Pin 2009-09

SEPTEMBER 2009 ISSUE 001
South America
Trenching
Arctic Terrain Review
Nord Stream
2 PIPELINES INTERNATIONAL | SEPTEMBER 2009
12
ISSUE 001 | SEPTEMBER 2009
32 40
The publishers welcome editorial contributions from interested
parties. However, the publishers do not accept responsibility
for the content of these contributions and the views contained
therein which will not necessarily be the views of the publish-
ers. The publishers do not accept responsibility for any claims
made by advertisers.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise in writing, by providing edito-
rial material to Great Southern Press (GSP), including text and
images you are providing permission for that material to be sub-
sequently used by GSP, whole or in part, edited or unchanged,
alone or in combination with other material in any publication
or format in print or online or howsoever distributed, whether
produced by GSP and its agents and associates or another party
to whom GSP has provided permission.
NORTHERN HEMISPHERE
(Editorial and Technical)
PO Box 21
Beaconseld, Bucks
HP9 1NS
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1494 675139
Fax: +44 1494 670155
query@pipelinesinternational.com
www.pipelinesinternational.com
CONTENTS
SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE
(Sales and Subscriptions)
GPO Box 4967
Melbourne VIC 3001
Australia
Tel: +61 3 9248 5100
Fax: +61 3 9602 2708
REGULARS
4 From the Editor
64 Advertisers Index
Subscription Form
Coming in future issues
AROUND THE WORLD
6 Pipeline reduces costs in Colombia
8 REX-East two thirds complete
10 Transit countries agree
on Nabucco Gas Pipeline
12 Oil pipeline heats up in India
13 MoU signed for Trans-Sahara
14 Dolphin goes overland
15 Project briefs
16 World Wrap
PIPES & PEOPLE
18 Meet the Pipelines International
team
REGION REVIEW: SOUTH AMERICA
19 South America snapshot
23 Pipeline past and present
with Petrobras
25 TGS set to expand
26 Continuous integrity
monitoring for pipelines
TECHNICAL
30 Integrity forecasting and
bamboo pipelines
NORD STREAM
32 Nord Stream: piping through
the Baltic Sea
37 EUPECs Nord Stream pipe-coating
plants get up and running
PIPELINE EQUIPMENT
40 Choosing the right trencher
42 ALLU lls in Kentucky
43 Advantages and limitations
of using chain trenchers in rock
TERRAIN REVIEW: ARCTIC
46 Overcoming the challenges
of Arctic pipelines
48 Modelling tools aid in
Arctic pipeline design
MEET THE ASSOCIATION
50 PRCI: providing pipeline
research worldwide
INDUSTRY NEWS
51 Going with the ow:
internal coatings
52 The last line of defence
53 Pipeline research groups
collaborate
54 Safety and efciency on the job site
REGULATORY
55 Harmonisation of pipeline
standards through ISO
HISTORY
56 Druzhba Pipeline
PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
58 DNV and Gassco develop new
acoustic inspection method
58 Get welding with the light P625
welder
58 One Eye magnetic
separation system
EVENTS
59 Pipeline evaluation conference
ready to hit Pittsburgh
59 Upcoming Events
60 Pigging and Integrity 2010
in Houston
60 Carnival for Pipelines in Rio
ONE WORLD.
ONE FOCUS.
ONE NAME.
PipeLine Machinery International (PLM)
supports the global needs of mainline pipeline
construction customers with one-stop access
to the most extensive pipeline machinery
expertise in the business.
New and used PLM-supplied Caterpillar
machines are now operating around the world
delivering maximum productivity and reliability,
together with industry-leading technology in
the areas of environmental compliance, safety
and ease of operation.
www.plmcat.com
2008 Caterpillar
All Rights Reserved
CAT, CATERPILLAR, ACERT, their respective logos, SystemOne, Caterpillar Yellow and
the POWER EDGE trade dress, as well as corporate and product identity used herein, are
trademarks of Caterpillar and may not be used without permission.
W
e are delighted to present to our
worldwide readership the rst
issue of Pipelines International.
Pipelines International will set a new
standard for industry publications in terms
of its technical and global news content,
while also providing companies that are
active in the industry with an unmatched
opportunity to communicate directly
with decision makers in the oil, gas, and
hydrocarbons pipeline industry.
Pipelines International has been
launched following the merger of two
companies with long histories of publishing
in the pipeline and energy elds Scientic
Surveys and Great Southern Press. By
combining their strengths we believe we
will benet of readers and the industry as
a whole. The new company, which will be
known as Great Southern Press, will build
upon the successes and the strengths of the
companies that formed it.
For a number of months, headlines
around the world have been focusing on
the economic situation and the immense
difculties the downturn has imposed on
individuals and companies in many industrial
sectors. There is no denying the fact that huge
changes are underway, and the world as a
whole is having to readjust to the newregime
that these changes are introducing. Many
might therefore see this as a poor choice of
time to launch a newindustry publication.
The hydrocarbons pipeline industry is,
however, particularly buoyant currently,
and forecasts for the next ve years are
tremendously positive for both onshore and
ofshore pipeline construction.
Fuelled, of course, by the worlds
burgeoning need for energy, gas pipeline
projects have never been of greater
signicance, and are focusing on transporting
reserves frommore technically challenging
areas than ever before. Oil, too, is in high
demand, and requires transport over longer
distances and through terrain of increasing
complexity and environmental sensitivity.
Two recently published authoritative
reports highlight the strength of the pipeline
industry and its forecast growth over the
next few years. Looking ofshore, Ineld
Systems has identied 81,293 km of pipeline,
in all water depths, that are to be installed
by 2013. When adding in the approximately
22,150 km of control lines also planned, this
represents an investment over ve years of
$US265 billion.
As far as the onshore industry is
concerned, Douglas Westwoods report
points out that around 157,000 km of
pipelines are planned up to 2013, at a cost
of over $US178 billion, which is a 15 per cent
increase in length installed and a 27 per
cent increase in investment relative to the
previous ve-year period.
Gas pipelines will make up 95,341 km,
and oil pipelines 35,034 km of the total, in
which LNG transportation will also play a
signicant role. Some specic projects that
will contribute to these totals are featured
in this issue, among which are reviews of
various aspects of the twin 1,220 km, 48 inch
diameter Nord Stream Pipelines, which will
be the longest subsea pipelines in the world
when commissioned in 2011 and 2012.
Two further articles discuss the issues
surrounding the design and engineering
of pipelines in the Arctic, a region that
is becoming of great signicance. As a
testament to this, the proposed pipeline to
bring Alaskan gas to markets in the southern
United States is expected to cost over
$US30 billion, and the latest published cost
estimate for the Mackenzie Gas Pipeline from
the Mackenzie Delta area is $US16 billion.
Many other projects are also underway or
planned, as our news items show, all of
which are contributing to the strength of our
industry.
Pipelines International will be present
at several major industry events in the next
few months. Starting at the Rio de Janeiro
Pipeline Conference in September, the list
includes the Pipeline Technology Conference
in Ostend, Belgium and our own Evaluation
and Rehabilitation of Pipelines Conference
in Pittsburgh, United States (organised
jointly with Clarion Technical Conferences)
in October, and Pemex biennial pipeline
integrity meeting in Monterrey, Mexico, in
November. The strength and of these events,
and their importance, also form a bellwether
for the industry as a whole, and we look
forward to reporting on them in the next
issue.
John Tiratsoo
Editor-in-Chief
FROM THE EDITOR
SEPTEMBER 2009 ISSUE 001
South America
Trenching
Arctic Terrain Review
Nord Stream
Cover shows a pipeline
running from facilities at
Petrobras Gasjap elds,
Brazil.
Editor-in-Chief: John Tiratsoo
Associate Editor: Lyndsie Mewett
Product Manager: Scott Pearce
Journalists: Kat St Lawrence,
Sarah Paul,
Hayley Jach
Mandy Wong
Sales Manager: Tim Thompson
Snr Account Manager: David Marsh
Sales Representative: Brett Thompson
Design Manager: Michelle Bottger
Designers: Sandra Noke
Stephanie Rose
Venysia Kurniawan
Publisher: Chris Bland
ISSN: 1837-1167
TREATMENT.
As a leader in pipeline inspection, ROSEN not only supplies
a complete range of treatments for pipelines but
also keeps your engineering structures up and running.
www.roseninspection.net
EMPOWERED BY TECHNOLOGY
359_07_ros_090519_anz_block_A4_RZ.indd 1 19.5.2009 9:45:45 Uhr
Construction was completed in August 2009
on the Rubiales Oil Pipeline also called the
Oleoducto de los Llanos Orientales (ODL), which
will link the Rubiales Oil Field with the Monterrey
pumping station, Colombia.
T
he pipeline was constructed by and will be operated by
Oleoducto de los Llanos Orientales S.A., jointly owned by
Pacic Rubiales Energy and Ecopetrol S.A. The two companies
signed a Memorandum of Understanding in 2007 to establish the
joint venture company and develop the project.
Pacic Rubiales Energy Chief Executive Ofcer Ronald Pantin
said We remain focused on executing our internal growth strategy
as the pipeline is completed on time and on budget, which will
allow us to take the Rubiales eld to its full potential.
The 235 km, 24 inch diameter pipeline will provide a cheaper
way for the company to transport crude oil from the eld to the
Monterrey pumping station, where it will connect to the existing
Oleoducto Central Pipeline that transports oil to the Covenas port
for export. Currently oil is trucked, and the pipeline will reduce
transportation costs by approximately 50 per cent.
Initial capacity of the pipeline will be 170,000 bbl/d of blended
heavy oil, with a potential for expansion to 260,000 bbl/d with the
addition of booster pump stations.
The project, includes the construction of pumping and storage
facilities.
Pacic Rubiales Energy has said that the pipeline was
mechanically completed and was in the nal stages of hydrostatic
testing in early August 2009, and line lling would begin following
testing completion.
The Rubiales Oil Field encompasses the Rubiales and Piriri
producing concessions. Located in the Llanos Basin, 465 km from
Bogot, the blocks have a combined area of 569 sq km.
In mid-March 2008, average production from the Rubiales Oil
Field was approximately 30,253 bbl/d. Now, the production and
processing capacity at the Rubiales eld is on track to full the
production goal of 100,000 bbl/d by the end of 2009.
The Rubiales Oil Pipeline is a key element of Pacic Rubiales
Energys master plan for the Rubiales Oil Field. It is expected to cost
approximately $US397 million.
Pipeline reduces
costs in Colombia
AROUND THE WORLD
The 235 km, 24 inch diameter pipeline will
provide a cheaper way for the company
to transport crude oil from the field to the
Monterrey pumping station.
Your pipelines are probably your single biggest physical asset. Protecting this
asset from third party damage ensures uninterrupted service for your customers
while it protects your investment.
Fade Resistant & UV Stable
Temperature stable from -40 to 150C.
North Slope of Alaska
Protect Your Pipelines
with Rhino TriView Systems
Available with Terminals
Bury It
TriGrip anchor
barbs fold out,
securing the
TriView in
the ground.
Detail
Drive It
11
5
Easy & Versatile Installation
Decals in any Language
Durable & Flexible
See demos in action by watching
high speed and cold weather impact
videos at RhinoMarkers.com
Slide It
IN AN EMERGENCY OR BEFORE EXCAVATING CALL
FIBER
OPTIC
CABLE
Will withstand repeated impacts
Rhino Marking & Protection Systems www.RhinoMarkers.com
Grenoble Office: +33 970 44 91 51 USA Factory: 507-835-4646
Oleoducto de los Llanos Orientales S.A. completes
construction activities at the Rubiales Oil Pipeline.
The 1,027 km Rockies Express-East Pipeline (REX-East) is the final
segment of the Rockies Express Gas Pipeline, which will eventually
link Colorado and Ohio across the United States.
T
he Rockies Express Pipeline is one
of the largest natural gas pipelines
constructed in North America. It
consists of three parts: Rockies Express
Entrega, Rockies Express-West (REX-West)
and REX-East. The entire pipeline will span
2,702 km from Rio Blanco County, Colorado,
to Monroe County, Ohio.
REX is being developed by Rockies
Express Pipeline LLC, a joint development
of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners,
ConocoPhillips, and Sempra Pipelines &
Storage a subsidiary of Sempra Energy.
The 42 inch diameter pipeline will have
a capacity of 1.6 billion cubic feet per day of
natural gas with a potential to increase to
1.8 billion cubic feet per day.
The REX-East Pipeline will provide
energy to markets in Illinois, Indiana and
Ohio with access to natural gas supplies
from the Rocky Mountain supply basins.
The project includes the construction of
ve compressor stations along the route, as
well as two new stations along the REX-West,
where the gas will be re-pressurised and
moved through the system. The compressor
stations will be located in Audrain County,
Missouri; Christian County, Illinois; Putnam
County, Indiana; Warren County, Ohio and
Muskingum County, Ohio.
The United States Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) deemed the
project environmentally acceptable in its
nal Environmental Impact Statement in
April 2008. The FERC approved construction
of the REX-East Pipeline in June 2008.
The FERC concluded that the project
design was consistent with federal resource
management plans, limiting environmental
impact and promoting restoration of all
disturbed areas during construction and
operation of the project. More than 59 per
cent of the pipeline route follows existing
rights-of-way.
Currently, the portion of the pipeline
from Audrain County, Missouri, to Warren
County, Ohio, is already in service. The entire
pipeline is expected to be in service by
1 November 2009.
REX-East two thirds
complete
Pipe activities covered desert terrain.
Welding tents along the REX-East Pipeline.
A section of the pipeline spread. Images
courtesy of Rockies Express Pipeline.
