§6.3. Applicability. — Inbound Citations

(c) The answer shall explain in detail any objections to the award requested and identify the facts relied on in support of the Department's position. If the answer is based on any alleged facts not already in the record of the proceeding, the Department shall include with the answer either supporting affidavits or a request for further proceedings under § 6.3.

(5) An operator's procedures for post-assessment, in addition to the procedures listed in NACE SP0204, sections 6.3, “periodic reassessment,” and 6.4, “effectiveness of SCCDA,” must include the development of a reassessment plan based on the susceptibility of the operator's pipe to SCC as well as the mechanistic behavior of identified cracking. An operator's reassessment intervals must comply with § 192.939. The plan must include the following factors, in addition to any factors the operator determines appropriate:

(i) The evaluation of discovered crack clusters during the direct examination step in accordance with NACE SP0204, sections 5.3.5.7, 5.4, and 5.5 (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7);

(ii) Conditions conducive to the creation of a carbonate-bicarbonate environment;

(iii) Conditions in the application (or loss) of CP that can create or exacerbate SCC;

(iv) Operating temperature and pressure conditions, including operating stress levels on the pipe;

(v) Cyclic loading conditions;

(vi) Mechanistic conditions that influence crack initiation and growth rates;

(vii) The effects of interacting crack clusters;

(viii) The presence of sulfides; and

(d) If an assessment carried out under paragraph (b) or (c) of this section reveals any defect requiring remediation prior to the next scheduled assessment, the operator must schedule the next assessment in accordance with NACE SP0502 (incorporated by reference, see § 192.7), section 6.2 and 6.3. If the defect requires immediate remediation, then the operator must reduce pressure consistent with § 192.933 until the operator has completed reassessment using one of the assessment techniques allowed in § 192.937.

(ii) Criteria for evaluating whether conditions discovered by direct examination of indications in each ECDA region indicate a need for reassessment of the pipeline segment at an interval less than that specified in Sections 6.2 and 6.3 of NACE SP0502 (see appendix D of NACE SP0502) (incorporated by reference, see § 195.3).