Pipeline

Editor's Notebook: Setting Standards

Some important news broke March 20 likely to have major implications for the oil and gas industry going forward. In Pittsburgh, which has become the business hub for the Marcellus Shale, a consortium of environmental organizations, energy companies and philanthropic foundations have formed the Center for Sustainable Shale Development (CSSD). The goal is to provide producers with certification of performance standards for shale development.

Williams/Boardwalk JV To Develop NGL Pipeline

Williams and Boardwalk Pipeline Partners have formed a joint venture to develop a pipeline to transport NGLs from the infrastructure-constrained Marcellus and Utica Shale plays to the rapidly expanding petrochemical and export complex on the U.S. Gulf Coast as well as the developing petrochemical market in the Northeast.

‘Perfect Storm’ Shines Light For More Infrastructure In New England

With what could be viewed ominously as the perfect storm bringing a much rougher winter than last year’s to New England, concerns about the need for additional natural gas infrastructure in the region have once again been dramatically underscored.

MarkWest Utica EMG, Rex Energy To Develop Midstream Infrastructure In Utica Shale

MarkWest Utica EMG LLC, a joint venture between MarkWest Energy Partners LP and The Energy and Minerals Group (EMG), announced definitive agreements with Rex Energy Corp. to provide gathering, processing, fractionation, and marketing services in the Utica Shale.

Achieving Better Liquid Measurement Accuracy

Custody transfer measurement in the oil and gas business has been described many ways. It has been called, “An accuracy in measurement that both the buyers and sellers can agree upon” and “The best that can be achieved to meet the contract conditions.” But I prefer to call it, “The search for the truth.”

Report Says Chevron Should Have Replaced Leaky Pipe

Government investigators found that a decades-old pipe that leaked and caused a fire at a Chevron refinery in California was corroded, and the company knew it should have been replaced.

LNG Export Project, Gas-To-Gasoline Facility Planned In Louisiana

Magnolia LNG plans to develop a $2.2 billion NGL production and export facility at the Port of Lake Charles in southwest Louisiana. The company expects to make a final investment decision to move forward with the project in late 2014 after it secures permits and completes financing.

PHMSA Pressured to Turn on Pipeline Valves Rulemaking

A Columbia Gas & Transmission Corp. pipeline leak in West Virginia in December has reignited the debate over installation of automatic shutoff valves (ASVs) and remote control valves (RCVs) as a means of quickly limiting the potentially disastrous effects of a pipeline explosion and subsequent fire. The fire in Sissonville destroyed three homes and closed a section of a major highway for 14 hours.

Completing A Challenging Directional Drill In The Marcellus Shale

Your geologists found natural gas hiding thousands of feet underground. Your legal team negotiated rights of way with landowners. Your drilling team went down a mile or so, made a horizontal turn and “fracked” the shale bed, releasing the gas. Your well is producing. So now what?

INGAA, APCA, OSHA Ramp Up Pipeline Construction Safety Measures

The INGAA Foundation Inc. has released Construction Safety Consensus Guidelines designed to cover common natural gas construction operations such as basic personal protection equipment (PPE), pressure testing, overhead utilities safety, and trenching and excavation.

DCP Consortium To Build Eagle Ford Gas Processing Plant

DCP Midstream LLC and DCP Midstream Partners LP announced construction of a cryogenic plant that will serve growing demand from producers in the liquids-rich Eagle Ford Shale.

Crestwood Acquires Marcellus Compression Assets

Crestwood Midstream Partners LP, as operator and 35% owner of Crestwood Marcellus Midstream LLC, announced an agreement by CMM to acquire natural gas compression and dehydration assets from Enerven Compression, LLC for $95 million.

West Texas Gateway And Justice NGL Pipelines Begin Service

Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. and Regency Energy Partners LP have placed the West Texas Gateway NGL Pipeline in service.

Axial Compressors For Pipeline Compression Stations

This article highlights new developments and lessons learned from recent experiences in the pipeline industry in relation to 1) the selection, 2) the design, 3) the manufacturing, 4) the anti-surge systems and 4) the operation of axial compressors.

Genesee & Wyoming To Serve Utica NGL Fractionation Hub

Genesee & Wyoming Inc. said its wholly owned subsidiary, The Columbus & Ohio River Rail Road Co. (CUOH), has signed a long-term agreement to serve the $900 million natural gas liquids fractionation hub being constructed in Scio, OH by Utica East Ohio Midstream LLC.

