Pipeline Integrity Management (PIM) is the cradle-to-grave approach of understanding and operating pipelines in a safe, reliable manner. PIM programs are systems managed by pipeline owner-operators that consider all stages of the pipeline life cycle, from conception, to engineering and design, construction, operation, inspection, and finally to repair/replacement when necessary.
In the United States, pipeline operators are required to abide by regulations put forth by the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), at a minimum. Among other things, these regulations require all oil & gas transmission companies to perform regular baseline evaluations of pipelines in areas where pipeline failure would have a significant impact on public safety or the environment.
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The scope of the subject case study reviews an inspection and corrosion control assessment conducted on subsea flowlines and includes evaluating the flowlines’ associated inspection programs and identifying all available NDT technology solutions.
This article will discuss a statistical analysis method that was developed to evaluate the integrity of pipelines that can identify, in a first phase inspection, whether the nature of the active damage mechanism(s) are uniform (general) or localized.
Through a combination of new ILI technology and non-destructive in-situ techniques, all the necessary tools and processes are now in place and available to operators around the world to proactively improve their integrity management systems.
This article details the experience an oil company had when using FEA to evaluate the implications of a damaged pipeline. Specifically, it presents an efficient method that combines analytical techniques with FEA to determine the pipeline’s...
This article explains the Statistically Active Corrosion Assessment, which is a tool for determining appropriate and realistic corrosion growth rates which can assist pipeline operators in optimizing the value of in-line inspection data.
Our proprietary furnace tube inspection system, FTIS is an ultrasonic inspection technology capable of rapid, automated fired heater coil inspection in refinery fired heaters. The data captured by our furnace tube inspection system is...
Composite technology developed for pipeline repair can be a cost-effective method of improving safety while keeping maintenance costs down. However, composite materials present significant challenges to conventional NDT methods.
This article exhibits how modern inspection methodologies combined with innovative computational analysis practices demonstrate the value of conducting fitness-for-service (FFS) assessments on sectional piping.
Joint integrity management remains at the top of many operators’ priority list. The discipline considers risk and drives safety to ensure we learn necessary lessons from past catastrophic failures, such as the Piper Alpha explosion in 1988,...
This is the second article of a two-part series published in Inspectioneering Journal, which is intended to provide a basis for understanding the differences between traditional tapped-transformer, fixed voltage type rectifiers, and High Frequency...
The objective of this article is to demonstrate the inherent value of an interactive and detailed GIS landscape, emphasize the importance of industry standardization, and encourage regulatory agencies and operators to systematize and incorporate...
What do you need: CONSULTING - Subject matter experts, consultants, or team of highly skilled engineers to help solve my problem. SOFTWARE - My team requires software, products, or resources that will solve the problem. TRAINING - I require...
Pipeline management remains fraught with safety risks for operators and the environment. Last year, the Ontario Energy Board determined that a $12 billion oil pipeline proposed by TransCanada Corp. would pose more risks than rewards for the province.
Understanding the common factors that promote corrosion threats in the oil and gas value chain helps operators create effective inspection strategies.
This study provides valuable information for offshore pipeline operators curious about how composite repair systems could be utilized with their assets.
This is the first article of a two-part series to be published in Inspectioneering Journal and will provide a basis for understanding the differences between traditional tapped-transformer, fixed voltage type rectifiers, and High Frequency Switched...
Pipeline integrity is critical to ensure maintenance and operational efficiency; however it is becoming an increasingly challenging task for the energy industry. Maintenance managers and inspectors must make sure their pipeline(s) and its associated...
Are you truly prepared for your next Turnaround? Effective work processes are required to successfully plan, manage, review and supervise plant turnarounds. Inspection planning and work scope selection are critical aspects of any turnaround...
Machine-to-Machine connectivity combined with advanced computing capabilities and industry-focused software enable a wide range of new capabilities. From smart homes controlled over the internet, to smart electric grids with smart meters, sensors...
For traditional in-line inspection (ILI) vendors, considering 21.4 miles of a piggable 4” diesel pipeline is typically not a big deal. However, significant threats like 3rd party damage and external corrosion seem to come with the territory in...
