Pipeline
United Arab Emirates Plans to Increase Crude Oil, Natural Gas Production
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the world's sixth-largest oil producer in 2014, and the second-largest producer of petroleum and other liquids inOPEC, behind only Saudi Arabia. Because the prospects for further oil discoveries in the UAE are low, the UAE is relying on the application of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques in mature oil fields to increase production.
Alabama Announces $20 million Settlement with Transocean
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The owner of the drilling rig involved in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill is paying Alabama $20 million to resolve legal claims related to the disaster. Gov. Robert Bentley's office announced the settlement with Transocean, owner of the Deepwater Horizon rig. The governor said Alabama suffered tremendous economic losses from the disaster, which dumped nearly 134 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Bentley has said he wants to steer at least part of the Transocean money to the state's Medicaid program.
ConocoPhillips Gets Approval for Production Site inside Alaska Federal Reserve
ConocoPhillips gained approval to build the first oil production facilities at a federal reserve in Alaska. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management approval allows the company to construct an 11.8-acre drilling pad and other infrastructure within the reserve. The project boosts the possibility of adding oil to the 800-mile-long Trans-Alaska Pipeline System, designed to ferry 2 MMbpd of crude from the North Slope. It is currently at about 25% capacity due to production declines.
Day Of Reckoning for US Shale Will Have To Wait
October has been billed as a pivotal month in which indebted shale companies would see their credit lines cut, precipitating a faster consolidation in the industry that would sow the seeds of a rebound.
Schlumberger CEO: Rebound in Oil Will Take Longer than Many Expect
Schlumberger, the world’s largest oilfield services company, is revising its outlook for a recovery in energy prices, and says it plans to reduce spending, through more layoffs for example, in order to remain profitable. In July, Schlumberger’s CEO, Paal Kibsgaard, said he expected oil prices to begin recovering by the end of 2015. But in a conference call with analysts on Oct. 16 he said prices may not begin rising until 2017.
Interior Department Curbs Future Arctic Offshore Drilling
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The Interior Department announced Friday it is canceling future lease sales and will not extend current leases in Arctic waters off Alaska's northern coast, a decision that significantly reduces the chances for future Arctic offshore drilling. The news follows a Sept. 28 announcement by Royal Dutch Shell that it would cease exploration in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas after spending upward of $7 billion on Arctic exploration. The company cited disappointing results from a well drilled in the Chukchi and the unpredictable federal regulatory environment.
Monitoring Gas Turbines Using Speedtronic Mark VI Control Systems
Gas turbine protection systems consist of a number of subsystems, including several run during each stop and normal startup. Other systems and components operate strictly during emergencies and abnormal operating conditions. The most common type of failure on gas turbines is that of a sensor or the wiring of sensor protection systems, which are configured to detect an alarm.
Pipeline Stations: From Pre-Commissioning to Start-Up
Commissioning involves the use of a disciplined, systematic methodology to convert the constructed compressor station into an integrated and operational unit within a gas transmission system. This process should be implemented in a safe and efficient manner within a defined time-frame and budget. The successful operation of a compressor station strongly depends on the quality of three stages of the commissioning: pre-commissioning, core commissioning and start-up. New guidelines, latest lessons learned and modern practical notes must be addressed.
Compression: Pumping It Up Toward Perfection
In today’s climate change-constricted world, engineers who are comfortable with the role compression can play in unraveling the mystery of how to eliminate methane leaks and still produce newly unlocked massive North American natural gas supplies will always be in high demand. It is this sort of industrial puzzle that keeps folks on their toes at organizations such as the Gas Machinery Research Council (GMRC), the Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) and the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA).
Is Oil and Gas Fire Sale about to Start?
Much has been written about the mounting pile of debt for U.S. oil companies (not to mention the well-known Brazilian oil giant).
Oil Companies Pledge Support for Paris Climate Deal
STOCKHOLM (AP) — The chief executives of 10 of the world's biggest oil and gas companies have pledged support for an "effective" deal to fight global warming at a Paris conference next month. In a statement Friday, the CEOs of BP, Shell, Saudi Aramco, Total, Repsol, Statoil, Eni, Petroelos Mexicanos, Reliance Industries and BG Group said they recognize greenhouse gas emissions trends are inconsistent with the ambition to keep warming below a level many consider dangerous. Burning coal, oil and gas for energy is a key emissions source.
