October 2009 Vol. 236 No. 10

Association News The Oklahoma State University Alumni Association recently honored Oneok’s David Kyle of Tulsa as a 2009 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient.

Deepwater Corrosion Services Inc. and FORCE Technology Norway AS are cooperating to bring new technologies into the offshore corrosion and integrity monitoring markets in the North Sea and Gulf of Mexico.

I doubt that there is anyone more knowledgeable about the petroleum industry than Dan Yergin, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Prize," which has become the definitive history of the industry.

Operators are facing increased direct current (DC) interference issues due to denser pipeline networks. Furthermore, alternating current (AC) corrosion effects are augmented within more and more complex utilities corridors.

The International Standards Organization (ISO) in 2001 resolved to start developing external pipeline coating standards for adoption and utilization by the global market.

For operators of underground transmission pipelines and/or aboveground natural gas processing facilities, finding and fixing “fugitive emission” leaks continues to be a business-critical task.

Leaders in the oil and gas industry have continually expressed the need for increased operational efficiency, reduced downtime, reduced energy consumption, and decreased environmental emissions.

Using a new low-hydrogen stick electrode has helped a contractor improve productivity, reduce costs and beat the construction deadline on a carbon-dioxide pipeline.

Hydrostatic testing has long been used to determine and verify pipeline integrity. Several types of information can be obtained through this verification process.

There are two types of pipeline cleaning programs available. One type is referred to as mechanical cleaning (the running of mechanical pigs dry) and is the answer most mentioned when asked, “Do you clean your pipelines?”

Transportadora Brasileira Gasoduto Bolívia-Brasil S.A. (TBG) is saving about US$32,600/month in maintenance costs by employing a remote technique to monitor the cathodic protection system on the GASBOL pipeline.

The importance of a competent, well-trained workforce in sustaining a competitive business edge is well understood. This article introduces the notion of self-directed learning as a viable approach to complementing gas utility training programs to enhance their competitive advantage.

I recently received a call from a landowner on whose land a pipeline was buried. On this particular tract of land in Central Texas, the pipeline in question was only 300 feet in length.

Thirty years ago, with the passage of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA) as part of the much bigger National Energy Act, the long journey to deregulate natural gas sales in interstate commerce started!

Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit to block a big oil sands pipeline Enbridge is building from northern Alberta to Superior, WI. The U.S. State Department approved the Alberta Clipper pipeline in August.

Although the natural gas posting requirements FERC established in Order 720 last November haven’t even gone into effect for major non-interstate pipelines, the agency is already considering revising them.

The first ice-class floating storage and offloading system (FSO) to be completed at a Caspian Sea shipyard and deployed for service in the Caspian Sea is to be classed by ABS.

The U.S. State Department has issued a presidential permit to Enbridge Energy Limited Partnership for the Alberta Clipper pipeline.

Alliance Wood Group Engineering, part of the John Wood Group PLC, has won three contracts from Boardwalk Pipeline Partners.

NiSource Gas Transmission & Storage (NGT&S) unit Columbia Gulf Transmission announced an open season to gauge interest in transportation capacity to be delivered to Texas Eastern Transmission.

While winter may seem far away, a project completed by Consumers Energy will help ensure reliable natural gas service for customers in the greater Lansing, MI area.

Pemex will seek bids on a $600 million natural gas pipeline project in central Mexico.

IHC Engineering Business (EB) worked with Saipem UK Ltd. (SUKL) on installation, commissioning and sea trials of two new EB-designed and built pipeline trenching plows aboard the Far Samson.

A joint venture between Wood Group Colombia, part of John Wood Group PLC, and RWD Technologies de Colombia, was awarded a two-year contract by Ecopetrol.

FERC has prepared a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Bison Pipeline proposed from Dead Horse, WY to Morton County, ND.

The Peregrino STP buoy will be moored in 100 m of water, 85 km offshore Brazil. First Subsea is providing 10 Ballgrab ball and taper connectors with a minimum breaking load of 10,600 kN for its 30-year life.

Gazprom Marketing & Trading Limited and EDF Trading announced an agreement Oct. 20 to swap natural gas between the U.S. and European markets over the next five years.

GE Oil & Gas has won a contract from OMV Gas GmbH of Vienna, Austria to supply integrated compressor line (ICL) technology for the company’s Neustift compression station.

Inergy Midstream LLC, has received indications of interest exceeding 400% of the capacity required to construct the 43-mile Marc I Hub Line.

The Acteon company CAPE Group, based in Singapore, says it has developed and successfully tested an orbital welding unit that can be used to repair oil and gas pipelines on the seabed.

National Fuel Gas Supply held a binding open season ending Oct. 8 for incremental transportation capacity from new and existing system interconnects in the Marcellus Shale fairway in central Pennsylvania.

Officials in Thailand in mid-October were forced to shut down a damaged pipeline located on an offshore oil rig which supplied the nation’s power plants with fuel. The shutdown cost the country roughly $125,000 an hour, or $3 million a day.

Despite the global recession, offshore spending is expected to grow strongly - from $578 billion Capex and $379 billion Opex over the last five years to $807 billion Capex and $549 billion Opex.

The Sempra LNG Cameron LNG terminal project near Lake Charles, LA is now complete.

TEAK Midstream, LLC announced Oct. 20 that it has secured a $100 million private equity investment from Natural Gas Partners (NGP), a leading energy private equity firm based in Irving, Texas.

Tesoro Corporation says the first barrels of crude oil have been shipped through the reversed 81-mile Petroterminal de Panamá (PTP) trans-Panamanian pipeline.

Deep Marine Technology’s 292-foot DMT Emerald successfully installed a purpose built suction pile, subsea manifold, and tree for a major oil company utilizing its 100-ton multi-purpose tower.

Williams’ Transco pipeline held a non-binding open season from July 14-Aug. 4 to obtain shipper commitments for an expansion.

GE Oil & Gas announced Oct. 22 that Chevron has awarded the company a competitive bid to deploy advanced LNG technology for the development of the Gorgon natural gas field.

Projected growth in North American natural gas supplies and market growth will require billions of dollars of additional investment in pipeline, storage and other midstream infrastructure through 2030.

New products from Quest Integrity, Lincoln Electric, Enduro Pipeline, Pipeline Inspection Company, Phoenix Contact, R&M Energy Services, American Welding Society, GE Sensing & Inspection Technologies...

Innovative techniques, systems and equipment designed to save time and money. For more information on any of the companies or products listed here, contact webmaster@oildom.com.