Pipelines International

September 2012

From the Editor

Many will be familiar with Emmental cheese: the cheese from Switzerland with holes. Fewer will be familiar with the fact that the ‘Swiss cheese’ model is an instructive way of looking at how accidents and disasters occur, and how they can be prevented.

New subsidiary to manage pipelines in Colombia

Colombian company Ecopetrol S.A. has incorporated Cenit S.A.S., a wholly owned subsidiary company specialised in hydrocarbon transport and logistics in Colombia, in order to manage pipelines in the country.

Keystone XL still set for 2013 decision

The United States Department of State has reiterated that it expects to make a decision on TransCanada’s proposed 2,673 km long, 36 inch Keystone XL crude oil pipeline by the first quarter of 2013.

Signed agreements bring TAPI one step closer

After more than 20 years of negotiations, India’s GAIL and Pakistan’s Inter State Gas System have signed gas sales and purchase agreements with Turkmenistan, bringing the proposed 1,800 km Turkmenistan – Afghanistan – Pakistan – India natural gas pipeline closer to reality.

Gas flows west from Shah Deniz

The proposed Nabucco West Pipeline has been selected by the Shah Deniz consortium, led by BP, as the project’s delivery route through central Europe.

Oil pipeline commissioned in Abu Dhabi

The approximately 424 km, 48 inch diameter Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline, located in the United Arab Emirates, has been commissioned and is now operational.

Tanzanian pipeline construction inaugurated

The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania officially inaugurated the construction of the approximately 532 km long Mnazi Bay to Dar es Salaam Gas Pipeline Project in July 2012.

Fuelling the economy: North America’s pipelines

by Sarah Paul, Associate Editor

Stretching across approximately 4.8 per cent of the earth’s surface, North America is home to some of the largest pipeline projects in the world. Here, Pipelines International takes a look at some of the current proposed pipeline projects on the continent. Read on for the opportunities that these projects may present for your company.

Top 5 tips for your IPCE conference experience

With 13 technical tracks, 19 tutorials and an exposition with an anticipated 150 leading brand names in the industry, it is best to make sure you have a plan for the 9th International Pipeline Conference and Exposition. As the official media partner of the event, Pipelines International helps break down your five-day plan of attack with some suggestions to ensure you get the most out of the event.

Future industry prospects: a market outlook on the oil and gas sector

It is no secret that since the global financial crisis, areas of the world have been working diligently to increase growth and strengthen economies. Pipelines International secured an exclusive interview with Bank of Montreal Managing Director of Economic Research Earl Sweet to discuss the future outlook on North America’s position in the industry and where it can aid in economic growth.

Dependable across the continent: an in-depth look at TransCanada

For more than 60 years, leading energy infrastructure company TransCanada has safely and reliably operated pipelines across North America. Continuing to do so today, Pipelines International speaks with President and CEO Russ Girling about the company’s operations and future growth.

Heading upstate: NY gets Constitutional

Natural gas will be heading upstate with Williams Energy’s proposed Constitution Pipeline Project, which will transport natural gas produced in Pennsylvania. Once in service, the project will have enough natural gas to serve approximately 3 million homes in the New York State area.

Pipelines in the mighty jungle

Characterised by dense forest, a prevalence of wild animals and difficult hydrological conditions, jungle terrain is by no means an easy feat when it comes to constructing pipelines. Construction contractor Punj Lloyd and PNG LNG Project operator ExxonMobil discuss steps that can be taken to ensure a successful pipeline project in the jungle.

Industry need for mobile pipe coating technologies

by Vlad Popovici, Marketing Manager, Bredero Shaw, Toronto, Canada

Most of the world’s gathering and transmission pipelines are built using steel pipe and the industry has dedicated a lot of resources to protect the pipe against any potential causes that could lead to pipeline failure. Various types of external coatings with multiple functional roles – anti-corrosion protection, mechanical protection, thermal insulation, buoyancy control – have thus been developed.

Coatings come alive: first sprays in a live LNG plant

by Lau Hong Kit, Wasco Corrosion Services Sdn Bhd

In November 2011, a major milestone was reached for the coating industry and Wasco, as the company’s corrosion protection subsidiary, Wasco Lindung Sdn Bhd, successfully completed the first thermal spray aluminum coating project in a live plant. It is believed that this is the first of its kind in the world.

Get your pipe fix in Berlin

Don’t miss the unparalleled opportunity to expand your pipeline knowledge by attending the Fixing Pipeline Problems Conference and Exhibition, to be held from 15–18 October 2012, at the Estrel Hotel, Berlin, Germany.