Snelsons New Leader Spreading the Word on Range of Pipeline Services
Snelson Companies opened its doors in 1946 as a small family-owned plumbing and heating business in Sedro-Woolley, WA. Frank Snelson, Sr. opened and ran the business with his three sons, Frank Jr., Jack and Bill. Bill, the youngest of the three, took over for his father in 1957. By 1966, Snelson was among the top hundred mechanical contracting firms in the U.S.
Green Light for Dominions $76.6 Million Clarington Project
Dominion Transmission Inc. received FERC approval for its Clarington project to provide an additional 250,000 Dth/d of firm transportation capacity which is fully and solely subscribed by Consol Energy Inc. under a 15-year precedent agreement. The project involves construction of two 10,000-hp compressors at the Mullet Compressor Station in Monroe and an additional 6,000 hp of compression at the Burch Ridge Compressor Station in Marshall County, WV.
ANSI/API Recommended Practice 1173 Released; What Does It Means for Pipeline Safety?
On July 8, 2015, the American Petroleum Institute (API) released the first edition of ANSI/API Recommended Practice (RP) 1173 Pipeline Safety Management Systems. As an ANSI designated standards document, the RP became the national standard for pipeline safety management systems (PSMSs) in the U.S.
New Integrity Solutions Facing Many Same Old Problems
The protection of oil, gas and refined product pipelines against natural events such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis, not to mention human actions including construction excavations, illegal tapping and terrorist sabotage, is an ongoing concern for operators around the world. However, in the United States, the top three causes of pipeline failure reported by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) are construction excavations, corrosion and equipment failure (Figure1).
Southern Star Holds Open Season for Sooner Trails Pipeline Project
Southern Star Central Corp. and NextEra US Gas Assets is holding a binding open season that will close Nov. 21 for the Sooner Trails Pipeline. As proposed, the 250-mile pipeline would connect new receipt points in Kingfisher, Canadian, Grady, Stephens, Garvin, Carter, and Bryan counties in Oklahoma to interstate and intrastate pipeline markets in Bryan County, OK and Lamar County, TX. If a decision is made to move forward, service could begin April 1, 2017.
Howard Midstream Begins Work on 200-Mile Texas-Mexico Pipeline
Howard Midstream Energy Partners, LLC held a successful open season and plans to move forward with construction of the Nueva Era Pipeline, a 50-50 joint venture between HEP and Mexico-based energy and services firm Grupo Clisa. As proposed, the pipeline will connect HEP’s existing Webb County Hub in South Texas directly to Escobedo, Nuevo León, Mexico, and to the Mexican National Pipeline System (Sistema de Transporte Nacional Integrado) in Monterrey, Mexico.
Iran Prepares Oil Sector for Life after Sanctions
Iran says it is ready to offer more than 50 projects for energy exploration and production to investors so that it can return quickly to the global oil market as soon as it is free from Western sanctions. Seyed Mehdi Hosseini, the chief negotiator for Iran’s Oil Contracts Restructuring Committee, said Iran will introduce the contracts in Tehran in November and at an energy conference in London next February. He made the announcement on Oct. 6 at the Oil and Money conference in Britain’s capital.
Veresen Gains Approval of $860 Million Sunrise Gas Plant
Veresen has begun construction of the $860 million Sunrise gas plant, located in the Montney region near Dawson Creek, B.C. The announcement came on the heels of Cutbank Ridge Partnership — a venture between producers Encana and Cutbank Dawson Gas Resources — approved the plant.
Far More than Money at Stake
How do you measure the cost of a pipeline spill? The answer: you can’t. That’s what the upper management of Plains All-American Pipeline is learning these days. It’s been a bad year for the Houston-based outfit that, through a series of acquisitions, has quickly become one of the nation’s largest independent midstream operators with over 18,000 miles of oil products pipelines.