Pipeline & Gas Journals 2013 Worldwide Construction Report

<em>P&GJ</em>’s 2013 survey figures indicate 116,837 miles of pipelines are planned and under construction worldwide. Of these, 83,806 represent projects in the planning worldwide design phase while 33,031 reflect various stages of construction.

DCP Midstream To Construct Plant To Serve Eagle Ford Producers

DCP Midstream LLC and DCP Midstream Partners LP announced construction of a cryogenic plant in Goliad, TX that will serve growing demand from producers in the liquids-rich Eagle Ford shale.

Girth Weld Fitness After Multiple SMAW Repairs

This article is excerpted from a presentation concerning mechanical, microstructural and electrochemical evaluation of girth welds of welded API 5L X-52 steel pipe with one, two, three and four SMAW repairs in the same area. According to the results obtained, it can be concluded that:

Profiles in Courage: Why Shale Oil & Gas Will Lead To Another American Revolution

The transformation potential of shale oil and gas to the American energy, manufacturing, chemical, and pipeline industries is nothing short of revolutionary. As part of this revolution, the U.S. can form a competitive advantage versus other global economies lasting for the next generation… if government leaders and entrepreneurs demonstrate the courage necessary to tread this path.

GE Engines Powering First LNG-Fueled Drilling Rigs In Marcellus Shale

To reduce the environmental impacts and improve the economic performance of their U.S. unconventional gas production activities, energy developer Seneca Resources Corp. and drilling partner Ensign Drilling have installed two of GE’s Jenbacher gas engines to power the first LNG-fueled drilling rigs of their kind in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania.

DOE LNG Report Opens Door To Liquefaction Approvals

The Department of Energy published a report from NERA Economic Consulting which concludes unlimited exports of U.S. LNG will help the U.S. economy, and the greater the exports, the greater the public good.

Shale Gas Boom A Boom For Chemical Industry

The shale gas boom could be a major factor in cutting costs for the chemical industry as well as benefiting other industries, says a report from PwC US.

Utica Shale Play Emerging As Important Liquids-Rich Resource

A recent report from analytical firm HIS says that although it is still premature to conclude that the Utica/Point Pleasant Shale play in Ohio and western Pennsylvania will be as productive as the Eagle Ford Shale in Texas, the Utica is in many ways analogous to the Eagle Ford and early drilling results are encouraging.

Shell Eying Sites For U.S. GTL Plant

Despite persistently low natural gas prices, Shell hopes to boost profits by converting natural gas into diesel and other fuels, press reports indicate. While many of its competitors want to exploit the low prices by exports to Asia or Europe, Shell said it wants to bring its expertise in gas-to-liquid fuels into the U.S. fuel market.

2012 Line Pipe Tables

<em>Pipeline & Gas Journal</em>’s line pipe tabulation provides a quick reference to information on most line pipe sizes, walls, grades and manufacturing processes.

Automated Pigging Solutions For Unconventional Plays

According to market studies, all indications are that the importance of the shale gas market is not going to diminish in the foreseeable future. On the contrary, significant growth is projected in many quarters. For example, a 2011 report issued by ICF International on behalf of the INGAA Foundation predicted that total United States and Canada shale gas production will jump from 2010 levels of about 13 Bcf/d to 52 bcf/d by the year 2035.

Enbridge May Add Bakken Crude Pipeline Capacity

Enbridge is considering options to expand its crude pipeline capacity in the Bakken region in addition to company projects already proposed and under way, shippers said last month. According to Platts, shippers said Enbridge presented the potential options at a meeting in Denver Jan. 10.

Composite Repair Users Group Talks Permitting At 2nd Annual Conference

The Composite Repair Users Group met for its 2nd Annual Conference and Exhibition on Sept. 7 in Houston. The one-day conference, which was free to attend, focused on the permitting status of composite repair techniques for pipelines, updating members on new advances, demonstrating methods and results from testing and discussing the state of the industry.

Work Begins On Multi-Million Dollar Improvement Project

TECO Peoples Gas is set to begin an aggressive program to replace all cast-iron and bare steel distribution pipes to improve the safety, integrity and reliability of its system.

TransCanada Updates Keystone XL Route

TransCanada Corporation announced on Sept. 5 that it has submitted a Supplemental Environmental Report (SER) to the Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality (NDEQ) for the preferred alternative route for the Keystone XL Pipeline in Nebraska.