Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure
System of FLANGE MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (SITE)
1 Revision History
Revision
No#
DATE
Description of
Changes
Initiated By
Completed By
2 Distribution List
Sr. No/
Designation
Issue Date
Distributed by
01
Projects Manager &
Construction Manager
, Site Manager
10th Oct 2018
Management
Representative
02
Management Representative 10th Oct 2018
Management
Representative
CEO
10th Oct 2018
Management
Representative
Chairman
10th Oct 2018
Management
Representative
03
04
Document
Number
AJB-OPRMECH-PR02
Issue
Number
1.0
Revision
Number
00
Original
Issue Date
10-10-2018
Revision
Issue Date
00
Document
Prepared By
Projects
Manager &
Construction
Manager , Site
Manager
Document
Reviewed by
Document
Approved By
CM /PM /SM
/MR / CEO
Chairman
Copyright
This document contains confidential information. It may be copied in full or in parts only by Al-Jaber International
Company and only for the purpose of Al-Jaber International Company related activities. Disclosure of any
information contained within this procedure to any person (s) outside the employee of Al-Jaber International
Company without written permission of the Top Management is strictly prohibited.
Page 1 of 14
Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.
2.
ACRONYM ……………………………………………………………………………………….4
SCOPE ......................................................................................................................................... 4
3.
REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................. 5
4.
RESPONSIBILITIES .................................................................................................................... 5
5.
PROCEDURE .............................................................................................................................. 5
5.1. Principles of Flanged Joint Assembly .................................................................................. 6
5.2. Gaskets ............................................................................................................................... 7
5.3. Bolting ................................................................................................................................. 7
5.4. Tightening Procedure .......................................................................................................... 8
5.5. Tightening of bolted joints ................................................................................................... 8
5.6. Flange Tag Details ............................................................................................................ 11
5.7. Inspection, Recording and Reporting................................................................................. 11
6.
HSE ............................................................................................................................................ 12
7.
ATTACHMENTS ........................................................................................................................ 12
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without the approval of the Management is prohibited.
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Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1-1 Acronyms ............................................................................................................................ 4
Table 3-1 Industry Codes and Standards ............................................................................................ 5
Table 3-2 Project Specifications ........................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Table 5-1 Tightening Sequence for Cross Bolt Torquing ..................................................................... 9
Table 5-2 Torque Application Chart..................................................................................................... 9
Table 5-3 Rotating Equipment Flange Alignment Tolerances ............................................................ 11
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Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
Purpose
The purpose of this program is to ensure the protection of all employees of the Al Jaber from the
hazards associated with FLANGE MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site).This document contains
requirements for practices and procedures to protect employees from those hazards of entry into
and work within permit required confined spaces.
Piping Specifications




1
Having determined the piping specification number, turn to the appropriate page in the
piping specification document. There the correct type of gasket, the correct grade of stud
bolts, spectacle blinds, blind flanges, pipe material, pipe wall thickness and much more
will be specified for the job in hand.
Pipeline specification.
Piping is an assembly of components that include pipe, valves, fitting, flanges, bolts,
gaskets and supports used to convey distribute and control flow of fluid.
Piping must also contain the conveyed fluid and accommodate internally and externally
imposed loads and thermal movements
ACRONYM
Table 1-1 Acronyms
Acronym
ASME
ITP
HSE
Description / Meaning
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Inspection and Test Plan
Health, Safety and Environment
2 SCOPE
The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that flange tightening and tensioning activities are
performed, controlled and recorded as per project specifications, Company requirements and
approved ITP’s.
This procedure provides a framework for the management of bolted joints.
The scope of this procedure details and identifies the basic structure of the tightening & torque
of high, ordinary strength bolts works used for the successful completion of the General
Instructions for the installation of pipe rack spools, off skid spools, support installation activity
works of SGPS Project.
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without the approval of the Management is prohibited.
