Integrity
Using 3D Imaging To Evaluate Damaged Subsea Pipelines
Damage to subsea pipelines can cost operators millions of dollars in downtime, lost production and repairs. Common damage events such as dropped objects, anchor drag and trawler impacts can result in dents, cracks, pitting and gouges of pipeline material. Damage events compromise the integrity of pipelines and can have significant operational and financial consequences.
Seam Defect Cited For Pegasus Oil Spill
An independent report conducted by Hurst Metallurgical Research Laboratory Inc. faults manufacturing defects on the Pegasus Pipeline that ruptured and spewed 150,000 gallons of crude oil in Mayflower, AR, Exxon Mobil Corp. said.
Commercial Robotic Inspection Solution For Unpiggable Pipelines
A self-propelled inline inspection tool has been commercially used to inspect oil and gas lines. Surveyor, a robotic tool provided by GE’s Industrial Solutions, has been used to inspect more than 35 cased crossings or terminal tank lines. The benefit of using this tool has been its capability to quantify metal loss both internal and external and the relative ease to insert and retrieve the tool into the pipeline, thereby foregoing pipe modifications for traditional smart pigs or time required for hydrotesting.
EMAT, Pipe Coatings, Corrosion Control And CP Shielding
A major issue in the pipeline industry is coating disbondment. A large percentage of external corrosion and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) has been and continues to be observed under disbonded coatings that shield cathodic protection (CP). This has been an ongoing issue with coated and cathodically protected pipelines since the beginning of using these two technologies.
NASA Teams With Consultancy, Targeting Potential Disasters In Oil And Gas Industry
Citing the harsh conditions, complex systems and potentially catastrophic consequences of missteps within the modern oil and gas industry, the National Aeronautic and Space Administration has entered into a contract with Deloitte LLP to offer consulting services through Deloitte to the oil and gas industry, focusing on safety and risk mitigation efforts for “black swan” events, incidents of “low probability and high consequence.”
Markey Reports Gas Pipeline Leaks in MA Led To $150 Million In Lost Gas Per Year
Sen. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts released a report on Aug. 1 on the state of gas distribution pipeline leaks in that state, using it as a case study for the country as a whole. The report, prepared by congressional staff, found that $1.5 billion worth of natural gas was lost in Massachusetts between 2000-2011 and blamed leaky distribution pipelines for most of the loss.
Cybersecurity For Pipeline, Gas Companies
Securing pipeline and gas companies’ critical infrastructure is an evolving process. Embracing that fact is a key element in the development of a logical program that will ensure safety, security and effectiveness. There are four logical phases in this process with defined actions that can be measured and coordinated.
New Methodologies, Technologies Help Protect Pipelines
Good practice in reducing risks to pipeline integrity, and taking quick and effective action when potential threats develop, have long been part of sound pipeline operation. However, new technology trends, including social media, are amplifying public concern around how pipeline operators manage environmental, social and economic impacts.
Protecting Pipelines From Catastrophic Effects of Earthquakes
On Dec. 26 a gas pipeline blast followed by a mild earthquake struck Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi, which will host the 2014 Winter Olympics. No one was hurt and there was no apparent damage to the city's infrastructure after a 5.2 magnitude earthquake was reported at 0242 local time. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, there are 14,000 earthquakes worldwide each year that have a magnitude of 4 or greater—700 of which occur in the U.S. and Alaska.
Lightning, The Costliest Threat to Oil Tankers and Refineries
Why is lightning so often overlooked when talking about protecting the oil and gas industry? Its effects on a refinery, storage tank or compressor station can be catastrophic.
NAPCA Convention Discusses Economy, Safety; Inducts Two Into Hall Of Fame
The 49th annual NAPCA convention met in Indian Wells, CA from April 24-27, featuring the highest attendance level since 2008 and honoring an unprecedented two new entrants into its Hall of Fame.
Risky Business: Safety compliance rules are changing. How will you respond?
Every energy company CEO has safety and compliance (or the lack of it) in the back of his mind as he goes through the day.
Hurricane Outlook Calls For Another Busy Season On Gulf Coast
Tropical storms and hurricanes are among the largest and most destructive weather phenomena on earth. In the continental United States alone, it’s estimated that tropical cyclones have caused an average annual damage of $10 billion since 1900, according to a study in the Natural Hazards Review. And lying in the paths of these monsters are thousands of offshore drilling platforms and thousands of miles of oil and gas pipelines.
Sounding The Cybersecurity Alarm
Cybersecurity. Executives now take it much more seriously than even a couple of years ago, as hackers continue wreaking devastating impact worldwide, with 40% of all attacks directed at oil and gas companies. Being victimized by exponentially more attacks aimed not only at just compromising systems, but also causing severe disruptions, stealing proprietary information and for financial gain, the time to take action was literally “yesterday.”
As NACE grows, new president focuses on education, global outreach
Benjamin Franklin once wrote that in this world the only certainties in life are death and taxes. Had the often prophetic statesman been born decades later and found himself working in the pipeline business, he most assuredly would have added a third area of guaranteed distress – corrosion.
Best Practices Project Management, Construction Of Gas Pipeline Project From Sichuan To Shanghai
The Sichuan-Shanghai Natural Gas Transmission Pipeline Project is the most significant gas pipeline built in China since the West East Pipeline was completed in 2005. The Sichuan-Shanghai pipeline is somewhat shorter than the West East Pipeline; however, its degree of difficulty in both design and construction makes it equivalent in stature.
