Current Issue: December 2019, Vol. 246, No. 12

Williams CEO Alan Armstrong's message that environmentalists should support natural gas pipelines is one the industry should invoke more often and with far greater emphasis.

Electrification is a word that is gaining attention these days from the corporate and regulatory boardrooms to the oilfields where hydraulic fracturing and other innovations have vaulted the United States into the global lead for both oil and natural gas production.

A growing share of U.S. natural gas production is associated-dissolved natural gas, produced from oil wells, which is the result of increased crude oil production from low permeability, tight rock formations – Permian, Bakken, Eagle Ford, Niobrara and Anadarko.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (ACFTA), was launched to serve as a catalyst for the manufacturing and trade in pipeline industry-related products to support regional demand and encourage growth.

In the last two decades, the pipeline transmission industry has been digitizing paper records within geographic information systems (GIS), and creating a pipeline systems of record. This effort, while being effective in creating a GIS representation of the assets, has resulted in data that does not meet the accuracy demands of the increasingly complex and stringent regulatory environment.

After more than eight years in development, the highly anticipated “Gas Mega Rule,” is considered to be the most significant change to the existing gas pipeline regulations since 1970 and is likely to have a significant impact on the operation of gas transmission assets in the United States.

In recent years, offshore oil and gas production is facing an increasing challenge related to the multi-phase flow in the transportation pipelines; the pipelines transporting fluids from the reservoirs to the separation platforms.

Filings from federal, state and municipal agencies, environmental and business groups and the public piled in on the last two days for comment on the Alaska LNG project’s draft environmental impact statement.

Europe is in transition toward a low-carbon economy in which fossil fuels’ share of the energy mix is projected to fall in coming years, but import of natural gas are expected to rise. This means that Europe’s distribution network capacity will have to be improved.

Dramatic developments in the technological development and commercial application of UUVs indicates they have become much more viable within the oil and gas industry since a 2007 PHMSA report said otherwise.

Compressor station owners and operators can significantly reduce fire-related risks to hazardous and remote facilities by deploying a comprehensive gas and flame detection system.

Under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador would not be able to roll back the 2013 reforms to the country’s energy law permitting foreign investment in the industry, according to a report from the Center for the United States and Mexico at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Ten years after it went into effect, the U.S. Distribution Integrity Management Program (DIMP) continued to drive much of the nation's pipeline replacement activity.

Drivers along the stretch of Central Avenue crossing the Garden State Parkway by the East Orange General Hospital in New Jersey would have noticed the construction crews, excavations, equipment and vehicles in the middle of the street. What he or she would not know is that the project underway was setting a world record.

In an interview with Pipeline & Gas Journal, APGA Chairman Samual Davis Jr. discusses the challenges and goals faced by the organization in during the coming year. He also talks about strategies for effectively explaining the benefits of natural gas to the public and shares his thoughts on electrification.

In situ pipeline cleaning and coating offers advantages over conventional methods, particularly if it is possible to coat multi-mile lengths of pipe at a time. Not only rehabilitation of lines suffering from corrosion or deposits, but also in situ internal coating of new lines can offer savings as well as results of high quality and durability.

PSE&G’s Gas System Modernization Program (GSMP) was named Project of the Year by the Project Management Institute-New Jersey Chapter.

As employment growth continues across much of the U.S., many companies are finding it increasingly difficult to hire people with the right skill set. The energy sector is no different, and the situation is more severe in the United States because of rapid industry growth.

Randy Knapp, is the director of engineering at the Energy Piping Systems Division of The Plastics Pipe Institute, Inc.  In this conversation, he discusses educating the industry about plastic pipes, the need for more skilled labor in the sector and what PPI sees as the its top priorities in the coming year.

The Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) published a new document, Inspection of Plastic Pipes, Fittings and Joints Using Non-Destructive Test Methods and Evaluation (TN-60), which provides an overview of non-destructive testing and evaluation techniques that have been introduced into the plastic pipe industry.

EIA: U.S. Set Records for Natural Gas Production, Consumption, Exports in 2018 The United States set new records in natural gas production, consumption, and exports in 2018, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported in its updated annual report. ..

The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and the American Gas Association (AGA) are pressing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finalize changes to air emission rules the agency has been considering for over a decade.

Denmark Approves Nord Stream 2 Project Denmark’s energy agency approved the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project in Danish waters, removing the last major hurdle for the Russian-led gas pipeline project that has divided the European Union. Allseas Pion..

Norton Abrasives offers new Rapid Prep XHD Coarse and Medium discs. The heavy-duty, non-woven discs remove weld lines, weld splatter, weld discoloration and blend surfaces in a single step. XHD Coarse is designed for surface blending on steels, while XHD Medium works well on softer metals and alloys..

Fecon hydraulic coolers, designed to be mounted on compact tracked loader (CTL) and skid steer rooftops, enhance the performance of the carrier by maintaining the hydraulic fluid at optimal temperatures and viscosity.  This all-steel design weighs about 185 pounds plus mounting brackets, with adjust..

McElroy offers the solution for fusing large-diameter pipe up to 65-inch OD in challenging, close-quarter working environments with the new In-Ditch 1600. It is for customers who needed a machine capable of butt fusing large-diameter tie-in connections in a high-density neighborhood with many turnin..

Trimble introduced its SiteVision system, an outdoor augmented reality (AR) solution that enables users to visualize 2D and 3D data on virtually any project site with cellular or internet connectivity. Combining hardware and software in an integrated, lightweight handheld or pole-mounted solution, u..

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CDI offers the SoniTrack XLR, an acoustic geophone pipeline pig tracking system that includes a computer-controlled audio amplifier. This allows an operator to easily listen for pigs moving within a pipeline over several miles. In addition to industry-standard headphone and AUX outputs, SoniTrack XL..

Next year, the World Petroleum Congress (WPC) will return to the United States for the first time since 1987. P&GJ talked to organizing committee Chairman Jeff Shellebarger about the event.

Smith  Scott Smith has been named president of Spire Storage and Spire STL Pipeline. In this role, he leads the company’s operations and commercialization of natural gas storage facilities in Wyoming and pipelines serving Spire Missouri East and other midwe..