PGJ Home Permission to Copy Order Reprints
Proper Pumping Critical For
Successful Hydrostatic Testing
By James Hodde, P.E., Power Associates International, Houston
H
ydrostatic testing of pipelines is
a commonly used procedure for
ascertaining the fitness of the line
for continuous service. It is used
principally in the construction of both natu-
ral gas and petroleum liquids pipelines or
the remediation and repair of existing lines.
More recently, the testing has been used as
a component of the external corrosion direct
assessment (ECDA) toolbox for gauging the
integrity of hazardous liquids pipelines as
prescribed by federal mandates CFR 49 Part
195 or gas lines under the guidelines of CFR
49 Part 192.
As the term suggests, the portion of the
pipeline under test is filled with water and
pressurized beyond the maximum operating
pressure (MOP) designated for that line and
then held at that pressure for a predetermined
time period. Under the governmental man-
dates, test pressure of 125% of the MOP is
required continuously for four hours and then
further testing at 110% of MOP for another
four hours, or as specified in the testing speci-
fications for the pipeline.
If, during the test, the line breaks or leaks,
an immediate pressure drop occurs. In that
instance, the segment where the leak occurred
is identified, excavated, repaired and retested.
Pumps Get Workout
Pipeline testing normally uses one or more
centrifugal pumps for filling. It is a unique
application for this equipment as these pumps
are normally designed for applications with
defined discharge and suction conditions. In the
testing process, however, the pump is required
to go through its complete range of conditions.
From the filling of an empty pipe to the
line pack-off, the pump runs through its entire
operating capacity of zero head, maximum flow
to maximum head, minimum flow. Even though
these conditions are largely uncontrollable,
there are certain principles that, if followed, can
result in better service and lower costs.
One of the most important considerations
is to match the pump system with its intended
use. Each component, including suction hose
and foot valve, low head pump strainer, flow
meter and fill pumps, should be matched to the
flow requirements. To properly size and select
a pump system for application, the following
four factors must be determined:

Capacity – This would be rated in U.S.
gallons per minute (GPM) or U.S. gal-
lons per hours. Conversions to imperial
gallons (Canada) = U.S. gallons x 0.8327
and from liters = U.S. gallons x 3.7854.
32 Pipeline & Gas Journal / January 2007 / www.pgjonline.com

Pressure – Expressed in pounds per square
inch (psi) or feet of head. With atmospher-
ic pressure at sea level equivalent to 14.7
psi or 33.9 feet of water column. One psi
is equal to 2.31 feet of water column. Its
metric equivalent is BAR. One BAR is
equal to 14.5 psi. In calculating the total
pressure, it is the summation of suction
lift, discharge elevation, friction loss and
discharge pressure. The pressure is com-
monly referred to as feet of head, whether
it is negative on the suction side or posi-
tive on the discharge.
Figure 1: Fill Pump Arrangement

Supply Source — Water source can be
from a well, lake, river, ditch or tank.
Each source has a bearing on the suc-
tion conditions and the type of pumps
required.

Location Of Supply – The pump’s location
can have a bearing on whether it will have
a positive or a negative head. The distance
of the line being tested from the pump can
create a loss of head due to friction.
An understanding of the four factors present
and knowledge of the final requirement of flow
will determine the pump selection. In pipeline
testing, it is not always possible to explicitly
determine all of the required data. The experi-
ence of the test foreman and his crew can play
a large part in proper pump selection and in
conducting a successful test.
Typical Hydrostatic
Test Spread
In order to cover all contingencies, a quali-
fied and knowledgeable source of hydro test
pumps, related equipment and supplies should
be available. This source should have a range
of standard pump sizes available that can be
combined into various arrangements to meet
the broad spectrum of testing requirements.
This combination of pumps, arranged with
ancillary equipment in a spread designed for
the specific locale and operating conditions,
will provide the most efficiency and cost-
effectiveness for the testing process.
Typically, the hydrostatic test spread used
for major pipelines will be comprised of these
various components (Figure 1):

Low Head Pump – This unit will typi-
cally be used to draw water from the most
viable source, whether it is a river, tank or
suitable reservoir.

