Petroleum and Energy Technologies Standards: May 2025 Monthly Overview Part 2

Looking back at May 2025, the Petroleum and Energy Technologies sector experienced a focused release of standards crucial for safe operations, enhanced equipment reliability, and evolving industry expectations. With three standards published—spanning lubricant performance, hydraulic fluid maintenance, and onshore/offshore pig trap design—this monthly overview offers a retrospective synthesis for professionals seeking to maintain best practices and robust compliance in a rapidly changing regulatory environment. For quality managers, engineers, and compliance officers, a firm grasp on these new documents is indispensable for aligning internal processes, safeguarding assets, and optimizing performance across complex supply chains.

Monthly Overview: May 2025

The standards published in May 2025 demonstrate the Petroleum and Energy Technologies sector's commitment to operational resilience and technical precision. This period reflected ongoing priorities: fluid maintenance for turbine reliability, precise tribological evaluation for manual transmission lubricants, and rigorously specified requirements for pipeline pig traps—both onshore and offshore.

Whereas previous months focused on broader system-wide safety, May 2025’s standards addressed specialized components and procedures. This highlights a maturing trend toward:

• Detailed operational protocols for fluid management
• Advanced material performance verification
• Strict structural requirements for safety-critical assets

The publication of these standards suggests an industry increasingly focused on reliability, personnel safety, and regulatory alignment as global energy infrastructure adapts to new operational challenges and environmental considerations.

Standards Published This Month

ISO 11365:2025 - Maintenance and Use of Triaryl Phosphate Ester Turbine Control Fluids

Petroleum and related products – Maintenance and use of triaryl phosphate ester turbine control fluids – Guidance and requirements

ISO 11365:2025 offers comprehensive guidance for the maintenance and handling of triaryl phosphate ester fluids. These synthetic fire-resistant fluids are vital for turbine control in power generation, providing both hydraulic performance and enhanced fire safety. The standard establishes best practices for monitoring fluid condition, examining both new and in-use fluids, and ensuring compatibility with seal, paint, gasket, and cable materials.

Key technical topics include:

• Fluid contamination control (particulates, water, air, metals)
• Fluid property monitoring (viscosity, foaming, chlorine, resistivity)
• Safe handling, storage, sampling, and disposal protocols
• Examination and acceptance tests for new and used fluids

Targeted at power generation operators, maintenance providers, and manufacturers, compliance is essential for organizations managing turbines using HFDR (ISO 6743-4) and TCD, TSD, TGD (ISO 6743-5) category fluids. Notably, this edition expands scope to directly reference all relevant fluid categories and introduces enhanced fluid monitoring procedures, aligning with evolving health and safety requirements.

Key highlights:

• Explicit coverage of TCD, TSD, and TGD fluids in addition to HFDR
• Detailed compatibility recommendations for materials and electrical insulation
• Expanded guidance on trending analysis for fluid property evolution

Access the full standard:View ISO 11365:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 20120:2025 - Lubricants – Coefficient of Friction of Synchronizer Lubricated by Manual Transmission Fluids

Lubricants – Determination of the coefficient of friction of synchronizer lubricated by manual transmission fluids (MTF) – High-frequency, linear-oscillation (SRV) test machine

ISO 20120:2025 specifies a rigorous test method to determine the friction coefficient between synchronizer materials and manual transmission fluids (MTF) under oscillatory conditions using an SRV (Schwingung, Reibung, Verschleiß) test machine. This is crucial for predicting real-world transmission performance in automotive and heavy machinery applications.

The standard covers:

• Test specimen geometry and setup for flat-on-flat contact
• Test parameters (load, frequency, stroke length, temperature)
• Measurement procedures and reporting requirements
• Calibration and repeatability/reproducibility standards

This method allows formulation chemists, lubricant developers, and transmission manufacturers to benchmark fluid performance and make early design decisions before moving to expensive bench or in-vehicle testing. This approach is particularly valuable for screening candidate fluids and ensuring reliable synchronizer function across diverse market and environmental conditions.

Key highlights:

• SRV tribometric testing for swift, cost-effective friction analysis
• Comprehensive requirements for specimen preparation and evaluation
• Precision-focused definition of repeatability and reproducibility for results

Access the full standard:View ISO 20120:2025 on iTeh Standards

ISO 22504:2025 - Pipeline Transportation Systems Pig Traps Design Requirements

Oil and gas industries including lower carbon energy – Pipeline transportation systems – Onshore and offshore pipelines pig traps design requirements

ISO 22504:2025 sets out the engineering requirements for designing, manufacturing, and installing pig traps used for launching and receiving internal pipeline maintenance and inspection tools. This document is essential for safe operation of both onshore and offshore hydrocarbon and lower-carbon energy pipelines. It does not cover automatic launcher systems, pigging valves, or temporary construction traps.