Mastering Inspection of Challenging Pipelines
Pipelines are a valuable asset and need protection. In order to achieve this, a modern pipeline integrity management program usually includes regular inspections followed by integrity assessment, and if required, repair and rehabilitation measures.
Where do Oil Majors Really Stand on Climate Change?
Oil majors have been present in the renewable energy space for years. But with momentum building around the Paris COP21 climate talks at the end of the year, their focus has changed. Traditional energy players are positioning themselves in the debate on carbon pricing and emissions reductions, rather than wind and solar. Greater engagement by oil companies should be welcomed as cooperation between the public and private sectors will be critical to moving the conversation forward both in Paris and beyond.
Egypt Gas Find Sparks Panic in Israel about Israeli Reserves
Italian major Eni, on Aug. 30, announced the discovery of a supergiant gas field in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Egypt. The Zohr field is estimated to hold 30 Tcf of natural gas (5.5 Bbbls oil equivalent), though Eni believes more could be found. As it stands, the potential reserves represent the largest discovery in Egypt and the Mediterranean, topping Israel’s 16-Tcf Leviathan field.
House OKs Lifting 40-year-old US Ban on Oil Exports
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defying a White House veto threat, the Republican-controlled House on Friday approved a bill to lift a 40-year-old U.S. ban on crude oil exports. The House approved the bill on a 261-159 vote. Supporters said an ongoing boom in oil and gas drilling has made the 1970s-era restrictions obsolete. Lifting the export ban would lower prices at the pump, create jobs and boost the economy, said House Speaker John Boehner.
Judge Gives Final Approval for $338 Million Oil Train Settlement
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A U.S. bankruptcy judge Friday approved a $338 million settlement fund for victims of the fiery 2013 oil train derailment that claimed 47 lives in Quebec, clearing the way for payments to victims by year's end. Judge Peter Cary announced his approval after Canadian Pacific dropped its objection to the settlement plan and after a Canadian judge gave conditional approval Thursday. He praised attorneys for working together to get a substantial settlement in place as quickly as possible.
Officials: Gas Facility Explosion Leaves 3 Workers Dead
GIBSON, La. (AP) — An explosion at a Louisiana natural gas facility Thursday left three workers dead and two seriously injured, police said. The explosion happened about 11 a.m. at a facility owned by the Transcontinental Gas Pipeline Co., a subsidiary of major natural gas supplier Williams Partners, authorities said. The facility is located on a small highway near the oil and gas city of Houma.
Gas pipeline from Romania to Moldova to be built in 2016
CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — A Moldovan government official says work on a pipeline that will transport natural gas from Romania to the Moldovan capital will begin next year. The pipeline, which is expected to become operational in May 2018, will help lessen the former Soviet republic's dependency on Russia. It is an extension of one running from the northern Romanian city of Iasi to Ungheni, a Moldovan town near the Romanian border.
Risk-Based Design of Pipelines, Risers
The production and transportation of hydrocarbon products involves complex process systems with components that are exposed to extreme operational and environmental conditions. To ensure safe and continuous operation, it is important to identify probable risk sources and assess the integrity of the pipeline to avoid accidental or catastrophic failures.
Mastering Inspection of Challenging Pipelines (1)
Pipelines are a valuable asset and need protection. In order to achieve this, a modern pipeline integrity management program usually includes regular inspections followed by integrity assessment, and if required, repair and rehabilitation measures.
Keystone XL Developer Seeks Different Approval for Route
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — TransCanada is taking steps to circumvent one of the major roadblocks in Nebraska to the building of the Keystone XL pipeline. But in seeking approval Monday for the same contentious route through the state, the company could create another round of lengthy delays in an already drawn-out process.
- Phillips 66 to Shut LA Oil Refinery, Ending Major Gasoline Output Amid Supply Concerns
- FERC Sides with Williams in Texas-Louisiana Pipeline Dispute with Energy Transfer
- U.S. Appeals Court Blocks Kinder Morgan’s Tennessee Pipeline Permits
- ConocoPhillips Eyes Sale of $1 Billion Permian Assets Amid Marathon Acquisition
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- 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
