Inspection

An Operator’s Perspective: How to Comply with New US Gas Gathering, ILI Regulations

(P&GJ) —Traditionally, most gas gathering lines were small-diameter, low-pressure systems traversing sparsely populated areas, posing little risk from a business, safety, and environmental perspective. More recently, the volume of gas transported through gathering systems has increased significantly due to the advancements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques.

Value of Advanced Sensor Capabilities in Pipeline Management

(P&GJ) — For companies in the energy sector, optimizing systems and processes can bring as much growth as does innovating new products and services. Such optimization typically involves eliminating inefficient or unreliable steps in business systems and processes – a practice sometimes referred to as “getting the barnacles off the boat.”

PRCI Report: Bridging Energy Infrastructure Opportunities with Today’s Needs

(P&GJ) — We are at a crossroads, both in the U.S. and globally, as the world works to develop new sources of energy. As the next generation of energy is becoming reality, it is critical to acknowledge the vital role that the current pipelines and associated assets will play in transporting and storing these commodities.

AGA Chair Sees Future Shaped by Education, Innovation

(P&GJ) — Suzanne Sitherwood sat down with Pipeline & Gas Journal in March – the same week she announced her upcoming retirement from Spire – to discuss her career, her outlook for the natural gas industry and her objectives as the 2023 chair of the American Gas Association (AGA).

Using Resonance Technique to Test Pipeline Weld Fatigue

(P&GJ) — Steel catenary risers (SCRs) are a critical element within many offshore pipeline installations. The ability of these risers to withstand the installation and in-service loading is vital to the success of the projects in which they are used.

Shell Halts Production at Prelude Floating LNG Facility

Shell has suspended production at its Prelude floating LNG facility off Western Australia due to problems with its processes, a spokeswoman said on Friday, and is working through steps to restart production at the world's largest floating LNG platform.

Russia's Transneft Says Druzhba Pipeline 'Attacked' Near Ukraine Border

Russia's oil pipeline operator Transneft said on Wednesday that a filling point on the Europe-bound Druzhba pipeline in a Russian region bordering Ukraine had been attacked, the TASS news agency reported, citing the company.

Poland to Boost Military Protection of Baltic Energy Infrastructure

The Polish government has approved draft legislation that would allow the military to sink an enemy ship targeting a key gas pipeline from Norway via the Baltic Sea following NATO's warning that Russia might sabotage undersea energy infrastructure.

Mississippi Gas Pipeline Operator Lifts Contract Suspension After Repairs

Canadian energy pipeline operator TC Energy Corp. said on Saturday that unit completed repairs on a portion of its Columbia Gulf Transmission gas transmission line in Mississippi that was halted a day earlier.

API, LEPA Report Shows Strengthened Pipeline Safety Performance

(P&GJ) — This year’s report found that the safety of liquids pipelines increased across several key indicators, even as pipeline mileage and barrels delivered have increased.

STATS Claims Record Diameter for Subsea Pipeline Intervention

(P&GJ) — Pipeline technology specialist STATS Group has been commissioned to complete a range of work in the Asian Gulf that is believed to include a record subsea intervention on a 56-inch pipeline.

Editor’s Notebook: Nord Stream Questions Grow Murkier

(P&GJ) — While the investigation into who deliberately blew up Nord Stream continues, the operator of the previously functional first line appears to be taking a serious look at how it will seal and empty the pipeline before more damage occurs.

Worksite Safety: Defining Fundamental Drivers of Learning On-Site Procedures

(P&GJ) — Quick! How many rescue breaths should you administer after providing chest compressions to an unresponsive, non-breathing accident victim during CPR?

TC Energy Declares Force Majeure on 3,300-Mile Columbia Gulf Pipeline After Fire in Mississippi

Canadian energy company TC Energy Corp. said on Friday that its Columbia Gulf Transmission unit declared a force majeure event at its Corinth natural gas compressor station in Mississippi due to a fire, which had been extinguished.

Shell's Zydeco Pipeline Shut on April 25 After Oil Leak

Shell Pipeline Co.'s Zydeco oil pipeline — which alleviates transportation bottlenecks of crude arriving in Houston from the Eagle Ford, Permian and Bakken regions — was shut on April 25 after a limited release of crude oil was detected in the Intracoastal Waterway.

