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NACE Standard RP0274-2004

Item No. 21010

Standard
Recommended Practice

High-Voltage Electrical Inspection

of Pipeline Coatings
This NACE International standard represents a consensus of those individual members who have
reviewed this document, its scope, and provisions. Its acceptance does not in any respect
preclude anyone, whether he has adopted the standard or not, from manufacturing, marketing,
purchasing, or using products, processes, or procedures not in conformance with this standard.
Nothing contained in this NACE International standard is to be construed as granting any right, by
implication or otherwise, to manufacture, sell, or use in connection with any method, apparatus, or
product covered by Letters Patent, or as indemnifying or protecting anyone against liability for
infringement of Letters Patent. This standard represents minimum requirements and should in no
way be interpreted as a restriction on the use of better procedures or materials. Neither is this
standard intended to apply in all cases relating to the subject. Unpredictable circumstances may
negate the usefulness of this standard in specific instances. NACE International assumes no
responsibility for the interpretation or use of this standard by other parties and accepts
responsibility for only those official NACE International interpretations issued by NACE
International in accordance with its governing procedures and policies which preclude the
issuance of interpretations by individual volunteers.

Users of this NACE International standard are responsible for reviewing appropriate health, safety,
environmental, and regulatory documents and for determining their applicability in relation to this
standard prior to its use. This NACE International standard may not necessarily address all
potential health and safety problems or environmental hazards associated with the use of
materials, equipment, and/or operations detailed or referred to within this standard. Users of this
NACE International standard are also responsible for establishing appropriate health, safety, and
environmental protection practices, in consultation with appropriate regulatory authorities if
necessary, to achieve compliance with any existing applicable regulatory requirements prior to the
use of this standard.

CAUTIONARY NOTICE: NACE International standards are subject to periodic review, and may be
revised or withdrawn at any time without prior notice. NACE International requires that action be
taken to reaffirm, revise, or withdraw this standard no later than five years from the date of initial
publication. The user is cautioned to obtain the latest edition. Purchasers of NACE International
standards may receive current information on all standards and other NACE International
publications by contacting the NACE International Membership Services Department, 1440 South
Creek Drive, Houston, Texas 77084-4906 (telephone +1 [281] 228-6200).

Reaffirmed 2004-03-31
Reaffirmed 1998-25-03
Reaffirmed 1993
Approved 1974-08
NACE International
1440 South Creek Dr.
Houston, Texas 77084-4906
+1 (281)228-6200

ISBN 1-57590-064-5
©2004, NACE International
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RP0274-2004

________________________________________________________________________

Foreword

Detection and correction of defects in protective coatings are important factors in an effective
corrosion-control program. High-voltage electrical inspection of pipeline coatings is one commonly
used method of detecting such defects. Before the first issuance of this standard recommended
practice, there had not been a national standard for electrical inspection of pipeline coatings other
(1) 1
than AWWA Standard C 203-66, Section 3.13, which is only applicable to coal-tar coatings.
Several specifications have been written by operating companies for high-voltage electrical
inspection of protective coatings, but these apply only to specific coatings.

Following the principles of this standard will improve holiday detection of pipeline coatings. This
standard is intended to be used by personnel in pipeline operating companies, pipeline
contractors, pipeline inspection services, and pipeline coating mills.

This standard involves testing all pipeline coatings, including coatings on in-service pipelines and
new or replacement coatings. Procedures for low-voltage wet sponge testing and high-voltage
2
spark testing of new coatings on conductive substrates can be found in NACE Standard RP0188.

This standard was originally prepared in 1974 by Task Group T-10D-9 on Coating Inspection and
Work Group T-10D-9a on Electrical Inspection, components of Unit Committee T-10D on
Protective Coating Systems. It was reaffirmed with editorial revisions in 1993 and 1998. It was
reaffirmed again in 2004 by Specific Technology Group (STG) 03 on Protective Coatings and
Linings—Immersion/Buried. This standard was developed through the joint efforts of
representatives of coating manufacturers, coating applicators, holiday detector manufacturers,
corrosion specialists, and other personnel concerned with the construction of underground pipeline
facilities. This standard is issued by NACE International under the auspices of STG 03.

