ISO 13847:2013 PDF

Overview

ISO 13847:2013 - Petroleum and natural gas industries - Pipeline transportation systems - Welding of pipelines specifies requirements for producing and inspecting girth, branch and fillet welds in pipeline transportation systems that meet ISO 13623:2009 (or equivalent). The standard applies primarily to welding of carbon and low-alloy steel pipes (with guidance for corrosion‑resistant alloy (CRA) and CRA‑clad pipelines in Annex A) used in petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas systems.

Key scope limits:

• Pipe diameter ≥ 20 mm and wall thickness ≥ 3 mm
• Specified minimum yield strength ≤ 555 MPa
• Designed to meet permissible equivalent stresses per ISO 13623:2009
• Covers welding into pipeline items such as spools, risers, fittings and valves

ISO 13847:2013 identifies covered welding processes (SMAW, GTAW, GMAW, GSFCAW, SSFCAW, SAW) and explicitly excludes flash girth welding, resistance welding, solid‑phase and other one‑shot welding processes, plus longitudinal welds outside the scope.

Key Topics and Requirements

• Welding procedure specification (WPS) and qualification: requirements for preparing, testing and approving WPS and test pieces.
• Welder and welding operator approval: procedures for qualification, testing, re‑testing and records.
• Production welding controls: guidance on equipment, pipe preparation, tack welding, preheat, back‑up, deposition and post‑weld heat treatment.
• Non‑Destructive Testing (NDT): visual, radiographic, ultrasonic, magnetic particle and liquid penetrant testing procedures and personnel requirements (including approval of NDT procedures).
• Acceptance criteria and fitness‑for‑service: acceptance rules for detected discontinuities and right of rejection, with provisions for engineering critical assessment (ECA).
• Repair and defect management: authorization, defect removal and rework controls.
• Special applications: annex guidance for CRA welding, hyperbaric welding (Annex B), brazing/aluminothermic for anode leads (Annex C) and branch/fillet welding on in‑service pipelines (Annex D).
• Documentation and traceability: pipe and weld records, NDT reports and certification requirements.

Applications and Who Uses It

ISO 13847:2013 is used by:

• Pipeline operators and owners in the petroleum and natural gas industries
• Welding engineers and QA/QC specialists developing WPS and inspection plans
• Fabrication yards, pipeline contractors and inspectors performing girth/branch/fillet welding
• NDT personnel and laboratories for establishing test procedures and acceptance criteria
• Designers and integrity engineers referencing welding requirements for transmission and onshore distribution pipelines

Practical benefits include consistent welding quality, improved safety and integrity of pipeline transportation systems, and regulatory/commercial alignment with international pipeline welding practices.

Related Standards

• ISO 13623:2009 - Design, materials and operating criteria for pipeline transportation systems (referenced for stress/fitness limits)
• Applicable NDT and welder qualification standards (as referenced in ISO 13847:2013)

Keywords: ISO 13847:2013, welding of pipelines, pipeline welding standard, girth welds, NDT, welder qualification, petroleum and natural gas.