Metering & Measurement

Challenges of Converting Pipelines to Hydrogen Service

(P&GJ) — ASME B31.8, ASME B31.4, and CSA Z662 have well-deserved international reputations as best-in-class, evidenced by their frequent reference by documents within other jurisdictions. However, the standards don't contain explicit requirements to address the design, construction and operational challenges presented by transporting gaseous hydrogen at transmission pressures.

PLIDCO Introduces Hydrogen-Compatible Fittings for Pipeline Maintenance and Repairs

(P&GJ) — The Pipe Line Development Company (PLIDCO) has launched a new range of products for use with hydrogen pipelines in response to the emerging transition toward hydrogen and other alternative energy sources.

TC Energy's Coastal GasLink Pipeline Fined for Environmental Non-Compliance

British Columbia has fined Coastal GasLink, the natural gas pipeline being built by TC Energy, $256,810 for non-compliance with environmental regulations, the Canadian province said on Thursday.

How Emissions Are Measured: Gas Concentration vs. Emission Rate

(P&GJ) — The U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) proposed a rule in May that included significant measures to reduce emissions from pipelines and other midstream infrastructure.

Fatigue, Burst Tests Among Best Ways Assess Pipeline Welds

(P&GJ) — All over the world, the pipelines of large diameter and relatively thin wall thickness are used to transport hydrocarbons. These pipelines or piping systems are usually comprised of girth welded joints.

Residual Stress in Predicted Failure Pressure Calculation

(P&GJ) — Pipeline safety regulations require performing a calculation of the predicted failure pressure (PFP) of defects as part of an engineering critical assessment. Whether to include residual stress from pipe manufacturing, and selecting the magnitude of residual stress, can significantly affect the outcome of the PFP calculation. Guidance for accounting for residual stress is inconsistent.

Criteria to Consider in Selecting Water Transfer Flow Meters

(P&GJ) — The oil and gas industry contains a complex number of flow applications, featuring a myriad of fluids and gases that challenge even the toughest of flow instrumentation. So, choosing the right flow meter for a water transfer application should be straightforward in comparison … right?

Sudden Decompression: When the Pressure Gets Released

(P&GJ) — While many integrity management techniques attempt to detect flaws in the early stages, the potential always exists for a defect to initiate a running fracture along the length of a pipe. Cracks can be initiated by, for example, excavation damage, corrosion, or ground movements and may not provide any early warning.

Strengthening the Bond with Reliable Structural Adhesives

(P&GJ) — Most industrial maintenance or repair procedures involve welding or the use of mechanical fasteners as these can be perceived as easy and quick. However, while these procedures might initially seem to correct the issue but may cause more harm than good.

Developments in Custody Transfer Metering of Natural Gas

(P&GJ) — Natural gas has become an even more important energy source as the world looks to transition away from coal-fired power plants. Natural gas emits about half of the carbon emissions as coal, so it has many countries looking to adopt it as a larger part of their energy infrastructure.

Managing Lost and Unaccounted for Gas Volumes

(P&GJ) — Lost and unaccounted for (LAUF) gas is a calculated value that compares the amount of gas coming into a system (purchased) to the amount of gas leaving that system (sold or otherwise accounted for). Although LAUF is often equated to leaking pipes and equipment, leaks generally only represent a small portion of the value.

Importance of Moisture Analysis in Pipeline Transportation

(P&GJ) — Nearly every substance is affected by moisture, which can alter physical, chemical and electrical properties. When transporting hydrocarbons such as natural gas, the presence of moisture in the pressurized stream can create serious problems.

Why Flowmeter Calibration Sometimes Lacks Accuracy

(P&GJ) — The oil and gas industry appears to be favoring a move toward using “newer” and more “advanced” flow measurement technologies, such as ultrasonic and Coriolis devices as an alternative to turbine and positive displacement meters.

