February 2019, Vol. 246, No. 2

The Bakken Shale play has catapulted sparsely populated North Dakota to the No. 2 oil-producing state behind Texas, eclipsing historically oil-rich states such as Alaska and California.

Houston-based Remote Operations Center (ROC) connects operators to their data and provides an offsite monitoring workforce that can improve efficiency while reducing risk. It is the only third-party provider solely focused on executing control center services for liquid and gas pipeline operators.

Recently research on artificial intelligence underscores the fact that AI has no inherent ethical bias. The same technology that could, in principle, allow AI to identify and treat an injured person, could equally be trained to identify and harm members of specific groups.

Canada’s energy transmission pipeline companies are clear on what amendments they would like to see, and we ask the Canadian government to take the time to get this right.

Having been engaged for many years in running pigs, inspecting sites, designing and building pig traps worldwide, we have seen a variety of applications, locations and product types, along with a wide array of designs – some good, some bad.

Leveraging existing operational data as well as new data sources available as part of a digital transformation can provide great opportunities to significantly improve performance through better asset reliability, efficiency and safety performance.

The Digs Project Management Office (PMO) is often referred to as the “Big PMO” because of its sheer volume of work and its potential effect to the pipeline assets and its stakeholders.

Digitization allows for more accurate measurement and deeper visibility, but internet connectivity also means devices can be accessed remotely, and maliciously. This is cause for huge concern since attacks targeting the oil and gas industry or power grids are more than just about stealing data as they take on an actual physical manifestation.

Predictive maintenance enables organizations to forecast when or if functional equipment will fail so that its maintenance and repair can be scheduled before the failure occurs.

Oil and gas plant resources around the globe are feeling the pain of relying on aging power-distribution systems. Using intelligent packaged power can help reduce risk and costs, while unleashing information for performance improvements.

Forward-looking pipeline operators are turning to industrial internet of things (IIoT) technologies, including distributed sensors and edge computing systems that push intelligence right to the pumping or compressor stations or other field locations.

The Southern Company Gas subsidiary, which provides natural gas service to nearly 300,000 customers in southeast Virginia, believes military veterans can provide the type of leadership and expertise to help fill its new employee needs.

Sergey Zubin, chief engineer of Transneft Diascan, discusses the importance of detecting “combined flaws,” or those that occur in close proximity on the pipeline, with Pipeline & Gas Journal.

ROSEN designed its integrity management platform NIMA around the idea of process modelling and the ability to build integrity-relevant processes, while allowing for secure information and workload sharing.

Antaira Technologies expanded its harsh environment applications with the introduction of the LNP-0800G-M12-67-24. The IP67-rated switch was designed specifically for industrial applications that are subject to high vibration and shock.

Weldcote Metals introduced a comprehensive line of metal-working abrasives, making up more than 900 new units. The flap discs are formulated for a wide variety of metals, including ceramic, zirconia, aluminum oxide and aluminum.

John Deere redesigned its K-Series compact wheel-loader models with the company's Articulation Plus system for greater stability and more lifting power while turning tighter.

TT Technologies offers Grundoram pneumatic pipe-ramming tools for 4-inch through 120-inch trenchless casing installation in a variety of soil conditions..

Exact Tools launched its portable Pro Series 360 pipe-cutting tools with a 2200-watt, 120-volt motor that can cut half-inch thicknesses in steel and up to 2 inches in plastics.

Krohne's Optimass 6400 twin-bent tube Coriolis mass flowmeter works for standard liquid and gas applications and features advanced entrained gas management (EGM), with no loss of measurement with gas entrainment up to 100% of volume.

The Dynatrol CL-10-HY density cell and Series 2000 density digital converter has an onboard microcontroller and is ready to use with no programming.

Miller Electric offers a technology designed to provide a more reactive arc and greater control in stick welding on transmission pipelines.