Integrity
INGAA adopts new pipeline safety guiding principles
On March 1, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America members formally adopted a set of five guiding principles for pipeline safety, renewing the gas-transmission industry’s commitment to safe and reliable pipeline operations.
Feds Probe Fatal Enterprise Products Plant Blast
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating a Feb. 8 fire at a natural gas processing plant in Mont Belvieu, TX that killed one worker. Investigators found the remains of Rick Shaw a day after a fire ignited in what may have been a ruptured pipeline that carried natural gas. The blast occurred at the Enterprise Products plant.
5 Dead In Pa. Natural Gas Explosion
A natural gas explosion rocked a downtown neighborhood in Allentown, PA on Feb. 9, killing five residents, leveling several houses, and causing fires that burned for hours through an entire row of nearby homes.
7th Annual Pipeline Opportunities Conference Focuses On Pipeline Integrity
Many of the energy industry’s leading experts on safety issues will participate in the 7th Annual <a href="/pipeline-opportunities-conference-2011">Pipeline Opportunities Conference</a> on April 19 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Houston.
T.D. Williamson Introduces Spiral Magnetic Flux Leakage Inspection Tool
T.D. Williamson, Inc. (TDW) recently announced the debut of its patent-pending spiral magnetic flux leakage (SMFL) inspection tool.
In Wake of San Bruno, PHMSA Calls Oversight Of IM Programs "Lacking"
A National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) hearing March 1-2 in Washington may push Congress to renew failed efforts from last fall to upgrade pipeline safety laws. The hearings will air the NTSB's preliminary findings from the Pacific Gas & Electric Co. (PG&E) pipeline explosion in California in September where seven people were killed.
Koch Pipeline Employees Complete Year Without Safety Incidents
Koch Pipeline Company, L.P. reported that its employees worked all of 2010 with no minor or significant injuries. “No award or accolade can fully highlight the dedication to safety and the focus on ensuring that every Koch Pipeline employee goes home safely each and every day,” said Kim Penner, company president.
Fire Breaks Out At Enterprise Complex In Texas
On Feb. 9, 2011, Enterprise Products Partners L.P. announced that the west storage facility at its Mont Belvieu, TX complex, located approximately 35 miles east of Houston, experienced a fire that broke out on Feb. 8, 2011. UPDATE: A worker originally reported missing during the blaze has been confirmed killed after the fire burned itself out the morning of Feb. 9.
INGAA calls Senate pipeline safety authorization bill constructive starting point
A bill introduced Feb. 3 by Senators Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) to reauthorize the Pipeline Safety Act is a “constructive starting point” for renewing the law that ensures the safety of the interstate natural gas pipeline system that delivers almost one quarter of the energy consumed by Americans, said INGAA President and CEO Don Santa.
NTSB Issues 'Urgent' Recommendations In Wake Of San Bruno Explosion
Federal safety officials probing the San Bruno natural gas blast issued several "urgent" recommendations Jan. 3 designed to improve gas pipeline safety. The September blast in the San Francisco suburb killed eight people and destroyed dozens of homes. The National Transportation Safety Board, which issued the recommendations, has not determined the cause of the blast.
SCADA Networking Facilitated Using DNP3
Although malware has, for good reason, recently grabbed the attention when it comes to SCADA security, the other threats have not exactly gone away. Since the Stuxnet worm specifically targeted SCADA systems, that is all the better reason to ensure that vulnerability assessments and implementation measures encompass an even broader range of threats to one’s system.
Are Political Games Destroying Domestic Oil & Gas Industry?
Changes announced on Dec. 1 of the administration’s new ruling banning offshore drilling along the East Coast and eastern sector of the Gulf of Mexico for five to seven years only further amplify industry’s questions of what the administration really wants with domestic oil and gas exploration and production companies. The continued changes to the offshore “drill – no drill” and potential changes in onshore production only further the uncertainty of U.S. oil and gas production and the desire to get closer to energy independence.
What To Consider When Choosing A Gas Detector
PSE&G, with about 1.7 million gas customers in New Jersey, has a first responder program to ensure that technicians respond to a leak emergency call within 60 minutes or less1. To meet this goal, procedures are reviewed yearly, new service personnel receive extensive classroom and hands-on training, and apprentices are matched up with experienced technicians in a Field Experience Program for four months [1].
Alaska Report Calls For Improved Leak-Detection Technology On North Slope
Nearly every week on average since 1995, the North Slope oil fields have had a spill from a pipeline, a well, a tank or other equipment, according to a study by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation published last month in the Anchorage Daily News. That could be mitigated by close leak detection and pipeline regulation that might reduce the size and frequency of the spills, the study said.
Beyond San Bruno: An Industry Takes Stock
The energy pipeline industry works 24/7 to avoid “wake-up calls,” but when one comes, there is an obligation recognized by all segments to answer or find answers. That situation was no different in the wake of September’s natural gas transmission pipeline rupture in the San Francisco suburb of San Bruno.
Pig Trap Design And Assessment Considerations
A pig trap must be designed to match the pipeline section design specifications. The mechanical design characteristics of the pig trap should meet or exceed the design pressure, have the same design factor, have compatible material type, be designed using the same design code and be suitable for the same temperature range as the pipeline section that it serves.