Page 4 of 14
Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
3 REFERENCES
Table 3-1 Industry Codes and Standards
ASME B31.3
ASME PCC-1
ASME B16.5
ASME B16.47
ASME B18.2.1
ASME B18.2.2
ASME B16.20
Process Piping
Guidelines for Pressure Boundary Bolted Flange Joint
Assmbly
Butt welding Ends
Large Diameter Steel Flanges
Square and Hex Bolts and Screws
Square and Hex Nuts
Metallic Gaskets for Pipe Flanges
4 RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Site Engineer shall be responsible for the following;
a. Focal point and responsible to ensure that bolted flange connections are tightened as
per this procedure.
b. Comply with all site HSE rules in during application of bolt tightening activities.
c. Keep all the flange management records, maintain a database updated on a daily basis
and report progress.
d. Ensure that the flange management check sheets are handed over for each completed
system.
e. To act as the coordinator for any necessary training required to monitor/improve the
competency of site personnel in flange execution.
f. Coordinate with QA/QC after receiving hydro test pack isometrics to number the
flanged joints and form the database.
2. The QC Engineer is responsible for witness and review the data sheets, daily log sheets to
ensure implementation of this procedure.
5 PROCEDURE
Trained personnel will be responsible for executing the proper joint make-up as per the
below guidelines and ensure protective materials required to prevent damage to joint
components (e.g. flange face covers) are used.
The assembly drawings will indicate the bolt length, diameter and material type and rating.
Flange faces shall be cleaned to remove preservations and the gasket surfaces shall be
inspected for defects. Any rust or burrs shall be removed using a hand wire brush and / or a
hand file. Particular attention shall be paid to seating for ring type joints.
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without the approval of the Management is prohibited.
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Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
5.1
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
Principles of Flanged Joint Assembly
1. Flange faces shall conform to the relevant specifications.
2. Flange faces and bolts holes are correct and free of any foreign material.
3. Bolt holes of mating flanges shall be aligned using a spud wrench or similar tool. Lateral
alignment shall be checked by considering that bolts and studs can be inserted without
force and that the alignment tool is not required to impart a significant force to achieve
alignment.
4. Sealing faces flat, parallel, aligned properly and in good condition and free of defects.
5. Gasket of the correct type shall be used and shall be in proper position. Type, pressure
rating, material and size of the gasket shall be checked.
6. Correct lubricated stud and nut material; correct stud length shall be used.
7. Free-running studs and nuts, in good condition, free from corrosion and thread damage
shall be used.
8. For flanges installed on horizontal lines, in order to retain the gasket the lower bolts
should be installed first.
9. Parallelism of the flanges shall then be checked to confirm they are within the
tolerances as per the project specifications.
10. The remaining bolts and nuts shall be installed and hand tightened with the flange faces
parallel. Care should be taken to assure proper seating and centring of the gasket within
the allowable tolerances.
11. Bolts shall be tightened by torque wrench and inspected for tightness in accordance
with this procedure. Stud bolts should have an equal protrusion through the nuts on
both sides of the flanges of between 3 and 5 threads. Material, coating and size of the
stud-bolts shall be checked.
12. All flanges will be aligned so that the bolt holes straddle the natural centre line.
13. Visually check the flanges for equal gap. If a larger gap appears on one side of the
flange, tighten the bolt, which corresponds with the larger gap first.
14. The gaskets are then to be centered between the flanges. Nuts shall be hand tightened
to hold the gasket in place. When flanged joints are in horizontal lines gaskets without
centring devices such as ring joints, shall be lowered to the bolts for retention and then
raised into position.
15. Bolts and nuts shall be supplied with the precise specification.
16. No additional torqueing of bolts whilst piping systems are under pressure during
hydrotest shall be applied if leaks are found, pressure to be released and joint re made.
17. If any doubts exist job shall be stopped and cross-reference shall be with the
Responsible Engineer.
18. If any case of flange joints to be disturbed during or after testing shall be replaced with
gaskets.
