Technology/R&D

NATURAL GAS TRANSPORTATION: Expanding with Renewable Natural Gas

Partners in the Houston-based energy private equity firm, EIV Capital LLC, obviously liked what they saw in the natural gas transportation space, and particularly renewable natural gas (RNG), or biomethane, because last summer they plunked down $47 million in equity funds in Chicago-based AMP Americ..

TransCanada to Run Inspection Device in Keystone Pipeline

TransCanada to place a pipeline inspection on the Keystone Pipeline following a Nov. 16 leak.

Clock Spring Unveils New Pipeline Corrosion Solution

Clock Spring Company, LP has launched Contour WA™, a composite solution featuring an engineered, bi-axial stitched e-glass tape impregnated with a water-activated polyurethane resin. The new product, which is designed for application on lines to 1,500 psi, repairs corrosion and mechanical damage on ..

Battelle Wins Award for PipeAssess PI Software

Battelle receives research and development award for PipeAssess PI, the company's pipeline inspection software.

SwRI Wins Two 2017 R&D 100 Awards

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) today announced its Smart Leak Detection (SLED) and High Power Impulse Plasma Source (HiPIPS) systems have each received R&D 100 Awards for being among the 100 most significant innovations in 2017. Leaks in the U.S. liquid hydrocarbon pipelines network exceeded 1..

Improving Pipeline Cybersecurity with Public-Private Partnerships

From an environmental, safety, and health perspective, pipelines are widely considered the optimal mode of transporting fossil fuel products. Release failures and loss-of-life incidents remain on a downward trend that began decades ago. But with over 2.5 million miles of pipelines moving natural ga..

Inline Isolation Provides Decommissioning Benefits

When a multinational energy services company planned to decommission an onshore gas terminal in northwest England, it needed a fast, total solution that would avoid depressurizing and blowing down a 25-mile (40-km), 36-inch pipeline. The pipeline runs from an offshore field through north and south ..

Pipeline Monitoring Systems to See Good Times Ahead

The global pipeline inspection technology market is on the rise.

China’s First Center to Test Flare Emissions

Honeywell UOP reports that its Callidus Technologies business has begun operation of China’s only facility capable of testing flare emissions for volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. The test center in Luoyang, Henan Province, aids customers trying to reduce emissions of VOCs in industrial flare sys..

Error Reduction as It Relates to Human Performance

Increasingly, gas and pipeline operations are implementing an array of safety systems and protocols, including risk, stakeholder and safety management systems, along with robust human capital management programs. However, in many cases, safety performance is still plateauing and safety metrics, inc..

IoT and the Digitalization of Oil and Gas Production

The Internet of Things (IoT) can help improve pipeline inspections. Learn how in this whitepaper courtesy of Bsquare Corporation.

Companies Release Aerial Pipeline Inspection Solution for Utilities

Black & Veatch and Aeryon Labs launch a new aerial pipeline inspection tool to help utilities better monitor their infrastructure.

International Plastic Pipe Conference Extends Deadline for Papers

The organizers of the International Plastic Pipe Conference and Exhibition today announced a two-week extension of the deadline for the submission of abstracts to Nov. 15, 2017. “We have already received some major proposals for presentations and are particularly interested to receive case referenc..

Midstream Company Solves Flow Measurement Issues

When Mike Heckl was a director of operations for Crestwood Midstream, the company established itself in the West Virginia Appalachian Basin by purchasing an area of development from a major upstream firm with a large acreage in the Ohio and West Virginia Marcellus/Utica Shale fields. They had alread..

Asset Tracking and Traceability: Field-to-GIS Solution

The industry has implemented a new materials traceability standard, ASTM F2897, that asset manufacturers are using to mark assets with standardized barcodes. In response to this standard, Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) has been working with vendor LocusView on a solution that leverages ne..

Drones – A Necessary Tool in Pipeline Development & Maintenance

Drones are helping make pipeline inspections and monitoring simpler.

Real-Time Imaging of Methane Gas Leaks Using a Single-Pixel Camera

A single-pixel camera can help identify methane leaks in real-time during pipeline inspections.

Does Residual Stress Really Matter in Pipelines?

The presence of residual stress in components should not be overlooked, even though it may not be as apparent and quantifiable as primary loads. While residual stress is often responsible for over-conservatism of a design, it can also be considered a major “unknown” contributing factor during a fail..

Enhancing Infrastructure Maintenance with IoT

The Internet of Things can help improve pipeline inspections.

GDM Pipelines and Explore Integrity Launch Complete Pipeline Integrity Solution

GDM Pipelines and Explore Integrity have joined forces to launch gX Insight, the oil and gas industry’s first and only complete pipeline integrity solution to incorporate the planning, execution and data collection for in-field integrity programs with comprehensive information management and data an..

Gulf Publishing Company, Quest Offshore Align for Joint Operation of Offshore Conferences

Gulf Publishing Company and Quest Offshore Resources have announced the formation of Gulf Quest LLC for the joint operation of offshore conferences, including the leading global deepwater technology event,  Marine Construction Engineering Deepwater Development (MCEDD). MCEDD, in its 15th year in 20..

Drone Companies Team up to Service North Dakota Oil Patch

Drones help make pipeline inspections in North Dakota easier.

Report: North American Pumps and Valves Services Market to Grow Through 2021

Technavio has released a new report, Pumps and Valves Services Market in North America 2017-2021, which states the pumps and valves services market in North America is expected to grow at a CAGR of almost 5% during the forecast period. Key findings include: The growth of the end-user industries ..

Gulf Publishing Company Launches LNG Intelligence Service for Energy Industry

Gulf Publishing Company, a leading media company and provider of market data for the international energy industry, launches today the Energy Web Atlas to provide the downstream energy sector with easy access to information about the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) industry. A real-time project informa..

Report: Installation of IoT in Pipelines Can Reduce Oil Thefts Significantly

According to a new report from Technavio, the global IoT market in pipeline management is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 12% between 2017-2021. Reasons for this growth include: Increasing oil thefts Growth of deepwater pipelines Drones for pipeline monitoring Increasing oil thefts ..

ExxonMobil Expands Methane Emissions Reduction Program

ExxonMobil today announced an enhanced program to reduce methane emissions from its production and midstream facilities across the United States. The program, which builds on the company’s longstanding commitment to emissions reduction, prioritizes actions at sites operated by subsidiary XTO Energy..

Vallourec Launches Intelligent Pipes Challenge

Vallourec has launched the company’s first “Open Innovation Challenge”  to identify start-ups, laboratories and companies with expertise in the area of intelligent pipes and to work with the selected companies to develop solutions adapted to fit Vallourec’s markets. “Intelligent” pipes are those de..

New Tools Can Cut Station Drying Times in Half

Sugar Land, TX-based Pipeline Drying International, LLC, said it has developed new proprietary tools and techniques that, when used in combination with its patented Mobil Drying Units (MDU), can dry compressor stations, meter stations and some vessels faster than anyone else in the industry. The co..

Excavators Look to Doosan for Challenging TAP Project

Doosan's line of excavators help the Trans Adriatic pipeline construction project make good progress.

Capturing Waste Heat from Gas Compressor Stations

In view ensuring the efficient use of fossil fuel energy and to reduce overall carbon emissions, the possibilities of maximizing exhaust-heat recovery should be seriously considered. Gas turbines reject 50% or more of the energy in the fuel into the atmosphere through the exhaust systems. Some of t..