The project includes
the construction of five
compressor stations along
the route, as well as two
new stations along the
REX-West.
AROUND THE WORLD
Now entering its 22nd year,
the PPIM Conference is recognized
as the vanguard international forum
for sharing and learning about best
practices in lifetime maintenance
and condition-monitoring technology
for natural gas, crude oil, and
products pipelines.
The international gathering
of the global pigging industry!
More than 100 specialized providers
of pipeline inspection and
integrity services
850+ attendees
2 days of cutting-edge technical
presentations
7 critically acclaimed training courses
Plan to be there: WWW.CLARION.ORG
or call us at +1 713 521 5929
ppim-pi-PageAd.indd 1 8/10/2009 2:36:20 PM
AROUND THE WORLD
erp-pi-PageAd.indd 1 8/10/2009 2:35:01 PM
European efforts to reduce dependence on Russian gas have spawned a major gas pipeline project
totalling 3,300 km the Nabucco Pipeline.
T
he Nabucco Pipeline will bring natural
gas fromthe Caspian region, Middle
East and Egypt to Central and Western
European gas markets via Eastern Europe,
reducing dependence on gas fromRussia.
The pipeline will total approximately
3,300 kmin length starting at the Turkish
border of either Georgia or Iran, and lead
to Baumgarten in Austria. Gas will then be
further transported to Central and Western
Europe through Austria.
Capacity of the 7.9 billion ($US11.26
billion) pipeline will reach a maximumof
31 billion cubic metres per annum.
Front-end engineering and design (FEED)
contracts for the project were awarded in May
2009 to ve local engineering companies in
Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and
Turkey, for work on the countries respective
pipeline sections.
In 2005, Nabucco Pipeline International
identied that only 42 per cent of gas
consumption in the European Union (EU) was
covered by indigenous production, leaving
58 per cent that was imported, mostly from
Norway, Algeria and Russia. Market studies
have indicated that gas demand will increase
in the future. Combined with a decline of
domestic production, the EUis forecasted to
require up to 80 per cent of gas consumption
to be imported.
Nabucco Pipeline International is
directly owned by the Nabucco partners,
which are Austrias OMV Gas & Power,
Bulgarian Energy Holding, Germanys RWE,
MOL Hungarian Oil and Gas, Romanias
Transgaz, and Turkeys Botas.
In July 2009, transit countries for the
Nabucco Gas Pipeline project signed an
Intergovernmental Agreement in Ankara,
Turkey, to allow the project to pass through
their territory.
Nabucco Pipeline International
Managing Director Reinhard Mitschek said
The completion of the Intergovernmental
Agreement represents a signicant
breakthrough in the realisation of this
project. The pipeline now has a stable legal
basis, and can guarantee gas transit under
equal and transparent conditions for all
customers.
The agreement ensures equal legal
conditions for the transport of gas
throughout the pipeline system, and sets
out a methodology for transport tarif and
network access.
Nabucco Pipeline International has
said that the next steps in taking the
project forward will include detailed
technical planning, as well as social and
environmental impact assessments.
Transit countries agree
on Nabucco Gas Pipeline
Top: Flags of the countries involved in the Nabucco
Pipeline.
Bottom: Nabucco shareholders at the intergov-
ernmental agreement in July. Images courtesy of
Nabucco Pipeline International.
PIPELINES INTERNATIONAL | SEPTEMBER 2009 13
AROUND THE WORLD
Nigeria, Niger and Algeria have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to construct the
Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline, which will carry gas from Nigeria, across all three countries and connect
with existing gas pipelines to Europe.
P
etroleumand energy ministers
Rilwan Lukman of Nigeria, Chakib
Khelil of Algeria and Mohammed
Abdullahi of Niger signed the agreement in
Abuja, Nigeria in July.
The pipeline will span approximately
4,400 kmfromthe Warri region in Nigeria,
to Hassi RMel in Algeria, and is expected
to have a capacity of 30 billion cubic metres
per annum.
The project is expected to deliver rst
gas by 2015, and cost a total of $US12 billion
to construct.
Russian state gas company Gazprom
recently formed a joint venture with the
Nigerian National PetroleumCorporation
(NNPC) for energy development in Nigeria.
The venture is intended for executing large-
scale projects in oil and gas exploration,
production and transportation, as well as
the construction of associated facilities.
Gazpromhas said that the joint venture
will construct the Nigerian part of the Trans-
Sahara Gas Pipeline. The Nigerian section
will be 360 kmin length, and is likely to cost
between $US400500 million. This will be
the rst trunk line section to be constructed.
Feasibility studies recently commissioned
by NNPCfor the trinational project have
provedit commercially viable.
NNPC Group Managing Director
Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo has said that
the Trans-Sahara Gas Pipeline project will
strengthen relations between the countries
involved.
The signing of the MoUon the project
will demonstrate to the international
community our resolve to strengthen our
bilateral relations as well as our commitment
to pursue the project, Mr Barkindo said.
He said the project remains a unique
opportunity for both Nigeria and Algeria
to diversify their source of energy supply
through gas.
Gas is gradually becoming the fuel of
rst choice as well as the preferred source
of energy, he said.
President and Chief Executive Ofcer
of Algerian national oil and gas company
Sonatrach Mohammed Mezaine said Algeria
welcomed the opportunity to partake in the
project and was ready to add value to it for
the benet of all parties involved.
Mr Mezaine said the project would
develop the communities along the pipeline
route throughout all three countries.
European Union (EU) Energy
Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said that
access to Nigerian gas reserves was crucial
to Europe as gas consumption is on the rise.
Mr Piebalgs said natural gas imports
may reach 85 per cent of the EUs
consumption by 2030, compared with 50
per cent in 2000. This raises signicant
concerns about the EUs security of
supply.
MoU signed for Trans-Sahara
AROUND THE WORLD
Cairn India Limited is set to complete construction on its
Rajasthan Gujarat heated dual oil pipeline by the end of 2009.
T
he dual pipeline will export heated
crude oil from the Mangala eld in
Rajasthan to Salaya on the Gujarati
coast, via Viramgam, where the oil will then
be exported by tankers to coastal reneries.
A 24 inch diameter pipeline will carry
crude oil, while an 8 inch pipeline running
alongside it will carry natural gas from the
Raageshwari Gas Field in Rajasthan. The gas
will be used to power heating stations along
the pipeline route, which will heat the waxy
crude oil to enable it to ow through the
export pipeline.
In June 2009, GE Energy won a contract to
supply Cairn India with its J420 GS Jenbacher
gas engines.
GEs Jenbacher engines will be installed
at 32 sites along the pipelines route to
meet the 1 MWload requirement at each
station. The engines, powered by natural gas
supplied from the adjoining 8 inch diameter
pipeline, will primarily be used to generate
power to maintain the uidity of the waxy
crude oil as it is transported.
At the time of writing, construction
activities at all of the 32 heating stations had
reached 70 per cent completion.
In 2008, Larsen and Toubro (L&T) was
awarded an engineering, procurement
and construction contract for the project.
L&T President K Venkataramanan said the
unique mega pipeline was the rst of its
kind in India.
The pipeline is part of Cairns Mangala
Field Development Plan, which has been
approved by the Government of India
Management Committee.
Cairn India, as operator, holds a 70 per
cent interest in the joint venture, with ONGC
holding the remaining 30 per cent.
At the time of writing, approximately
520 km of the 600 km pipeline had been
welded, and more than 400 km was in the
ground, with pre-commissioning and testing
activities underway.
The pipeline will have a total capacity
of approximately 150,000 bbl/d of oil once it
becomes fully operational.
Oil pipeline heats up in India
This image and above: Pipeline activities
are underway. Images courtesy of Cairn
India Limited.
Gas will be used to power heating stations along the
pipeline route, which will heat the waxy crude oil to
enable it to flow through the export pipeline.
COPON Internal Pipe Linings have been
applied to over 140,000 km of diverse
service pipelines worldwide during a
period spanning more than 45 years:
Gas & Oil
Sour Gas & Oil
Water
Aviation Fuel
Refined Product
Petrochemical
+44 (0)1609 780170
+44 (0)1609 780438
pipecoatings.cpp.uk@mmm.com
COPON Pipelinings
www.pipelinings.com
COPON AND THORTEX HAVE BEEN REBRANDED TO FORM PART OF THE SCOTCHKOTE PRODUCT RANGE FROM 3M
COPON Pipelinings - one of the world leaders in flow coating & lining technology
ads 4972 Copon ad 185x125 Green HR:2004-06-01HR 30/6/08 12:28 Page 1
Corrosion Protection Products
3M United Kingdom plc
23 Standard Way, Northallerton, North Yorkshire DL6 2XA United Kingdom
Tel:
Fax:
Email:
In a bid to ensure global energy security, pipeline projects continue to be proposed
worldwide. Here, Pipelines International outlines a selection of up and coming projects
within the pipeline industry.
Project briefs
China to lay pipelines from the Bay of Bengal
China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) has
announced plans to construct parallel oil and gas pipelines
from the Kyaukpyu deep-sea port on Burmas Arakan Coast in
the Bay of Bengal to Kunming, China.
The 1,100 km gas pipeline will connect to key blocks in
Burmas Shwe gas elds, carrying approximately 12 billion
cubic metres per annum to Kunming.
The oil pipeline will reduce Chinas dependence on
transport through the Malacca Straits, through which 80 per
cent of its 4 MMbbl/d oil imports currently pass. CNPC has
said that when the pipelines are complete, Chinese tankers
will ofoad up to 0.6 MMbbl/d of oil from West Asia and Africa
at Kyaukpyu.
The pipelines are expected to be completed by 2013.
Algerian pipeline could feed gas to Europe
Algerian state energy company Sonatrach has awarded $US1.4 billion worth of contracts to Saipem and
Petrojet for the construction of the GK3 Pipeline, connecting the Hassi RMel Gas Field, located 550 km south
of Algiers, to El Kala, on the Algerian coast.
Eni subsidiary Saipem and Egypts Petrojet will each construct a section of the 784 km pipeline,
Sonatrach has said. Petrojet will build the rst two sections of the pipeline running 433 km from Hassi RMel
to Mechatine, and Saipem is to construct the remaining section to Skikda port and El Kala, a total of 351 km.
The GK3 Pipeline will boost output from Hassi RMel to 9 billion cubic metres per annum. The additional
capacity will be used to feed two Algerian power stations, the domestic gas network, an LNG terminal, and
also ll the proposed Galsi pipeline linking Algeria to Spain.
Chevron En-bridges the Gulf of Mexico
Chevron and Enbridge have signed a Letter of Intent to
expand Enbridges Gulf of Mexico ofshore pipeline system,
which currently services Chevrons Jack and St Malo gas elds.
The proposed Walker Ridge Gathering System (WRGS)
will include approximately 306 km of 8, 10 or 12 inch
diameter pipelines at depths of up to 2 km. The existing
1,578 km pipeline system has a capacity of 2.5 billion cubic
feet per day of gas, and the WRGS would expand this by
100 million cubic feet per day of gas.
Enbridge has said that the WRGS is estimated to cost
approximately $US500 million, subject to nalisation of the
scope of the project.
Enbridge President and Chief Executive Ofcer Patrick
D. Daniel said The Walker Ridge Gathering System will
tie in a new supply source for Enbridges Manta Ray and
Nautilius ofshore pipeline systems, enhancing Enbridges
existing ofshore pipeline business and establishing a
strategic base for future growth opportunities in the
ultra-deep Gulf of Mexico.
Go west with South Stream
Russias Gazprom, Italian energy giant Eni and the
Turkish Government have plans to jointly construct the
South Stream Pipeline to carry Russian gas to Europe.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have signed an
agreement providing for constructing part of the South
Stream Pipeline through Turkish waters in the Black Sea.
The pipeline will run from Russia, 900 km under the
Black Sea to the Bulgarian coast, where it will then split
into two branches.
The south branch will run through Bulgaria and
Greece, and then a subsea portion will reach Italy. The
second branch will divert northward through Serbia and
Hungary to Austria.
Previously, Eni and Gazpromagreed to increase the
South StreamPipelines capacity to 63 billion cubic metres
per annum(Bcm/a) fromthe initially-planned 31 Bcm/a.
PROJECT BRIEFS
The Taweelah Fujairah Gas Pipeline will be one of the longest and
largest overland pipelines in the United Arab Emirates.
D
olphin Energy has raised
$US4.1 billion to fund its Taweelah
Fujairah Pipeline project as well as to
renance debt.
The 240 km pipeline will carry gas from
Dolphins Taweelah gas terminal on the
Persian Gulf coast across the United Arab
Emirates, to Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity
Authoritys Power and Water Desalination
Plant in the emirate of Fujairah, on the coast
of the Gulf of Oman.
Dolphins Taweelah terminal receives gas
from Qatars North Field via the companys
existing 364 km subsea export pipeline from
Ras Lafan at a rate of approximately 2 billion
cubic feet per day. Facilities at the Taweelah
terminal include three parallel receiving
trains as well as metering facilities.
Stroytransgaz has been awarded a
$US418 million engineering, procurement
and construction contract for the pipeline,
which encompasses building the linear
part of the pipeline, including two scraper
launcher-receiver units, nine line-valve
units, a gas metering station, as well as
installing a SCADA system, a system for
detecting gas leaks and ensuring re safety,
electrochemical erosion protection, self-
regulating and control instrumentation, and
telecommunications equipment.
Salzgitter Mannesmann International
will supply 120,000 tonnes of X70 48 inch
coated line pipe for the project, at a cost of
over $US200 million.
Dolphin expects that by February 2010,
a 127 km portion of the pipeline that extends
from the Taweelah facility and ties in with
the companys existing Al Ain to Fujairah
pipeline will be completed. This will allow
Dolphin to feed Fujairah facilities with gas
until the Taweelah Fujairah Pipeline is
completed later in 2009.