Pig Removal: Recovering an Obstruction in Pressurized 48-Inch Pipeline

(P&GJ) —Following the completion of an offshore pipeline isolation project, STATS were asked by the client if they could offer a solution to a problem of an obstruction in their 48-inch gas export pipeline. During routine launching of an inline inspection tool, a slipper tray was accidently carried into the pipeline and lodged in the first pipeline bend, above grade, about 39 meters from the launcher door.

PHMSA Update: Leak Detection Rules Point to Value of Regulation Compliance Service

(P&GJ) — To be able to operate within their regions, the onus is on pipeline operators to abide by leak detection and incident response rules. Federal regulators like the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) regularly implement new standards as part of their renewed focus on leak detection for natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines to ensure the people, public and environment are kept safe.

Control Rooms: Achieving SCADA Operational Readiness, Compliance

(P&GJ) — Implementing a comprehensive control room management (CRM) plan in today’s energy market can be a challenging task in that integrating it with modern supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems adds layers of complexity to the project’s implementation and compliance requirements.

Cenit: Colombia's Transandino Oil Pipeline Bombed

The Transandino Pipeline runs along Colombia's border with Ecuador, taking up to 85,000 barrels of crude per day to an export terminal in Tumaco, a Pacific port in the country's Narino province.

Pipeline Operator TC Energy Says Keystone Oil Spill Caused by Fatigue Crack

Canada's TC Energy on Friday said a 14,000-barrel oil spill from its Keystone pipeline in rural Kansas in December was primarily due to a progressive fatigue crack, which originated during the construction of the pipeline.

Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas Pipeline Attacked for Ninth Time in 2023

The suspension of pumping operations at Colombia's Cano Limon-Covenas oil pipeline will be prolonged after a new bombing attack damaged its infrastructure in the country's Arauca province, oil transportation company Cenit said.

Tech Notes: Unpiggable In-Line Inspection Completed in South America

(P&GJ) — A team of Dexon pipeline engineers recently completed the inspection of a 20-mile (32-km), 3-inch diameter unpiggable or “challenging” underground petrochemical distribution pipeline, running from an onshore processing facility to a port on the South American coast.

US Warns Companies Over Russian Oil Price Cap Evasion Via ESPO Pipeline

The U.S. Treasury published a warning to U.S. companies on Monday of possible evasions of the Russian oil price cap exported through the Eastern Siberia Pacific Ocean (ESPO) pipeline and ports in eastern Russia.

Poland Sets Exclusion Zone Around Swinoujscie LNG Terminal

Poland will introduce a temporary 200-meter exclusion zone around its Swinoujscie LNG terminal on Thursday, the interior minister said on Wednesday, citing concerns about Russian espionage.

Boosting Pipeline Performance and Savings with Dual-Layer Barrier Systems

Oil and gas pipelines take a beating – both before and after they’re installed underground. From transportation and storage to installation and service, pipes face potential scrapes, impacts, flexions and more. These stresses threaten the integrity of the pipes themselves and, especially, the external barrier systems that protect pipes from corrosion.

Creative Coating Solutions Make for Smooth Pipeline Expansion

(P&GJ) — How does an ambitious gas pipeline expansion, running nearly half the width of Texas, get coated? One spiral weld section of pipe at a time. To protect the more than 250 miles of new pipe added to the Whistler Pipeline in the southwest of the Lone Star State, applicators got inventive – creating an efficient and resourceful approach that helped the job flow as smoothly as the energy resources the pipeline now carries to millions of customers.

Tech Notes: Getting Pipeline Integrity Data Assessment Under Control

(P&GJ) — Effective integrity management and compliance with newly released regulatory requirements rely on accurate and reliable data. Many operators have data management systems containing voluminous datasets representing their pipeline systems.

Pipeline Leak Detection Audits Provide Invaluable Insights

(P&GJ) — Ensuring the continuing effectiveness of leak detection systems (LDS) is paramount for pipeline operators to meet tightening safety and environmental regulations and minimize the potential risks of catastrophic events.

Venture Global LNG Delays Commercial Ops at Calcasieu Pass in Louisiana

U.S. liquefied natural gas company Venture Global LNG told federal energy regulators and customers this week that it needs to make repairs at Calcasieu Pass in Louisiana that will delay the start of the export plant's full commercial operations.

South Africa's Transnet Halts Gas Supplies After Pipeline Damage

South Africa's Transnet has halted gas supplies through its Durban pipeline after an excavator damaged it, the state-owned logistics utility said on Friday.