Monitoring
Damage Tolerance Testing of Small-Diameter Pipelines
Internal and external corrosion, as well as third-party damage such as dents and gouges, are the main causes of pipeline failures worldwide. When such damage is detected by direct inspection, or in-line inspection methods, a decision to replace, repair, or accept and monitor must be made.
Over-Pressure Protection for Natural Gas Distribution Systems
Over-pressure protection equipment, or systems, are critically employed to ensure a single point of failure cannot result in exceeding the system MAOP.
SCADA Operations Controlled Remotely
Houston-based Remote Operations Center (ROC) connects operators to their data and provides an offsite monitoring workforce that can improve efficiency while reducing risk. It is the only third-party provider solely focused on executing control center services for liquid and gas pipeline operators.
Combined Flaws Represent Key Danger to Pipelines
Sergey Zubin, chief engineer of Transneft Diascan, discusses the importance of detecting “combined flaws,” or those that occur in close proximity on the pipeline, with Pipeline & Gas Journal.
Advanced Analytics Can Help Boost Pipeline Performance
Leveraging existing operational data as well as new data sources available as part of a digital transformation can provide great opportunities to significantly improve performance through better asset reliability, efficiency and safety performance.
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.
Remote, Real-Time Monitoring Prevents Potential Problems
With utilities adding more and more residential and commercial endpoints to their distribution systems, the need to prevent and detect leaks has never been more challenging – or more critical. Thankfully, advanced technologies have emerged that allow utilities to harness new capabilities such as data analytics and remote monitoring to stay on top of leaks and address them before they create significant safety issues.
Thieves Siphon Whole Pipelines; Mexico to Ship Gas on Trains
Fuel thieves in Mexico have grown so bold they are drilling illegal taps under warehouses in big cities and siphoning off the entire contents of pipelines, Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said. He cited one pipeline carrying gasoline that thieves had drilled into so many times they had siphoned all the fuel in the duct.
Lawmakers Urge US Agency to Bolster Pipeline Cybersecurity
Two Democratic lawmakers urged the Department of Homeland Security to better protect U.S. oil and gas pipelines from cyber-attacks, after a report they requested detailed a lack of federal oversight of the critical conduits.
Government
Change of Class Location Draws Opposition Citizen organizations and state regulators are opposing interstate pipeline efforts to convince federal regulators to provide an alternative to the class location system, which requires pipelines to take steps when there is population growth around a pipeli..
Assuring Integrity of Polyethylene Gas Pipeline Systems
To maximize benefits, gas transporters continue to push polyethylene pipe design with more demanding applications, larger diameters and higher operating pressures. The risk of rapid crack progression and variables affecting performance must be considered when increasing the diameter and wall thickness of PE pipe.
Columbia Gas’ Merrimack Valley Accident: Fallout Just Starting
Federal and state agencies immediately jumped into action to uncover causes and preventative lessons that might be learned from the fatal September explosions, but other investigations could have implications for pipeline operations far beyond Massachusetts.
Senstar
Senstar introduced the FiberPatrol FP7000 fiber-optic pipeline integrity monitoring system for both gas and liquid-carrying pipelines. It can also be used for fence-mounted intrusion detection.
Improving Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Transmission, Storage
Interstate natural gas transmission companies are committed to minimizing methane emissions. This article explains methane emission sources for the transmission and storage sector and the basis for emissions commitments that INGAA members have voluntarily adopted.
GE's Avitas Gains First BLVOS Approval after Shell Oil Study
Avitas Systems, a GE venture, received the first civil approval to fly an unmanned aerial vehicle with radar beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) after a successful study with Shell Oil, marking an important step toward long-range pipeline monitoring with drones.
Thermon
Thermon introduced its TraceNet™Genesis Control & Monitoring System, a new solution for managing heat-trace circuit performance on process lines, tanks and instrumentation. The system allows instant access to comprehensive information, including circuit performance history, fault analysis, and circuit drawings.
Leak Detection Challenges on Crude Gathering, Produced Water Networks
A review of the four main leak detection methods and their abilities to overcome the unique challenges of crude oil gathering networks and produced water pipelines.
