Operations

Association Leaders Urge Bipartisanship on Pipeline Safety Laws

The leaders of seven industry associations have urged members of the U.S House Energy & Commerce and Transportation & Infrastructure committees to "maintain the tradition of bipartisanship that has characterized pipeline safety legislation for decades."

At Least 7 Killed in Gas Explosion in Bangladesh

At least seven people were killed and eight injured on Sunday after a gas pipeline exploded in the Bangladeshi port city of Chittagong, a police official said.

INGAA Renews Call for Bipartisan Pipeline Safety Reauthorization

Don Santa, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, issued a statement today in response to pipeline safety legislation introduced by the Chairmen of the House Energy and Commerce and Transportation and Infrastructure Committees:

How to Readily Access Accurate Data in Pipeline Integrity Management

In my experience, there are two common complaints from pipeline operators, and they occur at two different stages of the pipeline – one during construction, and the other during operations – but they are at their core the same: access to readily accurate data.

Our World Is Moving – And So Are The Pipelines

Strain assessments and pipeline movement assessments allow operators to identify and mitigate threats presented by geohazards.

2 Oil Company Workers Injured in Mexico Gas Pipeline Fire

Two Pemex employees were hospitalized after a gas pipeline leak erupted in flames east of Mexico City on Sunday.

Pipeline Operators: Germany's Winter Gas Supplies Secure

Germany will have enough natural gas this winter, despite restrictions on transit routes Opal and TENP 1, as storage levels are close to 100%, pipeline operators' group FNB said on Monday.

Officials Study Fire at California Storage Site after Quake

Officials are trying to determine Wednesday if a 4.5 magnitude earthquake triggered an explosion at an ethanol storage facility in the San Francisco Bay Area that started a fire and kept thousands of people in their homes for hours because of potentially unhealthy air.

TC Declares Force Majeure on Keystone Shipments after Storm

TC Energy Corp has declared force majeure on shipments on its 590,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) Keystone oil pipeline after a snow storm hit Manitoba over the weekend, disrupting operations.

Tube Tech International Launches Next-Generation Cleaning Robot

Tube Tech International Ltd. (TTIL) launched its next-generation cleaning robot, which the company said is capable of eradicating more than 90% of heat exchanger fouling.

Improving Data Loss During In-Line Inspections

Although there are other inspection methods, such as direct assessment or hydrostatic testing, ILIs are the most popular worldwide due to number of factors, including practicality, cost-effectiveness and accuracy.

Utility Finds Big Assist with Low-Pressure Issue

While psi levels vary depending on the application, real-time pressure monitoring is essential for utilities that supply natural gas to residential and commercial endpoints on their distribution networks.

Separating Pipeline Integrity Management’s Wheat from Its Chaff

Natural gas and hazardous liquids pipeline operators have been accumulating mass volumes of data for several years. But what to do with all this data? This is a question many natural gas pipeline operators are asking in advance of the highly anticipated Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) proposed gas and gathering pipeline mega-rule.

PHMSA Publishes "Mega" Rule After Nearly A Decade of Work

U.S. transportation officials on Tuesday adopted long-delayed measures that are meant to prevent pipeline spills and deadly gas explosions but don't address recommended steps to lessen accidents once they occur.

Iran Checks Cyber Security at Key Energy Sites

Iran has launched an inspection of security at its key Gulf oil and gas facilities, including preparedness for cyber attacks, the Oil Ministry news agency SHANA said, following media reports of Washington weighing possible cyber attacks on Tehran.

Feds Recommend New Requirements After Natural Gas Disaster

Federal officials are recommending stronger nationwide requirements for natural gas systems following last September's natural gas explosions and fires in Massachusetts.

Storm Disrupts U.S. Energy Operations from Pipelines to Terminals

Energy infrastructure on the U.S. Gulf Coast was hit hard by Tropical Storm Imelda on Thursday, as flooding forced a major refinery to cut production and a key oil pipeline, terminals and a ship channel in Texas were shut down.

New Pipelines, Hurricane Drive WTI Inventories Down, Prices Up

U.S. oil futures rose 1.7% on Thursday, lifted by a deep draw on U.S. crude inventories, especially at the benchmark's delivery hub due to increased demand with the start-up of two new West Texas pipelines.

New Democratic Pipeline Safety Bill Elicits Industry Opposition

House Democrats debuted the first comprehensive pipeline safety reform bill introduced in this Congress, and it contains a number of provisions opposed by both the intrastate and interstate gas transportation industries.

SoCalGas Worker Killed in Gas Line Explosion, 15 Others Injured

A natural gas explosion destroyed a Southern California home, killed a gas company worker and injured more than a dozen other people Monday, authorities said.

Produced Water Spills into Missouri River Tributary

Cleanup is underway after 21,000 gallons of brine oilfield wastewater leaked from an underground pipeline in western North Dakota and into an unnamed tributary of the Missouri River, the state Health Department said Monday.

Flow Meter Provides Dual Measurements in Single Body

The Transus Instruments UIM-4F Duo natural gas custody transfer ultrasonic flow meter consists of two independent fiscal flow measurements in a single flow meter body, enabling enhanced condition-based diagnostics in a space saving, compact package.

Emerson

Emerson released the Micro Motion 4200 2-wire loop-powered Coriolis transmitter, a new design that makes it possible to replace existing two-wire flow devices with minimal effort and without incurring additional power or cabling costs. The device can accommodate the largest line size (4-inch) of any..

Sercel-GRC

Sercel-GRC (GRC) recently sold the 1000th Spy Pro gauge for downhole ESP systems. Rated for 5,000 and 10,000 psi at 150 degrees C (302 degrees F), the device can record up to 11 parameters, used to monitor the ESP production system. This includes intake and discharge pressures, intake and motor temp..

Chalmit

Chalmit launched its new Protecta X LED luminaire, which is up to 50% brighter than traditional linear lighting. It has user-definable light distribution, a lifespan of over 120,000 hours at 25° C and optional battery stick, meaning in can be installed in half the time. The Protecta X avoids the ove..

E2S Warning Signals

E2S Warning Signals offers the D1xB2 beacons, which has global approvals with SIL1 and SIL 2 compliance. Light sources are available as either Xenon or LED. Strobes are offered in 5, 10, 15 or 21 Joule Xenon variants with four-flash rate options that are approved for private mode fire alarm use to U..

WFS Technologies

WFS Technologies offers Seatooth PipeLogger, an integrated pipeline, umbilical, risers and flowlines temperature monitoring and data transfer solution. It can provide real-time monitoring for offshore and subsea assets. It has been used to reduce the risk and operational costs associated with coiled..

Choosing Correct AMI System for Gas Utilities

The natural gas industry continues to build upon a customer-first approach and is always looking for new and better ways to operate. There’s no doubt, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems have emerged as attractive solutions for local distribution companies (LDC) seeking to improve both customer and employee operations.

Looking to Lessen Fluctuating Flow Problems in Measurement

Good measurement practices suggest flow measurements should occur without instabilities or pulsations in the flow. Even minor inaccuracies in the measurement of high value products can lead to significant financial exposure over extended periods of time.

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics When Equipment Fails

The importance of accurate measurement cannot be under-estimated. In 2012, the oil price was above $100 per barrel, but only a year later, as oil prices began to decline, the average price of a barrel of crude oil was $91, dropping to $42 by 2015.