Historically, regulations regarding dent severity have been governed by one of two metrics: dent depth or strain. In the case of the former, plain dents with a depth up to 6% of the nominal diameter are permitted in both gas and liquid pipelines....
Verifying pipeline integrity is particularly challenging due to the difficulty of pipeline access, as well as the limitations in available technology to perform subsea wall thickness inspections. These challenges require action rather than reaction.
In the Oil & Gas business we have hundreds of event process chains, each of which bears a cost and contains certain elements of risk. So what can we do to reduce our burden and improve our business? Let’s take a look at the current state of...
Floodlight Software digitalizes inspection and testing operations and eliminates paper forms, filing cabinets, and spreadsheets. Your inspection forms plus our software equals a user-friendly mobile interface for inspectors and a robust reporting...
Jim Svetgoff, Corrosion Advisor at Devon Energy recently interviewed with American Business Conferences for the Crude Pipeline Asset Integrity Congress 2014.
Recently developed RFID best practices provide an opportunity for pipeline businesses to transform their asset management and pipeline integrity management processes away from traditional paper-based systems to more efficient, highly-integrated...
The pigging industry has developed a tremendous range of techniques and technologies, and it is probably fair to say that there are few pipelines in the world that cannot be cleaned and inspected, although the success of such operations will often...
An adequate characterization of the Keystone XL special conditions from the perspective of pipeline integrity and risk would be advantageous from the system onset for identifying latent flaws in the system spill prevention plans.
The OmniScan X3 flaw detector is a complete phased array toolbox. Powerful tools, like total focusing method (TFM) images and advanced visualization capabilities, enable you to complete your inspection with greater confidence.
Inspectioneering recently had the privilege of speaking with Tom Wanzeck, Vice President of Integrity Services with Willbros Group, Inc. Tom spent more than 20 years managing assets on the owner-operator side before making the leap to the service...
Even though oil and gas pipelines and their related facilities are generally safer for people and the environment compared to other means of transportation, occasional leaks and failures due to corrosion and other defects have become an issue in...
Now, more than ever, pipeline owners and operators are under intense scrutiny to ensure safe and dependable pipeline systems.
As the oil and gas industry matured regulators and the public have become more and more aware of the risks inherent in the business and increasingly require pipeline owners to demonstrate and document the safe and environmentally acceptable...
Pipeline integrity management programs are largely driven by regulatory compliance and are typically budgeted years in advance. Operators of all sizes are looking for ways to reduce expenditures related to operational efficiency and safety in order...
Progress has been made in this area over the last 5 to 10 years. Here is a listing of helpful references for managing pipeline integrity that represents a lot of that progress and experience. It is by no means exhaustive. To the best of our...
The integrity of pipelines is a natural concern for pipeline operators, and so the ability to detect corrosion, erosion and mechanical damage in pipes is therefore of significant interest. Traditional methods of detection, such as pigging and...
NACE International has approved two highly anticipated standards dedicated to the control of internal pipeline corrosion.
Active corrosion in onshore and offshore pipelines is an increasing problem. Consequently, pipeline operators regularly use intelligent inspection pigs to detect and size corrosion. Inspection data can be combined with probability based...
This turn-key approach to engineered on-stream line lifting eliminates the need for operators to deal with multiple contractors, ensuring seamless integrity management of critical assets.
Effective pipeline integrity management has been problematic for a large number of pipelines that were not designed for in-line inspection. Quest Integrity understands the complexities involved with this challenging segment and offers a...
InVista Subsea, an advanced ultrasonic ILI tool from Quest Integrity, provides a solution for challenging and difficult-to-inspect subsea pipelines.
PHMSA announced that it is awarding $98,800,117 in grants to states, territories, and tribes to help enhance pipeline and hazardous materials safety programs at the community level for 11 different safety programs
API published an update to Standard 1104, Welding of Pipelines and Related Facilities, updating an important global standard that supports industry-wide actions to strengthen environmental sustainability efforts while meeting growing energy demand.
