June 2018, Vol. 245, No. 6

PRCI President Cliff Johnson discusses collaborative research, developing young professionals in the industry and the future of the institute's Technology Development Center.

Gazprom spent $4.6 billion and built more than 17,000 miles of pipeline during 2005-2016. Here's an update on the Russian gas giant's vertically integrated business, now responsible for about 11% of global gas output

Examining the ability of robotic pipeline inspection methods to address specific pipeline threats, including surface corrosion, internal and external anomalies, deformations, construction features, and other useful pipeline features and characteristics.

In pipeline construction, weld quality is paramount. This article provides an overview of the various options for preparing and cleaning pipeline materials and welds, along with best practices for each solution.

Whenever the topic of “decoupling” is mentioned concerning natural gas distribution utilities, confusion, along with a fair amount of debate, is bound to follow. That’s because, traditionally, rates for business and residential customers are decided based on a particular company’s revenues and profits.

In the three years since Mauricio Macri was elected president of the Argentine Republic, the federal government has stepped up efforts to meet unsatisfied gas demand of 40 MMcm/d in winter and increasing year-round demand to fuel an expanding industrial base.

A “new energy realism” based on advancing technologies is replacing “old energy pessimism” as government and industry leaders collaborate on future energy infrastructure.

The long-term integrity of pipelines often depends on the ability to inspect their entire lengths with ILI technologies. When construction or location specifics prevent use of ILI, however, managing the short-term integrity of the pipeline becomes a higher priority until it can be made piggable.

Pipeline companies have a responsibility to protect the general public and the environment by managing critical infrastructure assets safely. How safe a pipeline is has to do with its equipment, control systems and procedures, as well as with the culture the company operating the pipeline and its employees exude.

Interpretation and analysis of magnetic flux leakage (MFL) data has achieved advanced level of accuracy and time efficiency in the realm of difficult to pig pipelines and offers a reliable resource in the management of pipeline integrity.

It’s common practice to identify and log materials when they are delivered by the manufacturer and upon installation in the ground. Two California utilities have developed an approach in which the documentation travels with the materials at all times.

Fuel theft from pipelines has become a greater threat as it evolves into sophisticated acts by organized criminal groups.

Recent adjustments to U.S. tax law affect companies in every sector of the oil and gas industry. Here are the key changes you should know.

Southern Gas Association Chair Caron Lawhorn is on a mission to give the natural gas industry a bigger voice in the national conversation on energy efficiency and sustainability.

Many oil and gas companies are operating networks of machines, people and applications that are vulnerable to attack. Protecting these systems requires a different IT security model than many other businesses.

To effectively exploit blockchain technology, industry participants need to be able to consider not only its promise but also its shortcomings. The authors explore the attributes of blockchain of particular relevance to the natural gas industry.

Critical infrastructure provides the essential services that society needs to survive – clean drinking water, power to keep homes warm in the winter, transportation to get people and goods to where they need to be. In this world of increased digitization and connectivity, cybersecurity should be of utmost concern.

Gas utilities are looking to advanced metering infrastructure and other solutions that place them at the forefront of the smart city movement and capitalize on the promise of smart gas solutions.

Composites can be easily over-summarized, in the same way a layman may state that all pipes are just metal. The author sets the record straight on one common design choice: using unidirectional strands or fabrics.

Our industry’s “Convention Season” is starting to slow down now that the Offshore Technical Conference (OTC) held in Houston has wrapped up. I was fortunate enough to get a double dose of INGAA President Don Santa’s 2018 outlook at two other conferences recently. Don was the keynote speaker at PG&J’..

Cyprus, Israel, Greece Target 2018 Agreement on East Med Pipeline The East Med natural gas pipeline took center stage at a meeting between the leaders of Cyprus, Israel and Greece, who said they’re determined to move forward with plans for the project this year.  ..

Mountain Valley Pipeline Proposes North Carolina Expansion Developers of the Mountain Valley Pipeline plan to extend the project currently proposed to carry natural gas through West Virginia and Virginia into North Carolina. The company laid out plans for ..

Concerns in Congress about the inability of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to monitor gas pipeline hacking vulnerabilities are the stimulus behind a bipartisan bill that would give the Department of Energy new non-regulatory powers to plug the gaps in TSA oversight. A House Energy..

Apache Corporation announced Kregg Olson, executive vice president, Corporate Reservoir Engineering, plans to retire effective Aug. 1. Dave Pursell, senior vice president, Planning and Market Fundamentals, will assume his responsibilities. Before joining Apache in early 2018, Pursell served as manag..

James Atkin joined Orrick as global co-head of its oil and gas practice based in Japan. He joins the company from Vinson & Elkins, where he was managing partner of the Tokyo office. He is the 24th partner Orrick has recruited to its global Energy & Infrastructure platform since early 2016, when the ..

Motion Industries’ Ellen Holladay, the company’s senior vice president is the 2018 recipient of the Bearings Specialists Association (BSA) Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor is given to those showing exemplary leadership in the among those in the bearing manufacture and distribution industry. Mo..

Fluor Corporation was selected by a division of Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) to execute the engineering and procurement scope for MPC’s South Texas Asset Repositioning (STAR) program at its Galveston Bay refinery in Texas City, Texas. Fluor booked the undisclosed contract value into backlog ..

Enterprise Products Partners announced its 416-mile Midland-to-Sealy pipeline went into full service.

More than 1,500 people filed into the NACE Corrosion 2018 opening ceremonies in Phoenix About 6,500 attendees, whose interests ranged from applications for pipelines to highway and bridge construction, turned out for NACE Corrosion 2018, held A..

Offshore pipeline installation and subsea construction company Allseas is taking advantage of the operational benefits available from Sonardyne International’s GyroUSBL acoustic positioning technology, following an order for two systems for its 236-meterlay vessel, Lorelay.

Process stream chemistries vary over time, affecting materials’ resistance to corrosion. Common operational factors such as changes in oxygen concentration, start ups and shut downs, and feed stock variability can cause variations.

Garlock Pipeline Technologies (GPT) launched Evolution, its next generation of isolation gaskets, featuring easier installation, tight sealing, high-temperature operation, no permeation, hydrotesting isolation, fire-safety and chemical-resistance. The thinner, 1/8-inch design makes the gasket easier to install.

Bionomic Industries, a manufacturer of air pollution abatement and heat recovery technologies, released its new Series 9000 Preformed Spray Scrubber.

John Deere added three new plate compactors to its portfolio of Worksite Pro attachments. Designed for trench, slope and excavation compaction applications, the PC4, PC7 and PC10 plate compactor models deliver powerful performance and productivity.

A.Y. McDonald introduced its Portable Bypass Kit for getting around meters during inspections or when changing out devices.

The new Thermo Scientific SOLA iQ online sulfur analyzer helps technicians in the oil and gas industry measure total sulfur content of liquid or gas phase samples without lab analysis.

Krohne offers the Optisonic 7300 Biogas ultrasonic flowmeter, designed to measure dry and wet biogas with variable composition. The flowmeter provides functions such as calculation of standard volume, methane content measurement and diagnostics features.

Engineered for reliable production on the most challenging job-sites, the Cat PL61 pipelayer (sideboom) is part of a full line of purpose-built pipelayers designed for performance, safety and serviceability. Easy transport width, means this equipment is available when and where you need it.