Mubadala Development Company, on
behalf of the Government of Abu Dhabi,
owns 51 per cent of Dolphin Energy, with
Total and Occidental Petroleum owning
24.5 per cent each.
Dolphin goes overland
Abu Dhabi Water and Electricity Authoritys gas-red power and water plant in Fujairah has an electricity generation capacity of
650 MW and seawater desalination capacity of 455 ML/d.
Dolphins gas processing plant at Ras Laffan.
Dolphin Energys 24 inch, 182 km natural gas
pipeline connecting Al Ain with the UAE east coast
Emirate of Fujairah.
Dolphin Energys Qatar North Field. Images courtesy
of Dolphin Energy.
AROUND THE WORLD
WORLD WRAP WORLD WRAP
Canadian slurry pipeline expansion complete
Inter Pipeline Fund has completed and successfully dry-commissioned the
expansion of its Corridor Pipeline System, located in Alberta, Canada. The slurry
pipeline expansion project involved the installation of 467 km of 42 inch diameter
pipeline and 43 km of 20 inch diameter pipeline. Four large scale pump stations
were also constructed. The expansion is designed to increase diluted bitumen
capacity on the Corridor Pipeline System from 300,000 bbl/d to 465,000 bbl/d.
Slurry gets piped in Madagascar
Joint venture partners Dynatec and
Implats are constructing a 195 km pipeline
to deliver slurried laterite ore from the
Ambatovy mine site to a process plant
near Toamasina, Madagascar. The pipeline
will cost approximately $US156 million to
construct. Pipeline Systems Incorporated
was awarded a contract to design the
550 mm diameter pipeline, which will
have a capacity of 826 tonnes per hour of
ore in aqueous slurry of 40 per cent solids.
Enagas commissions Spanish pipelines
Enagas has commissioned $US606 million worth of
assets in the rst half of 2009, including the 26 inch
diameter, 92.2 km Lemona Haro Gas Pipeline, as
well as a number of sections of the 42 inch diameter
220 km Almera Chinchilla Pipeline, a section
of the 24 inch diameter, 63.8 km Montesa Denia
Pipeline and the Lumbier Compressor Station.
Enags also plans to bring a 268 km pipeline
connecting the Balearic Islands to the mainland into
operation by the third quarter of 2009.
GAIL signs gas sale contracts
GAIL has signed a 12-year gas sales contract with the
SGL consortium and Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan
Nigam Limited (RRVUNL), in which they will source
gas from SGLs RJ-ON/6 block, located in Shahgarh in
the west of India, to supply RRVUNLs 160 MWpower
plant at Ramgarh. GAIL will construct a 90 km, 10 inch
diameter pipeline from SGLs permit to supply the
power plant with 0.95 million cubic metres per day
of gas. The pipeline is expected to be completed by
February 2010.
New owner for North Sea Brent System
The Abu Dhabi National Energy Company has taken over operatorship of the
North Sea Brent System Pipeline and facilities. The United Kingdom arm of the
company, TAQA Bratani Limited, will take over from Shell UK Exploration and
Production as the operator of the system. The Brent System is responsible for
transporting approximately 100,000 bbl per day of oil along a 150 km pipeline
from 20 North Sea elds.
Early works for PNG LNG
Clough has been issued a work order for advanced mobilisation and early works for ExxonMobils Papua New
Guinea (PNG) LNG Project. The contract is valued at $US42.3 million and includes the construction of camps, and
select road and bridge upgrades. The PNG LNG Project involves an integrated development of the Hides, Angore
and Juha gas elds as well as associated gas from the Kutubu, Agogo, Gobe and Moran oil elds. Gas will be
transported to an LNG plant near Port Moresby through more than 700 km of large diameter pipeline.
16 PIPELINES INTERNATIONAL | SEPTEMBER 2009 PIPELINES INTERNATIONAL | SEPTEMBER 2009 17
New compressor station for Rompco pipeline
The Republic of Mozambique Pipeline Investment
Company (Rompco) has invested $US135 million in
the construction of a compressor station to increase
the capacity of its Temane Secunda Pipeline by
approximately 20 per cent. Rompco is a joint venture
between Sasol, iGas and Compania Mozambicana
de Gasoduto. Sasol said Two gas turbine driven
compressor units and ancillary equipment will be
used at Komatipoort to increase gas ow rates in
Rompcos 865 km trans-border pipeline that transports
the natural gas from the Pande and Temane gas elds
in Mozambique to Sasols operations at Secunda
and Sasolburg in South Africa. Foster Wheeler was
awarded a contract for engineering, procurement and
construction of the compressor station.
Subsea pipeline for Argentina
Nacin Fideicomisos S.A. has
awarded Royal Boskalis Westminster
and Allseas Group a $US253.4
million contract to construct a
38 km gas pipeline through the
Strait of Magellan in southern
Argentina. The pipeline is to be 24
inches in diameter and is due for
completion by the end of this year.
It will connect Cape Espritu Santo
and Cape Virgenes and will provide
an important link for gas elds in
the south to connect with the main
gas network of Argentina.
Protection for Nigerian pipelines
Nigeria has signed an agreement with
Russian maintenance rm Ruscorp to help
upgrade and protect its oil pipeline network
and build new distribution lines. Nigerias
state-run Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation owns approximately 6,000 km
of pipeline infrastructure.
PIPES & PEOPLE
T
he launch of Pipelines International,
follows the merger of two leading
providers in the technical and
business information market Scientic
Surveys and Great Southern Press.
The magazine is a quarterly publication
including region reviews; project reviews;
and project, company and regulatory news,
as well as features on important industry
areas.
Pipelines International is fully supported
by a comprehensive online presence and
reects the diversity of the pipeline industry
across the continents.
Mr Tiratsoo says Pipelines International
will set a new standard for industry
publications and will provide companies
that are active in the industry with an
incredible opportunity to communicate
directly with decision makers.
Our new range of online products,
integrated under the same Pipelines
International brand, includes free content at
the Pipelines International website as well as
paid premium content.
Trading under the name Great Southern
Press, the merged company has global
scope, with head ofces in the UK and the
Asia Pacic, as well as a strong presence
in Houston and contacts throughout South
America, Europe and the Middle East.
John Tiratsoo, Editor-in-Chief
John Tiratsoos extensive technical
information and pipeline industry resources
and knowledge is second to none.
John has also been one of the key
movers in the recent establishment of the
Professional Institute of Pipeline Engineers.
John is currently Editor of Journal of
Pipeline Engineering and has previously
edited Pipelines Internationals predecessor,
Pipeline World.
Scott Pearce, Product Manager
Scott Pearce has been reporting on
the pipeline industry for several years
and is excited about the opportunities the
magazine is set to provide the
global industry.
He has been with Great
Southern Press for six years and
is the Editor of The Australian
Pipeliner.
Lyndsie Mewett,
Associate Editor
Lyndsie brings her strong
editorial experience to the role
and is also Associate Editor of the
Pipelines International Update.
Lyndsie is currently Managing Editor
of The Australian Pipeliner, Editor of PPO
Latest, a daily online news service dedicated
to pipeline, plant and ofshore project
information, and Editor of the Pipeline Asia
news service.
Tim Thompson, Sales Manager
Pipelines International Sales Manager
Tim Thompson has many years experience
leading a sales team for a number of highly
regarding industry magazines, including
Trenchless International.
David Marsh, Senior
Account Manager
Pipelines International Senior Account
Manager David Marsh has extensive
experience in the pipeline industry, having
worked in sales for both Australian and
international magazines.
Brett Thompson, Sales
Representative
Sales Representative Brett Thompson
has dedicated sales experience in industry
publications such as Trenchless International
and Gas Today.
The Pipelines International team is dedicated to delivering the latest news and information on the
pipeline industry from around the world. The team is led by Editor-in-Chief John Tiratsoo, who has
been publishing information about the industry for over 30 years.
Meet the Pipelines International team
LET US KNOW YOUR NEWS!
If you have some company news, let us know. For your news to be published in
Pipes and People, contact us at news@pipelinesinternational.com
Left to right: Editor-in-Chief John Tiratsoo
and Product Manager Scott Pearce
SOUTH AMERICA
Argentina
Argentina plays a key role in South
American oil and natural gas markets. Crude
oil, rened products, and natural gas are
exported through pipelines to Chile, Brazil
and Uruguay.
Originally, Argentinas pipeline sector
was developed by state-owned company
Gas del Estado. In 1992, the company was
privatised and its business split of to
approximately ten companies including
Transportadora de Gas del Sur (TGS) and
Transportadora de Gas del Norte (TGN).
Since 1992, TGS has held an exclusive
licence to operate the southern portion of
Gas del Estados gas transmission lines.
TGSs pipeline system 8,627 km long
connects the Neuqun, San Jorge and
Austral basins to the main consumption
centres of southern Argentina, including the
Autonomous City of Buenos Aires and the
Greater Buenos Aires area.
For more information on TGSs
activities turn to page 25.
From the commencement of its
operations in 1992, TGN has increased its
transportation capacity by 138 per cent
through the installation of 1,553 km of new
pipeline and the construction of ve new
compressor stations.
Argentinas pipeline system
In 1949, Techint was awarded the
construction contract for a gas pipeline
running 1,770 km from Comodoro
Rivadavia to Llavallol, Buenos Aires.
Comodoro Rivadavia is a commercial and
transportation centre for the surrounding
region and an export point for Argentina.
The 3,756 km, 30 inch diameter General
San Martin Gas Pipeline begins in Tierra
del Fuego at the southern tip of Argentina,
crosses the Strait of Magellan, passes
through the Cerri gas processing complex,
and ends at the Gutierrez Metering Station
and Maintenance Base near the city of La
Plata. The pipeline has six compressor
stations.
The pipeline was constructed in three
stages: the rst was built in 1964 when
Pico Truncado in the Province of Santa Cruz
was linked to Buenos Aires. The second and
third construction stages took place in 1975
and 1978 the latter including the ofshore
crossing of the Strait of Magellan.
The Neuba I and Neuba II Gas
Pipelines start in the city of Neuquen, pass
through the Cerri gas processing complex,
and end near Buenos Aires. The Neuba I
Pipeline was constructed in 1970, runs
1,971 kmand ranges from2530 inches
in diameter. There are eight compressor
stations along the pipeline. The 3036 inch
Neuba II Pipeline runs 2,201 kmand has six
compressor stations along the line. Neuba II
was completed in 1988.
In 1981, the Centro Oeste Gas Pipeline
was constructed, beginning at the Loma
la Lata eld and running 1,121 kmto reach
the San Jernimo compressor station. Eight
compressor plants are located along the
pipeline. It has a daily injection capacity of
34 million cubic metres per day (MMcm/d)
and 2,148 kmof loops.
FromSan Jernimo, two main loops are
connected to the high pressure ring that
supplies gas to Greater Buenos Aires and
the Federal City. Another systembranch
begins at San Jernimo, runs along 188 km
up to Santa Fe City, crosses Parana River and
nishes at Aldea Brasilera locality in the
province of Entre Rios.
Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Puesto
Hernandez Cerro Divisadero Oil Pipeline
runs 171 kmbetween Puesto Hernandez
and Cerro Divisadero, and includes three
pumping stations at Puesto Hernandez. The
project was completed in August 1990.
Techint completed construction of the
GasAndes Pipeline in 1997. The pipeline runs
fromArgentina to Chile and has a diameter
of 24 inches. Approximately 310 kmof the
pipeline is located in Argentina and 145 km
in Chilean territory.
The pipeline starts at the La Mora
compressor station, in the province of
Mendoza, Argentina. It runs across the Andes
in Paso Maipo and reaches Santiago in Chile.
The 530 km Gasoducto del Pacico
Pipeline opened in November 1999. It
transports approximately 4 MMcm/d of gas
to southern Chile. Gasoducto del Pacco
supplies municipal distributors and gas-red
power plants. In addition, the 930 km,
8.5 MMcm/d GasAtacama Pipeline, which
runs from Cornejo, Argentina, to Mejillones
in Chile, reached completion in 2003.
The Norte Pipeline begins at Campo
Durn, province of Salta, and after
travelling 1,454 km, it reaches San Jernimo
compressor station in the Province of Santa
Fe. Originally owned and operated by Gas
del Estado, TGN now operates the pipeline.
The pipeline has nine compressor
stations and has an injection capacity of
23.4 MMcm/d. The total pipeline lenght is
3,568 km, including the sections that supply
gas to the Greater Buenos Aires area.
With the pipeline industry attending the Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition, Pipelines International
looks at the development of transmission pipelines within South America.
South America snapshot
By Lyndsie Mewett
Left to right: Sales Manager Tim Thompson, Associate Editor
Lyndsie Mewett, Senior Account Manager David Marsh and Sales Representative Brett Thompson.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
Colombias 804 km Ocensa Pipeline during construction.
Brazil
Petrobras subsidiary Transpetro is
responsible for the operation of a network
exceding 11,000 kmof oil, product and gas
pipelines, whichinterconnect Brazilianregions.
Current oil and product pipelines total
7,000 kmwhich transports 670 MMcm/a
of product. This includes multi-product
pipelines through which Petrobras has
been moving ethanol in batches for the last
30 years. In addition, Transpetro operates
more than 4,500 kmof gas pipelines with a
transport capacity of 77 MMcm/d.
For more information about Petrobras
and Transpetros activities see page 23.

Petrobras and BBPP Holdings developed
the Brazilian leg of the 3,150 kmBolivia
Brazil Pipeline (GASBOL Pipeline).