Canadian Standard Revised To Incorporate Higher Performance Plastic Pipe
Revisions have been approved to the Canadian standard dealing with the use of plastic pipe in oil and gas pipeline systems. The standard is CSA Z662-11 “Oil and Gas Pipeline Systems.” The revisions to be published next year include: <ul> <li>Added rapid crack propagation (RCP) required value of a full-scale critical pressure greater than 1.5 times the maximum operating pressure for polyethylene (PE) materials...</li>
Gulf Horizon Accident Shows How Unprepared Everyone Was
"Be Prepared!” Good motto for Boy Scouts and everyone else! On April 20, the BP Deepwater Horizon offshore rig caught fire. Eleven workers were killed, the rig in a few days was lost and the greatest environmental disaster to date was started. Now, roughly six months later, there are still many questions yet to be answered. What can we say about the calamity?
Major Pipeline Safety Reform Bill Is On The Way
Congress may vote during the lame duck session after the November elections on the biggest pipeline safety bill since the 2002 amendments established integrity management programs for distribution, transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines. Then again, a major reform bill may be delayed until the next Congress.
Big Easy Offered Work, Networking And Fun For AGA Crowd
NEW ORLEANS, LA.-There has never been a time when representing the energy industry has been an easy job. In fact, that’s probably an understatement in this year of the oil spill that has brought unprecedented attention to the petroleum industry.
Plenty of Questions About San Bruno
In the wake of the deadly San Bruno, CA “incident,” as the industry likes to call it, that came in the wake of Enbridge’s problems in Michigan, Illinois and New York, which came in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the pipeline industry is going to have to come clean about the state of its infrastructure. Exactly how safe is the delivery system?
Review Blames Alyeska Spill On Technical Glitch, Potential Design Failures, Human Error
An internal report by Alyeska Pipeline Co. said the May 25 spill of about 190,000 gallons of oil at a pump station near Delta Junction fits into part of a pattern of similar "significant" pipeline incidents over the past three years.
SHRIMP Helps Utilities Create DIMP Plans
In 2005 the American Public Gas Association (APGA) created the APGA Security and Integrity Foundation (SIF) to assist small operators to comply with their security and pipeline safety responsibilities. “Small operators” includes not only natural gas utilities but also master meter systems and propane piping systems that fall under the jurisdiction of pipeline safety rules. Initial efforts focused on training and operator qualification, but in 2006 when Congress mandated that PHMSA issue DIMP rules, the SIF, with support from PHMSA, began developing a model DIMP plan.
PG&E Ordered To Check Thousands Of Miles Of Pipes
The California Public Utilities Commission ordered Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to check for leaks in all of its thousands of miles of natural gas pipelines as federal investigators continued to investigate the deadly Sept. 2 San Bruno rupture and explosion.
Safety Costs Big Oil's Wild Child
As Janet and I prepare for our annual vacation to the Poconos in northeastern Pennsylvania, there is one big question that I’m sure our friends will ask: is BP representative of the petroleum industry? The answer is “no”. To prove that, I need only point to a front-page story on Aug. 12: “BP To Pay Record Fine Of $50 Million For Texas Accident.”
Gas Management Solutions In Oil Production
Oil production generally involves the processing of upstream fluids into a crude oil that meets certain specifications. This is typically done at a field processing facility and involves a number of operations in different processing systems within the facility. One primary function of this processing is “phase separation” to remove water, solids and gas from the produced fluid, thereby producing crude oil that meets the specifications and provides the main source of income for the operator.
Pipelines Or Platforms All In Days Work For Greenes
These days in the Oil Patch, it takes a combination of brains, experience and an uncanny ability to match risks with rewards to be successful. It also helps if you earn yourself a special niche for quality of service. And that is what Greene’s Energy Group has quietly but effectively accomplished since it began operations in 1953: Formed by H. Rowe Greene, Sr. as a spin-off from Halliburton, Greene’s specialized in testing blowout preventers used in drilling.
Polyurethane And Pipeline Pigs Make A Perfect Match
Pigs have been squealing in pipelines for decades. A lot has changed, however, since the first modern-day pipeline pigs were introduced in the early 1940s. Many would cite the development in recent years of smart pigs, also called inline inspection (ILI) tools, as the biggest change. These pigs, which use sensors and computers to accurately inspect and analyze pipeline conditions and problems, do represent a vital improvement in the technology.
PPSA Celebrates 20th Anniversary
In 2010, the Pigging Products & Services Association (PPSA) celebrates its 20th anniversary. Based in the UK, PPSA was founded in 1990 to promote the knowledge of pigging and its related products and services by providing a channel of communication between the members themselves and with users and other interested parties. Its members are comprised of companies that manufacture or market pigging products or services, companies connected with the industry or individuals with an interest pigging products or services.
Multi-diameter Inline Tool Inspects The Previously Unpiggable
Around the world, almost 30% of oil and gas transmission pipelines are not suitable for inspection using conventional inline inspection (ILI) tools. In fact, many of these lines were built before intelligent pigging had even been invented. The challenges facing “unpiggable” pipelines are often associated with reduced bore valves, miter bends or changes in diameter. PII Pipeline Solutions has identified this as an opportunity to combine its pipeline inspection experience with the requirement of pipeline operating companies to develop technologies to inspect these challenging pipelines.
- 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