Letter To The Editor: Thermal Spraying For Corrosion Control
A reader elaborates on another method of applying zinc coatings for corrosion control.
CGA Study: 48% Of Homeowners Forgo Calling 811
A survey by the Common Ground Alliance (CGA) found 48% of homeowners who plan to dig this year for projects that include landscaping, installing a fence or mailbox or building a deck, pond or patio, will put themselves and communities at risk by not calling 811 to learn the approximate location of underground utilities.
TransCanada Exec: Oil Lines Safer Than Rail
A TransCanada executive said opponents of the Alberta-to-Texas Keystone XL pipeline should consider one consequence of delays in building the oil pipeline - an increase in dirtier and more dangerous rail transport. Alex Pourbaix, president of energy and oil pipelines at the Calgary-based pipeline company, said although rail has an important role to play in moving oil sands crude to market, there are downsides to consider.
Editor's Notebook: No Winners
API’s annual liquids pipeline conference last month in sunny San Diego was instead a scene of uneasiness for many of those in attendance. Chided by federal regulators for a recent uptick in pipeline incidents, the conference really culminated with the terse announcement that there were no winners among large operators for API’s prestigious Pipeline Distinguished Safety and Environmental Performance Award.
Automation Software Finds A Home In Pipelines
It isn’t hard to find companies that traditionally would not be involved in pipelines taking an active role in the industry. When an executive who is arms-deep in software technologies finds a special liking for the energy business, and is located about as far away from pipelines as one can be in the United States, he, too, must be a special individual.
Managing Corrosion Of Pipelines That Transport Crude Oils: Part 2
With the intense controversy surrounding the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline construction, unprecedented attention is being placed on the transportation of unconventional crude oil products, in this case diluted bitumen originating in the vast tar sands of Western Canada.
Pipeline Remote Operations: The Human Factor
This article presents a primary justification for an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the Human Element. Human Factors is a critical component in all safety programs, particularly PHMSA CFR 49 Parts 190-194, Pipeline Safety. It is a relatively new, but mature science and an increasingly mature engineering discipline in the process industries. It is also an area that is often overlooked and not well understood.
PG&Es Pipeline System: From Hell And Back
In less than three years, the San Francisco-based combination utility Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) has had to reconstitute its vast natural gas transmission and distribution system on a scale that is unprecedented for the U.S. pipeline sector.
Not If But When: CERAWeek On Cybersecurity
Oil and gas companies need to change their perspective on cybersecurity initiatives from one of incident-based response to a holistic approach more analogous to counterintelligence to prevent espionage, said experts attending IHS CERAWeek 2013, March 4-8. A two-part strategy to decrease exposure and mitigate possible consequences was recommended for a realm where the consensus was that some degree of infiltration is nearly inevitable.
Hot-Dip Galvanizing Vs. Zinc Electroplating
This article describes the two different process applications and quality-control aspects of zinc for corrosion control. A question often faced by engineers and material procurement personnel concerns making a choice between hot-dip galvanized material and zinc-electroplated options. The process, properties and quality-control issues of the two are discussed here in simple terms. This article also references typical applicable ASTM specifications.
Elements Of An Engineering-Based Integrity Management Program
Establishing pipeline integrity requires identifying specific threats, understanding their relationship to the condition of the pipeline, and establishing what mitigative measures are appropriate to assure integrity. The pipeline industry has relied on many years of research and experience to develop a set of tools to perform qualitative analyses of pipeline integrity. With the implementation of the Integrity Management Program (IMP) by the Pipeline and Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA), the analysis methods and results must be defendable and documented.
Battelle Acts On Corrosion Detection And Prevention
Corrosion is a widespread problem across many industries. Corrosion-related costs to the pipeline industry are estimated anywhere from $5.4 billion to $8.6 billion annually in a report by NACE and CC Technologies. These costs include failures, capital, and operations and maintenance.
Enhancing Internal Corrosion Direct Assessment Programs For Wet Gas/Dry Gas Pipelines
It’s been well documented that internal corrosion in gas, liquid and multiphase transmission pipelines is a significant problem that has caused extensive damage to pipelines and operating facilities.
Report Says Chevron Should Have Replaced Leaky Pipe
Government investigators found that a decades-old pipe that leaked and caused a fire at a Chevron refinery in California was corroded, and the company knew it should have been replaced.
- Freeport LNG Plant Runs Near Zero Consumption for Fifth Day
- Biden Administration Buys Oil for Emergency Reserve Above Target Price
- Mexico Seizes Air Liquide's Hydrogen Plant at Pemex Refinery
- Kinder Morgan Declares Force Majeure on West Texas Gas Pipeline After Fire
- Enbridge Picks Contractors for Great Lakes Tunnel Project, Securing Line 5 Pipeline Route
- Pipeline Hydro Test Pressure Determination
- Venezuela Proposes Alternative Payment Plan as Weak Bids Surface in Citgo Auction
- Baker Hughes Wins Contract for Huge Aramco Gas Expansion Project
- Japan Looks at Developing Domestic Pipelines Sector
- Enbridge Picks Contractors for Great Lakes Tunnel Project, Securing Line 5 Pipeline Route
