Below Grade Service (Pipelines and Tanks)

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The Below Grade Service Technical Community of Interest is a group of people (both AMPP members and nonmembers) who have come together for the purpose of furthering a common cause by sharing wisdom, knowledge, information, and/or data for pipelines and tanks that are utilized in buried service environments.

 Cold Field Bend ARO Coated Pipeline

Joshua Andrade's profile image
Joshua Andrade posted 02-13-2026 03:36 PM

TLDR: I am trying to find out if there is a coating specification from any organization or regulation specific regarding cold field bending ARO pipe


Background info:
New pipeline construction contractor was informed they had a certain amount of FBE for the project and they needed to utilize the ARO as mainline first and save the FBE for areas where they would need to bend pipe 

The contractor strung, welded, and then installed all of their FBE at the beginning of the project and then had to do field bends on ARO pipe.

The contractor was told that bent ARO required either ultrasonic testing of the entire bend to verify they condition of the FBE undercoat and to ensure there are no micro factors in the ARO and if there were then they were required to apply RD6 (or similar approved product) either 6 feet from the center of the bend or the entire bend + 1 foot each side -- whichever was greater.  On this particular job the contractor just decided to RD6 all of the ARO Bends because it cost less than ultrasonic testing them, much less testing and then repairing where required.

I am now looking at another project where the contractor is cold field bending ARO.

I have contacted the inspectors who were on the first project to see if any of them have the specification that called for this and even the lead stated that that is just what he was told to do and that this would requirement was not even in the gas company's specifications.

After quite a bit of googling I haven't found anything 

Does anybody know if there is an actual specification regarding ARO and cold field bends?