Drones: Flights of Fancy or Future of the Energy Industry?
As wildfires again ravaged much of California and other western states, energy industry responders could hardly imagine how their counterparts dealt with similar disasters just a few years ago without drones.
Strategy Shaped by Volatility
Among major supply factors, deferred maintenance continues to challenge global production. Maintenance is especially critical in basins with aging asset infrastructure, as recently evidenced by the crack in the North Sea Forties pipeline.
Insuring Against Liabilities Can Be Tricky
Despite the great overall success of the American energy industry, problems do exist and happen on a near-daily level. While rail accidents occur with more regularity, pipeline spills can actually have more devastating effects.
Leak Detection Going to the Dogs
Dogs can perform a multitude of services including protection, therapy, rescue, and tracking to name a few. They can be trained to detect virtually anything, including pipeline leaks.
Pipe Pressure Before Explosions was 12 Times too High
The pressure in natural gas pipelines prior to a series of explosions and fires in Massachusetts last week was 12 times higher than it should have been, according to a letter from the state's U.S. senators to executives of the utility in charge of the pipelines.
Official: Pressure Sensors Focus of Gas Explosions Investigation
The investigation into the Boston-area natural gas explosions is partially focused on pressure sensors that were connected to a gas line that was being taken out of service shortly before the blasts, the head of the National Transportation Safety Board said.
California Jury Finds Plains All American Guilty in Oil Spill Trial
A California state jury found Plains All American Pipeline guilty of criminally fouling state waters or harming wildlife in a 2015 oil spill along the Pacific Coast.
Pipeline Digs Get Assist From PMO
Performing direct assessments to verify a pipeline’s MAOP is not new, but as federal regulations become more stringent, the volume of digs will increase significantly, and operators need to keep up with the pace.
More Skin in the Game: New Technology to Find, Fix Leaks
Technology has not only helped re-energize the natural gas sector of the global energy economy, but also led to safety advancements, such as methane-detection systems continuously monitor and alert operators to a significant leak.
Making Simple Smart and Smart Simple: Cost-Effective, Low-Risk Pipeline Inspection
Three brief case studies highlight the challenge, solution and outcome where innovative pigging solutions have been successfully deployed to meet major offshore operator’s requirements.
Introduction to Vibration-Based Leak Detection Technology
There are various technologies available in the market for pipeline leak detection and loss monitoring. While leak detection system cannot reduce the probability of a leak, using the appropriate system for a pipeline can significantly reduce the risk of a leak and rupture.
In-Line Inspection of Low-Pressure, Low-Flow Gas Pipelines
Maintaining control of an In-Line Inspection (ILI) tool’s speed is one of the most critical elements in successfully assessing the condition of a pipeline. Success is defined as receiving an intact tool at the conclusion of the inspection and acquiring data of sufficient quality to achieve the vendor’s sizing and accuracy specifications.
Embedding Operating Procedures in Pipeline SCADA
The pipeline SCADA operator has one of the most critical jobs in the industry and should be given all the help available to keep pipelines safe and operational. To this end, more than 25 years ago, a major oil company determined that SCADA-embedded operating procedures and safety features were needed.
- Mexican President: Billionaire Slim Interested in Pemex Natural Gas Project
- Freeport LNG Sues Three Contractors Over Defects at Texas Plant
- Energy Transfer Adds 6,000 Miles of Pipeline with $3.25 Billion WTG Midstream Acquisition
- FERC Approves Transco's Texas to Louisiana Gas Pipeline Project
- Williams Says Court Rules in Its Favor in Pipeline Dispute with Energy Transfer
- U.S. to Buy 4.5 Million Barrels of Oil to Replenish Strategic Petroleum Reserve
- Kurdish Oil Smuggling to Iran Flourishes
- U.S. Court Overturns Alaska Oil Lease Sale, Halting Energy Development
- Second Gas Pipeline Rupture in Texas’ Reeves County Raises Environmental Concerns
- Williams Begins Louisiana Pipeline Construction Despite Ongoing Legal Dispute with Energy Transfer