Practical areas addressed include:

• Design criteria for launcher, receiver, and launcher-receiver types
• Materials selection, wall thickness, and pressure compatibility
• Quick opening closures with interlocks, redundant safety features, and pressure warning blocks
• Welding, inspection, hydrostatic testing, documentation, and marking
• Pig trap system layout for accessibility, safety zones, workspace, and containment measures

Asset integrity engineers, pipeline operators, and EPC contractors will benefit from integrating these design mandates to ensure incident-free pigging operations, improved maintainability, and regulatory compliance. The standard incorporates new requirements for subsea operations, detailed documentation, and safety-focused layouts.

Key highlights:

• Detailed provisions for closure design and pressure containment
• Enhanced layout and workspace requirements (including leak containment)
• Updated inspection, testing, and documentation for lifecycle traceability

Access the full standard:View ISO 22504:2025 on iTeh Standards

Common Themes and Industry Trends

Across these May 2025 publications, several prevailing themes and strategic trends have emerged:

• Safety and Reliability: Enhanced focus on fire-resistant fluids, pig trap design, and robust testing aligns with the sector's non-negotiable safety priorities.
• Precision Performance Testing: From turbine fluid analysis to SRV friction measurement, specifications have become more granular—enabling more predictive, data-driven maintenance and design.
• Comprehensive Documentation: Increasing requirements for traceable documentation, acceptance criteria, and test reporting reflect regulatory expectations for accountability and operational transparency.
• Compatibility and Lifecycle Management: Greater attention is given to compatibility—of fluids with system materials, closures with operating pressures, and safety devices across a pipeline’s lifecycle.
• Environmental and Health Risk Management: Updated protocols for waste disposal, fluid contamination, and hazardous material handling show the sector’s alignment with evolving environmental standards.

Such standardization developments also parallel global energy trends: a move towards integrated, lower-carbon operations, more sophisticated asset monitoring, and greater harmonization of best practices worldwide.

Compliance and Implementation Considerations

With these new requirements in place, organizations in the Petroleum and Energy Technologies field should consider the following implementation strategies:

• Prioritize Staff Training: For standards like ISO 11365:2025 and ISO 22504:2025, staff must be competent in fluid handling, safety requirements, and pigging system operation. Routine training on new testing methods, as outlined in ISO 20120:2025, will accelerate adoption.
• Update Quality and Maintenance Procedures: Incorporate expanded monitoring and test procedures into maintenance schedules, particularly for fluid sampling, system flushing, and wear diagnostics.
• Audit Material Compatibility: Review system materials and coatings for compatibility against updated recommendations, especially for triaryl phosphate ester fluids and pig trap closures.
• Document and Trace Implementations: Emphasize thorough documentation during upgrades—matching the standard’s requirements for traceability, from welded joints to test certificates.
• Plan for Phased Adoption: Assess operational impact and create action plans for phased implementation aligned with internal reviews and regulatory timelines. Early compliance will prevent costly corrective actions later.

For organizations seeking deeper support or access to the primary texts, platforms like iTeh Standards provide resources, official documents, and support materials.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways from May 2025

May 2025 brought forward three pivotal standards for the Petroleum and Energy Technologies sector—directly influencing the safety, reliability, and performance of critical systems:

• ISO 11365:2025 strengthens protocols for turbine hydraulic fluids, protecting assets from contamination and degradation.
• ISO 20120:2025 introduces a precision laboratory method to optimize lubricant formulation and predict synchronizer performance in manual transmissions.
• ISO 22504:2025 delivers a blueprint for safe, compliant pig trap design, reinforcing operational integrity across pipeline assets.

Professionals in engineering, quality, procurement, and compliance roles are strongly encouraged to:

• Review these standards in detail for any impact on their operations
• Re-examine maintenance and testing procedures
• Upgrade system components to ensure compatibility and safety
• Leverage the latest guidance to future-proof operations against regulatory change

Staying current with these publications is essential not just for compliance, but for delivering on the sector’s commitment to safety, efficiency, and continuous improvement. For complete access and implementation resources, visit iTeh Standards.