Hydrotest & Pneumatic Test

Hydrotest pressure value has always been confused between equipment & piping.
However the pressure vessle code as per ASME Section VIII, Div. 1 & the process piping code as per ASME B31.3 give different values of hydrotest. ASME Sec. VIII, Div.1 (pressure vessel code) specifies hydrotest pressure as follows: P = Design Pressure X 1.3 X (Stress Value of the metal at test temperature / Stress Value of the metal at design temperature) ASME B31.3 (process piping code) specifies hydrotest pressure as follows: P = Design Pressure X 1.5 X (Stress Value of the metal at test temperature / Stress Value of the metal at design temperature) As the hydrotest pressure also takes into account the metal stress values, the stress values for old used vessels will be lower compared to new vessels. An adequacy check for the used vessel strength will be required to be done using NDT techniques such as random radiography, dye penetration test, ultrasonic test or any other before determining the design pressure or MAWP of the used vessel. Since it is obvious that the design pressure or MAWP of an old used vessel will be lower it goes without saying that the hydrotest pressure will be lower compared to a new vessel. You can try the following: 1. Hire a material testing specialist 2. Get all your tanks and vessels tested by the specialist and based on the testing derate the MAWP or Design Pressure of the old vessels/tanks. 3. Use the derated MAWP or Design Pressure values for performing the hydrotest of the tanks/vessels. Over here Process is not directly involved, yet following notes (applied as local standard practice mainly on refineries) may be of interest (correction of stress variation due to temperature is not considered for simplicity, but is applicable in practice). 1. Vessels, exchangers, big basket filters and relevant equipment were hydraulically tested at 1.5 X design pressure (DP) before ca 2006, according to ASME code in force at that time. Then code new requirements lowered test pressure to 1.3 X DP (hence the rule of 2/3 for exchangers became rule of 10/13). 2. Existing equipment is hydraulically tested according to the code it complies with; i.e. test pressure for an old vessel (hydraulically tested now) is 1.5 X DP. 3. Depending on Client's decision, new equipment in an old unit may be specified (in requisition) to be hydraulically tested at 1.5 X DP for uniformity. Apparently it is simpler to have same test pressure for old & new equipment & piping.
4. Pneumatic tests have not been heard of, most probably due to the risk of compressed gas (usually air) explained by Ankur (and also read in other publications as well). I conclude they are limited as much as possible. Can I place a question? Every 5 years (max) vessels should be hydraulically tested as a normal practice (post by Zauberberg, 12-Aug-2010) . What about piping? A few reasons piping need not be tested in a 5 year interval or any other interval.: 1. Piping or sections of pipe is easier and cheaper to replace then a vessel / tank during a maintenance turnaround. 2. Pipe stress values for a given schedule (wall thickness) are much higher then for a vessel made of steel plates with a comparable thickness. 3. In most cases the difference in cost of testing the piping and replacing is very less and hence replacement is a more economically attractive option. why the pneumatic test pressure for vessels is low at 1.1 times the design pressure against the 1.3 times for hydrotest. why pneumatic test is not at 1.3 times design pressure as was with hydrotest pressure or the otherwise(both at 1.1 times). What makes the difference in different pressure testing with hydro and pneumatic test. In contrast to water, air is a highly compressible fluid. Any failure of the part to be tested can have catastrophic consequences with possible loss of life. (imagine an improperly closed end cap taking off) Whereas in the case of a hydro test, a little movement of the part releases the pressure, as the fluid is not compressible. (The energy stored in a vessel filled with compressed air is much more than the energy in the water filled vessel) That is why the pneumatic test is generally not done unless there are specific reasons to do the same. (Like shortage of water on a particular day delaying the schedule, or when water in the vessel is difficult to clean out - some processes may require bone dry vessel after the test) However I feel the pressure for hydraulic test is generally 150% of the design pressure, if I remember right, in cases which I have come across. Where do they recommend 130% ? Is this a recent amendment? For pneumatic test the pressure may be even lower than 1.1 times the design pressure if the working temperature is higher than the testing temperature. Shop fabricated piping sections or short (as well as straight lengths) of piping are hydrotested by the piping contractor before installation on the pipe rack. However in many petrochemical plants after the piping contractor has installed the piping and you want to do a complete leak integrity check of a system
which includes piping and equipment the most convenient way is to do a pneumatic test. Pneumatic test pressures should be as low as possible. As Rama described of the dangers of the stored energy of air at higher pressures there are other reasons also. For example if youa re doing a soap suds test, the best results for checking leaks are obtained when the air pressure is as low as possible. Pneuamtic testing has some peculiar characteristics. For example if you are doing a pneumatic hold test in a place where the 24 hour ambient temperature shows an extreme variance you can easily be misled. Let us take an example: The system was pressurized at, say, 10:00 P.M. in the night when ambient temperatures were say 15C to 30 psig. It has been found that if you checked the pressure at 2.00 P.M. afternoon the next day the reading on the pressure gauge may be showing 30.5 or 31 psig if there is no tangible leak from the system. How did the pressure increase? It is not such a mystery. The ambient temperature at 2:00 P.M was probably 45 or 47C which caused an expansion of the air in the system. This can cause total confusion. But the explanation is simple. The best way to avoid this kind of confusion is to take a pressure hold test reading at the same time 24 hours later i.e. at 10:00 P.M. when the ambient temperature is around the same as was when the test was started. Pneumatic test are extremely effective when done properly and are routinely done before commissioning and start-up of the plant. They can combine large sections of the plant. Also, certain pipes and lines which cannot tolerate water (process requires zero moisture) are pneumatically tested. Using nitrogen as a pressure test medium is, indeed, a pneumatic test. Where did you get the value of 110% for pneumatic test? What is 110%? Is it 110% of design pressure? You need to clarify the refernce for 110%.

Hydrotest & Pneumatic Test

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What are the differences between hydrotest and pneumatic test pressures according to the document?

Why is pneumatic testing generally done at a lower pressure than hydrotesting?

Hydrotest pressure value has always been confused between equipment & piping.

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