First gas owed through the rst leg of
the pipeline in July 1999, which runs from
Santa Cruz in Bolivia to Sao Paulo in Brazil.
Construction of the extension fromSao
Paulo to Porto Alegre in southern Brazil was
completed in May 2000.
The rst leg of the pipeline has a
diameter of 32 inches. The second leg
ranges in diameter from1624 inches.
Approximately 2,593 kmof the pipeline is
located in Brazilian territory.
The pipeline is designed to achieve a
maximumcapacity of 30.1 MMcm/d with full
compression.
In 2006, Petrobras began work on
the Urucu Manaus Gas Pipeline,
designed to carry natural gas fromthe
Urucu hydrocarbons province located in
the municipality of Coari (in the state of
Amazonas) to the state capital, Manaus.
The Urucu Manaus Pipeline will be
660 kmin length with completion scheduled
for the end of this year. In the rst stage of
operation, the pipeline will transport
5 MMcm/d of gas.
Before the construction of the pipeline,
there was only one existing line that carried
LPG froma production facility in Urucu to
Coari. A line parallel to this, 285 kmin length
will be constructed to carry the LPG, while
the existing pipeline will be switched to
carrying natural gas. The following stretch
between Coari and Manaus will run for a
further 385 km.
A further 125 kmof lines will be built
to transport the product to the main city in
each of the municipalities Caori, Codajas,
Anori, Anama, Caapiranga, Manacapuru and
Iranduba located along the course of the
pipeline.
The 5,000 km National Unication
Gas Pipeline (GASUN Pipeline) in Brazil,
connects the Bolivia Brazil Pipeline with
the northern Amazon and the northeast
states allowing transportation of Bolivian
gas into these regions.
The rst stage of GASUN begins in
Mimoso, Mato Grosso do Sul, and joins
the GASBOL pipeline. From there it runs
toward Brasilia, passing through Goiania.
Construction of this section was completed
in 2007.
The longest portion of GASUN will be
the 2,260 km long central-north branch,
which is to connect Goias and Maranhao. It
will pass through Palmas and Belem, Para.
The entire natural gas pipeline should be
complete by 2026.
Petrobras plans to expand its pipeline
network by 2,400 km of new gas pipelines
and approximately 1,000 km of new oil
and product pipelines by 2013. In addition,
around 2,000 km of dedicated ethanol
pipelines are now under study in Brazil by
several companies, including Petrobras.
These potential pipelines include an
ethane pipeline proposed by Uniduto. The
company is looking for partners to build the
pipeline that will cost $US832 million and
have a capacity of 21 billion litres per year.
The 603 km pipeline will run from the Sao
Paulo state to the Santos port. Construction
is scheduled to start in 2010.
Cosan has propsed the construction of
an ethanol pipeline to be in service within
the next four years. Petrobras has signed an
agreement with the Goias State Government
to build the pipeline. The 988 km pipeline
will run from Goias to a renery in Paulinia,
near Sao Paulo to Senador Canendo. Laterals
will extend to the cities of Conchas and
Ribeirao Preto in Sao Paulo state.
Colombia
In Colombia, the Cao Limn
Coveas Pipeline connects the Cao
Limn Oil Field with Coveas, located on
the Caribbean coastline. The pipeline was
constructed in 1985 and is jointly owned
by state oil company Empresa de Petroleos
de Colombia (EcoPetrol) and Occidental
Petroleum.
The 400 km Upper Magdelena Heavy
Crude Oil Pipeline was completed in 1990.
The pipeline transports crude oil from the
Magdelena Valley in southwest Colombia to
Vasconia. An extension of the pipeline also
delivers crude oil to Convenas.
In 1996, the 804 km Ocensa Pipeline
was completed. The pipeline ranges between
30 and 36 inches in diameter and transports
crude oil from the Cuisiana and Cupiagua oil
elds into central Colombia, then to the port
of Covenas.
Techint provided detailed engineering
and construction for the 218 km,
3036 inch diameter Cusiana La Belleza
Oil Pipeline for proponent Oleoducto Central
SA. The pipeline was completed in 1997.
This year, construction was completed
on the Rubiales Oil Pipeline. The 235 km,
24 inch diameter pipeline will transport
crude oil from the Rubiales Oil Field to the
Monterrey Pumping Station, where it will
connect to the Ocensa Pipeline.
Chile
Chile relies on natural gas imported from
Argentina through the pipelines mentioned
previously due to the countrys limited energy
resources. In April 2004, Argentina began
restricting natural gas exports to Chile because
of an energy crisis within its own state. Since
then, Chile has been looking to pursue other
sources of natural gas such as piping gas from
other countries or importing LNG.
Ecuador
EcoPetrols TransAndino Pipeline runs
305 km between Ecuador and Colombia,
connecting Ecuadors oil elds with Port
Tumaco, Colombia. The pipeline has a
capacity of 50,000 bbl/d of oil and varies
in diameter between 10 and 18 inches. The
pipeline was completed in 1969.
Following this, the approximately
500 km Sistema Oleducto Trans-
Ecuatoriano (SOTE) Pipeline was
constructed in the early 1970s in Ecuador.
The oil pipeline transports 400,000 bbl/d of
oil and runs from Lago Agrio to the Balao Oil
Terminal on the Pacic Coast.
SOUTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA
First gas owed beneath the River Plate
from Argentina to Montevideo, Uruguay,
through the $US160 million Gasoducto
Cruz del Sur or Southern Cross Pipeline
in November 2002.
The main customer for Argentine
natural gas in Uruguay is UTE, the state
electricity utility, which uses the gas as
feedstock for its Montevideo power plant.
The Southern Cross Pipeline concession
covers a possible extension from Uruguay
to the Brazilian border, in order to supply
possible markets in southern Brazil. A
number of marketing and technical studies
have been completed, but are on hold
pending greater marketing denition and
development.
The pipeline comprises 193 km of
1824 inch high-pressure trunk line, with
a capacity of approximately 5 MMcm/d.
Approximately 55 km crosses the River
Plate, with the remaining length resting
onshore in Uruguay. The facilities also
include approximately 200 km of low
pressure laterals of varying diameters.
A separate 40 km, 18 inch pipeline,
known as the Link, was completed in
April 2002 at a cost of $US18 million, and
connects the start of the Southern Cross
Pipeline in Argentina with the Argentinean
natural gas grid, operated by TGS.
In November 2006, Techint completed
construction of Petrobras El Mangrullo
Gas Pipeline. The 60 km, 12 inch diameter
pipeline connects the El Mangrullo plant
with Aguada la Arena plant at the El
Mangrullo deposit.
The 1,500 km Gasoducto del Noresta
Argentina Pipeline (GNA Pipeline) is
expected to supply 20 MMcm/d of gas from
Bolivia to northeastern Argentina and will
extend through the Argentinean provinces
of Salta, Formosa and Chaco, terminating in
Santa Fe.
The project was announced in 2003, and
in March 2007 Bolivia and Argentina signed
an agreement to build the pipeline.
In addition, a pipeline has been
proposed to help transport gas around
Argentina and eliminate the need to import
LNG from Trinidad and Tobago. Enagas
has received three ofers to construct
the Transmagallanico Pipeline from
Saipem, the Magellan Consortium of
Allseas-Boskalis and Global Industries, and
Odebrecht.
The 37.2 km pipeline will have a diameter
of 24 inches and is to link Cape Spirit in
the province of Tierra del Fuego, and Cape
Virgin, in the province of Santa Cruz. The
pipeline will have a capacity of 18 MMcm/d
of gas from elds in the Austral Basin.
Bolivia
YPFB Transporte SA owns and operates
more than 3,000 km of gas pipelines and
2,700 km of liquid pipelines.
Bolivias natural gas pipeline network
is split into two sections. The 1,271 km
northern section connects La Paz, Oruro,
Cochabamba and Santa Cruz with gas
elds in the Chapare region. The 1,770 km
southern section connects Sucre, Potosi
and Tariji with gas elds in the Gan Chaco
region, and links into the Yacimientos
Bolivian Gulf Pipeline and the Bolivia
Brazil Pipeline.
The 440 km Yacimientos Bolivian
Gulf (YABOG) Pipeline transports gas from
Bolivia to Argentina. The 24 inch diameter
trunkline runs south from Colpa to Yacuiba.
A 4 inch diameter lateral pipeline runs west
263 km from La Vertiente to Tarija and El
Puente, and a 64 km, 46 inch diameter
lateral pipeline runs north from Colpa to
Guabira and Mineros.
The Carrasco Valle Hermoso Oil
Pipeline began construction in 2005,
transporting crude oil 247 km from elds in
Carrasco Province to the Gualberto Villarroel
renery. The pipeline has a diameter ranging
from 6.8 to 10 inches.
Currently, Bolivia exports natural gas
to Argentina and Brazil, and has plans to
export gas to Chile, and Paraguay in the
future.
The Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivian
governments have agreed to build a gas
pipeline to run 811 km from Tarija, Bolivia, to
Puerto Casado on the coast of the Paraguay
River. From there the pipeline will continue
south to Ciudad del Este where it will cross
the international bridge shared with Brazil
toward Rio Grande do Sul State and onward
to Uruguay.
In addition, Bolivia is in talks with Chile
and Peru regarding the development of the
Pacic LNG Project.
Originally the project was to involve
piping natural gas 700 km to a port in Chile,
where Chile would build a liquefaction plant
for the export of LNG to the United States. In
2004, domestic discontent halted the project.
Since then, it has been proposed that
gas be piped to the port of Ilo in Peru.
However the Bolivian government is said to
be reconsidering the Chilean option.
The Southern Gas Pipeline
proposal involves an
8,000 km pipeline to
carry gas from northern
Venezuela to Argentina,
with branches in Bolivia,
Uruguay and Paraguay.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19
The pipeline spread of the Rubiales Oil Pipeline, Columbia.
TGS facilities in the Neuqun Basin, Argentina.
SOUTH AMERICA SOUTH AMERICA
Techint completed the construction of
the De la Costa Multiproducts Pipeline
for Empresa Estatal de Transporte y
Comercializacion del Ecuador
Petrocomercial in 1992.
The project involved the construction of
diferent sections: Libertad Peascuales,
128 km of 10 inch diameter; Santo
Domingo Quevedo Pecuales, 275 km of 10
inch diameter; and, Libertad Manta, 170
km of 6 inch diameter.
In 2003, Techint completed construction
of the OCP Heavy Crude Oil Pipeline for
Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados Ecuador SA.
The 503 km pipeline of 24, 32 and 34 inch
diameter runs from the oil elds of Lao Agrio
to the Balao Terminal, near Exmeraldes port,
on the Pacic Ocean Coast, mostly parallel to
the route of the SOTE Pipeline.
Peru
The Camisea Gas Project consists of an
approximately $US600 million natural gas
eld development, an approximately $US800
million natural gas and liquids pipeline and
an approximately $US50 million natural gas
distribution network in Lima and Callao.
The project extracts natural gas
originating near the Urubamba River in
Central Peru.
The main pipeline begins at the Camisea
Gas Field, traverses through the Andes
Mountains, and ends near San Martin, the
port of Pisco. A second pipeline runs from
near Pisco, north along the coast to Lima for
distribution to residents and industries in
the capital city.
The Camisea project became operational in
August 2004.
In April 2007, Suez Energy and Kuntur Gas
Transport unveiled rival proposals for pipelines
to carry Camisea gas to southern Peru.
Suez Energy has proposed the 2228 inch
diameter, 834 km GasSur Pipeline, down
the Pacic coast of Peru to Ilo. First gas
through the pipeline is expected in 2011.
Kuntur Transportadora de Gas has
planned the 1,086 km South Andean
Pipeline which would run from the Camisea
elds to Moquegua and Puno.
The pipeline will begin at the Camisea
eld and extend to the city of Juliaca on the
border with Bolivia. It will also connect with
the Pacic coastal cities of Matarani and Ilo.
Oftake points for transportation systems and
for distributing natural gas via a network of
local pipelines to the cities of Quillabamba,
Cuzco, Puno, Arequipa, Moquegua and
Tacna will also be built.
The Peru LNG Project will use gas
from the Camisea deposit as feedstock for a
$US3.9 billion liquefaction plant. Liqueed
gas will be sold to Repsol Comercializadora
SA for export primarily to Mexico.
The project involves the construction
of a 414 km, 34 inch diameter pipeline to
transport gas from Chinquintirca to the
planned LNG plant at Pampa Melchorita.
Techint has constructed the pipeline and
the entire project is expected to become
operational by the end of this year.
Venezuela
Venezuela exports large amounts of oil
and has an established oil pipeline system
providing transportation from production
centres to coastal export terminals, however
it currently does not have any oil export
pipelines.
Venezuela also has large reserves of gas,
mostly established through the exploration
and production of oil reserves. The countrys
gas reserves stood at approximately
4.8 trillion cubic feet at the start of 2009.
This has led to much natural gas pipeline
construction in recent years.
In March 2004, PDVSA awarded three
contracts to domestic companies for
construction of the Central Occidental
Interconnection (ICO) Pipeline. The
402 km ICO was constructed to connect
Venezuelas natural gas transport systems in
the central and western parts of the country,
supplying natural gas to western Venezuela
for re-injection into oil elds.
The pipeline connects natural gas elds
in Falcon state to the Paraguana rening
complex. The second stage of the pipeline
connected the 237 km, 16 inch diameter Ule
Amuay Pipeline with the 1,488 km Anaco
Barquisimeto Pipeline.
The Trans-Caribbean Gas Pipeline
(also known as the Trans-Oceanic Gas
Pipeline) began transporting gas between
Venezuela and Colombia in 2008. The
pipeline runs approximately 225 km between
Puerto de Ballena, Colombia, to the east
coast of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela.
