Technology/R&D
ConocoPhillips Safely Delivers 1st Oil at Surmont 2
ConocoPhillips delivered first oil at its Surmont 2 in-situ oil sands facility in Canada, marking a significant milestone for the megaproject. Construction of the single-phase, steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) project began in 2010. Earlier this year, the company announced first steam, which has heated the reservoir to a point at which the well pairs could be converted to a SAGD configuration, allowing the oil to flow. Production will ramp-up through 2017, adding about 118,000 bpd of gross capacity. Total gross capacity for Surmont 1 and 2 is expected to reach 150,000 Bpd.
Beyond Compliance: Reducing Major Incidents, Creating Business Value
In the five years since the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, operators have undergone progressively tighter regulatory restrictions in both offshore and onshore environments. Along with restructuring the Department of the Interior to include the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), more than seventeen reforms have been implemented since the 2010 accident, targeting everything from well-design to maintenance reviews to safety culture.
Buzz on Drones: Theyre Coming to the Energy Sector
Few trends have been bigger or more exciting to watch in the last decade than the rise of drones. From serious applications like warfare to more quirky ones like pizza delivery, the world is still clearly just starting to figure out how drones can profitably be used. That background makes the recent chatter about the opportunity for drone use in commercial oil and gas applications an extremely interesting trend to watch.
World News: China and Russia Begin Work On Power of Serbia Pipeline
Russia’s Gazprom and China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) have confirmed that construction is underway on the 4,000-km Power of Serbia Pipeline that will deliver up to 38 Bcma of gas to China. The first joint of pipe for the Chinese sector of the project was recently welded near the city of Heibe in the northern Heilongjiang Province bordering Russia, according to CNPC. Russia started building its section of the 2,500-mile eastern route last year. The pipeline is due to become fully operational in late 2017.
Key Issues Taken on at Pipeline Conference
Pipeline & Gas Journal’s 11th annual Pipeline Opportunities Conference brought in 400 attendees from throughout North America, all focused on getting the most up-to-date information regarding the oil and natural gas industry. In addition to a full day’s worth of conference presentations and roundtables, guests had ample time to network during the even held March 24 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Houston’s Galleria district.
NACE President Seeks to Diversify Services for Rapidly Growing Membership
Raised in Pittsburgh, Jim Feather, NACE International’s 2015 president, says he grew up “not only with the steel metallurgy industry in my blood but also in my nostrils.” And while Feather did work directly in the steel industry as a sophomore through a co-op program at Carnegie-Mellon University, even then he could see “the writing on the wall” concerning steel’s long-term future in the United States.
STATS Group Completes Complex Isolation of North Sea Pipeline
Pipeline engineering specialist STATS Group was contracted by Apache North Sea Ltd. to isolate the Forties Pipeline System (FPS) so that subsea isolation valves (SSIV) and piping spools could be safely installed and leak tested, avoiding the need to depressurize the entire pipeline system. The 36-inch main crude oil line is a major pipeline network in the North Sea carrying 40% of the UK's oil, with over 50 offshore assets flowing into the 169-km FPS, which runs from Forties Charlie platform to Cruden Bay terminal, transporting 700,000 bpd.
ROSEN Sponsors Roundtable on Linear Threats
The ROSEN Group brought key industry stakeholders together for a roundtable on the topic of “Linear Threats in Pipelines” on May 28. The event attracted over 100 attendees from throughout North America and Europe who were hosted at the ROSEN facility in Gahanna, OH. The roundtable began with an official welcome by ROSEN Executive Vice President Chris F. Yoxall, who emphasized the importance of “why we are here.” He addressed the goal and set the tone for the day – bringing together all stakeholders to collectively work on common topics of interest.
Pigging Takes Aim at Paraffin Content in Shale Play Pipes
At a meeting of the American Fuel and Petrochemical Association, Michael Wojchiechowski, an economist at global energy consultant Wood Mackenzie, referred to the production from U.S. shale deposits as a “tight-oil tidal wave” – in other words, a large, unstoppable, liquid force. But as operators from the Bakken to the Eagle Ford and Niobrara to Marcellus know, there are plenty of challenges to keeping that enormous flow going, one being the high paraffin content of shale oil.
