Hawaii Administrative Rules
Title 6 - DEPARTMENT OF BUDGET AND FINANCE
Division - PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
Chapter 77 - TRANSPORTATION OF NATURAL AND OTHER GAS BY PIPELINE; MINIMUM SAFETY STANDARDS
Subchapter 11 - MINIMUM SAFETY STANDARDS - REQUIREMENTS FOR CORROSION CONTROL
Section 6-77-124 - External corrosion control: buried or submerged pipelines installed after July 31, 1971

Universal Citation: HI Admin Rules 6-77-124

Current through August, 2024

(a) Except as provided in subsections (b), (c), and (f), each buried or submerged pipeline installed after July 31, 1971, must be protected against external corrosion, including the following:

(1) It must have an external protective coating meeting the requirements of section 6-77-127;

(2) It must have a cathodic protection system designed to protect the pipeline in its entirety in accordance with this subchapter, installed and placed in operation within one year after completion of construction.

(b) An operator need not comply with subsection (a), if the operator can demonstrate by tests, investigation, or experience in the area of application, including, as a minimum, soil resistivity measurements and tests for corrosion accelerating bacteria, that a corrosive environment does not exist. However, within six months after an installation made pursuant to the preceding sentence, the operator shall conduct tests, including pipe-to-soil potential measurements with respect to either a continuous reference electrode or an electrode using close spacing, not to exceed twenty feet, and soil resistivity measurements at potential profile peak locations, to adequately evaluate the potential profile along the entire pipeline. If the tests made indicate that a corrosive condition exists, the pipeline must be cathodically protected in accordance with subsection (a)(2).

(c) An operator need not comply with subsection (a), if the operator can demonstrate by tests, investigation, or experience that:

(1) For a copper pipeline, a corrosive environment does not exist; or

(2) For a temporary pipeline with an operating period of service not to exceed five years beyond installation, corrosion during the five year period of service of the pipeline will not be detrimental to public safety.

(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) or (c), if a pipeline is externally coated, it must be cathodically protected in accordance with paragraph (a)(2).

(e) Aluminum may not be installed in a buried or submerged pipeline if that aluminum is exposed to an environment with a natural pH in excess of eight, unless tests or experience indicate its suitability in the particular environment involved.

(f) This section does not apply to electrically isolated, metal alloy fittings in plastic pipelines, if:

(1) For the size fitting to be used, an operator can show by tests, investigation, or experience in the area of application that adequate corrosion control is provided by allyage; and

(2) The fitting is designed to prevent leakage caused by localized corrosion pitting.

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