Detecting Leaks Using Remote Sensing Pipeline Monitoring

(P&GJ) — Pipelines are incredibly valuable assets for the energy and resources industry. Not only are they the safest way to move petroleum and other products, but they are also the most cost-effective and sustainable option to do so.

Practical Approach to Critical Assessments and Evaluating Pipelines

(P&GJ) — Engineering Critical Assessments (ECA) have been incorporated into United States pipeline safety regulations1 as a means for reconfirming the maximum allowable operating pressure (MAOP) for onshore steel gas transmission pipelines, while engineering assessments (EA) have been a longstanding method for proving consistent conclusions and recommendations across a variety of situations in accordance with the guidance in Canadian standard CSA Z662:19.

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.”

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.

Offshore Pipeline Design for CCUS

(P&GJ) — Design and construction of CO2 pipelines are similar to natural gas transmission pipelines. However, there are differences like: thermodynamic modeling, blow down modeling, specifying the maximum water content, pipeline fracture propagation control, use of elastomer materials and performing a quantitative risk assessment, mainly related to release modeling and defining the allowable exposure limits. These factors require special attention for CO2 pipelines, when compared with natural gas.

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.

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.

Learning to Manage Risk of Over-Pressurizing Gas Pipelines

(P&GJ) — According to data from the International Energy Agency (IEA), in 2020, the world consumed 3.7 Tcf of natural gas. In other words, nearly 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas was transported daily from production sites to homes, businesses, and power plants worldwide through pipelines spread across millions of miles. Most of these pipelines operate underground, 24/7, quietly delivering a vital service to people across continents.

Being Certain of Flow Measurement Meter Uncertainty

For many years, the oil and gas industry has widely believed that the production test separator gives the most accurate flow rate measurements. However, realistically, it’s unlikely to be used because of the sheer size of a separator, which creates mobility issues such as the need to lift it with cranes and a requirement for ruggedized equipment for shocks and vibrations.

Kellas Midstream Installs Real-Time Methane Monitoring Sensors at Teesside Gas Terminal

Kellas Midstream, the BlackRock and GIC backed company responsible for transporting 40% of the U.K.’s domestic gas production, has deployed continuous emissions monitoring at its Teesside Central Area Transmission System terminal in partnership with Project Canary.

Securing Pipeline Flow Measurement and Metering

Maintaining safe, reliable and profitable pipeline operations requires a high degree of trust. This is especially true for remote users who must have faith that the conditions are safe and that the person or device requesting the operation has authorization to do so.

Texas Railroad Commission Implements Operator-led Plan to Reduce West Texas Earthquakes

In the Western Permian Basin, the Railroad Commission began implementation last week of a first of its kind operator-led response plan that addresses injection-induced seismicity to help keep residents and the environment safe.

Thermal-Mass Measurement Principle and Metering Selection

The European Green Deal is the strategic plan to make the European Union carbon neutral by 2050. Decarbonizing the energy sector will be vital to achieving this goal, as this sector contributes significantly to Europe’s CO2 emissions.

Implementation Struggles of PHMSA’s Fatigue Mitigation Regulations

Fatigue is one of a controller’s greatest threats. Despite restrictions that have transpired for monitoring and mitigating controller fatigue in the past decade, fatigue is not a new worry within the oil and gas industry.

Russian Gas Flows to Germany via Yamal Pipeline Unchanged

Russian gas continued flowing via the Yamal-Europe pipeline to Germany at Thursday levels, preliminary data from German network operator Gascade showed, below volumes seen earlier in the week when Gazprom started to increase supplies to refill its storage.

A Guide to New Robotics, Drone Technologies for Pipelines

Today, the pipeline industry can buy a wide range of technologies for automating, managing, monitoring, repairing and improving safety of pipeline infrastructure and operations.

Highway Traffic and the Effect on Pipelines

Ruptures of natural gas pipelines in right-of-ways of roadways are less common, but when they occur, the devastation can be far more extensive than the more common ruptures.