Hydrostatic Testing

Once the pipeline construction is completed , cleaned and gauged, it is pressure tested for leaks to ensure it can be safely operated at the design pressure.

The pressure test normally requires water (hydrostatic test) and the pigging again becomes an essential tool during the water fill to remove the air from the line and later assist in the pipeline dewatering and Drying.

Typical types of Pipelines Pipeflow test are

• Carbon Steel

Gas and Crude Pipelines to AS NZS 2885.5-2012 standard

• HDPE polyethylene pipelines, (high density polyethylene) pipelines

Typically, Gas and Water pipelines, to AS NZS 2033-2008 and AS NZS 2566 2-2002 standards

Carbon steel(CS) and HDPE test are very different test process. CS test evaluation is highly dependent on Temperature and to a lesser degree Air entrapment especially when a test deviates from a straight line.

In HDPE testing the pressure declines exponentially and this effect generally overrides both temperature and air content effects.

To date Pipeflow has completed in excess of two hundred tests in New Zealand