Integrity

East Africa’s Leakage Incidents Points to Detection Needs

Barely one year after the commissioning of East and Central Africa’s only refined oil transportation pipeline in Kenya, leakages have been reported, raising concerns about the ability of existing government agencies to monitor the safety of oil infrastructure at a time when similar projects have been unveiled across the region.

Slam-Shut Technology for Ultra-Low-Pressure Protection

Natural gas is an abundant fuel used for both industrial and residential energy and is one of the few energy sources delivered directly into our homes. Because it’s also a flammable, potentially explosive fluid, natural gas utilities and distribution companies are required to prioritize safety and devote focus to their protection systems to prevent over-pressurization accidents, even for systems operating at extremely low-pressure levels (< 1 psi).

Clean-Up of Polish Section of Druzbha Pipeline Could Take a Year

The operator of the Polish section of the Druzbha oil pipeline said on Tuesday that it could take up to a year to completely clean its part of the network.

Produced Water Spills into Missouri River Tributary

Cleanup is underway after 21,000 gallons of brine oilfield wastewater leaked from an underground pipeline in western North Dakota and into an unnamed tributary of the Missouri River, the state Health Department said Monday.

Flow Meter Provides Dual Measurements in Single Body

The Transus Instruments UIM-4F Duo natural gas custody transfer ultrasonic flow meter consists of two independent fiscal flow measurements in a single flow meter body, enabling enhanced condition-based diagnostics in a space saving, compact package.

Emerson

Emerson released the Micro Motion 4200 2-wire loop-powered Coriolis transmitter, a new design that makes it possible to replace existing two-wire flow devices with minimal effort and without incurring additional power or cabling costs. The device can accommodate the largest line size (4-inch) of any..

Looking to Lessen Fluctuating Flow Problems in Measurement

Good measurement practices suggest flow measurements should occur without instabilities or pulsations in the flow. Even minor inaccuracies in the measurement of high value products can lead to significant financial exposure over extended periods of time.

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics When Equipment Fails

The importance of accurate measurement cannot be under-estimated. In 2012, the oil price was above $100 per barrel, but only a year later, as oil prices began to decline, the average price of a barrel of crude oil was $91, dropping to $42 by 2015.

Pipeline Leaks Produced Water in North Dakota

About 8,400 gallons of produced water has spilled in Stark County, N.D., because of a pipeline leak, officials said.

Druzhba Pipeline Flows to Poland Resume after Shutdown

Oil flows to Poland through the Druzhba pipeline resumed on Thursday after being suspended on Wednesday evening due to the discovery of contaminated oil, Polish pipeline operator PERN said.

Ashcroft

The Ashcroft® T6500 stainless steel, solid front pressure gauge is now available with the XRA overpressure option. This feature adds an overpressure mechanism that restricts the motion of the Bourdon tube after the specified full-scale value is reached. As a result, the gauge can withstand up to 400..

Modeling and Prediction of Black Powder Erosion of Gas Pipelines

Black powder is composed of different forms of iron sulfide (FeS), iron oxides (Fe3O4, FeOOH) and iron carbonate (FeCO3), mechanically mixed or chemically combined with any number of contaminants, such as salts, sand, liquid hydrocarbons, metal debris, and even naturally-occurring radioactive material (NORM).

Reducing Leakage Risks Using Advanced Digitalization

Stricter regulations, price volatility, and emerging technologies are disrupting conventional operational approaches in today’s midstream pipeline industry; even transport demand has never been greater. Therein lie both challenges and opportunities.

Measuring Crack Defects with Sub-Millimeter Accuracy

Ultrasonic crack technology, using piezoelectric transducers, is a proven and widely used solution for crack and crack-like defect detection in liquids pipelines. Over the past 20 years, only minor developments and improvements in this area were offered to pipeline operators.

Energy Drone & Robotics Summit '19: AI can help build the energy operations of tomorrow

Pipeline & Gas Journal was on hand for the two day Energy Drone & Robotics Summit at the Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel in The Woodlands, Texas. The summit brings together over 1,000 energy and engineering experts in the drones, robotics and AI industries.