During the rst four years, the pipeline
will transport gas from Colombia to
Venuezela and will be used for injection into
oil reservoirs to boost oil production. Later,
the pipeline is to be reversed and run from
Venezuela to Colombia.
In 2007, Colombia, Ecuador and
Venezuela began talks on creating a Trans-
Andean Natural Gas Pipeline to connect the
three nations, with Venezuela to be the main
supplier to Ecuador.
Petrleos de Venezuela (PDVSA), through
its branch PDVSA GAS, is building the rst
stage of the 472 km Northeastern Gas
SystemProject (SINORGAS).
This project will supply natural gas
to industrial, commercial, and residential
sectors in the Barbacoa, Cuman, Giria,
Cariaco, Isla de Margarita regions in the
northeast of the country.
The Southern Gas Pipeline proposal
involves an 8,000 km pipeline to carry gas
from northern Venezuela to Argentina, with
branches in Bolivia, Uruguay and Paraguay.
The pipeline is expected to take between ve
and seven years to construct.
The rst phase of the pipeline will run
5,000 km from the gas elds of Marsical
Sucre in northeast Venezeulas to Porto de
Sauipe, Brazil, and will have a capacity of
50 MMcm/d of gas. From here the second
phase will connect Argentina, Bolivia,
Paraguay and Uruguay.
Venezuela and Brazil signed an
agreement to develop the pipeline in 2007.
B
ased in Rio de Janeiro, Petrobras is
a leader in the Brazilian oil sector,
and the largest corporation in Brazil.
The company specialises in the exploration,
production, processing and distribution of
oil, gas and energy, and is active in
27 countries.
Through its subsidiary Transpetro,
Petrobras operates a pipeline network of
over 11,000 km, including oil, product and
gas pipelines, which interconnect Brazilian
regions and supply the most remote parts of
the country. The pipeline network links in to
receiving and processing terminals as well as
a 53-strong oil tanker eet and Petrobras
has plans to expand. A program is underway
for a further 49 tankers.
Operations
Petrobras and Transpetro operate more
than 4,500 km of gas pipelines with a total
transport capacity of 77 million cubic metres
per day (MMcm/d). Petrobras said that the
use of natural gas is a recent development
in Brazil. The market for natural gas gained
momentum with the start-up of the Bolivia
Brazil Pipeline. Since then, the gas pipeline
network continues to grow steadily.
Petrobas is the main partner of TBG,
Transportadora Brasileira Gasoducto
Bolivia-Brasil S.A., which owns and operates
the Brazilian portion of the Bolivia Brazil
Pipeline. Approximately 2,593 km of the
pipeline is located in Brazil which operates
at a 30 MMcm/d capacity.
A Petrobras spokesperson said Before
the [Bolivia Brazil Pipeline] only modest
volumes of gas were carried to supply
Petrobras-owned operations and a few
pioneer industries. But the gas pipeline
network since then has grown and is
continuing to do so much faster than the oil
and product pipelines.
The companies other 7,000 km of
pipelines transport 670 MMcm/a of oil and
products. Multi-product pipelines, also
carrying ethanol, have been in operation for
30 years.
In addition, Petrobras subsidiary
Petrobras E&P operates ofshore production
pipelines which include approximately
4,000 kmof rigid and 5,000 kmof exible
pipelines.
Transpetro has created the National
Centre for Pipeline Repair (CREDUTO), which
specialises in the repair and maintenance
of the companys pipelines. CREDUTO also
functions as a research and training centre,
and develops new solutions. Transpetros
pipeline operators undertake approximately
two years of extensive training, through the
Corporate University and the company itself.
Pipeline past and present
with Petrobras
Brazilian oil and gas company Petrobras has been constructing and operating pipelines across South
America since 1953. Here, the company explains its current and future plans for the Brazilian pipeline
industry.
Pipelaying activities at Lake Acara Vala.
Petrobras operations.
Construction activities at the Rubiales Oil Pipeline, Columbia.
The OCP Heavy Crude Oil
Pipeline, Ecuador.
T
Transportadora de Gas del Sur
(TGS) has become one of the largest
gas transportation companies in
Argentina and operates the longest pipeline
in Latin America the General San Martn
Gas Pipeline. The company distributes
approximately 62 per cent of the gas
consumed in Argentina and transports gas
directly to distribution companies, electrical
power plants and industries. The pipeline
systemis 8,611 kmlong, of which TGS owns
7,572 km, through seven Argentine provinces
with 608,900 HP of compression power.
The company produces and sells natural
gas liquids (NGL) in both the local and export
markets fromits Cerri gas plant, located in
Baha Blanca province, Buenos Aires.
TGS is hoping to expand its activities to
the regional markets in South America, and
is moving into midstreamoperations and
maintenance projects in order to capitalise
on its expertise in the diferent stages of the
natural gas chain.
In late 2001, TGS obtained the re-
certication of its environmental system
under ISO 14001 standards, as well as the
certication of its quality management
systemunder ISO 9001 standards. TGS
obtained an occupational health and safety
OHSAS 18,001 standards certication in 2006.
NGL production and
commercialisation
Natural gas is transported via TGS
main pipelines General San Martn,
Neuba I and Neuba II for processing and
commercialisation. NGLs such as ethane,
propane, butane and natural gasoline are
separated from gas at the Cerri complex.
TGS has expanded on its expertise
through ofering a series of midstream
services, which include operations and
maintenance, treatment, conditioning,
and compression of natural gas assets.
The company provides natural gas and oil
producers with integral solutions from the
wellhead to the transportation systems.
TGS performance
TGS has recently made signicant
achievements in several areas of the gas
transportation business.
The company completed the rst stage
of its 200609 pipeline expansion works,
which were carried out and nanced within
the Gas Trust Fund Program. The expansion
has allowed the company to increase
transportation capacity by 2.2 million cubic
metres per day. TGS is now in charge of
the operation and maintenance of the new
facilities.
The company is working with
communities in the vicinity of its operations,
assisting them through various programs.
TGS into the future
TGS said it has begun to review its
natural gas transportation service tarifs,
executing provisional agreements for
an increase in tarifs. The company will
continue managing its expansion works
and will also assess further expansion
opportunities agreed directly with customers
under prepayment schemes.
During 2009, TGS conducting the
expansion of the Strait of Magellan section of
its General San Martn Pipeline.
TGS plans to focus on monitoring its
NGL processing and commercialisation sales
margins.
Since the privatisation of the state-owned Gas del Estado transformed the Argentine
energy sector in 1992, Transportadora de Gas del Sur has proven to be a major player in
domestic and international gas markets.
TGS set to expand
A TGS employee inspecting facilities in the Neuqun Basin.
The training includes classroom, eld and
control centre placements, and thorough
training at a state-of-the-art simulator.
The Petrobras Research Centre, which
aims to develop customised technological
solutions for Petrobras Group companies,
also manages the Transportation Technology
Program. The Program has executed almost
60 projects in areas such as corrosion
and integrity management, inspection,
leak detection, and pipeline design and
construction.
Pipeline innovations
The biggest innovation in pipeline
technology for Petrobras has been the
automation of monitoring and operation at
Transpetros control centre (CNCO) in Rio
de Janeiro, which is one of the largest fuel
transport monitoring and operation centres
in the world. The CNCO operates through
a SCADA system which allows highly
trained and certied operators to control
the companys pipelines and compression
stations in real time.
The companys Pipeline Integrity
Program has also had a major impact on
the efciency and reliability of the network.
The program was launched in 2002 and
targets the environmental management and
operational safety of pipelines owned by
Petrobras and Transpetro.
Current projects
Petrobras main focus at the moment is
the 660 km Urucu Manaus Gas Pipeline.
Its route traverses the heart of the Amazon
jungle, beginning in the oil and gas basin of
Urucu and extending to the city of Manaus.
The pipeline is currently under construction
despite inherent difculties involved with
working through the jungle, and with utmost
concern to minimise environmental impact.
Initially its capacity will be 5 MMcm/d of gas.
Innovative logistical and pipelaying
solutions were required to meet the
challenges of construction and future
operation of a pipeline in a region that is
ooded for six months of the year. Petrobras
said that lessons learned as a result of
the challenges the company faced will be
invaluable for future projects with similar
characteristics.
The Urucu Manaus Gas Pipeline is
expected to become operational by the end
of 2009.
Further expansions
Petrobras has expansion plans for its
transmission pipeline network. By 2013, the
company aims to have constructed 2,400 km
of new gas pipelines and approximately
1,000 km of new oil and products pipelines.
In addition, Petrobras has interests in some
2,000 km of dedicated ethanol pipelines
currently under feasibility study in Brazil.
The company is excited about an
increase its crude oil production levels,
which Petrobras anticipates will require a
substantial expansion in the oil pipeline
network. Petrobras also predicts a growth
in the natural gas market and economic
development, both factors that will drive
expansion in its oil, gas and products
pipeline networks.
SOUTH AMERICA
Petrobras operates a
pipeline network of over
11,000 km, including oil,
product and gas pipelines.
SOUTH AMERICA
The GASDUC III Pipeline Construction.
Petrobras owns and operates two oating LNG regasication units with a combined
capacity of 27 MMcm/d. This technology is new to South America, and Brazil has been
a pioneer in the use of offshore vessels to store and regasify LNG instead of using
conventional onshore facilities.
P
ipelines are being laid over longer
distances in remote areas afected
by geohazards, harsh environmental
conditions and possible third party
intrusion. Deep water owlines and Arctic
pipelines have introduced new challenges in
terms of pipeline integrity management as
the assets are submitted to seabed erosion,
migrating bedforms, and permafrost thaw
settlement.
Pipeline monitoring has often been
restricted to visual inspection and
mass/volume balance measurements. As a
result, pipeline failures are usually noticed
when either the output ow is afected or
the surrounding environment is severely
afected. It is widely recognised that
pipeline failures have huge operation costs,
environmental and image impacts forcing
the oil and gas industry to look for new
sensing techniques to perform permanent
and real-time integrity monitoring.
Switzerland-based Omnisens has
developed DITEST bre optic-based
monitoring systems to be used to monitor
onshore and ofshore pipelines. The systems
have been implemented over the last ve
years, showing good pipeline integrity
monitoring performance.
Omnisens approach is to use standard
telecommunication grade optical bres as
sensors, and to deploy bre optic cables
alongside the pipeline in order to perform
a continuous uninterrupted monitoring.
Once connected to an Omnisens DITEST
measuring unit, the optical bres provide
information about temperature and strain
conditions with metre resolution along the
pipeline. Fully distributed temperature and
strain proles are recorded at regular time
interval of a few minutes over up to a
100 km distance, without compromising
the performance of the monitoring.
The occurrence and location of leakages
is determined by analysis of the temperature
proles, and the leak detection limits are
within 0.01 percentile of the total throughput
and even lower for pressurised gas; more
than two orders of magnitude better than
that of conventional mass/volume balance
systems.
At the same time, the bre optic strain
prole is used to detect and locate ground
movement and pipeline strain, enabling the
early detection of increased stress due to
external efects such as geohazards, ground
movements, permafrost thaw settlement or
even third party intrusion. Specic bre optic
cables have been developed, demonstrating
ground movement sensitivity down to the
centimetre. Pipeline strain monitoring can
also be performed with sensitivities as low
as 20 micro-strains, provided that the cables
are bonded to the pipeline. A variety of
cables for either or both leakage and ground
movement detection is available and can
be selected with respect to diferent soil
characteristics and pipeline installation
procedures.
Since the monitoring is external to the
pipeline, the DITEST technique is applicable
to any kind of pipeline and the monitoring
performance can be maintained despite ow
rate and operational changes. The combined
information about pipeline temperature and
structural conditions is transferred to SCADA
systems.
Subsea component integrity
monitoring using bre optic
sensing
The number of ofshore production
facilities continues to grow as the quest for
oil extends into deeper water environments,
Real-time availability of comprehensive pipeline integrity information aids pipeline operators in making
the right executive decisions based on actual pipeline operational and structural conditions, instead of
relying on assumptions.
Continuous integrity
monitoring for pipelines
SOUTH AMERICA
Figure 1: A challenging pipeline project in the Andes being
equipped with Omnisens bre optic ground movement detection.
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
10193 Whats It Worth Ad AW.pdf 1 18/08/09 8:45 AM
Omnisens will be exhibiting at the Rio Pipeline
Conference and Exhibition.
Visit Omnisens at Stand C5.
Image courtesy of
Statoil Hydro.
t e c h n i c a l
JOURNAL OF
PIPELINE
ENGINEERING
If you are a pipeline engineer,
The Journal of Pipeline Engineering
is a vital tool that will keep you
up-to-date on the latest technical
research around the world.
Published four times a year, it stands
alone as the premier technical
publication for the pipeline industry.
As a peer-reviewed journal it provides
quality information to keep you at the
forefront of industry developments.
Subscription is just $US350 per year
and also includes access to the
electronic archive.
Visit the website to subscribe today.
www.j-pipe-eng.com
C
M
Y
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Technical Journal.pdf 1 21/08/09 2:32 PM
exposing subsea components and structures
to harsh operating conditions.
Components such as mooring ropes,
submarine cables, umbilicals, risers
and owlines have design limits set by
fatigue accumulation, which may during
installation, commissioning or in operation
be signicantly larger than anticipated,
reducing their lifetime and putting the
operations at risk. Moreover, subsea
components are susceptible to corrosion
and damages caused by dropped objects,
extreme storms, shing gears, and contacts
from vessels.
Periodic remotely operated vehicle
inspections are used to assess their
structural integrity conditions over the entire
length. However this method is expensive
and unreliable since visual inspection is
only capable to detect external anomalies
and the system is unable to detect internal
structural deterioration.