Fire Sale on Stuff that Burns: Oil, Natural Gas, Coal Down
NEW YORK — These days it seems whatever can be burned to power a car, heat a home, make electricity or ship people and goods around the globe is being sold at bargain basement prices. Prices for coal, natural gas, oil and the fuels made from crude such as gasoline and diesel are all far less expensive than they have been in recent years.
New Ethane Blending Facility Provides Flexibility for Natural Gas vs. Ethane Spreads
Enterprise Product Partners’ recently opened Ethane Blending Facility in Natchitoches, LA provides an unprecedented option for U.S. Northeast ethane rejection by blending ethane moved on the company’s 125,000 bpd ATEX pipeline into the U.S. Gulf Coast natural gas stream.
Whats New July 2015
New products and services from Jarraff Industries, Schneider Electric, 3M, Exterran and more. <strong>Jarraff Industries </strong> The Geo-Boy Brush Cutter Tractor from Jarraff Industries is available with various cutter head options to meet specific application needs. It can be outfitted with cutter heads from several manufacturers. The tractor is suited for jobs varying from pipeline right-of-way management to seismic mapping or general land clearing. It is offered in wheeled and track configurations. Both models are ROPS and FOPS certified. Safety features include a rear-view camera. The Geo-Boy has the ability to lift the cutter head about 11 feet and can quickly clear brush and trees up to a foot in diameter. Power is available in two-tier III engine options, 220 hp and 260 hp. www.jaraff.com
PRCI Welcomes Pipeline Community to Tech Development Center
Research development organization Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) officially opened its new Technology Development Center at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour Wednesday. “We want you to think of this place as yours,” PRCI President Cliff Johnson told attendees, many of whom represented pipeline and service companies. “How would you use this space?” The 30,000 square-foot facility broke ground July 7, 2014 on a 10-acre campus northwest of Houston with about half of the area earmarked for a state-of-the-art pull-test facility.
Outlook Optimistic Despite Tough Year In Cybersecurity
In the face of some of the worst threats in cybersecurity history, industrial control system cybersecurity continues to mature and evolve. While the disclosure of major vulnerabilities and new threats against industrial sectors paint a bleak picture, there have also been major advancements in awareness.
Novel Solution to Fracking Wastewater Could Keep Everyone Happy
Water used for fracking has always been a headache for the oil industry but now, thanks to new technology being developed in the United States, produced water – H2O used in the process of oil and gas extraction – could soon be recovered and used to power the operation or be put back into the grid, saving operators a bundle. Critics of fracking have long pointed to the prodigious use of water in the fracking process as one of the reasons to be against the controversial procedure, which props open layers of shale rock in order to let the oil or gas hydrocarbons flow into the well bore.
World News: Report Outlines Climate Framework, Spending
Development of a clear climate framework and a global emissions target is essential if $48-53 trillion for a new sustainable energy infrastructure is to be delivered, according to a new report from the World Energy Council. The findings are discussed in the fifth edition of the energy leaders’ dialogue series, the World Energy Trilemma Report, ‘Priority actions on climate change and how to balance the energy trilemma,’ released by the World Energy Council and project partner Oliver Wyman, along with the Global Risk Centre of its parent Marsh & McLennan Companies.
Offshore News: McDermott Awarded 12 Jacket Order for Saudi Fields
McDermott International, Inc. was awarded a large brownfield contract by Saudi Aramco for the engineering, procurement, construction and installation (EPCI) of twelve jackets for offshore oil and gas fields in Saudi Arabian waters. Engineering and procurement is expected to be performed by McDermott’s teams in Dubai, and Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The jackets are scheduled for fabrication by McDermott’s Dubai, U.A.E.-based fabrication facility.
Best Practices for Mitigating Flow Measurement Errors Associated with Hydrate Formation
Operating pipelines at high pressure and low temperature can lead to natural gas hydrate formation, even with modest water content. Hydrate formation is also a growing concern as flow measurement equipment and operators become more accustomed to handling wet gas flow. Hydrate particles can attach to pipe walls, instruments, and other structures within the pipeline, which can then lead to gas measurement errors or instrument failure due to solid particle attachment or high-velocity impacts.
