Section 4 Certification

4.1.1 The purpose of certification is to undertake an agreed scope of review for confirming compliance of new construction, replacement, or repair assets, with standard(s) as specified by the company or manufacturer. The standard(s) may be stipulated by application-specific requirements, or established based on discussion and agreement with certification body (known as an IVA in API Specifications 17J and 17K). The scope of certification can be as narrow or as wide as the company or manufacturer specifies; as small as design or manufacture of one component or as wide as design and manufacture of an entire flexible pipe system. Exclusions from or additions to the design Codes or standards can be agreed by LR on a case-bycase basis.

4.2.1 The scope for certification for a flexible pipe system is to appraise its compliance with the specified standard(s) for design and/or manufacture for the flexible pipe and/or any ancillary equipment.

4.2.2 The main industry standards applicable for assurance of flexible pipe system are API Specification 17J (for unbonded flexible pipe), API Specification 17K (for bonded flexible pipe), and API Specification 17L1 for the associated ancillary equipment. Where certain performance criteria are not specifically covered by the abovementioned API specifications, other recognised standards may be applicable.

4.3.1 Certification can be performed for flexible pipes with or without TA certification. It should be recognised that use of a type approved flexible pipe product in a system does not automatically constitute certification of the flexible pipe or the system for a specific application (refer to Ch 1, 3.3 Limitations 3.3.1).

4.3.2 Certification assessment is performed through desktop review of design and/or physical surveillance of pipe body manufacture, end fittings manufacture, and assembly and manufacture of ancillary equipment.

4.3.3 A sampling approach is permitted for both desktop review and physical surveillance activities. The level of involvement and frequency of sampling requires professional judgement, depends on the criticality of the subject component, novelty of its application, degree of similarity in design, experience of designer, etc. and should be agreed with certification body at the outset, and if necessary, adjusted over the length of the certification process based on findings. If flaws are identified during the process, the company or manufacturer should be informed and an increased sample size and/or frequency should be agreed.

4.3.4 For certification of type approved flexible pipes where proposed ratings remain inside the envelope of existing type approved ratings, the process starts with a review of the product specification against the TA certificate and associated appendices to confirm the validity and limitations of TA certification and applicability of TA ratings to company specifications and conditions. Assessment should include design and manufacture aspects which are not covered by TA certification for the specified company requirements, i.e. functional, environmental, interference, accidental loads, design guidelines (refer to Ch 1, 3.4 General design 3.4.6), and Inspection and Test Plans (ITP).

4.3.5 For certification of type approved flexible pipes where proposed ratings fall outside the envelope of existing type approved ratings, the manufacturer should seek approval from the associated TA body well in advance of the certification process, and propose and conduct a qualification programme. The qualification programme should address any new technologies introduced in the product and any additional testing requirements. If applicable, PQA may be required by the TA body for new/modified manufacturing facilities. Upon approval of the new technologies by the TA body, a certificate from the TA body is then required as supporting evidence as part of the certification process.

4.4.2 For design certification of flexible pipes without a TA, assessment should also cover review of application-specific aspects of general design, described in Ch 1, 3.4 General design.

4.5.2 All metallic materials used in the manufacture, as a minimum, should have a 3.1 certificate according to EN 10204, and end fitting forged components should have a 3.2 certificate. When 3.2 certification does not cover machining, heat treatment, cladding, welding, etc., these should be inspected. When the flexible pipe system is intended for high-performance application (e.g. high pressure, ultra-deep water depth, supercritical CO2, highly sour service), all metallic materials used in the manufacture are recommended to have 3.2 certification. The procedure used by a third-party certifier for certification should be reviewed to ensure the certification is adequate.

4.5.3 Where deviation from product quality standards occurs during manufacture, the manufacturer should provide a NCR and photographic records to the TA body (if applicable) or certifier, with the proposed corrective action, accepted by purchaser, for assessment and approval of corrective actions. Records of approval should be reviewed for certification.

4.5.4 Repair during manufacture should be monitored and records reviewed to ensure that the process is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's repair procedure.

4.6.1 Deliverables should reflect the activities performed by the certification body based on the scope specified by company/manufacturer and agreed with the certification body.

Other forms of deliverables may be agreed and delivered based on client's requirements.