In recent years the need for efective
tools to manage the safety, environmental
and nancial risks associated with the
operation of ofshore production facilities
has been emphasised. To ensure the
safety and integrity of new and existing
subsea structures, non-destructive testing
techniques and improved permanent
monitoring solutions have been developed.
Among these techniques, bre optic-based
monitoring systems have been proven
efective to perform permanent and real-time
structural integrity monitoring.
One of the advantages of the Omnisens
DITEST solution is that it is fully compatible
with subsea bre optic components such
bre optic rotary joints and wet-mate
connectors. The monitoring performance
is not afected by optical losses, making
the solution robust and reliable for long-
term monitoring. Fibre optic instrumented
structures provide the operators with
information about abnormal operational
changes, occurrence and location of
damages, leak and excessive strain,
generating alarms and status reports
regardless of changes in structural integrity.
The complete information about structural
conditions is transferred to SCADA
systems and eventually helps operators
make executive decisions based on actual
operational and structural conditions.
Submarine cables, umbilicals
and risers
Submarine cables, umbilicals and
risers must withstand huge mechanical
stresses and strains during installation
and operation, especially in ultra deep
water environment. Cable and umbilical
systems have limited access for maintenance
after the installation is completed. To
minimise the risk of costly recovery and
repair operations, permanent and real-time
monitoring enables the early detection of
problems and allows the operator to take
adequate measures in a timely manner to
avoid catastrophic failures.
Subsea processing requirements as
well as ultra deepsea production have
forced manufacturers to design umblicals
integrating high voltage power elements
and a capability to withstand larger tensile
loads. Today most umbilicals and submarine
cables integrate multiple singlemode bre
optics for telecommunication purposes
and several spare bres (so-called dark
bres) can be made available for real-time
temperature monitoring. The benet of the
temperature monitoring is the ability to pin
point any hot spot associated to abnormal
operation. Examples include overloading
of the integrated power lines, cable damage
leading to risk of short circuit, and the
overheating of cables due to multiple cables
at buoyancy location.
In umbilicals integrating owlines,
temperature monitoring allows the early
detection of hydrates and wax formation.
Optimised dosage of hydrates can then
be used to prevent complete blockage of
owlines saving large running costs and
protecting the structure from the risks of
buckling. The monitoring technique is
applicable to exible risers in which optical
bres in a metal tube integrated directly
in the armoring can contribute to efcient
ow assurance via a real-time temperature
monitoring. These strain sensors connected
to an Omnisens DITEST monitoring
system can provide complete and accurate
structural strain over several kilometres,
pinpointing the strain to within metre
resolution.
The availability in real-time of the
local strain information at every location
along the structure, from the date of the
installation, allows the computation of
actual fatigue accumulation. It also enables
the detection of any motion (due to vessel
excursion, weather conditions) resulting in
stresses that may exceed the design limits
and to evaluate their impact on the lifetime
expectancy.
Offshore pipelines and owlines
The challenges associated with the
design and the operation of subsea
pipelines or owlines varies depending
on the pipeline type and route. The failure
risks are in most cases associated to: the
modication of the pipeline environment,
seabed topology, as well as pipeline
crossing, and dropped objects (such as ship
anchors or shing gears). A modication
of the pipelines direct surrounding due to
seabed erosion or seabed migration can lead
to additional cooling of the exposed pipeline
section and possible hydrates and wax
plugging. The extent of the hydrate or wax
formation problem increases with pipeline
length through the efects of cooling and
the challenge is signicantly greater when
assuring ows in deep water and remote
subsea locations, emphasising the need of
pipeline permanent monitoring.
Additionally, subsea migrating bedforms
subject the pipeline to large strain, and
eventually the risk of pipeline upheaval
buckling. Events can be detected based
on the diferential temperature between a
pipeline and its environment. A standard
subsea breoptic cable laid along the
pipeline has proven efective to provide an
early warning of such events before they
develop into catastrophic pipeline failures.
Examples include erosion monitoring of
shallowwater, shore crossing and ofshore
buried pipeline sections. Being able to
monitor seabed erosion helps identify and
remediate erosion conditions similar to those
that may have contributed to shallowwater or
river crossing pipeline failures. If necessary,
the bre optic temperature monitoring system
can be combined with bre optic strain
measurements in order to map in real-time
bedformmigration and to detect and localise
pipeline strain. In addition, temperature-
based bre optic can be used to detect and
localise pipeline leaks through the associated
temperature change.
SOUTH AMERICA
Omnisens pipeline integrity monitoring includes
capabilities to detect and locate pipeline disturbance such
as third party intrusion, leakages or geohazards to within
one metre resolution over 100s of kilometres.
Pipelines Internationals sister publication The Journal of Pipeline Engineering (JPE) publishes a
number of technical papers on a wide variety of topics. Editor-in-Chief John Tiratsoo outlines articles
from the current edition, which focuses on a range of topics from bamboo pipelines in ancient China
to horizontal directional drilling today, as well as the legal issues in evaluating pipeline systems, with
particular reference to the United States.
Integrity forecasting and
TECHNICAL TECHNICAL
bamboo pipelines
To subscribe to The Journal of Pipeline Engineering visit
www.j-pipe-eng.com
HDD risk mitigation:
the Netherlands
The trenchless technique for horizontal
directional drilling: soil-related risks
and risk mitigation, by Dr Henk Kruse,
Geo-Engineering Unit, Deltares National
Institute, Delft, Netherlands.
Horizontal directional drilling is a
deservedly popular technique, and while the
majority of the cables and pipelines installed
in this way succeed, the process lacks
sufcient control of the risks arising from
subsurface conditions. Consequently, a soil-
related risk analysis for predicting unwanted
events during the drilling stages, or after
installation, is recommended. Identication
of the risks is the most important stage in
such a risk analysis, and requires sufcient
knowledge of the processes during the
drilling stages. The author discusses the
most often occurring of these soil-related
risks and their mitigation, which include:
high pulling forces or incomplete pull-back
caused by local bore instability or frictional
forces in the bore, and seepage through the
bore to the surface.
PIPELINES INTERNATIONAL | SEPTEMBER 2009 33 32 PIPELINES INTERNATIONAL | SEPTEMBER 2009
NORD STREAM NORD STREAM
T
he Nord Stream Pipeline will link
the European Union (EU) to Russias
sizeable gas reserves via the Russian
gas network. The design, material and laying
of roughly 1,220 km of ofshore transmission
line represents major planning challenges.
Construction of the rst line is
planned to start at the beginning of 2010 and
is due to commence operation in 2011. The
55 billion cubic metres (Bcm) will be
available on completion of the second line
in 2012. With its own production in decline,
Europe will need to import more natural gas
in the coming decades. The Nord Stream
Pipeline will be able to supply approximately
one quarter of the additional import volumes
needed in the future.
The project has been planned down
to the last detail. The careful selection
of materials is as important for the safe
operation of the system as the technical
design. Comprehensive research into the
environment, risk assessment studies and
detailed surveys to determine the pipelines
optimal routing on the sea bottom have
preceded its construction.
Nord Stream design
The design of the pipeline is based on
the principle of segmented wall thickness.
The wall thickness of the 12 mpipe sections
reduces in three stages following the
direction of the natural gas ow, in line with
falling gas pressure in the pipeline and the
resulting reduction in load. The segmented
construction principle has already been
applied to several North Sea pipelines
(for example, the Langeled and Europipe
pipelines) and facilitates substantial savings
on materials. Reducing the wall thickness by
1 mmover the whole length of the pipeline
saves around 80,000 tonnes of steel.
The pipes for the Nord StreamPipeline
have an internal diameter of 1,153 mm. They
are manufactured fromhigh-tensile steel
(DNV Ofshore Standard OS F101) and have a
maximumwall thickness of 41 mm.
German company EUROPIPE will
produce approximately 75 per cent
(860,000 tonnes) of the pipes for the rst of
the two pipelines. OMK, a Russian specialist
mill, will produce some 25 per cent (280,000
tonnes).
Special X70 steel has been chosen as the
material for the pipes. In several aspects, it
proved to be the best solution. The ofshore
industry lacks adequate experience of using
X80 and thicker steels. X70 steel is widely
used along with X65 in the pipeline
industry, but it is more pressure resistant
and thus better suited than X65 for use
in large-diameter, high-pressure lines.
In addition, it has the advantage of wall
thicknesses approximately eight per cent
smaller than X65 steel. This saves not only
material, but also time.
The thickness of the pipes determines
the length of the individual pipe welding
process on board the pipelay vessel. A
weld of X70 steel can be completed in only
six minutes. This provides the basis for
calculating the speed of pipelaying and thus
the length of the construction period. Adding
just one minute to the time taken to weld one
double joint would add about one and a half
months to the entire pipelaying process.
In order to ensure that the pipeline can
withstand an internal pressure of up to
220 bar when it is in operation, the pipe
joints are subject to a number of inspections
and quality checks during their production
by the manufacturer, independent pipeline
specialists, and Nord Stream AG experts.
Ultrasonic tests, magnetic particle inspection
and X-ray examinations are undertaken
to check for material defects that are not
externally detectable. The steels strength
properties are continuously tested during
pipe manufacture.
The internal walls of the Nord Stream
Pipeline are given an anti-friction coating
of epoxy resin. The external walls receive
passive anti-corrosion protection involving
a triple-layered coating sealed by a
polyethylene coat with a minimum thickness
of 4.2 mm. In addition, the steel pipes are
given a 60110 mm thick concrete coat that
increases the weight of the pipeline and
thus ensures its stability on the seabed.
Sacricial aluminium and zinc anodes
are applied to provide additional active
cathodic protection. These anodes protect
the pipes against rust in areas where passive
protection is less than 100 per cent efective.
The Nord Stream Pipeline, to run from Vyborg in Russia to Lubmin in Germany, is viewed as one of the
most significant current infrastructure projects in Europe. It will consist of two parallel lines, each with a
transport capacity of about 27.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas.
Nord Stream:
piping through the Baltic Sea
By Dr Werner Rott, Deputy Technical Director, Nord Stream AG
Via the stinger the pipeline is lowered onto the seabed in the form of an S-shaped curve.
Up to 3 km a day can be laid.
The next step is to weld two 12 m
lengths into a 24 m double joint. Every
weld is subjected to ultrasonic testing
so that even the smallest defect can be
detected and rectied before the double
joint in the process line known as the
ring line is connected to the already
completed section of the pipeline.
When the weld has been inspected
and shown to be perfect, the entire area
of the unprotected joint linking the two
pipe sections will be wrapped in a heated,
corrosion-proof shrink sleeve. As the sleeve
cools, it will form a waterproof seal by
shrinking and wrapping around the welded
joint. Around that, a steel collar will be
applied and secured with steel belts. Then,
polyurethane foam is poured into a mould
which serves to protect the shrink sleeve
especially during pipelaying.
The pipeline will be lowered to the
bottom of the sea in the form of an S-shaped
curve. During this process, the pipeline will
be held in the right position for installation
by a number of durable tensioners. The
tensioners control the movement of the line
and keep it under tension, so that it slides
via an additional extension (known as a
stinger) over board the stern slowly onto
the sea bottom. Under normal conditions,
up to 3 km a day of pipeline can be laid
using this procedure.
Commissioning and maintenance
When construction is complete, the
pipeline will be lled with water and
subjected to a minimum 24 hour pressure
test. For this, the water pressure will be
higher than the eventual gas pressure, and
it is conducted to conrm the integrity of
the pipeline. Subsequently, the water is
completely removed from the pipeline,
which is then dried before gas is introduced
for the rst time.
When construction work has been
completed, all preparations have been
nalised, and the pipeline has been
approved by the authorities, the line can be
lled with gas and commercial operations
can begin.
To launch gas transmission, a part of the
pipeline is lled with a bufer gas (nitrogen)
to prevent the air in the pipeline coming into
contact with the natural gas. When it has
been lled with the bufer gas, natural gas
from Vyborg in Russia will be fed into the
line. At the natural gas receiving facility in
Lubmin near Greifswald, air, then nitrogen,
and then a mixture of nitrogen and natural
gas will be bled of into a secure area. This
ventilation process ends when the pipeline
contains only natural gas that meets the
purchasers specications. Thereafter, gas
will be pumped in at Vyborg and the pipeline
pressurised.
Pipeline operation will commence
when the pressure has reached the
minimum required level in Germany. At zero
throughput (i.e. if there is no gas oftake
in Lubmin), only sufcient gas will be fed
into the pipeline to ensure, after pressure
equalisation, that pressure in the pipeline
Laying the pipe
The technical engineering preparations
for the pipelines construction are already in
full swing.
Following an international tendering
process in which companies from several
countries took part, Nord Stream appointed
Italian company Snamprogetti to undertake
the job of technical construction planning.
The contract with Snamprogetti comprises:
The drawing up of detailed construction
plans and calculations, including
hydraulic and thermal analyses;
Calculations regarding the pipelines
wall thickness and stability;
Solutions for bridging free spans these
are sections where the pipeline cannot
be laid on the sea bottom due to crevices
or irregularities in the seabed; and,
Technical proposals for bringing the
ends of the pipeline onshore.
As soon as the precise routing has been
xed and the required permits have been
obtained, preparatory work on the seabed
can begin. Near the coast and in some
other areas, the pipeline will be sunk into
a trench, which will then be backlled. In
deeper waters from water depths of about
15 m the line will lie on the seabed. Where
the route crosses maritime cables, special
construction measures will be needed in
some cases.
Small transport ships will bring the
individual pipes, which have already been
concrete coated onshore, to the lay barge.
