Adjust the regulations on gas pipeline safety

The scope of the Regulation includes technical requirements in designing, manufacturing, installing, repairing, maintaining, testing, and verifying the domestic or import fixed metallic gas pipelines.

This Regulation is clearly stipulated in Circular No 31/2016/TT-BCT on issuing the National Technical Regulations on the fixed metallic gas pipelines.

This Regulation is not applied for: offshore gas pipelines; metallic fixed gas pipelines of gas transportation vehicles, technological equipment and gas, fuel auxiliary systems; gas distribution pipelines to the household consumers.

The Regulation requests that the metallic fixed gas pipelines have to meet the technical requirements in designing, manufacturing, installing, using, repairing, maintaining, controlling, testing and verifying stipulated in these Regulations, and Vietnamese Standards applied for the concrete pipeline types.

Assessing the quantity of the ricks must be implemented in designing stage, and during the construction and installation, if there are discovered differences from the design it requests to carry out additional assessment of the quantity of the ricks before operating the project. In the project operation, if it is no any reform, assessing the quantity of the ricks must be implemented once in five years. Technical documents of the metallic fixed gas pipelines must be stored during operation life of the pipeline.

The materials of the metallic fixed gas pipelines and of the parts serving for manufacturing, installing and repairing pipes must withstand designing conditions and agree with the pressure, temperature, solvent and other conditions, and method of manufacture. The materials must also agree with working conditions, taking into account the adverse effects of creep, fatigue, corrosion, stress, erosion…

The designing consultant companies have to comply with these regulations and standards on designing pipes, and must be responsible for the designing documents.  The metallic fixed gas pipelines must be designed for working pressure, temperature, solvent conditions and taking into account the other effects (loading capacity, expansion, kinetics, wind, vibration, earthquake…) in the most severe conditions. The number and position of the valves on  gas metallic fixed pipeline system must meet technological requirements and be favorable for operation and safety in repairing and maintaining.

The pipe manufacturers must be capable and experienced for making pipe of parts of pipe. They must have system for product quality management and control and build plans, program for control and test, and relevant processes and documents before implementing manufacture.

All the installing works of metallic fixed gas pipelines must be carried out in accordance with the approved processes and measures, among which it is necessary to pay attention to solutions to prevent damage to the outward covering layer of pipes during their transportation, preserve and installation. Defects of the outward covering layer must be checked with the naked eyes before laying pipes. All defects and damages of the covering layer weakening the corrosion control efficiency must be repaired before laying pipes.

Before laying metallic fixed gas pipeline it is necessary to check pipes, valves, connecting details and spare parts suitable with this Regulation. The metallic fixed gas pipeline system can be installed only if there will be full technical documents. The accompanied parts and details made by many manufacturers must satisfy the approved technical characteristics for ensuring synchronism.  

VietnamEnergy.vn