Huntingdon Fusion Techniques

Huntingdon Fusion Techniques (HFT) introduced peripheral sealing plugs for heavy-duty applications, such as immersion in chemicals or exposure to high temperatures. Pipe stopper sealing plugs are manufactured to suit pipe ends or orifices having a 17-inch (432 mm) diameter, extending to 96 inches (2..

HiP

High Pressure Equipment Company (HiP), a subsidiary of Graco, added 3/8- and 9/16-inch O.D. valves and fittings to its ultra-high pressure family, designed to ensure safe and easy plumbing for pressures up to 100,000 psi. The new sizes of valves are available in four body styles – two-way straight, ..

Abriox

Software and hardware systems can be costly to install on a broad scale, but Osprey, designed and built by Abriox, is helping utilities supplement surveillance at multiple locations by monitoring, gathering and processing real-time data, economically. Osprey allows users to see daily compilations of..

Mehrer

Mehrer Compression GmbH introduced a high-pressure compressor, the TRx 400. The air-cooled piston compressor offers a solution for applications that require high final pressures of up to 200 bar, combined with high suction pressures of up to 35 bar. The TRx 400 is suited for the compression of H2, N..

TANAP’s Seismic Fault Crossing Posed Challenges For Welding

The Trans Anatolia Natural Gas Pipeline transports Azeri gas from the Shah Deniz field through Turkey and Europe. Construction of the technically challenging project was complicated by the North Anatolian Fault.

Opinion: Sub-Standard Pipe Torpedoing Basin Projects

By: Tony Radoszewski, President, The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc. The boom is on in the basin and other areas. That’s the good news. The bad news is that this year, sub-standard plastic pipe has been found in the oil and gas gathering operations of the Permian and Delaware basins in Texas and New..

Minnesota Governor Renews Challenge to Enbridge Pipeline

Gov. Tim Walz said Monday that his administration has renewed its challenge to a regulatory panel’s approval of Enbridge Energy’s plan to replace its aging Line 3 crude oil pipeline across northern Minnesota, saying he wants to let the legal process play out.

API-AOPL Annual Report Shows Liquids Pipeline Incidents Down Significantly

The American Petroleum Institute (API), in coordination with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) has released the 2019 API-AOPL Liquids Pipeline Performance Report, which details a 20% decrease in liquids pipeline incidents impacting people or the environment over the last five years despite increases in both pipeline mileage and barrels delivered.

Sunoco Settles Mariner East 1 Case with Pennsylvania PUC

Energy Transfer's Sunoco Pipeline subsidiary has reached a $200,000 settlement agreement with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) over an 840-gallon ethane and propane leak from Mariner East 1 pipeline in 2017.

Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems

Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system. The review was ordered after the Sept. 13 gas explosions that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings in the Merrimack Valley.

TransCanada Restarts Shut Portion of Keystone Oil Pipeline

TransCanada restarted a section of the Keystone oil pipeline, following a leak of 43 barrels of crude oil in Missouri earlier this month, the company said.

Ensuring LNG Liquefaction Facilities’ System Tightness

By Nirmal Surendran Menon, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), New Zealand  System “tightness testing” is the last stage before inerting (the introduction of a non-combustible gas into a closed system) and the introduction of hydrocarbon and is a vital safety step in the start-up sequence..

Section of Keystone Pipeline Shut Down after Leak

TransCanada Corp said a stretch of its Keystone crude oil pipeline from Nebraska to Illinois remained shut down on Monday after a leak was discovered last week near St. Louis, Missouri.

Missouri Leak Prompts Closure of Parts of 2 Oil Pipelines

An oil leak near St. Louis prompted the closure of parts of two pipelines as crews work to determine the source, company officials and Missouri regulators said.

San Francisco Gas Explosion Shoots Fire that Burns Buildings

A gas explosion in a San Francisco neighborhood shot flames into the air for hours Wednesday and burned five buildings, sending panicked residents and workers fleeing into the streets. It took utility crews more than two hours to put out the fire after private construction workers cut a natural gas line, igniting the towering flames.