Integrity
The National Transportation Safety Boards Report on San Bruno: Implications for Pipeline Safety
On Sept. 26, 2011, the National Transportation Safety Board (Board or NTSB) released its final report on the Sept. 9, 2010 San Bruno, CA pipeline explosion. The incident occurred on a 30-inch diameter intrastate gas transmission line (Line 132) operated by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E). The explosion and fire destroyed or damaged 70 homes and killed 8 people.
Considering Asbestos And Old Pipelines
Asbestos coating on pipelines is not a popular topic with most pipeline companies. In fact they don’t even like to use the “A” word when describing the coating. Asbestos is a proven, effective, and durable means of protecting steel pipe from corrosion and the elements. For the most part, asbestos might be up to 50% percent of the felt wrapping around a length of line pipe with some tar type outer wrapping. Overall, this might mean there is as much as 25% asbestos in the complete coating.
HDD Solves Crude Line Replacement Across St. Clair River
Enbridge sprang into action after confirming a minor anomaly on its 30-inch Line 6B crude oil pipeline where it crosses under the St. Clair River spanning from Marysville, MI to St. Clair Township, Ontario.
Members Of Natural Gas Industry Investigate Safety Models
In an effort to learn continually from other operators and to improve North America’s pipeline system safety, the American Gas Association, the American Petroleum Institute, the Association of Oil Pipe Lines and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, together with the Canadian Gas Association and the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, have initiated a comprehensive study to explore safety models and procedures utilized by other industry sectors in an effort to deliver natural gas and pipeline-transported liquids more safely and reliably.
Toward Better Pipeline Data Governance
<em>“If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing.” </em>– W. Edwards Deming On April 18 at the National Pipeline Safety Forum, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Debbie Hersman posed the following question to a panel of industry representatives:
NTSB faults PG&E and government oversight in San Bruno explosion
On August 30 the five-member National Transportation Safety Board announced that its nearly year-long investigation into the San Bruno pipeline explosion has determined that Pacific Gas & Electric's lax approach to pipeline safety and inadequate oversight from the California utility commission and PHMSA were the ultimate cause of the most devastating pipeline accident in a decade.
Pigging Products and Services Association Buyer's Guide
The Pigging Products and Services Association has compiled the following buyer's guide to illustrate which industry companies provide which products and services. <a href="/sites/pipelineandgasjournal.com/files/PPSA_buyersGuide.pdf">Download the PDF</a> for full information. Note: Inspection companies can generally arrange for the pipeline to be cleaned/prepared prior to inspection.
Trans-Alaska Pipeline Study Examines Low-flow Safety Issues
A study done for Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. concludes that the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) can be operated safely down to 350,000 bpd if measures are taken to prevent ice and wax buildup and corrosion, problems that accompany low flow.
Chemically Assisted Pipeline Cleaning For Pigging Operations
A successful cleaning chemical formulation process for hydrocarbon transportation pipelines has been developed and applied in pipelines in the U.S. Case studies are included in this article.
State, Fed Technicians Remove Bomb from Oklahoma Pipeline
The FBI announced Aug. 11 the discovery of an explosive device attached to a natural gas pipeline in Okemah, OK, about seventy miles east from Oklahoma City.
Advances In ILI Allow Assessing Unpiggable Pipelines
Advances in inline inspection (ILI) tools and other inspection technology today allow for detailed assessment of unpiggable or difficult-to-pig pipelines. In pipe systems considered unpiggable or difficult-to-pig, hydrotesting has been the primary fitness-for-service (FFS) assessment methodology. While regulatory compliance may be achieved by hydrotesting some lines, such testing does not provide a complete picture of the condition of a pipeline.
Ultrasonic Guided Wave System Developed By PetroChina
PetroChina Pipeline Research Center (PPRC) developed the PUGW-1 pipe screening system based on ultrasonic guided wave (UGW) theory during 2005-2009. PRRC is China’s largest research center focusing on oil and gas transmission and storage-related research.
Automatic Multiple Cleaning Pig Launching System Passes Test
A patented automatic multiple pig launching (AMPL) system has been developed and undergone its first commercial use. The system individually launches multiple pigs from a preloaded cassette. The system requires no modification to the existing pipeline launcher because the pig launching process is controlled by a hydraulic system incorporated with the pigs rather than by using complex pipeline on the launcher.
Investigation Follows Bison Blowout
<p>After TransCanada's Bison pipeline experienced an as-yet-unexplained rupture in Wyoming July 20, an investigation is under way but has not yet uncovered the cause of the accident. The rupture occurred in remote country and did not result in any injuries or property damage aside from the pipeline itself.</p>
Investigating Catastrophic Events With AMI Gas Data
On April 15, 2010 at approximately 4 p.m., the quiet neighborhood of Calhoun, GA, 65 miles north of Atlanta, was rocked by an explosion. The force of the blast blew out windows within a quarter-mile radius and could be felt up to two miles away.
Satellite Notification Service For Pig Tracking, Benchmarking
Doing more with less is a constant drumbeat in the world today. Certainly pig tracking and ILI benchmarking are no different. Now, thanks to CDI’s innovative new LineStat satellite notification service, tracking, locating and benchmarking pigs has taken a high-tech turn that yields faster and more precise information with less manpower.
