PHMSA's NPRM - Repair Criteria for Hazardous Liquid and Gas Transmission Pipelines
On July 8th PHMSA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to the Federal Register redefining repair criteria for natural gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines. Read on for a summary of proposed changes.
Changes to gas regulations remove anomaly repair criteria and details from Integrity Management rules and merge the criteria for HCAs and MCAs under the Maintenance section. They also update remaining strength calculation techniques and generalize specifics for evaluating some anomalies such as cracks.
Changes to hazardous liquid regulations update repair details to parallel gas requirements including definitions, terminology, etc. These changes also propose TVC-style material properties and material testing to the hazardous liquid code, advancing this regulation significantly to match the requirements in the natural gas code. While impactful to all repairs, this will be especially impactful to operators with natural gas and hazardous liquid Integrity Management Programs and hazardous liquid operators in general.
Comments are due on this NPRM by September 8, 2026.
49 CFR 192 Changes
Proposed changes to gas regulations include the addition of the following incorporated by reference documents:
API RP 1183, Assessment and Management of Pipeline Dents, First Edition, November 2020
API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, Fitness-for-Service, December 2021
Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle), Kiefner & Associates, Final Report No. 13-002, Models for Predicting Failure Stress Levels for Defects Affection ERW and Flash-Welded Seams, January 2013
Updated:
ASME/ANSI B31B-2023, Manual for Determining the Remaining Strength of Corroded Pipelines
Under 192.18, How to notify PHMSA, proposed language removes other or alternative technology reporting requirements for the following sections:
192.714, Transmission lines: Repair criteria for onshore transmission pipelines.
192.933, What actions must be taken to address integrity issues?
Under 192.607, Verification of Pipeline Material Properties and Attributes: Onshore steal transmission pipelines, proposed language removes ‘Chary v-notch toughness’ and replaces with just ‘toughness’.
Under 192.632, Engineering Critical Assessment for Maximum Allowable Operating Pressure Reconfirmation: Onshore steel transmission pipelines, replaces reference to 192.713, Transmission lines: Permanent field repair of imperfections and damages, with a reference to 192.711, Transmission lines: General Requirements for repair procedures.
Under 192.710, Transmission lines: Assessments outside of high consequence areas, generalized language under (d) data analysis and removes Sections (e) Discovery of condition, (f) Remediation, and (g) Analysis of information.
Removes section 192.713, Transmission lines: Permanent field repair of imperfections and damages, and combines under 192.711, Transmission lines: General requirements for repair procedures, with generalized language that is no longer specific to non-integrity management and integrity management repairs.
Proposed language makes the following changes to Section 192.712, Analysis of predicted failure pressure and critical strain level:
(b) Corrosion - adds calculations listed in API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 and removes language regarding PHMSA notifications.
(c) Dents – changes the entire section to apply only to dents with a depth of 10% or less of the pipe outside diameter rather than this threshold being a subparagraph that requires immediate repair. Includes the use of API RP 1183 and generalizes other language.
(d) Cracks and crack-like anomalies – includes the use of API 579-1/ASME FFS-1 level II or III, the Battelle NG-18 Modified Ln-Sec or Raju-Newman equations and is rewritten. Previously, cracks surviving pressure tests had been a section of its own with detailed requirements. Cracks surviving pressure tests are now included by simply stating ‘calculate the largest potential crack size that could have survived the pressure test’ and in situ direct examination of crack defects has been moved to this section.
(e) Data - ‘Material properties’ has replaced ‘Data’ and the language reflects that change, discussing only material properties and toughness and leaving out other language discussing uncertainties, reporting tolerances, interaction criteria, etc. for anomalies.
(f) Records – the list has been removed and has been replaced with one generalized sentence.
Proposed language makes the following changes under 192.714, Transmission lines: Repair criteria for onshore transmission pipelines:
(a) Applicability - now applies to all assessments, including integrity management assessments, except for pipelines with an alternative MAOP.
(b) Discovery – includes discovery definition here
(c) Anomaly analysis – now includes a reference to 192.712 and use of the failure pressure ration (FPR) criteria
(d) Schedule for evaluation and repair – redefines repair terms and definitions, including immediate conditions, near-term conditions, and other conditions
(e) Remediation and repair - includes temporary pressure reduction language and has been simplified but still includes the key points
Section 192.719, Transmission lines: Testing of repairs, is updated with a reference to192.711, Transmission lines: General requirements for repair procedures.
