Articles

Welcome to the new issue of the Pipeline Technology Journal (ptj). I am honoured to sit on the ptj Editorial Board and am pleased to introduce this issue’s editorial theme: leak detection and monitoring. The latest CONCAWE Performance of European Cross-country Oil Pipelines report (https://www.concawe.eu/) highlights that since 1971 (the start of…

Encroachments on buried HP Gas pipelines represent 50% of accidents on pipelines world-wide. The consequences for pipeline owners can be critical, resulting in fatalities and injuries, but also economic cost: shutdown of refineries, damage to the environment, etc… This is a huge issue for both types of pipelines. For older existing pipelines…

External factors such as global supply chain challenges, the push for Net Zero and an ongoing introduction of new pipeline regulations have raised concerns about the integrity of aging pipelines. Aging pipelines carry their own risks which can lead to product leakage, ruptures and explosions if left unaddressed. This article takes a look at the…

Product theft has been a major issue for many pipeline operators around the world. We all have in mind the terrible explosion of a gasoline pipeline in the town of Tlahuelilpan, in the Mexican state of Hidalgo. The blast killed at least 137 people and injured dozens more. This story made its mark, but illegal tappings is not an isolated fact.…

With a shift from fossil-based energy production and consumption to renewable sources also comes a shift for the transportation. To guarantee safe and efficient monitoring of pipelines, leak detection systems (LDS) must be adapted to the new requirements. The article describes how existing LDS can handle the requirements of energy transition…

Ensuring the safe operation of flanges is critical to the integrity of piping systems in the oil and gas industry. Given the intense conditions that process equipment often experiences, flanges are subject to a variety of defect mechanisms, such as corrosion, scratching, gouging, pitting, or denting. These defects can lead to flange leakages that…

Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) of insulated pipelines and leakage or intrusion detection on underground utility pipelines are two applications where Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing (DFOS) provides a promising alternative to existing monitoring techniques. In this paper, we present case studies for both domains. When Distributed Acoustic Sensing…

Welcome to this latest edition of the Pipeline Technology Journal addressing a variety of contemporaneous pipeline topics including improvement in productivity and safety, repurposing old pipelines, advancement in repair techniques and inspections, coating integrity and achievements in under water installation. I am honored to have this…

It is generally accepted that the effect of cathodic protection is based on the activation polarization and the concentration polarization of the steel surface resulting in an increase of the pH at the interface between steel and soil. This increase in pH value may affect the adhesion of the corrosion prevention coating in the immediate vicinity…

Nowadays plastic pipelines form an integral part of modern infrastructure. The most common applications for butt-fused plastic pipelines are water and natural gas distribution networks. Inventions of new materials, production and installation methods for extruded pipes enables new applications and dimensions in a growing range of needs. Climate…

In the context of carbon capture and storage (CCS) or utilization (CCUS), offshore pipelines are foreseen to play an important role for the transport of large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) from sources sinks/consumers. There is currently a strong interest within the industry to explore the possibility for repurposing of existing pipeline…

The Feeder 9, River Humber Pipeline project is required to replace the existing Feeder 9 gas pipeline with a new 1,050 mm high pressure gas pipeline under the estuary of the River Humber. To avoid any impact on the local environment, the pipeline will be installed inside a precast concrete lined tunnel. The tunnel is being excavated utilizing a 4.…

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 of…

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…