Technology/R&D
EPA Boosts Amount of Ethanol in Gasoline Supply
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is boosting the amount of corn-based ethanol and other renewable fuels in the U.S. gasoline supply despite sustained opposition by an unusual alliance of oil companies, environmentalists and some GOP presidential candidates. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Monday issued a final rule designed to increase production of ethanol to be blended with gasoline through 2016, a decision that could reverberate in Iowa's crucial presidential caucuses.
Enlink Midstream Gains Full Ownership of Permian Basin Processing Plant
EnLink Midstream Partners announced its subsidiary has acquired full ownership in the Deadwood natural gas processing facility with the acquisition of an Apache Corporation subsidiary's 50% ownership interest. The facility is located in Glasscock County in the Texas Permian Basin and comes at an accretive cost of about $40 million. Pursuant to a 2011 agreement, EnLink and Apache jointly funded the development of a newly build processing facility in which each company held a 50% undivided ownership interest.
UTEC Completes Challenging Project in Cook Inlet
UTEC Survey was recently hired to provide a positioning solution for the installation of a monopod liquid natural gas platform and 30-km, 10-inch LNG pipeline for a major operation located in Alaska’s Cook Inlet. Twenty-four field personnel were mobilized and engaged with Coda Octopus Products for use of their Echoscope technology to provide positioning and survey services for five vessels.
Mastering Inspection of Challenging Pipelines
Any inspection device used internally must be introduced into the pipeline to be investigated. This implies that the line is accessible. “Piggable” lines need suitable launchers and receivers and are generally inspected in a unidirectional mode. If tool traps are not available or suitable, access has to be achieved via other means. Accessibility can be achieved through technical and/or procedural means.
Retrofitting Customized Valves, Actuators for Pipeline Monitoring Stations
Oil and gas engineers face a major problem in accurately and reliably measuring and monitoring the various fluids that are introduced into oil pipelines from well site pumping stations. A thorough understanding of both the oil separation process and the properties of valves and actuators is required to correctly specify a system that will sufficiently measure and monitor these various types of fluids. Also, the conditions downstream from each well are different, requiring valves and actuators to be highly customized to their specific role in the process.
Technip Awarded Contract Hydrogen Plant in Montana
Technip was awarded a contract by CHS Inc. to provide technology as well as engineering, procurement and construction for a 40,000-normal-cubic-meter-per-hour grassroots hydrogen plant at the CHS Refinery in Laurel, MT. The plant is part of ongoing upgrades to boost efficiency, increase diesel production and process additional crudes at its refinery.
GPR, EM Technologies Offer Rewards in Environmental Assessments
Geophysical surveys can be the bedrock – pardon the pun – of environmental projects, from locating abandoned underground storage tanks (USTs) and utilities, to complex mapping of geology in remedial investigations and finding landfill boundaries and other buried unknown problems.
Ozark Pipeline Upgrade Planned Beneath Mississippi River
Canadian company Enbridge will make $17.3 million in improvements to its Ozark Pipeline along a 4,000-foot segment that runs beneath the Mississippi River into north St. Louis. The work is scheduled for completion in 2016. Crews will bore under the river, welding 22-inch steel pipe together on the Missouri side, before pulling it through a new tunnel. The 435-mile Ozark Pipeline carries up to 215,000 bpd of oil from Oklahoma through Missouri, en route to the Wood River, IL refinery, Enbridge said.
Appalachian Midstream Operators Face Myriad of Challenges
This has been a busy year of new challenges and issues facing the Appalachian oil and gas industry as rig count in the Appalachian Basin and elsewhere is down substantially compared to the previous two years. A significant challenge ahead for shale developers in a lower price environment is to continue to be active in finding land, drilling wells and getting the natural resource to market. This article concerns our most recent report, published in May, on the issues and challenges facing midstream operators in the Appalachian Basin.
Study: Dispersants Failed to Help Oil Degrade in BP Spill
WASHINGTON — The chemical sprayed on the 2010 BP oil spill may not have helped crucial petroleum-munching microbes get rid of the slick, a new study suggested. And that leads to more questions about where much of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill went. If the new results are true, up to half the oil can't be accounted for, said the author of a new study on the spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Latin America Forced to Face Growing Supply-Demand Gap
Latin America’s prominence on the world gas stage has increased over the last several years. Although it is well-endowed with natural gas resources, the region has struggled to find its footing as both a natural gas producer and consumer. Consequently, Latin America’s potential as a natural gas import province is the topic of increasingly animated debate.
ROSEN Rolls Out Mobile Pipeline Diagnostics Units
ROSEN rolled out its much-anticipated R3 Service – which stands for responsive, rapid and reliable – before a large gathering of inquisitive industry executives and operators Oct. 28 in Houston. At the center of the new service is a fleet of high-end mobile diagnostics units capable of carrying all the diagnostic equipment necessary to sites throughout the United States.
Laney Finds Pushing Pipe Has Its Advantages
Laney Directional Drilling, which last year used Direct Pipe technology to make an underground pipeline crossing through wetlands in the Northeast feasible, explained the process to attendees at a symposium on Oct. 14 in Houston. Direct Pipe is a single-pass process that uses a steerable tunnel-boring “pipe thruster” to push pipe into place, while at the same time filling the void as it progresses. The process, according to Laney, is highly advantageous when crossing levees and environmentally sensitive areas.
Why Carbon Capture, Storage not Taken Off Yet
For all of the talk about green energy one fact still remains clear: fossil fuels are going to continue to be used in enormous quantities for decades to come. From China and India to the United States and Canada, the world is flooded with growing markets looking for new sources of fossil fuels and developed markets coming up with new ways to extract those fossil fuels. India, for instance, is on track to double its use of coal as a main source of energy over the next 20 years.