Strainer – The water pumped through
the low-head pump has to be strained to
remove solids and foreign particles. A
100-mesh screen is normally used.

Chemical Injection – Once strained, the
water is further treated with a chemical
injection system that can include pumps
for adding one or more chemicals, such
as rust inhibitors and oxygen scavengers,
to the test water.

Flow Meter – The filtered and treated
water is then pumped through a flow
meter. A record of the flow rate, in GPM,
is used to determine the amount of flush
water or the volume of water behind
the test pig in order to calculate speed,
location and the time necessary to fill a
section of the pipeline under test.

Fill Pump – From the flow meter, the
water goes into the pipeline through the
fill pump. Depending upon the static
head that the pump will be facing, the fill
pump can vary in capacity and arrange-
ment, which can differ with each section
tested. Therefore, the configuration and
combinations of fill pumps are not stan-
dard, but vary with application. Where
needed, multiple pumps can be mani-
Figure 2:
folded to produce increased volume or
pressure. Multiple pipeline sections can
be filled from a single source. If a sec-
tion is being dewatered and transferred
to another section, a reservoir should be
placed in the outlet of the dewatered sec-
tion to keep air from being entrained into
the next section and also to eliminate the
shock to the pumps being used.

Pressure Pump – Once the line has been
completely filled with the fill pumps,
the hydrostatic pressure testing can com-
mence using the pressure pump. The
pump is fed from its own reservoir or
water supply and can be set up in a
completely different location from the
other pumps in the spread. The amount of
water is dependent upon the various sizes
of pipe, how well the line has been filled,
the volume of water needed to overcome
compressibility and the amount of pres-
sure required for the test.
A high-pressure hose is run from the pressure
pump to a flow meter and from the flow meter
to the check valve installed at the entrance valve
to the pipeline. The pressure pump is furnished
with a transmission or variable speed drive to
regulate the volume of water being pumped
while the pipeline is being smoothly brought
up to test pressure. The flow meter is used as a
cross-check to make sure the valves are seating
properly and is producing the flow per stroke
when plotting the rise in pres- check valves in the line in the event that the
sure per stroke. pump is shut down or if one pump in the series
At this point a high-pres- fails. This check valve redundancy allows for
sure flexible hose is run to a the removal of a pump, if necessary, or for line
test manifold where a series failure, while conserving the water that has
of valves and instruments are already been pumped (Figure 3).
used to accommodate the test
instruments (Figure 2). The use Conclusion
of this remote manifold reduc- Hydrostatic testing has proven to be a use-
es the possibility of worker ful method of validating the serviceability of a
injury if there should ever be a newly constructed pipeline or the integrity of
line rupture. an existing line. However, the usefulness of this
testing method depends on the quality of the
Higher Elevations pumping and testing equipment, the design of
Present a spread suitable for the operating conditions
Challenges and the knowledge of the test crew. When these
One of the most demand- three factors work in harmony, the hydrostatic
ing testing situations occurs in mountainous test will have its highest success rate. P&GJ
terrain. In addition to high head conditions, Author: Jim Hodde is president of Power
water sources are often not readily available. Associates International, Inc. in Houston.
This sets up a scenario in which it is critical to He has a B.S. degree in engineering from the
conserve water and pump it long distances at University of Houston and is a Registered
high pressures. Professional Engineer in the state of Texas. He
Higher elevation
pumping often necessi- Figure 3:
tates staging of a number
of pumps to reach the
final height. In this situ-
ation, low head pumps in
the chain can be subject
to over pressuring. It is
recommended that addi-
tional relief valves and
check valves, along with
those already installed on
the pumps, be placed in
the line.
Due to the type of
water being pumped
at higher elevations, a
faulty check valve or
debris under the valve
supplied on the fill pump
can allow a back flow from the static head on has more than 30 years of experience in the
the line. In that situation the back flow may design and leasing of pumps and associated
be greater than the lower head pumps are equipment for use in hydrostatic testing. Since
designed to handle. Because of this potential 1978 his company has supplied a variety of
problem, it is advisable to have additional equipment for pipeline projects worldwide.
Pipeline & Gas Journal / January 2007 / www.pgjonline.com 33