Torqueing Specific;
1. Good quality lubricant shall be used. See Table 6-2 of Piping Fabrication, Erection, and
Inspection, Testing and Cleaning Specification with No. IQWQ-KE-LSPDS-D8-0008.
2. Lubricant properly applied to ‘working’ surfaces only.
3. Sequential tightening, in stages to 100 % of specified full load, using the cross-bolt
tightening method.
4. Flanges checked for squareness after each pass.
5. Final tighten at 100 % of full load.
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without the approval of the Management is prohibited.
Page 6 of 14
Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
5.2 Gaskets
Gaskets shall be checked for size, rating, material specification and cleanliness
before installation by qualified pipe fitters. Remove any grease, burrs and rust
from the gasket and trial fit against the flange gasket seating surface. Under no
circumstances should gasket compound or grease be applied to the gasket or
flange faces.
Spiral Wound Gaskets shall not be re-used, since not enough resilience is left in the
gasket material to give a leak-proof joint when compressed second time.
Gasket Preservation: Gaskets and seal rings shall be;
1. Stored in their original packing until to be used
2. Kept horizontal and flat
3. Where applicable, left on their original packing until to be used
Installation of gaskets: After pipe fitting, the two flange ends of a flanged joint are to be
checked for alignment by use of a precision level indicator placed touching the two
flanges. If the alignment values are within allowable ranges as indicated in procedure, the
lower bolts are first placed in place then gasket will be placed from the upper side. If the
gasket does not fit smoothly into position pipe alignment is to be re-checked. Gasket shall
never be forced into position.
5.3 Bolting
Bolts shall be checked for correct length, diameter and conformance with material
specification. Studs and nuts shall have an approved lubricant installed before installation.
Only clean rust-free stud bolts and nuts should be used for making up the flange joint.
Bolts and nuts can only be reused if it is known that they have not been overloaded
or exceeded their yield point. Material type stamp on the bolts should be in one direction.
Ensure that nuts are installed in the proper orientation.
Bolt Lubrication: The application of lubricants will have a substantial impact on the torque
applied. The lubrication properties vary from one lubricant to the other and shall be
taken into account when torque is applied. Hydraulic bolt tensioning provides more uniform
bolt stress and eliminates variations due to different lubricant. See Table 6-2 of Piping
Fabrication, Erection, and Inspection, Testing and Cleaning Specification with No. IQWQ-KELSPDS-D8-0008 for lubricants to be used. On completion of the tightening activities, bolts
should extend 1 1/2 to 2 threads through their nuts.
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without the approval of the Management is prohibited.
Page 7 of 14
Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
5.4 Tightening Procedure
Torque wrenches shall be calibrated as per calibration schedule and have a valid
certificate that must be revalidated after the wrench has been inspection and
recalibrated. There are various types of tools available to achieve the proper torque value.
The manufacturer’s instructions shall be followed for the operation and maintenance of
all Torque wrenches used to perform tightening procedure.
The pressure on the gasket shall be uniformly distributed in order to provide sealing
requirements. To make sure that, the bolts shall be tightened in the following sequence;
1. Hand-tighten all nuts. (Place a duet tape around the circumference of the flange and
number all the bolts)
2. Tighten bolts according to proper sequence indicated in procedure at 30 % of torque
value.
3. Tighten another pair of bolts approximately 90° further round the circumference.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to 60 % of the required bolt stress.
5. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to 100 % of the required bolt stress.
6. Flange alignment is completed, inspected and accepted, gasket can be placed
in position.
5.5 Tightening of bolted joints
1. Tightening method shall be as per para. 6.5.1 of Piping Fabrication, Erection, Inspection,
Testing and Cleaning Specification with No. IQWQ-KE-LSPDS-D8-0008.
2. Generally, bolted connections can be tightened by means of spanners, impact tools,
manual torque wrenches, hydraulic torque wrenches or hydraulic bolt tensioners. The
relevant equipment to be used shall be calibrated before commencing to the bolt
tightening/tensioning activities.
