Articles

The term “natural hazard” is used to describe any natural pheno menon that might have a negative effect on humans and/or the environment. The natural hazards can be classified into two broad categorie s: geological and meteorological (e.g. landslides, volcanic eruptions, heavy storms, floods, droughts and high ambient temperatures). Furthermore,…

the Covid 19 pandemic has overwhelmed us all like a tsunami - unwanted, unanticipated and therefore completely surprising. It has plunged the global economy from a high into a deep crisis in a very short time. Nearly all areas of social and economic life have been affected and have to switch to standby or abort in the shortest possible time - or…

We demonstrate a record length of distributed acoustic fiber sen sing (DAS) for pipeline monitoring. Both intrusion (third party interference) and leakage can be detected. An ultra-sensitive architecture enables record length (100km for a single ended fiber sensing system or 200 km for sensing from both ends) detection while advanced…

The main purpose of a l eak detection system is of course the reliable and sensitive de tection and localization of leaks in a pipeline. Nevertheless certain systems such as those that are based on a pipeline model (e.g. E-RTTM based system, i.e. extended real-time transient model) deliver additional information of the pipeline operation and…

API 1175 discusses the requirements for continuous improvement in pipeline leak detection and the culture required for an effective leak detection program. The most commonly used internal based methods for leak detection are flow balance, negative pressure wave and Real Time Transient Model (RTTM). Several papers have been written on each type of…

Pipeline coatings can be constructed from a multitude of materials, all of which aim to provide a physical barrier between a pipeline and the external environment. Naturally, understanding the degradation characteristics of these different coating materials is critical, as with the onset of coating degradation comes metal degradation, i.e.…

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, increased compliance etc. This is a huge issue for both types of pipelines: • Older…

The transport of solid particles in a gaseous or l iquid carrier fluid, usually referred to as slurry transport, is an import - ant technology in various industrial fields. Examples for slurry usage are dredging and mining processes, fer tilizer and cement production, desalination plants, the food and paper industry, sewage disposal and…

Cable crane systems provide the solution when pipelines need to be built in inaccessible terrain. Pipes, construction material and equipment can be transported easily over demanding areas and be positioned at any point of the track. With a max. length of over 3.000 m and a payload of up to 20 metric tons material ropeways (cable cranes) can be…

Many factors affect how and when line pipe wil l experience a pipeline integrity threat, including materials, vintage, environment and loading conditions. An integrity threat of particular interest is stress corrosion cracking (SCC). SCC is a type of environmental assisted cracking (EAC) that can occ ur in line pipe under a ver y specific set of…

Pipeline pigging services in the oil & gas industry are of considerable mar ket size estimated to reach more than 14 billion USD by 2025. It is essential for the operator s to keep the lines open for smooth flow and the intelligent services are in focus to increase efficiency and cut the overall operational costs. Optimal pipeline cleaning…

When installing subsea structures and pipelines, the ability to capture the worst case loading and limiting sea states during the installation analysis can improve safety offshore and l ower the operational risks. Therefore, it is important to select the correct analysis method to obtain the most accurate results. Time-domain irregular wave…

External Leak Detection systems based on distributed fiber optic sensors (DFOS) o ffer the exciting potential to significantly reduce the overall amount of spilled product before a l eak is detected and localized. As an external system, the validation of system performance and equally the verification of an operational installed system is a known…

Asset integrity and operation reliability are primary objectives in pipeline management, nevertheless they require often costly methods, system and procedures. The vibroacoustic technology, developed by Eni S.p.A to detect impacts and spillages on Oil & Gas pipelines, already proved to be able to detect illegal tapping precursor events, and…

This paper presents a procedure for continuous real-time positioning and tracking of a Pipeline Inspection Gauge(PIG) travelling within a pipeline, by exploiting the pressure transients it generates during the displacement. In fact, the PIG produces recognizable sounds when crossing the welding dents and while sl iding against the pipe walls. This…

The routing of a pipeline is one of the most critical but often underrated activities in establishing a pipeline and has a direct impact on all aspects of building the pipeline – design, construction, operation, maintenance and most importantly on the overall cost of the pipeline. A key element which governed the route and design of the Trans…

When a pipeline comes under threat from criminal intent on stealing product by hot-tapping, a rapid and precise response is required to prevent the crime before damage can be done that results in spillage and costly clean-up. Distributed Acoustic Sensing (DAS), uses fibre optic cables which are already in place alongside most pipelines for…

NTS is committed to ensuring everyone return home safely at the end of each day, and that our assets are operated in a safe manner. This commitment to safety is based on caring for employees, our contractors, the communities in which we operate and the environment. We are certain that Zero Harm is an achievable target and for this we focus on…

The pipeline community do not usually think in terms of individual years - the projects are usually too long-term for that. But some individual years are special. 2020, for example, will be interesting in various respects. On the one hand, legal disputes about specific projects are moving into the next round. Coastal GasLink, for example,…

“For the first time in the history of mankind, there are four generations in the workforce. There are 35 million Traditionalists (Silent Gen) and 84 million Baby Boomers, the largest number of workers, which began to retire in 2010-11. There are 68 million Generation Xers and 79 million Generation Yers (Millennials as they are better known).…

Calculation of a laser-scan-like 3D defect profile from conventional MFL data – For more-accur ate defect assessment and prediction of safe operating pressure. Reliable pipeline safe pressure prediction is increasingly required. Complex shaped volumetric metal loss is a challenge in this regard. Methodological In-line Inspection (ILI)…

Pipelines are commonly exposed to over-voltage conditions created by AC faults, lightning and induced AC voltage from high voltage power transmission lines. To protect personnel and the pipeline from the hazardous effects of these conditions, it is critical to properly ground the pipeline and provide continuity across isolation joints for AC and…

It was not surprising that both chambers of the U.S. Congress signed a bill that will put sanctions in place against some companies that are currently working to finalize the much-disputed Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The pipeline will still be completed, though, because Russia already made clear that it will replace every company necessary that is…

A recent newcomer in the global energy mix, natural gas will represent the second biggest share after oil by 2040 , according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Demand on natural gas is rising globally with the economic growth of developing countries and the significant move from coal to gas initiated by governments to meet the challenge of…

Interest in using digital systems for pipeline integrity management are growing and the potential both for cost saving on time based manual inspection and for improved real time data is huge. A onshore new pipeline system, MASiP, (Mobile Automated Spiral Interlocking Pipe) has been developed that incorporates spiral wound optical fibre as a means…