Pipeline Technology Conference: a scientific update from Ostend
Pipelines International — December 2009
The high-level programme at the Pipeline Technology Conference – this year, of 117 papers – is renowned worldwide as the foremost opportunity to learn about the latest developments and approaches being employed in high-pressure transmission pipeline design, materials and welding research.
The widely-respected Pipeline Technology Conference, organised by Professor Rudi Denys of the University of Gent, Belgium, and the country’s Technological Institute-KVIV, based in Antwerp, is held every five years in Ostend, Belgium.
Held this year from 12–14 October, the delegate list of the event read like a ‘Yellow Pages’ of the industry’s cutting edge scientific researchers and technological developers. The ability for this forum to meet regularly provides an unmatched opportunity for discussions and networking of the highest calibre.
Topics covered at the 2009 Pipeline Technology Conference
* Pipeline steels;
* Pipeline design and construction;
* Toughness and residual stresses;
* Strain-based design;
* ECA and validation testing;
* Sour service;
* Ductile failure and crack arrest;
* Pipeline welding; and,
* Pipeline inspection.
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The panel of authors represented nearly all of the major manufacturers and researchers involved in these areas, and came from countries as far afield as Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, as well as Russia, Europe, and the United States.
One of the traditions of the Pipeline Technology Conference is that social activities are arranged for the delegates, a welcome relief after a long day discussing strain-based design or fracture arrest. This year, a visit had been arranged to nearby Bruges with a canal trip and an opportunity to taste the products of the Halve Maan brewery. There was a conference dinner the following evening at one of Ostend’s grand casinos, and both events proved highly enjoyable.
Papers from the conference are available as PDF files on a searchable CD, which is presented with the A4-sized book of abstracts, and can be obtained from Great Southern Press’ UK office. Email (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), or phone +44 1494 675139.