There they will be checked for damage
during transport, cleaned and both ends of
each section bevelled, so that they can be
lined up end-to-end.
Testing welded sections of pipeline.
The Nord Stream Pipeline logistics chain.
Continuous supply chain: transport vessels bring
the ready-coated pipe sections to the lay barge. Its
capacity will enable pipelaying to be carried out
around the clock.
Strength and stability: the pipes for the Nord Stream
Pipeline are made fromhigh-tensile special steel
with a wall thickness ranging up to 41 mm. In addi-
tion, they are given a concrete coating of up to 110
mmthickness.
The proposed route of the Nord Stream Pipeline.
Reducing the wall thickness
by 1 mm over the whole
length of the pipeline saves
around 80,000 tonnes of
steel.
KEY CRITERIA IN PLANNING
NORD STREAM
Minimsing the risks of
environmental impacts,
geological threats and human
activities;
Observing all legal conditions,
international conventions and the
national legislation of Denmark,
Germany, Finland, Sweden and
Russia;
Bypassing areas of special
signicance for the environment
such as nature reserves and
cultural heritage sites,
e.g. shipwrecks and tourist regions;
Avoiding offshore installations or
subsea cables, areas in military
use, munitions dumping sites,
offshore wind power generating
facilities and mooring grounds,
disruption to shipping lanes,
including those used by ferries;
and,
Avoiding areas where the
condition of the seabed is
unfavourable, and/or the bottom
morphology is uneven, which
could jeopardise the long-term
integrity of the pipeline.
S
imilar operations will get under way
at Eupecs Kotka plant in Finland
during the second half of 2009. The
Korean-owned, French-based company was
awarded the contract for concrete weight-
coating (CWC) and logistics services by the
Nord Stream consortium in July 2008, and
since that time progress has been rapid.
Within a surprisingly short timeframe
of only seven months, EUPEC set up
its two CWC plants at either end of the
1,220 km pipeline route. EUPEC is currently
establishing ve marshalling yards for
the storage and load-out to the pipeline
installation contractor of the concrete
coated pipes at intervals of approximately
200250 km along the route.
Two of these marshalling
yards are nearby the
CWC plants, and the
others are at Hanko
in Finland, and
at Slite and
Karlskrona
in Sweden.

All ve sites were chosen to optimise the
distance travelled by the pipe-carrier
vessels that will be used during the
pipelaying operations of the two parallel
1,220 km gas pipelines.
The concrete coating process
The CWC aspect of EUPECs work is
impressive. The highly-automated CWC plant
has been designed to increase the weight of
each pipe from 11 tonnes to approximately
25 tonnes with an impinged application of
concrete with a 3,040 kg per cubic metre
density up to 110 mm thick. What makes
even more impact is the logistical operation
that will be required for this project. The
plan is for approximately 200,000 pipe
lengths to be received at the CWC plants and
for them to be stored, concrete coated, and
then stacked ready for trans-shipment
to one of the ve marshalling
yards. The Mukran site will
supply Karlskrona and
Slite, Kotka will
supply Hanko.

For the rst line, anti-corrosion coated
pipes from the manufacturer in Germany
arrive in Mukran by train. In Kotka they
arrive from the Russian manufacturer by
train and from the German manufacturer
by sea. Each pipe has a bar code, which
is immediately recorded upon arrival. The
pipes, with wall thicknesses ranging from
26.8 to 41 mm, are unloaded and stored
according to the order in which they will
eventually be needed by the laybarge.
Upon entering the CWC plant, having
been transported in pairs from the storage
yards by lorry, the pipes embark on what
is essentially a semi-automated journey
through the plant, which takes around
24 hours for each pipe. The pipes are rst
cleaned internally and externally
inspected, and measured for weight and
precise length. This data is then entered
into EUPECs pipe-tracking system, which
forms the critically important heart of the
overall operation.
Since April 2009, pipe-coating and logistics contractor EUPEC has been operating at full capacity at
its Mukran plant on the island of Ruegen in northern Germany, concrete weight-coating and handling
approximately 200 pipes of 48 inch diameter per day for the Nord Stream pipeline project.
EUPECs Nord Stream pipe-coating
plants get up and running
By John Tiratsoo, Editor-in-Chief
nowhere exceeds 170 bar the minimum
design pressure of the nal section. An
online monitoring system ensures that this
maximum pressure level is observed.
The pipeline will be remotely controlled
from a dispatching centre where specialists
will monitor the system around the clock,
365 days a year. In an emergency, the
specialists will be able to immediately
activate safety devices, such as isolation
valves. Alternatively, these are self-activated
if certain specied criteria are exceeded.
In addition, procedures developed by
Nord Stream for regular checking and
maintenance will ensure that the system
will operate throughout its life as reliably as
when rst commissioned.
Regular runs through the pipeline by
pigs will be undertaken to examine for
corrosion or other aws. These intelligent
pigs are equipped with a high-resolution
magnetic ux leak technology, which can
recognise the slightest aw caused by
corrosion or other damage. In addition,
subsea vessels remotely operated vehicles
(ROVs) equipped with cameras will provide
regular checks of the pipeline exterior.
The advantages of an
offshore pipeline
The fundamental decision to opt for an
ofshore pipeline was based on a series of
economic, environmental, technical and
safety considerations. Compared with a
purely onshore route, transporting gas from
gas elds in Russia to the consumers in
Europe via Nord Stream saves 45 billion
over a period of 50 years. Not only is the
route via the Baltic Sea shorter, it can also
operate at a higher pressure. This means
fewer compressor stations have to be built
and the system needs less fuel gas, saving
costs and up to 200 MMt of greenhouse gas
emissions over the course of the pipelines
lifetime.
Ofshore pipelines are based on proven
technology. Some brief environmental
impacts during pipelaying are unavoidable,
but ofshore oil and gas pipelines transport
gas when in operation with virtually no
negative efects on the maritime ecosystem.
The worlds oceans are home to thousands
of kilometres of underwater lines. Not one
single major disruption has occurred in
recent decades.
Seabed examination
The Baltic Sea is a sensitive ecosystem
with a complex seabed morphology. Nord
Stream has undertaken detailed studies of
the seabed along the whole of the pipeline
route using the most up-to-date inspection
equipment and procedures.
Starting in 2006, the route has been
optimised several times. Extensive
examinations of the seabed along the
entire route have resulted in minimising
the amount of work needed on the seabed
to ensure a stable location for the pipeline.
Minimising seabed construction work
reduces both the environmental efects
and the costs of installation, meaning that
environmental and economic interests, in
this case, are in accord.
All images courtesy of Nord Stream AG.
Inspection of welded sections of pipe using automatic ultrasonic equipment.
Dr Werner Rott, Deputy Technical Director,
Nord Stream AG.
At this stage, each pipe and its new
concrete coating are subjected to further
detailed dimensional and quality testing,
after which it is colour-coded (according
to the concrete and pipe-wall thicknesses),
and tted with end caps to ensure the
internal coated pipe and the cutbacks
remain clean. Each end cap contains an
e-box, which allows continuity in pipe
tracking.
After this nal inspection and
processing, the pipes are transported
individually by road to nearby storage
areas, ready for the nal period of
curing and onward transportation to the
marshalling yards.
In parallel with the coating application
to the majority of the pipes, around one
tenth are separated out as they arrive at the
plant to be tted with zinc or aluminium
anodes. Although this is also a highly-
automated process, it requires some manual
activities, and involves the half-circle anodes
being installed on the pipe and the copper
cables pin-brazed to the pipe, and shorter
reinforcement cages installed on either side.
The anodes are designed to be the same
thickness as the weight-coating, and are
protected by plastic sheeting during the
coating application process. After coating
application the anode surfaces are cleaned
prior to the pipe entering the curing tunnels.
Pipe coating success
The site at Mukran and its nearby
storage areas are well-suited to the
requirements of the project, with easy
access to the nearby port of Sassnitz, and
ample space at disused railway yards, for
Nord Stream and its contractor. Planning
permission for the use of the site was
straightforward, as it was already a
part of the Sassnitz industrial area, and
consequently the establishment of the plant
took place with few delays.
EUPECs site manager Gerard Vogel
points out with quiet pride that this is a
truly international job. Although some
skilled expatriate engineers were initially
required, EUPEC now employs around
200 people at Mukran, approximately
25 of whom are not from the local region.
The statistics at Kotka reect this same
approach, which is augmented by the
fact that EUPECs project in Germany has
resulted in more than 100 new jobs at
its 30 or so local subcontractors.
Tremendously detailed planning,
a high-quality international team, and
great enthusiasm have meant that the
project has been implemented without
screaming, according to Mr Vogel. This
is a signicant testimony to the plant and
project management skills, and to well-co-
ordinated teamwork, underpinned by the
high quality of the work that the two CWC
plants are producing.
Image courtesy of EUPEC SA.
The next stage in the coating process
involves each pipe length being inserted
into a pre-formed steel reinforcement cage,
tailored precisely to t each individual
pipe length. With its surrounding cage,
and with the necessary spacers having
been installed to ensure the correct position
of the cage, the pipe is then moved to the
coating application unit which, in less
than ve minutes, sprays on the required
thickness of concrete for that particular
pipe. The concrete is made up of a mixture
of iron ore aggregate, cement and water,
and has been specially developed by
EUPEC for this operation. Each pipe is
then measured and its coating inspected,
following which the pipes enter one of the
four curing tunnels.
The curing process is designed to
rapidly cure the concrete to provide
a signicant strength gain so that the
concrete coated pipes can then be safely
transported and stacked. The curing
tunnels use steam: the pipes are slowly
brought up to the curing temperature of
50C, and are then soaked in
9598 per cent humidity for at least nine
hours, before being gradually cooled down
and emerging from the tunnel after nearly
24 hours.
The plan is for
approximately 200,000
pipes to be received at the
CWC plants and for them to
be stored, concrete coated,
and then stacked ready for
trans-shipment to one of
the five marshalling yards.
Inside the CWC plant.
Previous page: Arrival of the rst pipes, and ofoading.
Left: CWC pipe storage.
Pipes emerging from the curing tunnel.
including centre-line and multi-position
digging assemblies, rock wheel for cutting
through paved surfaces and frozen ground,
and teeth-and-chain combinations for
cutting through rock and other difcult
conditions.
Bells and whistles
There are many convenience and comfort
options available with most models. Be
prudent and objective when considering
those features that are a requirement versus
those that would just be nice to have.
Manufacturers have responded to customer
feedback by including a number of features
that were once considered add-on options
as standard equipment.
Determining which non-standard
options you should purchase should be
based on a cost-benet analysis rather than
simple price. Consider how the option may
contribute to increased productivity or
worker performance and comfort factored
over the life of the machine. Many of the add-
ons can have a positive impact on operator
performance and increased production and
are well worth the additional cost when
factored over the life of the machine.
Electronics have made it possible
to automate functions that translate to
increased productivity. Cruise control, for
example, allows the operator to maintain
a desired ground speed and keeps engine
speed constant. This helps optimise
performance and production rates.
Resale value
You get what you pay for. Price, while
important given budget limitations, should
not be the sole factor that dictates the nal
purchase decision. Machine quality will
impact operational reliability over the long
haul. You may pay more up-front but a
machine that is well constructed of quality
components will reduce downtime and
repair/parts costs. Resale value should also
be considered. Ask sales representatives to
provide resale value information and trends
for the models you are considering.
Sales and service support
Purchasing from a reputable
manufacturer who can provide local service
and timely access to parts should also be
considered. Investigate the companys
commitment to training and maintenance.
View the selection process as you
would any major investment that afects
the protability of your business. The
nal decision should be based on solid
information, logic and good business sense.
Making the right decision will have a direct
impact on your bottom line.
For nearly a half century, contractors have relied on trenchers considered the workhorse of the
industry for underground pipeline installations. When deciding on the right trencher for a job, the
features and performance capabilities of different trenchers need to be matched to project needs.
Choosing the right trencher
T
he process of selecting the trencher
that best ts your operation involves
several important considerations.
Its important to choose a model that not
only serves current needs, but also one with
additional capabilities that will allow you to
expand service oferings in the future.
The evaluation process should begin
by identifying how the equipment will be
used and the material you will be installing.
Focus on immediate needs, but dont neglect
to consider the future. Your operation will
evolve over time, presenting opportunities
to expand your services. Identify all possible
types of project for which the trencher may
be used and match options, features and
performance capabilities to full those
requirements.
Prepare a checklist
After youve identied how the machine
will be used and what you will be installing,
prepare a list of questions and a checklist
of features necessary to meet your needs.
Which model is best? What chain size will
be required? Will the machine be used
only to trench or should you consider other
attachments? What are the prevailing ground
conditions in your area? Do you expect
that the machine will be in operation on a
daily basis, or just occasionally? Will you be
able to get parts readily? After completing
that list, take it a step further and dissect
specics relative to each factor.
Product to be installed
The size of the product to be placed in
the ground determines how deep and how
wide the trench needs to be. Model selection
should be based on the machines capability
to complete a range of applications based on
product size. Identify the range of product
size the trencher will most likely be used to
install and specify the machine with features
accordingly.
Cost of operation
The goal of any contractor is to complete
every job as quickly as possible at the lowest
possible cost. The assumption is that the
more power a machine has, the faster it will
be able to complete the job.
Director of specialty excavation for
Vermeer Corporation Mark Cooper isnt in
agreement with this logic. The solution
isnt always linked solely to horsepower, Mr
Cooper says. The more accurate approach
is to compare the cost of operation and
production in order to select the right
machine for your operation. Machine
size has the greatest inuence on these
variables.