In NACE standards, the terms shall, must, should, and may are used in accordance with the
definitions of these terms in the NACE Publications Style Manual, 4th ed., Paragraph 7.4.1.9. Shall
and must are used to state mandatory requirements. The term should is used to state something
considered good and is recommended but is not mandatory. The term may is used to state
something considered optional.

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(1)
American Water Works Association (AWWA), 6666 W. Quincy Avenue, Denver, CO 80235.

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This is a preview of "NACE Standard RP0274...". Click here to purchase the full version from the ANSI store.

RP0274-2004

________________________________________________________________________

NACE International
Standard
Recommended Practice

High-Voltage Electrical Inspection of Pipeline Coatings

Contents

1. General......................................................................................................................... 1
2. Definitions..................................................................................................................... 1
3. Testing Voltages........................................................................................................... 1
4. Grounding..................................................................................................................... 2
5. Electrode ...................................................................................................................... 2
6. Electrode Travel Speed ................................................................................................ 2
7. Voltage Measurements ................................................................................................ 2
8. Condition of Coating Surface ....................................................................................... 3
9. Care of Equipment ....................................................................................................... 3
References.......................................................................................................................... 3
Table 1: Minimum Testing Voltage for Various Coating Thicknesses ............................... 1

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RP0274-2004

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Section 1: General

1.1 Electrical inspection (holiday detection) is a test of the procedures. A final coating inspection, performed before
continuity of a protective coating. This type of inspection lowering-in operations, will disclose any defect or damage
does not provide information concerning coating resistance, (except disbonding) that has occurred during the con-
bond, physical characteristics, or the overall quality of the struction period.
coating, nor is it intended to do so. It detects bubble or
blister-type voids, cracks, thin spots, and foreign inclusions 1.3 This standard presents acknowledged techniques for
or contaminants in the coating that are of such size, num- the use of holiday detectors currently used on pipeline coat-
ber, or conductivity as to lower the electrical resistance or ings and presents a table of recommended voltages for var-
dielectric strength of the coating significantly. ious coating thicknesses. These recommendations do not
apply to thin-film coatings (i.e., coating materials usually
1.2 Use of a holiday detector should be at the discretion of applied by a fusion-bonding process). Thin-film pipeline
the coating inspector. An initial holiday inspection, per- coatings are generally applied to a dry-film thickness less
formed as soon after the application of the coating as practi- than 0.5 mm (20 mils).
cable, serves to check the materials and the application

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Section 2: Definitions

Holiday: A discontinuity in a protective coating that exposes Pulse-type detector: A type of holiday detector which
unprotected surface to the environment. supplies a high-voltage pulse of very short duration (e.g., a
pulse duration of 0.0002 seconds at a rate of 30 pulses per
Holiday detector: A device for locating discontinuities in a second).
coating.

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Section 3: Testing Voltages

3.1 All testing voltages in this standard refer to DC or peak where T = average coating thickness in mm;
AC values.
Testing Voltage = 1,250 T (2)
3.2 The minimum testing voltage for a particular coating
thickness shall be within 20% of the value determined from
Equation (1) or (2), or as shown in Table 1: where T = average coating thickness in mils.

Testing Voltage = 7,900 T (1)

Table 1: Minimum Testing Voltage for Various Coating Thicknesses(A)

Coating Thicknesses Testing Voltage

(mm) (mils)
0.51 20 6,000
0.79 31 7,000
1.6 62 10,000
2.4 94 12,000
3.2 125 14,000
4.0 156 16,000
4.8 188 17,000
13 500 28,000
16 625 31,000
19 750 34,000
(A)
Thin-film coatings are not covered by this standard.

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