ILI Offers Technology that Will Continue to Advance
There are about 3.5 million kilometers of oil and gas pipelines worldwide needing regular cleaning, inspection and maintenance, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency (EIA).
US Propane Exports Increasing, Reaching More Distant Markets
As U.S. propane production has increased and domestic demand has remained relatively flat, the United States has transitioned from being a net propane importer to a net exporter. Facilitated by rapid expansion in the capacity to export domestic supply, propane exports from the United States are changing traditional propane trade patterns across the globe.
Nepal Turns to China for Fuel after India Restricts Supply
KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Fuel-starved Nepal has signed an agreement with China to import gasoline, diesel and cooking gas, effectively ending a monopoly on supply from India, which has restricted fuel convoys as a result of political protests in the Himalayan nation. The decision to import Chinese oil amid severe shortages has brought China a step closer to Nepal, which traditionally is more influenced by India in the south. The two Asian giants have been jostling for influence in landlocked Nepal.
Iraqis Tour North Dakota to Study Gas-Capturing Technologies
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The Iraqi government has turned to North Dakota for help in finding solutions to the wasteful burning of natural gas that's a byproduct of oil production. Iraq, OPEC's second-biggest oil producer behind Saudi Arabia, is having much the same problem dealing with excess natural gas that North Dakota has had as oil production there has increased, though the state has made strides recently to capture and use it, said Julio Friedmann, the U.S. Energy Department's deputy assistant secretary for fossil energy.
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).
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).
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.
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.
Control System Security Meets Modern Threats
In December 2014, the industrial control system (ICS) security community learned of the latest serious attack against a control system. The attack targeted a German steel mill, which reported massive damage to a blast furnace as a result. The attack was a classic persistent targeted attack (PTA): a spear-phishing attack gained a foothold on the corporate network, which enabled the attackers to work their way into the control system network by remote control.
In the News: Phillips 66, Spectra Energy Bail Out Troubled DCP Midstream
Phillips 66 and Spectra Energy, 50/50 joint venture owners in DCP Midstream, LLC, have entered into a nonbinding letter of intent for contributing assets to strengthen DCP Midstream. This transaction is expected to provide DCP Midstream with a stronger balance sheet and increased financial flexibility, and positions DCP to grow through commodity price cycles.
Control Room Management Best Practices
The oil and gas industry is constantly changing, no more so than over the past several years with new technology, new production hot beds and new developing markets to deliver product to. These changes have set the stage for new opportunities and challenges for the midstream industry, particularly when it comes to the pressure of transporting commodities from the production fields to market. Pressure to do it faster but also safer.
Pragmatic Approach to Understand Indian Natural Gas Market
A Pragmatic Approach to Understand Indian Natural Gas Market Historically, India has relied on coal to generate power, liquid fuels as feedstock and oil for its transport sector. But for environmental reasons India needs to focus on cleaner fuels. Natural gas has emerged as the fuel of choice for many industries in India owing to its environmental benefits and higher economic efficiency. However, India’s natural gas market is seeing a supply deficit due to its low domestic production.
Natural Gas Infrastructure Intelligence Report
In today’s commodity environment, being aware of ongoing decisions by producers and midstream players regarding planned projects is a critical component to understanding the future natural gas infrastructure landscape. Experienced analysts collect and interpret the information to deliver a streamlined approach for understanding and quantifying the influence of planned projects on the market. Up-to-date, reliable insight into these decisions reduces blind spots for traders so they can make more informed, longer-term decisions.
Ex-Exxon Executive Discusses Lauch of 'Clean' Oil Sands Project
After decades of exhaustive attempts to overcome the dirty reputation of oil sands, we finally have an environmentally-friendly and low cost method to tap into these vast resources in the state of Utah – good news both for Mother Nature and all oil and gas investors. MCW Energy Group’s CEO, former Exxon president of the Arabian Gulf region, R. Gerald Bailey, talks about his hunt for an innovative technology that simultaneously makes money and cleans up the environment, and the race to capitalize on Utah’s vast oil sands resources.
Report: Unconventional Resources to Boost Well Completion Equipment in Middle East
Tech-focused research firm Technavio has published a new report on the well completion equipment in the Middle East, which is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of almost 5% from 2015-2019.
Royal Flush? West Texas Fracking Company Uses Toilet Water to Cut Cost
It is no secret that fracking companies across the United States have been turning over every rock in the supply chain looking for ways to cut costs and improve efficiency. That’s what the business requires in a downturn. But now Pioneer Natural Resources seems to be going a step further in the name of price cuts and efficiency. The firm is finding an efficient, if somewhat unconventional, source of water for use in its fracking operations – the neighbors’ toilets.
- Kinder Morgan Proposes 290-Mile Gas Pipeline Expansion Spanning Three States
- Enbridge Plans 86-Mile Pipeline Expansion, Bringing 850 Workers to Northern B.C.
- Intensity, Rainbow Energy to Build 344-Mile Gas Pipeline Across North Dakota
- Tallgrass to Build New Permian-to-Rockies Pipeline, Targets 2028 Startup with 2.4 Bcf Capacity
- U.S. Moves to Block Enterprise Products’ Exports to China Over Security Risk
- U.S. Pipeline Expansion to Add 99 Bcf/d, Mostly for LNG Export, Report Finds
- A Systematic Approach To Ensuring Pipeline Integrity
- 275-Mile Texas-to-Oklahoma Gas Pipeline Enters Open Season
- US Poised to Become Net Exporter of Crude Oil in 2023
- EIG’s MidOcean Energy Acquires 20% Stake in Peru LNG, Including 254-Mile Pipeline