3. Bolt tensioning performed by controlled torqueing are the most accurate methods and
shall be carried out as required by IQWQ-KE-LSPDS-D8-0008.
4. Two bolts shall be installed diametrically opposite each other, one bolt half way between
the previously installed bolts and nuts engaged.
5. The correct bolt tightening sequence is also of fundamental importance in ensuring an
efficient, long-lasting, leak-free joint.
6. Controlled bolt tightening shall be carried out using either manual or hydraulic torque
wrenches. The chosen method depends to tightening rates, access and location of the
relevant bolts.
7. It is importance to ensure that the correct bolt torque figures are available prior
to making up a flanged joint. Torque values for particular bolt sizes shall be
taken from project specifications or from referred standards and procedures
mentioned in Section-3 of this procedure.
8. The table below shows tightening sequence for cross bolt torquing. The number
of passes required will be influence by the type of joint and its gasket type. For
example, ring type joints can be considered as ‘soft’ joints whereas spiral
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Page 8 of 14
Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
wound gaskets can be considered as hard joints. A soft joint may require more
passes to reach the required torque.
Table 5-1 Tightening Sequence for Cross Bolt Torquing
FlangeType
4 Bolt
Tightening Sequence (Numbered clockwise around the flange)
1,3,2,4
8 Bolt
1,5,3,7,2,6,4,8
12 Bolt
1,7,4,10,2,8,5,11,3,9,6,12
16 Bolt
1,9,5,13,3,11,7,15,2,10,6,14,4,12,8,16
20 Bolt
1,11,6,16,3,13,8,18,5,15,10,20,,12,7,17,4,14,9,19
24 Bolt
1,13,7,19,4,16,10,22,2,14,8,20,5,17,11,23,6,18,12,24,3,15,9,21
28 Bolt
1,15,8,22,4,18,11,25,6,20,13,27,2,16,9,23,5,19,12,26,3,17,10,24,7,21,14,28
32 Bolt
1,17,9,25,5,21,13,29,3,19,11,27,7,23,15,31,2,18,10,26,6,22,14,30,8,24,16,32,4,20,12,28
In order to achieve uniform tightness the nuts and bolts are tightened as follows and values
given in below table as per Piping Installation, Fabrication, Erection, and Testing Specification
with No. IQWQ-KE-LSPDS-D8-0008.
a. 1 st Pass: 30 % of specified torque value
b. 2 nd Pass: 60 % of specified torque value
c. 3 rd Pass: 100 % of specified torque value,
d. Final Pass: This will be a repeat pass followed by clockwise direction at 100 % of specified
torque (Attachment-1) value to verify that required torque has been evenly applied
throughout.
Table 5-2 Torque Application Chart
Bolt Size
mm (NPS)
12.7 (1/2)
15.9 (5/8)
19 (3/4)
22.2 (7/8)
25.4 (1)
28.6 (1
1/8)
31.8 (1
1/4)
1st Pass
18
33
57
90
135
Torque (Nm)
2nd Pass
Final Pass
36
60
66
110
114
190
180
300
270
450
207
414
690
288
576
960
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Page 9 of 14
Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
34.9 (1
390
780
1300
3/8)
38.1 (1
513
1026
1710
1/2)
41.3 (1
657
1314
2190
5/8)
44.5 (1
825
1650
2750
3/4)
47.6 (1
1026
2052
3420
7/8)
50.8 (2)
1251
2502
4170
57.1 (2
1794
3588
5980
1/4)
63.5 (2
2478
4956
8260
1/2)
70 (2
3006
6012
10020
3/4)
76.2 (3)
3915
7830
13050
82.6 (3
5001
10002
16670
1/4)
88.9 (3
6270
12540
20900
1/2)
95.3 (3
7731
15462
25770
3/4)
101.6 (4)
9405
18810
31350
107.9 (4
8925
17850
29750
1/4)
114.3 (4
10614
21228
35380
1/2)
The table for rotating equipment flange alignment tolerances is below, taken from the project
specification .
