SAMSS-010
Issue Date: 03 October 2019
Next Planned Update: 03 October 2024 Quality Requirements for Pressure Retaining Instruments

ASME B16.36 Orifice Flanges

ASME B16.47 Large Diameter Steel Flanges
ASME B31.3 Chemical Plant and Petroleum Refinery Piping
ASME SEC VIII Rules for Construction of Pressure Vessels
ASME SEC IX Qualification Standard for Welding and Brazing
Procedures, Welders, Brazers, and Welding and Brazing
Operators
ASME PTC 19.3 Thermowells

American Society for Testing and Materials

ASTM A956 Standard Test Method for Leeb Hardness Testing of Steel
Products
ASTM E10 Test Method for Brinnell Hardness of Metallic Materials
ASTM E18 Test Methods for Rockwell Hardness of Metallic
Materials
ASTM E165 Standard Test Method for Liquid Penetrant Examination
ASTM A488 Standard Practice for Steel Castings, Welding,
Qualifications of Procedures and Personnel
European Norm
EN 10204 Inspection Documents, Metal Products, Steel, Nonferrous
Metals, Material Testing
International Organization for Standardization / National Association of
Corrosion Engineers
NACE MR0175/ISO 15156 Petroleum and Natural Gas Industries-Materials for use in
H2S-Containing Environments in Oil and Gas Production

ISO 15614 Specification and Qualification of Welding Procedures for

NACE TM0284
4 Purchase Order Information
Metallic Materials – Welding Procedure Test
Standard Test Method - Evaluation of Pipeline and
Pressure Vessel Steels for Resistance to Hydrogen-
Induced Cracking

The following information shall be included in the Purchase Order:

a) Size and connection type of the pressure retaining instrument

b) Material and grade of the pressure retaining instrument

c) End details and material specification of matching pipe or nozzle

d) Maximum working pressure and temperature

e) Sour or other corrosive service, if applicable

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 Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee 34-SAMSS-010
Issue Date: 03 October 2019
Next Planned Update: 03 October 2024 Quality Requirements for Pressure Retaining Instruments

f) Additional material and testing requirements; if applicable

5 General Requirements

5.1 General
Pressure retaining instruments shall be tested, examined, and qualified as specified in
this SAMSS in addition to the established manufacturer tests and applicable Industry
Standard requirements. Nothing in this Specification shall be construed as waiving any
mandatory requirement of the manufacturer or the applicable Industry Standard.
Design and pressure rating of pressure retaining instruments shall be established as per
the requirements of ASME B31.3 Section 304.
All material for use in sour services shall be resistant to sulfide stress cracking (SSC) in
accordance with NACE MR0175/ISO 15156. Devices exposed to an environment with
> 50 ppmw total sulfide content in the aqueous phase require the use of HIC resistant
material. HIC test shall be carried out and reported in accordance with NACE TM0284
as applicable.
5.2 Material Source and Traceability
Raw materials (plates, bars, forgings pipes and components, etc.) to be used for the
manufacturing of pressure retaining components shall be sourced from known and
authorized suppliers. This means suppliers that are audited and approved by the
manufacturer and included in his sub-supplier list.
All materials used for construction of the pressure retaining parts shall be
in accordance with EN 10204, 3.1 Mill Certificate as minimum.
Welding consumable shall be with EN 10204, 2.2 Certificate as minimum.
At the time of quotation, the device manufacturer shall include a statement for country
of origin, if other than the point of shipment. Traceability of finished materials shall
extend back to the original steel making facility.
5.3 Welding Activities
All welding activities shall be carried out by qualified personnel and on the basis of
welding procedures, and shall be continuously monitored and checked to ensure
compliance.
Welding procedures and welders shall be qualified in accordance with the provisions of
ASME SEC IX of the Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code, or ISO 15614.
Welding procedures, qualifications of welders and welding operators at the foundry and
manufacturer shall also meet the requirements of ASTM A488 and other ASME codes
if applicable. Equivalent ISO standards are acceptable.
All welds must meet the minimum quality requirements of ASME B31.3 or equivalent
ISO standard.
Dissimilar metal welds between ferritic steel and either austenitic stainless steel, duplex
stainless steel, or nickel-based alloys as well as use of stainless steel or nickel-based

