Asme Pipeline Standards Compendium ★ Must Read

ASME Pipeline Standards Compendium

6. Where to Access the Standards

• ASME.org – Digital store (single copies, multi-user subscriptions)
• IHS Markit / Techstreet – Resellers
• ANSI Webstore – Often includes bundled packages
• Industry subscriptions – ASME Standards Collection (B31 series)

Supporting Standards: B16 and B36

While the B31 series dictates how a pipeline is designed and built, the ASME compendium relies on other series to define the physical components.

• ASME B36.10 and B36.19: These standards define the dimensions of welded and seamless steel pipe. They ensure that a "10-inch pipe" from a manufacturer in Texas fits perfectly with a valve from a manufacturer in Germany. This standardization creates a global supply chain.
• ASME B16 Series: This family covers flanges, fittings, and valves. Standards like B16.5 (Pipe Flanges) and B16.9 (Factory-Made Wrought Buttwelding Fittings) ensure that the joints and connections are rated for specific pressures and temperatures, preventing catastrophic leaks.

3.4 ASME PCC-2 – Repair of Pressure Equipment and Piping

While B31.4 and B31.8 tell you how to build a pipeline, PCC-2 tells you how to fix it. Standards include: asme pipeline standards compendium

• Type A: Welded sleeve repairs.
• Type B: Mechanical clamp repairs.
• Type C: Composite wrap repairs (fiber-reinforced polymers).

1. ASME B31.4 – Pipeline Transportation Systems for Liquids and Slurries

• Scope: Covers piping transporting crude oil, refined products, natural gas liquids (NGLs), carbon dioxide, and slurries between plants, terminals, and storage facilities.
• Key Topics: Pressure design, pumping station requirements, corrosion control, valve spacing, and above-ground/buried installation.
• Typical Use: Long-distance liquid pipelines (e.g., cross-country crude oil lines).

Part 2: The Core Pipeline Codes (The "Big Three")

The foundation of the ASME Pipeline Standards Compendium rests on three key documents. Notably, ASME does not have a single "B31 Pipeline Code." Instead, the B31 family is divided by fluid type and location. ASME Pipeline Standards Compendium 6

3.1 ASME B31.8S – Managing System Integrity of Gas Pipelines

This is arguably the most important companion to B31.8. It mandates a Pipeline Integrity Management Program (IMP) , including: Supporting Standards: B16 and B36 While the B31

• High Consequence Areas (HCAs): Mapping areas where a leak would impact populated zones.
• Direct Assessment: Methods for identifying external corrosion, internal corrosion, and stress corrosion cracking without excavation.
• Pressure Test Intervals: Reducing MAOP or repairing defects based on in-line inspection (ILI) data.