Operations
Congress Begins to Consider Changes to Pipeline Safety Law
Stephen Barlas, Contributing Editor, Washington, D.C. Congress had its first hearings in April in both the House and Senate on reauthorization of the Pipeline Safety Act, which loses its current authority Sept. 30, 2019. There will perhaps be some new safety requirements passed given that both De..
Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system, a review that was ordered after last September’s gas explosions near Boston that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of build..
TANAP’s Seismic Fault Crossing Posed Challenges For Welding
The Trans Anatolia Natural Gas Pipeline transports Azeri gas from the Shah Deniz field through Turkey and Europe. Construction of the technically challenging project was complicated by the North Anatolian Fault.
Letter from PRCI President Cliff Johnson: Investing in Research to Improve Pipeline Safety
Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) exists as a way for its members, who are pipeline operators, service providers and other industry stakeholders, to collectively and collaboratively, conduct research, develop, and evaluate new and emerging technologies that have the potential to improve..
Plains All American fined $3.3M for California Oil Spill
Plains All American Pipeline was fined nearly $3.35 million for a 2015 California coastal oil spill caused by the rupture of a corroded pipeline.
Mariner East 1 Pipeline Operational Again
Energy Transfer LP announced that effective Monday, April 23 Mariner East 1 pipeline has resumed operations. The 350-mile, 8-inch NGL pipeline transports NGLs across Southern Pennsylvania to Energy Transfer’s Marcus Hook Industrial Complex in Delaware County, PA.
Apache Corp Halting Permian Gas Production Due to Lack of Pipelines
Oil and gas producer Apache Corp said on Tuesday it temporarily halted production at its Alpine High assets in the Permian basin late March, curtailing output of about 250 million cubic feet of natural gas per day because of extremely low prices.
New Concho-Frontier JV to Construct Midland Basin Gathering System
Concho Resources and Frontier Midstream Solutions IV have agreed to form a 50-50 joint venture, Beta Crude Connector, LLC (BCC), to build and provide crude oil gathering, transportation and storage services in the Northern Midland Basin.
API-AOPL Annual Report Shows Liquids Pipeline Incidents Down Significantly
The American Petroleum Institute (API), in coordination with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL) has released the 2019 API-AOPL Liquids Pipeline Performance Report, which details a 20% decrease in liquids pipeline incidents impacting people or the environment over the last five years despite increases in both pipeline mileage and barrels delivered.
Mass. Budgets Statewide Review of Natural Gas Systems
Gov. Charlie Baker has signed a spending bill that funds a statewide examination of Massachusetts’ natural gas distribution system. The review was ordered after the Sept. 13 gas explosions that killed one person, injured 25 others and damaged or destroyed dozens of buildings in the Merrimack Valley.
Project Delays Sink Oil Sands Output in 2019
Canadian Oil Sands production in 2019 will be almost 230,000 b/d lower than last year, according to ESAI Energy’s recently published North America Watch.
Con Edison Halts Gas Hookups, Citing Interstate Pipeline Constraints
Consolidated Edison Inc said it will impose a moratorium on new natural gas service in parts of New York's Westchester County to protect system reliability due to limited space on interstate pipelines to the region.
At Least 5 Killed in Iran Gas Pipeline Explosion
A gas pipeline explosion in southwestern Iran killed at least five people and injured six, the Tasnim news agency reported.
Andax
Andax Andax introduced the Xtreme Shell Pipe Flange Containment System, a reusable, hard containment shell designed to fully enclose a pipe flange, manifold or any other leak point. The drain hose diverts the leak to a closed container, thereby reducing the potential dange..
Emerson
Emerson Emerson’s TopWorx TV-LED Switchbox provides a local, ultra-bright LED position indicator plus an electrical signal/digital input that communicates valve position remotely to the control room or plant management system. With its 360° viewing angle, the device enabl..
Parker
Parker Protecting gas turbines and compressors from dust, sand, moisture, salt and other contaminants is vital to performance and reliability. The TS1000 coalescer from Parker has been specifically developed for regions such as the Middle East and other places where this c..
Pure Safety Group
Pure Safety Group Pure Safety Group (PSG) unveiled its Guardian Fall Protection S1 safety harness, which is the first in a series of innovative new harnesses designed with three levels of features for various work scenarios. All harnesses meet OSHA standards, while exceedi..
Unwanted Night Moves
Whenever the subject of internal corrosion in pipelines comes up, it rekindles some unpleasant memories from my extensive time as a pipeline company spokesperson. Being part of an emergency response team for over 12 years was rewarding in many ways, but there was always an uneasy feeling when the phone would ring in the middle of the night.
Corrosion Protection Through New Cost-Effective Coating
A growing number of proactive companies are going beyond traditional techniques that have only slowed corrosion. They are turning to a new category of tough, chemically bonded phosphate ceramics (CBPCs) that can stop carbon steel corrosion, extend equipment life, and minimize the cost and production downtime required to recoat, repair, or replace equipment.
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.
PHMSA and Advisory Group Finalizing New Safety Program
A Voluntary Information Sharing (VIS) advisory group, working with the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), voted to recommend a new, industry-wide safety reporting program in which employees, in a “no-fear” environment, would report pipeline operational and infrastructure risks and hazards. Reports would be “de-identified” and centralized. The goal is that potential problems would be found and corrected before they worsened, possibly becoming emergency situations.
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.
Storage Tanks Explode at Venezuela Heavy Oil Project
Two storage tanks have exploded at the Petro San Felix heavy-crude upgrading project in eastern Venezuela, according to an oil industry source and a legislator.
Panhandle Eastern Capacity Reduced by Missouri Pipeline Blast
Energy Transfer said it has reduced mainline capacity on its Panhandle Eastern Pipe Line system after a fiery rupture downstream of its Centralia Compressor Station. The blast caused no serious injuries, but power to several homes was interrupted, authorities said.
Lithuania to Ask Belarus to Switch Nuclear Plant to Gas
Lithuanian Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis will ask Belarus to convert its Russian-built nuclear power plant to gas provided by Lithuania’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and a planned gas link between Lithuania and Poland.
Navigator Announces Glass Mountain Expansion, Extended Voyager Open Season
Navigator Energy Services said it will significantly expand its Glass Mountain Pipeline System (GMP) with new segregated crude grades, more storage and transportation capacity, additional origin points and expanded market access at Cushing. It also extended its open season with Magellan Midstream for their proposed 500-mile Voyager Pipeline.
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.
Pipeline Management Office Proves Beneficial to Pipeline Digs
The Digs Project Management Office (PMO) is often referred to as the “Big PMO” because of its sheer volume of work and its potential effect to the pipeline assets and its stakeholders.
How the IIoT and Edge Computing are Transforming Pipeline Management
Forward-looking pipeline operators are turning to industrial internet of things (IIoT) technologies, including distributed sensors and edge computing systems that push intelligence right to the pumping or compressor stations or other field locations.
Ensuring LNG Liquefaction Facilities’ System Tightness
By Nirmal Surendran Menon, Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), New Zealand System “tightness testing” is the last stage before inerting (the introduction of a non-combustible gas into a closed system) and the introduction of hydrocarbon and is a vital safety step in the start-up sequence..
- 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