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Page 10 of 14
Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
Table 5-3 Rotating Equipment Flange Alignment Tolerances
5.6 Flange Tag Details
The flanged joints are uniquely numbered on isometric drawings according to hydro test packs.
The flanges need to be tagged in order to be visibly traceable. Tags should be made from
suitable non-perishable material and shall contain following details,
a. Line Class
b. Joint Reference and size
c. Torque Value Applied as per Flange Protocol List
d. Assembled / Torqued By
e. Date and Signature
f. Remarks
5.7 Inspection, Recording and Reporting
A visual inspection shall be carried out on the flange sealing faces and the bore of the pipe
noting any damage or indication of corrosion or erosion. Any damage notes shall be
accurately sketched and where possible photograph taken and the Company representative
advised.
Before bolting, mating gasket contact surfaces shall be aligned to each other within 1mm in
200mm, measured across any diameter as per ASME B31.3-2014.
Flange bolt holes shall aligned within 3mm max. Offset as per ASME B31.3-2014.
After completion of the bolt torqueing works flange joints will be hydrostatically tested as
per Hydrostatic Test Procedure with No.IQWQ-KE-LPHYT-D8-0001.
Joints to be witnessed by Company shall be selected before commencement of the work and
results of inspection shall be recorded on a Flange Alignment Report (See attachment -2)
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Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
6 HSE
Tensioning should be carried out safely within a barricaded, signed area.
A toolbox talk shall be conducted prior to the start of tensioning job to review the
risks and hazards and to remind the necessary precautions.
7 ATTACHMENTS
ATTACHMENT 1- Bolt Tension and Torque Table (1 page)
ATTACHMENT 2- Flange Alignment Report (2 pages)
ATTACHMENT-1
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Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
Notes:
1. Bolt Material used in table is the most commonly used: High strength alloy steel
bolting e.g., A193 Gr-B7, B16, and A320 L7.
2. The bolt tension (force per stud) values are based on bolt stress equivalent to 50%
of the minimum yield stress. For effective gasket sealing, the recommended
minimum acceptable bolt stress is 207 MPa (30000 psi) for a flanged joint
containing a spiral wound gasket, with lubricated bolting.
3. Lubricant coefficient of friction assumes threads and nut face are coated.
Representative types of lubricant friction factors are shown along with an unlubricated (dry) coefficient factor for reference.
4. Values of torque for materials having other yield strengths may be obtained by
multiplying the tabulated torque value for the relevant lubricant coefficient by the
ratio of the new material's yield strength to the tabulated material's yield
strength.
5. For Class 900 ring type joint (RTJ) flanges, multiply the torque values shown by
0.8 to represent a bolt tension equaling 40% of the bolt material's yield strength.
For Class 1500 & 2500 ring type joints (RTJ) flanges, multiply the torque values
shown by 0.6 to represent a bolt tension equaling 30% of the bolt material's yield
strength.
Flange Standards & Flange types
For process and utilities pipe work, the two commonly used flange
standards are ANSI B16.5 (American National Standards Institute) and
BS 1560(British Standards).A third standard, API 6A (American
Petroleum Institute) specifies flanges for Wellhead and Christmas Tree
Equipment.Flanges of different standards are not normally joined. If
necessary to do so, engineering advice must first be sought to ensure
the compatibility of the mating flanges.
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Al-Jaber International Company
Procedure System of FLANGE
MANAGEMENT PROCEDURE (Site)
Doc. No: AJB-OPR-MECH-PR-02
Issue Number: 01
No. Flange type
1
Welding
neck
2
Socket weld
3
Screwed
4
5
6
7
Slip on
Lap joint
Blind
Orifice
Revision Number: 00
Original Issue Date:
10th Oct 2018
Revision Issue date:
Service conditions
For high pressure process conditions
For low pressure process and utilities
For small pressure utility condition and small
sizes
For large sizes and limited pressures
For special corrosive conditions
For all pressure process and utilities
For instrumentation reasons , all pressure
sizes 2” and larger.
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Page 14 of 14