Pipeline Safety, Keystone XL On API Agenda
SAN ANTONIO, TX-Meeting amid the backdrop of several headline-making events, a record attendance of nearly 470 participated in API’s 2011 Pipeline Conference held in San Antonio.
Keystone Pipelines Cathodic Protection Journey Spans Three Years And 2,147 Miles
The Keystone Pipeline is a 2,147-mile (3,456-km) pipeline that transports crude oil from Hardisty, Alberta, to U.S. Midwest markets at Wood River and Patoka in Illinois, and ultimately to Cushing, OK. On June 30, 2010, TransCanada (TCPL) began commercial operation of the first phase of the Keystone Pipeline System.
Gazprom May Build LNG Complex For Japanese
Gazprom and a consortium of Japanese companies led by Itochu Corp. have agreed to study building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant and a gas chemical complex in Russia’s Far East city of Vladivostok as Japan seeks to boost fuel supplies after its worst nuclear accident.
Pipeline Suspension Bridges Topic At Pipeliners Meeting
Parsons project manager Seth Condell, P.E. discussed the intricacies involved in pipeline suspension bridges at a recent meeting of The Pipeliners Association of Houston.
INGAA Foundation Reinforces Pipeline Safety Stance
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America Foundation met April 6-8 at the Las Colinas Four Seasons resort in Irving, TX with a tight schedule focusing on pipeline safety, public outreach and preparing for an uncertain future. Attendance was strong, although not a record, with 175 participants.
Line Pipe Coating Facility Works Million Man Hours Without Lost Time Accident
"Our Birmingham team has achieved an incredible accomplishment by maintaining 10 successful years of proactive safety in their work environment," said Merry Brumbaugh, vice president, L.B. Foster Tubular Products. Company representatives said a decade of safe operations at the Alabama plant demonstrates an intense safety awareness encouraged by DuPont's Safety Training Observation Program and promoted with ongoing corporate-wide safety initiatives.
Study Indicates Risk To LDC Assets Posed By Static Electricity
The danger of static electricity in natural gas distribution pipe has been well-documented by third-party industry associations and federal oversight agencies. The American Gas Association issued static electricity precautions in the Plastic Pipe Manual in 1985. It recommended external static suppression procedures as well as procedures for static suppression during purging operations.
Shuster To Support Transmission Company-sought Change To Integrity Program; EPA Delays Emissions Reporting
Pipeline safety hearings were the rage in early March. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) held hearings March 1-3 on last year's PG&E explosion in San Bruno, CA. Then on March 7 the House subcommittee on railroads, pipelines and hazardous materials held a hearing in King of Prussia, PA focusing on the explosion of a 12-inch diameter main in Allentown, PA owned by UGI Utilities, Inc.
Operators Take Control From Well To Terminal With Integrity/Risk Software Product
In the oil and gas industry, companies that rely on deficient control and management systems are not only risking loss of production and the asset but also putting lives and the environment in danger. A failure to manage these risks can ultimately lead to a sequence of events that may have consequences on a global scale.
New Guidelines For Float-Over Installations And Moorings
GL Noble Denton has issued new guidelines for float-over installations and for moorings.
NACE Interview: Integrity Management Solutions For Offshore Pipeline Corrosion
Corrosion of offshore oil and gas pipelines is a critical problem that can lead to catastrophic failure if not properly managed—from the design stage of the pipeline system through ongoing monitoring and maintenance.
INGAA Board Creates Pipeline Safety Task Force
The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America has formed a new executive-level task force on pipeline safety. Christopher A. Helms, Executive Vice President and Group CEO of NiSource Gas Transmission and Storage, was named Chairman of the new task force.
Enhanced Pipeline Seam Assessment
The ability to use a single inline inspection (ILI) tool in one run to record multiple datasets is becoming increasingly important to pipeline owners and operators as they face a growing need to inspect their assets for a wide variety of defects.
Overcoming Issues Associated With In-Line Inspection Of Gas Pipelines
Mechanical damage, corrosion and cracking are common threats affecting both liquid and gas pipelines. However, there are significant differences in the manifestations and frequency of these threats depending on the nature of the medium transported.

- Kinder Morgan Proposes 290-Mile Gas Pipeline Expansion Spanning Three States
- Enbridge Plans 86-Mile Pipeline Expansion, Bringing 850 Workers to Northern B.C.
- Intensity, Rainbow Energy to Build 344-Mile Gas Pipeline Across North Dakota
- Tallgrass to Build New Permian-to-Rockies Pipeline, Targets 2028 Startup with 2.4 Bcf Capacity
- U.S. Moves to Block Enterprise Products’ Exports to China Over Security Risk
- U.S. Pipeline Expansion to Add 99 Bcf/d, Mostly for LNG Export, Report Finds
- A Systematic Approach To Ensuring Pipeline Integrity
- 275-Mile Texas-to-Oklahoma Gas Pipeline Enters Open Season
- TC Energy’s North Baja Pipeline Expansion Brings Mexico Closer to LNG Exports
- Consumers Energy Begins 135-Mile Michigan Gas Pipeline Upgrade, Taps 600 Workers