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has imposed a $1 million fine and new safety requirements on Energy Transfer following the 2018 explosion and fire at its Revolution natural gas pipeline in Western Pennsylvania.
A fire in four oil pipelines that feed the Aqaba refinery has been put out, Jordan's state news agency said on Thursday.
The International Pressure Equipment Integrity Association (IPEIA) is looking for presenters for its 25th Annual Conference taking place March 1 - 5, 2021 in Banff, Alberta. The deadline for abstract submission is September 12th, 2020.
Our proprietary furnace tube inspection system, FTIS is an ultrasonic inspection technology capable of rapid, automated fired heater coil inspection in refinery fired heaters. The data captured by our furnace tube inspection system is...
API has released its 2019 Pipeline Safety Excellence Performance Report showing that liquid pipeline incidents have decreased significantly over the last 5 years, while pipeline mileage and barrels delivered have increased.
The 33rd annual Pipeline Pigging and Integrity Management (PPIM) Conference and Exhibition is now accepting papers for the 2021 event.
The American Petroleum Institute has published an updated 2nd Edition of Recommended Practice 1169 - Pipeline Construction Inspection.
This week, PHMSA proposed new federal pipeline safety regulations that would require the installation of remotely controlled or automatic shutoff valves on certain newly constructed natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines.
TC Energy Corp said on Wednesday that a response team contained an oil spill in Walsh County, North Dakota from its Keystone crude pipeline.
In today's chemical and refining industries, sustained long term reliability of facilities is critical to profitability and competitiveness. In fact, history shows that differences in operating expenses between best-in-class refineries, and poor...
PHMSA has transmitted three significant final rules to the Federal Register that will strengthen the safety of more than 500,000 miles of onshore gas transmission and hazardous liquid pipelines throughout the U.S.
The American Petroleum Institute (API), in coordination with the Association of Oil Pipe Lines (AOPL), released the 2019 Liquids Pipeline Performance Report, detailing how liquids pipeline incidents have decreased 20 percent over the last 5 years.
"Unpiggable" pipelines are a thing of the past. With Quest Integrity's suite of in-line inspection tools, you can be confident in the state of your pipeline, no matter what.
Last week, the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) revised its regulations and increased the maximum civil penalty amount for violations of Federal pipeline safety law.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice today announced a settlement with Magellan Pipeline Company, L.P., for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act related to gasoline, diesel and jet fuel spills in Texas...
Piping accounts for roughly 40% of “accidental releases” at major petroleum facilities. Modern robots can inspect every inch of piping while still in service, giving you a clear picture of your most concerning areas.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today issued a final rule entitled, "Operator Qualification, Cost Recovery, Accident and Incident Notification, and Other Pipeline Safety Changes."
Administrator Marie Therese Dominguez, head of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced today that she signed a long awaited rulemaking package that makes critical safety...
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has opened an investigation into a pipeline accident in Helena, Alabama, in which one worker died and four others were seriously injured.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) today issued an Interim Final Rule ("IFR") to implement the agency's expanded authority to address unsafe pipeline conditions or practices...
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) announced today that it has completed its investigation of the May 19, 2015, Plains All-American pipeline release in Santa Barbara County,...
Pro-Surve recently invested in the latest portable Higher Order Modes Clusters (HOMC) Guided Wave Testing tool, a new concept for the inspection of inaccessible regions using short-range guided waves. Inspection is carried out from the accessible...
Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Transporation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration announced proposed regulations to make critical safety improvements for hazardous liquid pipelines. The proposed regulations seek to...
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardouse Materials Safety Administration has proposed new requirements to strengthen Federal pipeline safety regulations related to pipeline accident and incident notification. The Operator...
The National Transportation Safety Board today adopted a safety study on integrity management of gas transmission pipelines in high consequence areas. Integrity management is the process by which pipeline operators and inspectors find and address...
Pipelines are extremely safe and efficient for transporting energy across the United States, the industry’s continual efforts to improve the safety of the nation’s network of crude and petroleum product pipelines have reduced pipeline...