Effectively Using New Data Technologies for Pipeline Routing
Oil and gas companies are using information technologies and resources now accessible on desktops for planning new pipeline routes. Technologies and resources include geographic information systems (GIS), mobile information technology, satellite imagery, topographic maps, environmental data and tax data.
Latest in Pressure Cycle Induced Fatigue Crack Growth Modeling
Recent high-profile pipeline incidents have increased awareness of integrity threats associated with legacy seam-welded pipe. Additionally, expectations from the public, regulators and pipeline operators to effectively manage these threats have increased. Pipeline operators use guidance published in PHMSA’s TT05 – Low Frequency ERW and Lap Welded Longitudinal Seam Evaluation– to model the effect of pressure cycle-induced fatigue on the growth of crack flaws to determine the optimum integrity re-assessment date prior to their growth to a critical level.
Wireless Field Measurement Takes Next Step
For process monitoring applications, the wireless revolution has come of age. Particularly in the upstream sector, oil and gas operations have fully realized the value proposition advertised by manufacturers. Wireless transmitters are now very commonly applied to measurements of level, pressure and temperature at compressors, gathering lines, separators, rod pumps and well-head “trees.” Wireless instruments have proved to be cost-effective, reliable, safe, secure, simple and environmentally friendly.
Regulators Ask Appalachian Power to Keep Up Infrastructure at Closed Plant
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia regulators have asked Appalachian Power to maintain infrastructure at a closed coal-fired power plant that could one day be used to convert the facility to natural gas. Fully demolishing the Kanawha River Plant would rule out such a conversion, the Public Service Commission said in an order issued Tuesday. "We're just starting to understand the implications of the order," Appalachian Power spokeswoman Jeri Matheney said Wednesday. "We're going to have look at these costs and the feasibility of complying with the order."
Administration Proposes More Safety Valves for Gas Lines
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Obama administration moved Wednesday to significantly expand a requirement for utilities to install inexpensive safety valves on gas lines across the nation following deadly fires and explosions going back decades that officials and safety advocates said could have been avoided. The Transportation Department proposal would cover new or replaced natural gas lines serving multi-family dwellings, small businesses and homes not already covered under a 2009 mandate.
Cyber-Threat Puts Oil and Gas Majors on Edge
The massive cyber-breach of the U.S. Government’s Office of Personnel Management (OPM) systems is the latest in a string of high-profile cyber-attacks in the last couple of years.
Declining Rig Count in U.S. Tight Formations
The count for both horizontal and vertical rigs in U.S tight formations has declining drastically from October 2014. This article discuss the declining rig count in the seven major Energy Information Administration (EIA) U.S. oil and natural gas regions.
PA11 Pipe to Connect Landfill Gas to Local Distributor
Arkema Inc., Georg Fischer Central Plastics LLC, and BioResource Development LLC (BRD) have partnered on a project to install a polyamide 11 (PA11) piping system to connect landfill gas to the local gas distribution system near Omaha, NE.
Major Pipeline Operators to Evaluate Aerial-based Safety Technologies
Three of North America’s largest pipeline operators - Enbridge Pipelines Inc., TransCanada Corporation, and Kinder Morgan Canada - have signed a Joint Industry Partnership (JIP) agreement to conduct research into aerial-based leak detection technologies, in the interest of enhancing across-the-board pipeline safety.
External Corrosion Mapping, Anomaly Assessment Using Eddy Currents
Evaluating pipeline anomalies remains a vital task in the pipeline industry. Properly identifying, assessing, and repairing defects is crucial in ensuring public and environmental safety. Recent technological advancements have automated this process and drastically increased its overall efficiency.
Shell Chemical Wins Air Permit for Proposed Marcellus Ethane Plant
MONACA, Pa. (AP) — Shell Chemical has been granted an air quality permit for a proposed petrochemical plant in western Pennsylvania, a step the company called "a critical milestone" as it decides whether to build the multibillion-dollar project along the Ohio River. The state Department of Environmental Protection announced Monday that it had approved the company's air quality plan and several water-related permits for the site in Potter Township, Beaver County.
What's New June 2015
New products and services from Case Construction, Inline Services, TT Technologies, QPS Engineering and more.
- 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
