Articles

Welcome to this latest edition of the Pipeline Technology Journal with a special focus on topics around decarbonization and hydrogen! But before we dive into the interesting and important articles of this issue, let me spend a little time on the Journal itself. It is a privilege and honour to have the opportunity to address you as the Chairman…

Vibroacoustic technology, developed by Eni, is a consolidated approach for pipeline monitoring applications. Today, e-vpms® is protecting about 1800 km of pipelines worldwide, with a commitment to constant technological evolution and continuous improvement. In this framework, the work presents some notable cases experienced over the monitored…

At COP26 countries were asked to come forward with ambitious 2030 reduction targets that align with meeting net zero emissions by the middle of the century (UK COP). Governments have also agreed to keep global warming well below 2C and make efforts to keep it to 1.5C. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is going to play an important role in…

The climate emergency and energy security are some of the biggest challenges humanity must face in the 21st century. The advancing global energy transition faces many challenges when it comes to ensuring a sustainable, reliable and affordable energy supply. The energy industry is currently going through its biggest change in living memory, despite…

The Reliability Focused Analysis Technique is a method of analysis that can be used to evaluate reliability for a specific system, and addresses availability and maintainability related issues. This approach is based on holistic reliability and evaluation and analysis of maintenance data, which involves reviewing maintenance strategies, system…

Methane is the second most abundant anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) after carbon dioxide: it is estimated1 that its concentration in the atmosphere is approximately 2.6x higher than the pre-industrial levels and this contributes for at least 25% of the global warming. As methane is the main component of natural gas, a strong reduction of its…

Existing gas infrastructure plays an essential and important role in today’s energy transition for the transport and storage of Hydrogen. Studies show, natural gas infrastructure can be economically utilized for the transport and cavern storage of Hydrogen in future decarbonized energy systems. Repurposing existing pipelines and underground…

With this issue you are holding a redesigned Pipeline Technology Journal in your hands. We have been developing this design for some time, so that the presentation of the journal conveys its content more effectively. As in all aspects of our business, the founder of the EITEP Institute and publisher of ptj, Dr. Klaus Ritter, was involved in every…

The phased array technique allows for a flexible adaption of the ultrasonic inspection techniques for a large range of applications. By using it in the area of pipeline inspection various inspection modes can be performed simultaneously. That was the reason for Baker Hughes (previously PII Pipeline Solutions) to develop an inspection tool based on…

Post in-line inspection (ILI) digs are essential tools in the integrity arsenal to validate and verify ILI tool performance and provide data for use in post-ILI integrity assessments. In addition, dig verification can be utilized to validate material properties, increase confidence in feature characterization or even replace previously lost…

For some years now, TRAPIL has been operating its XTRASONIC-NEO ILI tool which embeds phased array probes and enables the detection, location, identification and sizing of dents, metal loss and cracks anomalies in liquid product pipelines in a single run. This Phased Array UT tool is an emerging technology and makes possible a wide range of…

In-line inspection (ILI) is a pipeline assessment method used by operators to receive a comprehensive integrity assessment of their pipeline. However, ILI may become unfeasible due to factors such as insufficient flow/pressure parameters for propulsion, pipeline features such as valves, back-toback elbows and unbarred tees, as well as the lack of…

Seawater Injection is a well-known technique which helps in supporting oil recovery cost effectively by injecting treated seawater at high pressure in the reservoir. This injected water is delivered through water injection wells placed along the periphery of the entire oilfield reservoir. The water is transported to the wells by a vast high…

In recent years, the global pipeline community has made a lot of progress in detecting and locating theft activities. Technologies have been developed and applied to several pipelines worldwide. While these technologies are contributing significantly to the early detection and location of illegal tapping points, the key challenges vary from one…

What is your vision for the future? Does our world have to become even safer? Surely! There are an unbelievable number of opportunities to make our plants even safer. However, we have to redefine safety and dare to cut off old “braids”. Safety technology must become intelligent and adaptable to processes, and we must stop discharging hazardous…

Steel pipelines are capital-intensive, so their service life is critical. DENSO Group Germany impressively demonstrates the vital role that superior production technology plays in the operating life of a pipeline with the exceptionally long life of its three-ply corrosion protection tapes: even after 40 years in the field, the coating with a…

How the BIL-portal delivers significant value to an infrastructure-network carrier in efficiently processing planning and construction enquiries from third parties. A portal connection and communication process without media discontinuity leads to lower enquiry volume with simultaneously increasing number of relevant enquiries and allows digital…

For the past decades, helicopter surveys have been the state-of-the-art solution for right-of-way (ROW) monitoring to protect pipelines from third-party-interferences (TPI’s). When TPI activities damage a pipeline, it can lead to disastrous events. Therefore, aerial inspection early-warning systems are used to mitigate these risks. Recent…

Documentation and data on existing brownfield plants/pipelines are often outdated, inconsistent, and widespread across multiple sources and applications. Whether it be engineering documentation such as process flow diagrams (PFD), piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID), piping isometrics, circuit diagrams, loop diagrams, or operation and…

Atmos International (Atmos) is continuously working with the pipeline industry to develop solutions to overcome operational challenges. Atmos Simulation (SIM) Suite is an op erational tool that users can trust to help operators run their pipelines safely, efficiently and with clarity and visibility. Atmos SIM Online, working in real-time,…

Today, still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, which we hope will soon be overcome, the focus is fortunately once again on the future. And to ensure that this one future does not just happen, we in the pipeline industry must do everything we can, to make the future as sustainable as possible. Together, we are challenged, each of us in our…

Depending on the local site conditions (i.e. bathymetry, geomorphology, geology), an offshore geohazard may have a detrimental impact on an offshore high-pressure gas pipeline during its lifetime. This fact is more pronounced in areas characterized by seismicity and the associated earthquake-related geohazards. Therefore, the design of an offshore…

In the Oil & Gas industry, pipelines often handle fluids which may be hazardous, flammable and/or toxic. Any interruption to operations for unplanned maintenance or operation activities is considered a risk of release of harmful energy or materials into the work area. Proper isolation of equipment is selected considering the nature of work…

Safety and compliance are priorities for the design and operation of pipeline pig launchers and receivers, also known as traps. During design, different codes and standards can be applied depending on the product that will be transported and where the equipment will be located. Because of code interpretation, an operator or equipment provider may…

In recent years, the issues of the environmental protection and nature conservation - and thus the question of regenerative energy sources - have become particularly important. STREICHER also holds the objective to reduce CO2 emissions in the future in order to reduce the ecological footprint. Therefore, the group has made it a primary objective…