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 Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee 34-SAMSS-010
Issue Date: 03 October 2019
Next Planned Update: 03 October 2024 Quality Requirements for Pressure Retaining Instruments

filler metals on ferritic steel are not permitted for pressure containing welds in sour
service.
Carbon-equivalent (CE) of the steel used shall be verified to ensure that weldability
issues associated with carbon steel are avoided.
Brackets and other attached parts welded on the mechanical equipment, if any, shall
have full length welds. Intermittent welding is prohibited. Attached parts material shall
be selected to prevent galvanic corrosion.
All parts, welds and heat-affected zones of welds, exposed to wet sour service, shall
meet the hardness and heat treatment requirements as specified in
NACE MR0175/ISO 15156. This includes materials under overlays, plating or
coatings.
All welding procedures and welding performance qualification records shall be made
available to Buyer's Inspector for review.
5.4 Flange Ends
All flange installations shall be designed in accordance with ASME B16.5, B16.36, or
B16.47. The following design codes are referenced for new flanges:
 ASME B16.5: Class 150 thru 2500, ½” through 24”
 ASME B16.36: Orifice Flanges
 ASME B16.47 Series A: Large Diameter Flanges Class 150 thru 900
 Flanges API spec. 6A (as applicable)

6 Specific Requirements by Product Type

The following requirements are in addition to the General Inspection and Testing
requirements detailed in Section 7 of this document.

6.1 Orifice Flanges and Plates

6.1.1 Casting Orifice flanges are not recommended.
6.1.2 Orifice plates shall be delivered with the appropriate flange facing finish to close
with required gasket.
6.1.3 Material and hardness of Ring Type Joint (RTJ) orifice plate holder shall be
checked to ensure no leakage exists.
6.1.4 Orifice flanges and plates material and dimensions shall be verified by the
inspected.
6.2 Venturi Tubes, Meter Runs and Flow Nozzles
6.2.1 Tube thickness at any point shall be equal or larger than pipe thickness.

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 Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee 34-SAMSS-010
Issue Date: 03 October 2019
Next Planned Update: 03 October 2024 Quality Requirements for Pressure Retaining Instruments

6.2.2 Hydrostatic test and radiographic test of welded areas shall be done per Section
7 of this document.
6.3 Level Gauges
6.3.1 To avoid leakages of level gauges, it is recommended that the level gauge body
be machined to house a gasket between body and glass.
6.3.2 Unions between level gauges body and level gauges valves shall be avoided.
6.3.3 The complete level gauge assembly shall be hydrostatically tested with all studs
and nuts torqued to the appropriate values recommended by the manufacturer.
6.4 Thermowells
6.4.1 Thermowells shall be machined from bar stock material.
6.4.2 All thermowells shall be hydro tested.
6.4.3 Ultrasonic test of full penetration welds between flange and well shall be
conducted for flanged thermowells on high pressure services (ANSI 900# rating
and above) or in processes handling hydrogen, corrosive or dangerous fluids.
6.4.4 Additional welded areas, if any, shall be subjected to radiographic tests, e.g.,
multipoint thermowell end.
6.4.5 Wake frequency/Stress calculation shall be performed on all intruding elements
such as pitot tube, thermowell, etc. In addition, these calculations shall be
attached to the respective Instrument Specification Sheet (ISS).
6.4.6 Thermowells not complying with 6.4.5, such as helical type, shall be avoided.