Section 192.933, What action must be taken to address integrity issues, has been reduced to only reference 192.712 and 192.714
49 CFR 195 Changes
Proposed changes to the hazardous liquid regulations include the addition of the following incorporated by reference documents:
API 579-1/ASME FFS-1, Fitness-for-Service, December 2021
API RP 1160, Managing System Integrity for Hazardous Liquid Pipelines, Third Edition, February 2019; replaces API RP 1165, Recommended Practice for Pipeline SCADA Displays, First edition, January 2007
API RP 1183, Assessment and Management of Pipeline Dents, First Edition, November 2020
ASME/ANSI B16.5-2003, Pipe Flanges and Flanged Fittings, 2004; replaces ASME/ANSI B16.9-2007, Factory-Made Wrought Buttwelding Fittings, December 7, 2007
ASME/ANSI B31G-2023, Manual for Determining the Remaining Strength of Corroded Pipelines
Battelle Memorial Institute (Battelle), Kiefner & Associates, Final Report No. 13-002, Models for Predicting Failure Stress Levels for Defects Affection ERW and Flash-Welded Seams, January 2013
Pipeline Research Council International, Inc. (PRCI), AGA Pipeline Research Committee, Project PR-3-805, A Modified Criterion for Evaluating the Remaining Strength of Corroded Pipe, December 22, 1989; replaces Manufacturers Standardization Society of the Valve and Fittings Industry, Inc. (MSS), MSS SP-75-2019 Standard Practice, High-Strength, Wrought, Butt-Welding Fittings, published December 2019
Updated:
ASME B31.4–2022, Pipeline Transportation Systems for Liquids and Slurries: ASME Code for Pressure Piping, B31, issued December 8, 2022
Adds 195.415, Anomaly evaluation, and 195.416, Pipeline assessments, to PHMSA notifications
Removes 195.266, Construction records.
Under 195.401, General requirements, (b) has been simplified to one sentence, stating that any pipeline with an immediate hazard to persons or property must not be operated. It removes discussion of non-integrity management repairs and integrity management repairs
Changes to 195.404, Maps and records, include:
Some updates to initial list of documents
Addition of paragraph (d) for repair records
Addition of paragraph (e) for construction records similar to the requirements in 49 CFR 192.
A new Section 195.407, Verification of Pipeline Material Properties and Attributes has been added which contains:
Similar requirements to 49 CFR 192 including establishing pipe populations, pipe sampling, and component specifications
Proposed language includes a new Section 195.415, Anomaly evaluation, which is similar to requirements in 49 CFR 192.712, Analysis of predicted failure pressure and critical strain level. Requirements would include:
Corrosion metal loss and calculated predicted failure pressure (PFP)
Dents and performing engineering critical analysis (ECA)
Crack and crack-like anomalies analysis and remaining life
Material properties
Changes to 195.416, Pipeline assessments:
Simplified Other Technology PHMSA notification language
Remediation section now references 195.453(b) and API RP 1160
195.422, Pipeline repairs, includes the following additions:
Reasonable timeframes
Safe operating pressure
Permanent repairs in accordance with ASME B31.4, Tables 451.6.2.9-1 and 451.6.2.9-2
Changes to Integrity Management regulations under 195.452, Pipeline integrity management in high consequence areas, include:
Discovery updated to reference 195.453, Response Criteria for Hazardous Liquid Pipelines
A new Section 195.453, Response Criteria for Hazardous Liquid Pipelines, includes
Discovery of a condition, updated definition
Anomaly analysis
Schedule for evaluation and remediation and updated language and definitions for immediate conditions, near-term conditions, and other conditions with updated definitions
Remediation and repair specifications including material properties and temporary pressure reductions
Under 195.585, What must I do to correct corroded pipe, proposed language adds remaining strength language and references 195.415, Anomaly evaluation.
Updates remove 195.587, What methods are available to determine the strength of corroded pipe?
Under 195.588, What standards apply to direct assessment, removed or updated language to align with previous changes.
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