Articles

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…

The TANAP route runs 92 km through one of the world´s largest gypsum karst terrains, covering an area of 2140km² (Günay 2002; Doğan & Yeşilyurt 2019) located in the Turkish Province of Sivas. A fantastic place for the geologist but a big challenge for the routing and construction of a pipeline. Based on the morphology a karst classification,…

For the gas supply in Europe, a reliable pipeline network has the highest priority. Besides the construction of the main supply routes, the fast and safe installation of the regional country-specific distribution networks play a key role. Different points of view of all involved parties have to be considered when it comes to the planning of…

When people from other industries ask us about the most important activities in pipelines, we usually mention three areas. The first is Operational Risk Management, the second is Pipeline Integrity, and the third is Instrumentation and Process Control. The first is justified by being the one that tells us whether we can operate a pipeline or not;…

Pipelines are an important part of the Oil and Gas Industry, as they are the most economical method to transport different products through long distances to various consumers. These pipelines are cleaned an d inspected — without interrupting their operations — using utility scrapers and smart instrument scrapers, respectively. To track the…

In PETRONAS, there are on-going initiatives at petrochemical plants, gas processing plants, Upstream’s well engineering and retail business in pursuing the digitilisation in line with the Industrial Revolution (IR) 4. The aim of the initiatives is basically to improve the efficiency of critica l processes thus at the end will reduce overall cost…

The Oil & Gas pipeline industry is facing a very serious challenge in assuring spill and accident-free operations of pipeline infrastructure, which is distributed across many thousands of miles in both remote and populated areas. In recent years, however, the occurrences of high-profile spil ls and incidents have spiked, further escalating the…

The vibroacoustic system (e-vpms®) was designed by Eni S.p.A to detect and accurately localize spillages/leakages in crude oil and finite product pipelines, although has shown over the years the capability of detecting a wide class of Third Party Interferences phenomena. The reason of this high sensitivity is ascribable to the physical-acoustic…

Distributed fiber optic sensing has been gaining significant momentum in pipeline industry adoption. The primary application of this technology has been in preventative leak detection, but intelligent new applications such as pipeline flow rate monitoring are now emerging and promise to deliver extra value to the pipeline operators. We present a…

Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) has expanded current pipeline leak detection technologies (LDS), providing a significant set of new capabilities. This paper briefly reviews the main types of DFOS technologies used for pipeline monitoring. There are different types of Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS) and Distributed Temperature Sensing (…

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

As we are observing the world rebound from a pandemic that has profoundly impacted almost every facet of life, it is quite obvious that what looks like a unique lifetime experience has left us knowing more about ourselves as individuals, members of communities, industry and the international community. I am saying this knowing that the economic…

Hydrogen is expected to play a key role in the decarbonised future of energy. For hydrogen distribution, pipelines are seen the main method for mass transport of hydrogen gas. To support the evaluation of risk related to hydrogen pipelines, a revised QRA methodology is presented based on currently available and industry accepted guidance related…

One of the most severe accidents which could occur in a gas transmission pipeline involves the linepipe wall failure and subsequent fracture initiation, which may evolve in a long running fracture propagation if the material toughness properties are not adequate. The most acknowledged approach for ductile fracture propagation assessment is the…

In recent years, many papers have been published describing the advantages and disadvantages of the high-frequency welded (HFW) and seamless (SMLS) carbon and low-alloy steel (LAS) pipe manufacturing processes for the oil and gas industry. However, there are few published papers that compare these different manufacturing processes in a way that…

A number of CPW manufactured HFW and SAWL pipes were tested for fracture toughness properties in high pressure 100% hydrogen environment. All tests were performed in RINA laboratory, following a developed test procedure based on code ASME B31.12 Option B (qualification of the material threshold stress intensity factor KIH). Testing involved API 5L…

Dear readers, The year 2020 has been unprecedent due to the Covid-19-Pandemic, which has sadly resulted in the millions of deaths and infections. It has also transformed our society both positively and negatively. The restrictions imposed on us restricted our movement but have produced innovations that enabled us to adopt new practices for life…

Even the smallest leak can have devastating consequences. The protection and monitoring of pipeline infrastructure is critical to the continued performance of the pipeline. Loss of integrity, through accidents or malicious activity, can have a significant impact on the environment, on reputations and on finances. Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing is…

A highly developed society naturally believes that it has elimi nated its risks. Insurances, traffic information, social systems, legislation, and finally all kinds of regulations weigh us down in a cor set of security of our own actions, which can hardly lead to negative consequences. Infrastructure and pipeline security is a valuable asset, on…

The gas industry in Great Britain has experienced fundamental change over the last 20 years and is continuing to change rapidly. There has been a reduction in indigenous supply, with an acceleration in the connection of new unconventional sources through biomethane supplies and the potential for hydrogen blending in the future. These changes are…

Leak detection, TPI (Third Party Interference) and asset integrity are crucial topics in pipeline monitoring, although they often require costly procedures and systems. In order to support the pipeline integrity management, Eni S.p.A, in collaboration with Solares JV, developed the e-vpms® (Eni Vibro-acoustic Pipeline Monitoring System). This…