7 Inspection and Testing Requirements

7.1 General
The pressure retaining devices are subject to inspection by the Saudi Aramco Inspection
Representative per Saudi Aramco Inspection Requirements Form 175-341700 attached
to the Purchase Order.
7.2 Visual Examination and Dimensional Check
General appearance, workmanship and fit-up shall be acceptable in accordance with
ASME B31.3. Weld surfaces shall show a smooth contour. Dimensions of the device
shall be checked against applicable standards and approved Vendor's Drawings.
7.3 Dye Penetrant or Magnetic Particle Testing
All welds shall be tested using one of the following methods:
 Dye penetrant (color contrast penetrant) in accordance with ASTM E165.
Acceptance criteria shall be per “Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code,”
ASME SEC VIII D1, Appendix 8.

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 Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee 34-SAMSS-010
Issue Date: 03 October 2019
Next Planned Update: 03 October 2024 Quality Requirements for Pressure Retaining Instruments

 Magnetic particle tested in accordance with ASME B31.3 or ASME SEC VIII
D1, Appendix 6.
7.4 Radiography
Fabricated Welds shall be 100% (or as decided by Inspection Office) radiographed and
evaluated in accordance with the applicable ANSI/ASME standard with a minimum
casting quality factor of 0.95 or with equivalent ISO standard.
7.5 Hydrotest
Hydrotest shall be performed on all bodies in accordance with
ANSI/ASME B31.3.
Chloride content of hydrotest water shall not exceed 50 ppm and the device should be
dried and cleaned after hydrotest.
7.6 Positive Material Identification (PMI)
PMI shall be conducted randomly on finished tubes or nozzles on each lot before
dispatch. A minimum of 10% of tubes in each heat must be tested. Internal
manufacturer procedure can be followed for conducting PMI.
Acceptance criteria shall be as detailed in SAES-A-206.
PMI shall include the weld for items welded with addition of filler metal.
7.7 Hardness Tests
Hardness tests, when required by specified service and/or material specification, shall
be conducted by the Vendor on all wetted parts in accordance with
ASTM E10, ASTM E18 or ASTM A956 Leeb hardness test.

8 Other Miscellaneous Requirements

8.1 Nonmaterial Requirements

The supplier shall provide nonmaterial items as shown on Form NMR-7907.
8.2 Identification
The following information, as applicable, shall be stamped/embossed on a stainless
steel tag permanently attached to the device body:
 Manufacturer
 Part/Model No.
 Serial No. (if applicable)
 Instrument Tag No.
 Nominal Size
 ANSI Class (Flange Rating)

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 Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee 34-SAMSS-010
Issue Date: 03 October 2019
Next Planned Update: 03 October 2024 Quality Requirements for Pressure Retaining Instruments

 Material of Construction
 Functional data as applicable, e.g., Capacity Data, K-Factor, etc.
8.3 Preparation for Shipping
Devices shall be properly packed for shipment to avoid moisture ingress and physical
damage. Methods to avoid moisture during shipment include use of desiccant, airtight
shrink-wrapping or equivalent

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 Document Responsibility: Instrumentation Standards Committee 34-SAMSS-010
Issue Date: 03 October 2019
Next Planned Update: 03 October 2024 Quality Requirements for Pressure Retaining Instruments

Document History

03 October 2019 Adding ISO 15614 to reference list, Deleting product quality plan, Adding
ASME B31.3 for MT.

1 January 2018 Editorial revision to rewrite paragraph 6.4.6.

15 September 2016 Aligned this SAMSS with SAES-J-100 on thermowell wake frequency
calculations and Hydrogen Induced Cracking (HIC) testing for sour
application. This revision proposes enhancements that are summarized
below:
1) Added requirement for wake frequency calculations as per ASME PTC
19.3 for thermowells. This aligns with other Saudi Aramco and
industry standards.
2) Inline devices exposed to an environment with 50 ppmw total sulfide
content in the aqueous phase require the use of HIC resistant
material. HIC test shall be carried out and reported in accordance with
NACE TM0284 as applicable.
3) Carbon-equivalent (CE) of the steel used shall be verified to ensure
that weldability issues associated with carbon steel are avoided.
4) Use of any special design thermowell, such as helical strake type
requires prior written approval of the General Supervisor, Process
Automation Systems Division, Process & Control Systems
Department.

24 April 2012 New

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