October 2018, Vol. 245, No. 10
Features
Despite a decline in energy-intensive industries, New England and the Mid-Atlantic States remain the leading market for power in the United States. Growing shale gas production has encouraging a shift from coal.
As wildfires again ravaged much of California and other western states, energy industry responders could hardly imagine how their counterparts dealt with similar disasters just a few years ago without drones.
The safe and profitable operation of maturing assets is a global concern, and one that has been intensified by the continued focus on cost efficiencies.
As existing U.S. pipeline infrastructure ages and new projects face increased public scrutiny, it’s important that measures are in place to ensure safe operations. Here's an overview of the role government plays in making pipelines the safest way to annually transport 16.2 billion barrels of liquid products and over 25 Tcf of natural gas.
While there are several established ways to control and stop flow in PE pipes, new techniques have emerged and are worth considering. Here are some options and the advantages and disadvantages that should help you in evaluating the best method for your PE pipeline.
Companies such as Peoples Gas & North Shore Gas Company have begun to explore virtual reality platforms to supplement traditional gas meter safety and inspection training.
Corrosion Control
By Román Olalde and Francisco Javier Rodríguez-Gómez, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), México City In industries that use buried mild steel pipes for the transport of valuable fluids, it is essential to maintain their operation and efficiency, which can be achieved applying the meas..
By Roland Anderson, Executive Vice President, Cosasco As long as there has been an oil industry, there have been corrosion and erosion. Upstream, midstream and downstream operators have constantly sought better ways to protect their assets and safeguard both health and safety and the bottom line. ..
By Ian Macleod, engineering manager, Integrity, Wood When pipelines have either been too structurally complex or operationally challenging for inline inspections, basic assumptions have often ruled the day. Where inline inspections (ILI) are impossible or impractical, for instance, operators have ..
Corrosion under insulation (CUI) is the root cause of many of the global petrochemical industry’s most serious problems including forced shutdowns, lost production, early repair and replacement, as well as safety and environmental consequences that can cost millions of dollars per incident.
By Eric Kidd, Bedford Reinforced Plastics Corrosion is a costly maintenance issue that widely affects piping and other infrastructures across the globe. This is especially true in industries that deal with highly corrosive environments where water, moisture, salt spray and chemicals are a constant..
Leak Detection
A review of the four main leak detection methods and their abilities to overcome the unique challenges of crude oil gathering networks and produced water pipelines.
Pipeline companies invest considerable effort preventing, detecting, and responding to leak incidents, but are they investing enough effort preventing, detecting, and responding to cybersecurity incidents? Since, in principle, a cyber-incident could lead to a leak incident, companies should consider breach detection as part of their overall leak prevention program.
Editor's Notebook
Saying President Donald Trump has had some major differences with the mainstream media is an understatement. Recently, the New York Times published an anonymous op-ed piece by a “senior official” in the administration who claims administrative attempts to hold Trump back are very real. “Fake News,” ..
Projects
ETP, Magellan, Delek to Construct Permian-to-Gulf Coast Pipeline ETP, Magellan Midstream, MPLX and Delek to Jointly Construct the “Permian Gulf Coast” or “PGC Pipeline” for Permian Basin crude oil takeaway Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), Magellan Midstream Partners and Delek US Holdings, received ..
Government
Regulator Reconsiders Class Location Method Federal regulators are taking another look at the pipeline industry’s request to essentially eliminate the class location method for assessing the need for pipe replacement and replace it by expanding integrity rules beyond high consequence areas (HCA). ..
Business
San Diego-based Sempra Energy formed a new operating group to head its North American infrastructure businesses, shuffling some executives in the process. The new group, called Sempra North American Infrastructure, will encompass operations in Mexico that are part of the company’s IEnova subsidiary,..
Karam EQT Corporation appointed Thomas F. Karam as senior vice president and midstream president. Karam also assumed the roles of president and CEO of general partners EQT Midstream Partners and EQT GP Holdings, joining each of the companies’ respective boa..
Hines Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) appointed Gary Hines as vice president of Operations. He will be responsible for enhancing research execution, delivery and knowledge transfer. Hines brings more than 23 years of experience in both the en..
Tech Notes
The objective of this project was to convert an existing gas pipeline into a crude oil pipeline with a pumping capacity of 320,000 bpd of light crude, a task that would demand considerable expertise.
What's New
Antaira Technologies introduced the IMC-C100-XX series, a compact industrial Ethernet-to-fiber media converter featuring a 10/100TX Ethernet port and a fixed-fiber interface, which supports ST or SC connectors depending on the model. There are multi-mode and..
Technical Toolboxes launched its new horizontal directional drilling PowerTool (HDDPT). The software solution for projects enables safe and efficient pipeline drilling, reaming and installation at road crossings, bodies of water and railroad right of ways. The HDDPT applies to the design and constru..
Mesa has partnered with SAE to distribute the EnvirAnode impressed current cathodic protection system and Conducrete conductive carbonaceous backfill.
Loftness introduced its Bad Ax disc mulcher for skid steers, a high-powered forestry head for a wide range of applications, including land clearing and vegetation control. It includes a fully machined, 60-inch disc designed to cut trees up to 14-inches in diameter. Because the disc contains no welds..
Thermon introduced its TraceNet™Genesis Control & Monitoring System, a new solution for managing heat-trace circuit performance on process lines, tanks and instrumentation. The system allows instant access to comprehensive information, including circuit performance history, fault analysis, and circuit drawings.
- Trump Aims to Revive 1,200-Mile Keystone XL Pipeline Despite Major Challenges
- Phillips 66 to Shut LA Oil Refinery, Ending Major Gasoline Output Amid Supply Concerns
- Valero Considers All Options, Including Sale, for California Refineries Amid Regulatory Pressure
- ConocoPhillips Eyes Sale of $1 Billion Permian Assets Amid Marathon Acquisition
- ONEOK Agrees to Sell Interstate Gas Pipelines to DT Midstream for $1.2 Billion
- U.S. LNG Export Growth Faces Uncertainty as Trump’s Tariff Proposal Looms, Analysts Say
- Energy Transfer Reaches FID on $2.7 Billion, 2.2 Bcf/d Permian Pipeline
- Tullow Oil on Track to Deliver $600 Million Free Cash Flow Over Next 2 Years
- Alaska Greenlights Enstar’s $57 Million Pipeline to Boost LNG Imports
- New 580-Mile Texas Pipeline Eases Bottlenecks, Boosts Shale Gas and Oil Output