July 2016, Vol. 243, No. 7

Personnel Changes Dr. Klaus Brun, a program director in the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) Mechanical Engineering Division, was honored with the 2016 Industrial Gas Turbine Award given by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers International Gas Turbine Institute (ASME-IGTI). The award “r..

It is no secret that oil and gas producers are facing exceptionally challenging market conditions that have persisted for almost two years. Prognosticators may have different thoughts as to when oil prices will fully rebound, but it is telling of just how dire the circumstances have become when $40 ..

As PG&E and other utilities perform unparalleled levels of safety-related work on gas transmission systems, frequent and complex pipeline system outages occur throughout the year. This safety work also carries the potential of pressure reductions due to previously undetected system anomalies in the ..

Custody transfer measurement in the petroleum industry has been described many ways. It’s been called “an accuracy in measurement both the buyers and sellers can agree upon,” or sometimes described as “the best that can be achieved to meet the contract conditions.” There are many other descriptions ..

The U.S. Energy Information Administration’s EIA International Energy Outlook 2016 (IEO2016) projects world energy consumption will grow by 48% between 2012 and 2040. Most of this growth will come from countries that are not in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), includ..

“Now is the right time for this transaction; we see an emergence of technology, consumer behavior, market forces and regulatory changes that over time will change the way customers use energy,” —  Tom Fanning, Southern Co. CEO, August 2015, announcing acquisition of AGL Resources     Since the mid..

A recent Leaderboard Report from Navigant Research examines the strategy and execution of 11 leading meter data management systems (MDMSs) vendors, providing industry participants with an objective assessment of these companies’ relative strengths and weaknesses in the global MDMS market. With bill..

With the discovery and development of vast domestic gas shales in the United States over the past decade, this expanding energy resource has led to broader appeal of natural-gas-fueled vehicles (NGVs). Vehicle manufacturers are increasing the number of their NGV offerings, and the natural gas refue..

Natural gas liquid (NGL) streams consist of mixtures of hydrocarbons including ethane, propane, butane, pentane and natural gasoline. NGL is sometimes referred to as y-grade. The American Petroleum Institute (API) Manual of Petroleum Measurement Standards (MPMS) Chapter 14, Section 7 provides guidan..

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is testing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, to enhance the safety and reliability of its electric and gas service. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized PG&E to use drones to assist with inspections of electri..

More than 400 years have passed since explorer Henry Hudson sailed up the river that would eventually bear his name, searching in vain for a passage to China on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. Today, upstate New York’s Hudson River Valley is far from the savage wilderness Hudson found in 16..

A worker makes a mistake on an offshore platform that causes equipment damage or maybe even an oil spill. More often than not, the employee will be retrained or fired, but will that solve the circumstances that led to the incident in the first place? In my view, the mistake was the result of a manag..

Research and Markets has announced the release of the “Smart Gas Meter Market – Global Trends & Forecast to 2021” report. The smart gas meter market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.24% from 2016 to 2021 to reach USD 2.27 Billion by 2021. Government policies and mandates in developed economies a..

Darin L. George, a principal engineer in Southwest Research Institute’s (SwRI) Mechanical Engineering Division, is the recipient of the 2016 Laurance S. Reid Award given by the International School of Hydrocarbon Measurement (ISHM). He was honored at a ceremony held May 10 in Oklahoma City. The ann..

The energy industry cannot underestimate the promise and potential of natural gas. Successful natural gas development in emerging markets – where the gas resources are abundant – could spur economic growth and improve living standards. As emerging economies look to be part of the gas opportunity va..

Since the collapse of oil and gas prices after August 2014, North American pipeline companies have been under pressure to cut costs. For example, Cushing marketplace pipeline earlier this year dropped its already discounted rate for shipping light crude, by another 10% to $2.50 a barrel. The Aleria..

Two leading producers of carbon steel flanges, Weldbend Corporation and Boltex Mfg. Co. have filed petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce and U.S. International Trade Commission charging that unfairly priced and subsidized imports of carbon steel flanges from India, Spain and Italy are..

Oil prices are measured in 42-gallon barrels. The history of this tradition dates back to 1866, soon after Edwin Drake drilled the first oil well in the United States in Titusville, PA in 1859. In 1866, a group of independent oil producers met in Titusville and decided that the 42-gallon barrel was ..

The Environmental Protection Agency’s new rule requiring transmission pipelines to plug methane leaks at compressor stations includes some softening of earlier-proposed requirements, but will still impose substantial costs as companies move to repair leaks at new or modified compressors and controll..

Shell Plans to Build Huge Petrochemical Complex in Western Pennsylvania Royal Dutch Shell said last month it will build a multibillion-dollar petrochemical complex near Pittsburgh to make base chemicals and plastics from the natural gas produced in the Marcellus and Utica shale basins. Shell said t..

Petronas’ Floating LNG Facility Arrives in Malaysia The first floating LNG facility for Malaysian state-run oil and gas company, Petronas, arrived in the Kanowit gas field, offshore Sarawak, making its historic 2,120- mile journey to Malaysia on May 14. At 365 meters in length and with a dry weight..

Two KMI Projects Gain FERC Approval Kinder Morgan, Inc.’s subsidiaries, Elba Liquefaction Co., (ELC) and Southern LNG Co., have authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for the $2 billion Elba liquefaction project. It will be constructed and operated at the existing Elba I..

From helping engineer the multibillion-dollar merger of his Piedmont Natural Gas with Duke Energy to his role as 2016 chairman of the Southern Gas Association, Frank Yoho is a very busy man with natural gas on his mind 24/7. Yoho, 56, is Piedmont’s chief commercial officer, with responsibility for ..

Is my pipeline piggable? How clean is clean? What’s the safest way to do a hot tap? Is there a better way to find more defects the first time? Those were some of the questions asked by over 200 pipeline professionals who gathered to learn more about ensuring pipeline integrity at T.D. Williamson (TD..

McElroy’s Extruded fintube machine eclipsed prior performances after demonstrating that it is fully capable of producing quality fintubes using less raw material than ever before – a significant savings to fintube manufacturers. This cost efficiency is one reasons why Borkhimmash, a leading supplie..

NDT Global, a leading supplier of inline inspection (ILI) and data analysis, announced a combined geometry inspection service, Atlas UG, based on Evo Series 1.0 ultrasonic technology. Evo Series is available in a variety of configurations targeting different types of threats, be it cracking (axial ..

A new website that helps students and adults tap into career opportunities in the petrochemical industry, which is thriving during this downturn in the energy sector, is now available. “Many of these careers are hidden in plain sight, and once people know about them, they become interested because ..

Vacuworx The new PS 1 Portable Vacuum Lifting System from Vacuworx weighs just 25 lbs. yet lifts up to 2,200 lbs. and can handle a variety of materials including concrete, marble, granite, metal, steel and iron. Rechargeable 12V battery has an eight-hour run time. It is priced under $3,000. www.vac..