Developing an effective in-service welding programme

by William A. Bruce and Bradley C. Etheridge, Det Norske Veritas, OH, USA

A company-specific standard for in-service welding, along with other documents, such as welding procedure specifications and procedure qualification records, make up an in-service welding programme. The purpose of this article is to bring attention to commonly overlooked or misunderstood in-service welding programme elements.

Barking up the right tree with an innovative pipeline leak detection method

by Brian Kerrigan, Senior Pipeline Integrity Engineer, Penspen Integrity, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

For the past five years, the Penspen Group, in conjunction with Manchester Jetline and Newcastle University, has been conducting pipeline integrity research that has now resulted in man’s best friend becoming a recognised service in pipeline leak detection.

Spotlight on the SSV

ShawCor Ltd’s Simulated Service Vessel – one of the industry’s largest and most advanced deepwater test chambers for end-to-end thermal insulation systems – has been awarded the 2012 Spotlight on New Technology Award at the Offshore Technology Conference, held from 30 April to 3 May 2012 in Houston, Texas.

The Nixon solution: providing long line communications from beginning to end

Nixon Communications, a subsidiary of global communications leader Mine Site Technologies, designs, manufactures and provides turnkey solutions for ‘long line’ communication requirements. The Nixon solution is ideal for construction and maintenance of pipelines, railroads and other projects where clear radio and data communications are required along the entire length of the project.

Can the onshore pipeline industry benefit from new design approaches?

by Maher Nessim, PhD, PEng Chief Engineer & Senior Consultant, C-FER Technologies, Edmonton, AB, Canada

Overcoming offshore inspection challenges

Offshore pipelines can be challenging to inspect due to limited launcher/receiver facilities or limited accessibility. Quest Integrity Group offers a solution for these historically difficult to inspect, or unpiggable pipelines, with its InVista in-line inspection tool.

Isolation and weld joint testing of pipelines

by Peter Mahoney, Engineering & Contracts Manager IK-PEI Ltd

Equipment that can satisfactorily seal and isolate pipelines is important as this function is a major requirement during any inspection, maintenance, alteration or repair programme. While the primary function is to test welds, it can also be necessary to carry out hot work and the isolation of systems that are no longer required.

Pipeline risk assessment: controlling the bias

by W. Kent Muhlbauer, WKM Consultancy, LLC, Houston, TX, USA

In the first installment of this column, published in the March 2012 edition of Pipelines International, the concept of pipeline risk assessment essential elements was introduced. This is a list of ingredients that arguably must be included in any pipeline risk assessment. In the June edition, we covered one of these essential elements—the need for measurements. This time, we address another essential element, closely related to the use of measurements—controlling the bias.

Bringing Synergi to integrity management

DNV Software is launching the 2012 version of Synergi Pipeline (formerly SilverPipe), the integrity management system for offshore and onshore gas and liquid pipelines.

A step-by-step approach to pipeline integrity management

by Karine Kutrowski, Murielle Bouchardy, Audrey Le Mercier, Rodolphe Jamo, and Jean-Charles Andraud, Bureau Veritas, Paris, Fran

As a testing, inspection and certification company acting in the field of asset integrity management, Bureau Veritas is in contact with many different operators. In the oil and gas market, all operators are preoccupied by the availability and integrity of their assets (structure, pressure vessels, rotating machinery, pipelines). This article explains the importance of implementing an integrity management system using a step-by-step approach.

The Langeled Pipeline

As the 1,224 km Nord Stream Pipeline nears completion and prepares to transport gas through its second line, Pipelines International pays tribute the Langeled Pipeline by looking at what went into the construction of what was once the longest subsea pipeline in the world.

The world unites for CO2 pipelines

World leaders who specialise in the field of CO2 pipelines converged in Newcastle, United Kingdom, from 20–21 June to take part in the Third International Forum on the Transportation of CO2 by Pipeline.

Solving the unpiggable puzzle

How do you solve the problem of dealing with unpiggable pipelines? Attend the 2nd Unpiggable Pipeline Solutions Forum, to be held from 15–16 May 2013 in Houston Texas, to find the answers to your pipeline integrity problems.

WGC2012: sustaining future global growth

by Barbara Jinks, Global Business Leader, CSG GHD Engineering

The 25th World Gas Conference was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 5–9 June 2012. Every three years the event is held to share findings from the previous research triennium and bring world leaders, executives and specialists together. In 2012 its theme was Gas: Sustaining Future Global Growth.