Operations
Choosing Correct AMI System for Gas Utilities
The natural gas industry continues to build upon a customer-first approach and is always looking for new and better ways to operate. There’s no doubt, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems have emerged as attractive solutions for local distribution companies (LDC) seeking to improve both customer and employee operations.
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.
Oil Prices and the Flowmeter Market
The worldwide flowmeter market experienced a rebound in 2018, with this particular market having followed the upward and downward fluctuations in oil prices, traditionally.
SwRI Improves Structural Monitoring of Aging Pipelines with Transducers
Maintenance of aging pipelines, especially ones that are insulated and/or buried, is a major challenge, due to limited access for application of conventional nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques. Even when access is available, financial and time constraints mean that conventional NDE is often carried out on a sampling basis, which makes it less reliable than full coverage inspection.
NACE International, SSPC Consider Merger
NACE International and The Society for Protective Coatings said they have continued discussions of a potential merger and will ask their members to vote on the matter within a year.
Mexico Pipeline Explosion Injures 3, 1 Missing
Mexican officials say three people have been injured and one is missing following the explosion of a gas pipeline in the central state of Guanajuato.
Archrock Acquires Elite Compression for $410 Million
Archrock has agreed to acquire the assets of Elite Compression Services in a $410 million cash and stock deal that adds 430,000 of predominately large-horsepower compression assets to its current 3.5 million-horsepower operations.
Shell Confirms Staff in Iraq Safe, Operations Normal After Rocket Attack
Royal Dutch Shell said on Wednesday that all its staff in Iraq are accounted for and its operations in the country are normal, after a rocket struck the site of headquarters of several foreign oil firms near Iraq's southern city of Basra.
DCP Midstream Shuts Natgas Pipeline in Oklahoma After Explosion
DCP Midstream temporarily shut a natural gas pipeline it owns and operates in Grady County, Oklahoma, after an explosion on Tuesday was caused by work by another company, said a DCP spokeswoman.
Romet
Romet Limited introduced the AdEM CLICK, a direct mount index. The smart module attaches to any type of rotary gas meter for real-time measurements for utilities. New models are available, each with tamperproof, weather-resistant design that can, depending on the design, factor in pressure, temperat..
E2S
E2S Warning Signals launched the flameproof STEx warning device encompasses audible, visual and combined warning devices within 316L stainless steel enclosures to protect against harsh environments where corrosion is a particular problem. The units are IECEx and ATEX approved for Zones 1 and 2 for u..
Emerson
Emerson is offering new meters and probes: the CMF-110 and CMF-118 flexible clamp meters and the FC-110 and FC-118 flexible clamp current probes. Available in either 10-inch or 18-inch flexible coil offerings, CMF series meter is a standalone device that measures true RMS AC current, AC voltage, res..
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).
Inspecting Pipelines Using Dual-Conventional Transducers
Today, there are millions of miles of pipeline all over the world, and many of these systems are old. Pipelines transport energy (crude oil, refined petroleum, natural gas and biofuels to name a few) and other fluids to various markets across vast distances. The integrity of the pipelines is of paramount concern to ensure the safety of people and the environment.
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 Department Offering Grants for Pipeline Projects
The Department of Energy will award $24 million in grants for the development of tools, methods and technologies to cost-effectively enhance the safety and efficiency of the nation’s natural gas production, gathering, storage, and transmission infrastructure. Grants will be as much as $3 million but no lower than $1 million.
First Pipeline Safety Bill Introduced
Two Massachusetts senators, one of them a Democratic presidential candidate, have introduced the first pipeline safety bill as Congress works to put together legislation reauthorizing the Pipeline Safety Act, which expires on Sept. 30.
NTSB Reveals Findings of 3-Year Gas Explosion Investigation
A gas company’s faulty equipment is the most likely cause of an explosion at a suburban Maryland apartment complex that killed seven people in 2016, according to federal report.
Iranian Gas Platform Fire Contained, No Fatalities Reported
A fire that broke out on a platform of the South Pars gas field in the Gulf on Wednesday has been contained and no fatalities were reported, Iran's oil ministry news agency SHANA said.
Canadian Oil Pipeline Congestion Sets up Lucrative Storage Play
As Canadian oil production has outpaced pipeline takeaway capacity, demand for storage in the oil sands province of Alberta has increased.
5 Workers Hurt in Houston-Area Natural Gas Line Explosion
Five workers have been injured when a natural gas line exploded in a residential neighborhood southeast of Houston. The blast occurred as a CenterPoint Energy contractor was working along a line Thursday.
NW Natural Completes North Mist Expansion Project
NW Natural has completed its North Mist Expansion Project and begun providing no-notice storage to Portland General Electric’s Port Westward plants to balance renewable power on the grid.
Blast Injures 14 on Saipem-Operated Ship in Caspian Sea
An explosion occurred Wednesday evening on the vessel “Israfil Huseynov” operated by Saipem for pipelaying in the Caspian Sea in the framework of the Shah Deniz II project.
Report: Blaze Engulfs 2 Iranian Pipelines, 5 Workers Injured
Iran's official IRNA news agency says firefighters have brought under control a blaze that engulfed two oil and gas pipelines in southwestern, oil-rich Khuzestan province.
Alliance
Alliance Sensors Group introduced the SS-7 series linear variable inductive transducer (LVIT), designed for subsea environments. The transducer is embedded into a hydraulic cylinder and uses the gun-drilled piston rod as a target, sensing its position without the need for a magnet. The SS-7 Series c..
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..
Technical Toolboxes
Technical Toolboxes released Version 19.0 of its The Pipeline Toolbox. The device features a range of improved calculations and applications, along with an embedded new license manager that strengthens security and enables better visibility. With its more than 230 pipeline-specific oil and gas appli..
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..
- Phillips 66 to Shut LA Oil Refinery, Ending Major Gasoline Output Amid Supply Concerns
- Trump Aims to Revive 1,200-Mile Keystone XL Pipeline Despite Major Challenges
- FERC Sides with Williams in Texas-Louisiana Pipeline Dispute with Energy Transfer
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- U.S. LNG Export Growth Faces Uncertainty as Trump’s Tariff Proposal Looms, Analysts Say
- Marathon Oil to Lay Off Over 500 Texas Workers Ahead of ConocoPhillips Merger
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- Another Major U.S. Oil Refinery Shutting Down as Lyondell Confirms Houston Closure
- Chevron CEO Wirth Under Fire as Hess Deal Delay Drags Down Stock Performance