Soil conditions
No two trenching projects are alike
and neither are soil conditions. A trencher
will be expected to perform in a wide variety
of conditions and difering terrains. The
model you select should be easy to modify
with the type of chain or attachment most
appropriate for achieving peak production
rates. Since soil conditions and landscape
can vary dramatically within the span of
any individual project, the ability to make
modications in the eld is a signicant
advantage.
A variety of trenching component
options is available for larger models,
Trenchers offer a number of attachments including bucket wheels for cross country trenching
and rock wheels for cutting through paved surfaces and frozen ground.
PIPELINE EQUIPMENT PIPELINE EQUIPMENT
Its important to choose a model that not only serves
current needs, but also one with additional capabilities that
will allow you to expand service offerings in the future.
Pay attention to resale value down the road.
Paying more up-front for quality may reduce
downtime and repair / parts costs.
Machine size has a great inuence on cost of operation and production.
Be sure to compare machines before making a purchase decision.
During the construction of the Big Sandy Pipeline in eastern Kentucky, United States, ST Pipeline used
ALLU SM Screener-Crusher machines to pad the pipeline, which was constructed on a right-of-way with
near vertical slopes.
S
T Pipeline completed construction
of the 109 kmBig Sandy Pipeline,
traversing rugged mountain terrain, in
2008, with the pipeline ofcially opened in
April this year. ST Pipeline was contracted by
Equitrans L.P. to build the $US154 million,
20 inch diameter natural gas pipeline, which
aims to relieve summer capacity constraints
that were restricting gas production in the
eastern Kentucky Basin.
Building a pipeline in the rugged
mountains of eastern Kentucky required
four-wheel drive vehicles to get up and down
the 50 per cent slopes and also required
the ALLU SMScreener-Crusher to prepare
the blasted and excavated sandstone for
use as structural ll material. The ALLU SM
Screener-Crusher is a specialty attachment
for loaders, excavators, and backhoes. The
device has rotating discs with hammers that
pulverise and size material.
ALLU dealer Leslie Equipment sold eight
of the ALLU SMScreener-Crushers to ST
Pipeline for use on the Big Sandy Pipeline
where the terrain was so steep that steel
cable winches connected to Deere JD700JLGP
and CAT D8T bulldozers had to be used
to hold 68,000 lb John Deere 240CLC and
270CLC excavators onto the mountain-sides.
ST Pipeline used six, 80 inch wide ALLU
Model SMH-317 units and two, 101 inch wide
ALLU Model SMH-423 unit Screener-Crusher
attachments. The SMH-317 is equipped
with three chain-driven drums with 40 mm
disc spacing and hammers, and is driven
by a two-way hydraulic drive system;
the SMH-423 has four drums. For the Big
Sandy Pipeline, ST Pipeline used the ALLU
attachments on Deere excavators leased from
Leslie Equipment.
Given the steepness of this terrain and
the difculty of moving materials up to the
job site, we had to nd something that could
give us useable structural ll in place, said
JimShafer, owner of ST Pipeline.
I found information about the ALLU
equipment on the internet and called Red
Bailes at Leslie Equipment to get more
information.
Mr Shafers team used the ALLU SM
Screener-Crushers for several diferent jobs,
including to prepare excavated soils and
rock for use in pipeline saddles and ditch
line barriers; to temporarily anchor the
installed pipe; and, to backll the pipe prior
to nal grading.
These ALLU attachments were just
what we needed to keep up with our goal of
installing 2,000 linear feet of pipe per day.
Multipurpose uses for
ALLU attachments
The Big Sandy Pipeline was installed in
mostly a white sandstone geology, which
frequently required blasting of rock. The
construction right-of-way was only 30 mwide
with steep drop-ofs on either side.
The primary purpose of the ALLU SM
Screener-Crusher was to backll the pipe
after installation. The unit can quickly pick
up 2.3 cubic metres of excavated soil and
deliver screened ll onto the pipeline without
damaging it. The excavator operator then
empties larger rocks out of the bucket before
picking up the next load.
Mr Shafers teamalso used the ALLU
SMScreener-Crusher to prepare the blasted
and excavated rock for use in pipe saddles
(soil-lled burlap bags that supported the
pipeline) and in ditch line barriers known
as water breakers.
The water breakers were also made up
of soil-lled burlap bags that were stacked
to formwalls around the pipeline. They
were designed to slowthe water owin
the pipeline trench on steep slopes so as to
prevent washout of the soil around the pipe.
The workers fromST Pipeline used the ALLU
SMScreener-Crusher to prepare excavated
backll and then ll the burlap bags by hand.
I amextremely satised with my ALLU
equipment, said Mr Shafer. Ive been
installing pipelines for over 40 years and Ive
never seen anything so efcient.
ALLU fills in Kentucky
There are various methods for excavating trenches in rock principally drill and blast, hydraulic
breakers and chain trenchers. This article focuses on the use of chain trenchers because they are
sometimes overlooked on projects when they may be the best tool for the job.
I
t is vital when comparing the costs of
each method to consider all the potential
benets and limitations. Among the
many elements to consider, it is particularly
important to plan to achieve the following:
Minimise trench excavation volume;
Maximise re-use of trench spoil for either
trench backll or third-party use;
Minimise the quantity of excavated
material going to waste;
Reduce or eliminate truck haulage and
handling involved in the export of waste
and import of intimate backll (bedding
and padding);
Minimise negative environmental efects
of truck haulage and waste disposal;
and,
Reduce or eliminate risks and costs
arising from use of explosives.
Some important factors in the selection
of an appropriate trench excavation method
are given in Table 1, and a realistic estimate
of trenching and backlling costs can only
be achieved when all of these have been
taken into account.
Some methods are more appropriate in
particular terrains and rock types, and the
choice of a particular method can have a
signicant efect on overall project costs and
environmental impact. For instance, blasting
is inherently dangerous and the resulting
trenches are generally too large, but it can
be used in a wide range of rocks. Chain
trenchers can produce neat, regular trenches
and readily re-useable spoil but become
uneconomic in very strong, abrasive rock.
Sweeney, Leng et al. (2005) compared
progress rates of chain trenchers with
various rock properties. It emerged that
fracture spacing in the rock mass had only
limited inuence on productivity and that
rock strength (measured as unconned
compressive strength) and rock hardness or
abrasiveness (expressed in terms of Mohs
scratch hardness) were the most important
properties. Increasing machine power did
not achieve a corresponding increase in
advance rate (metres per day), although of
course production rate (cubic metres per
day) was greater for larger machines cutting
wider, deeper trenches.
Mohs scratch hardness characterises
the resistance of minerals through the ability
of a harder material to scratch a softer
material. The test has a relative scale of 1
(talc) to 10 (diamond), with calcite at 3 and
quartz and hardened steel at 7. Application
to rocks becomes difcult in coarser-grained
varieties composed of several minerals.
One technique is to count each mineral
in a petrological thin section and then
calculate an average Mohs value from the
weighted percentages. This method also
allows quartz content to be measured. It
should be noted that there is some degree of
correlation between Mohs scratch hardness
and indentation hardness measured in the
Vickers and Knoop tests.
Table 2 summarises trench excavation
and backlling methods in various rocks. It
should be noted that when estimating costs
of trench excavation in permafrost, similar
criteria must be adopted as for strong, hard
rock, and the behaviour of steel in very
low temperatures also has to be taken into
account.
Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate a large chain
trencher, the Trencor 1860HD. This weighs
227 tonnes and uses an 895 kWengine for the
digging chain, and a separate 224 kWengine
to power the crawler tracks. Operational
Advantages and limitations
of using chain trenchers in rock
By Peter Bel-Ford, consultant in pipeline construction, and Geoff Pettifer, consultant in
engineering geology, J P Kenny
TERMS
Knoop test: tests for mechanical hardness of a material, usually used for thin sheets
or very brittle materials. Only a small indentation is needed for testing purposes.
Vickers test: tests materials ability to resist deformation.
Figure 1: Scale drawing of a Trencor 1860D chain trencher in operating mode.
Image courtesy of Sweeney, Pettifer et al. 2005.
Figure 2: A Trencor 1860D cutting a 1.83 m wide x
2.1 m deep trench for a 500 km, 48 inch diameter
gas pipeline in desert terrain in Algeria. The
direction of advance is away from the viewer.
A water breaker on the Big Sandy Pipeline.
The ALLU SMH-317 unit at work.
A close-up of the SMH-317 unit.
The Big Sandy Pipeline right-of-way.
The construction right-of-
way was only 30 m wide
with steep drop-offs on
either side.
Figure 5 shows a Laurini Somico self-
propelled screener and padder placing
padding. The spoil is from a trench
excavated by backhoe in sand and requires
minimal processing. Figure 6 shows a
Trench-Tech crusher, screener and padder
processing spoil from a pipeline trench
excavated by a bucket wheel trencher.
This machine and comparable units
manufactured by Laurini use a hammer
mill impactor to reduce particle size,
while others use roll crushers. Recent
developments in vertical shaft impact
crushing technology specically designed
to improve the shape of aggregate particles
may eventually be incorporated in
self-propelled padding plant.
Selection of trench excavation method
must therefore take into account a range of
rock and machine properties. It is suggested
that the advantages of using chain trenchers
in suitable rock outweigh the limitations and
may have cost benets and fewer adverse
environmental efects compared with
alternative methods.
variables include machine forward rate
and operator skill. Pockets welded onto the
cutting chain hold 300350 teeth arranged
in a chevron pattern. Wider tooth spacings
often give optimum overall performance,
but closer spacings may be preferred in
strong, hard rock.
In Figure 2 the cutting chain is
obscured by rock dust and the maintenance
sledge towed behind the trencher. The
windrow on the left shows an abrupt
change between ner and coarser spoil
corresponding with the change from rubbly
limestone to strong limestone visible
on the trench wall. Individual trencher
performance on this project ranged from
15 m per day in localised very strong
calcareous sandstone, with 600 teeth
replaced in a single day, to 1,500 m per day
in mudstone, with only 15 teeth replaced
in a day (Sweeney, Pettifer et al. 2005).
Downtime for replacing teeth and pockets
was signicant in resistant rocks, and
the tungsten tip of teeth was often worn
away or plucked out. This emphasises the
need to maintain stocks of teeth and other
replacement parts on a project. The cutting
chain is clearly seen in Figure 3.
Figure 4 illustrates a small chain
trencher, the Tesmec TRS1085, which uses a
240 kWengine for all purposes. The trench
is being cut at the side of a highway in
andesite, tuf and agglomerate overlain by
up to 0.2 m of road base. Because of space
restrictions and contract specications
for road reinstatement the spoil is being
discharged directly to a dump truck for
removal from site.
An important advantage of chain trenchers
is that they generate well graded spoil which
can be processed for reuse as intimate backll.
The size and shape of spoil particles probably
reect both the nature of the rock material and
the change in trencher tooth action (Verhoef
1997 and others) fromripping in highly
fractured rocks to chipping and scraping in
more massive rocks. Spoil produced fromvery
strong, siliceous rocks is particularly likely to
contain a high proportion of larger, sharper
particles which may damage the pipeline
coating. The cost of spoil processing must
therefore be balanced against the cost of using
thicker pipe coatings, for example.
Examples of
Rock Types
Typical Rock Material
Properties
Trenchability Production of Intimate Backll
Rock
Strength
(UCS in
MPa)
Mohs
Hardness
Appropriate Trenching
Method
Expected
Advance
Rate
(m/day)
Chain
Trencher
Tooth Wear
Potential
Re-use of Spoil
Required Processing of
Spoil for Re-use
Mudstone 10 2.5 Bucket wheel or chain
trencher
800 Minimal Good Self-propelled screener;
intimate and general
backll must comply
with specied moisture
content
Chalky
Limestone
25 3.0 Chain trencher 500 Minimal Good
Dolomite,
sandy
limestone
75 3.5-4.0 Chain trencher 250 Moderate Good to fair Self-propelled crusher/
screener
Calcareous/
silty sandstone,
clayey siltstone
100 4.5-5.5 Chain trencher 150 Moderate-
severe
Fair
Basalt, gneiss,
quartz-schist
120 6.0 Chain trencher (may
need hydraulic breaker
for high spots)
80 Severe Fair to minimal Self-propelled crusher/
screener; ofine
crushing/screening will
increase re-use of spoil;
imported material may
be required
Granite,
andesite,
orthoquartzite
160 6.5 Chain trencher econ.
marginal; hydraulic
breaker + backhoe;
blasting
20 Extreme
Chert, rhyolite,
metaquartzite
200 7.0 Hydraulic breaker +
backhoe; blasting
10 - Minimal to zero Ofine heavy crushing/
screening will increase
re-use of spoil;
imported material
probably required
Table 2. Summary of trench excavation and backlling methods appropriate to various rock types.
References
1. Sweeney M., Leng S.A., Pettifer G.S. & Haustermans L.
(2005). Performance of chain trenchers in rock: a database
and a preliminary predictive model. In: Sweeney M. (ed.)
Proc. Conf. on Terrain and Geohazard Challenges Facing
Onshore Oil and Gas Pipelines, Thomas Telford, London.
1. Sweeney M., Pettifer G.S., Shilston D.T., Bel-Ford P. &
Stockbridge M. (2005). In Salah Gas Project, Algeria Part
3: Prediction and performance of large chain trenchers on
a desert pipeline project. In: Sweeney M. (ed.) Proc. Conf.
on Terrain and Geohazard Challenges Facing Onshore Oil
and Gas Pipelines, Thomas Telford, London.
1. Verhoef P.N.W. (1997). Wear of Rock Cutting Tools:
Implications for the Site Investigation of Rock Dredging
Projects. Balkema, Rotterdam.
Trenching Method Application Excavation Effects Security Issues
BLASTING Can be used in very strong,
abrasive, massive rock, but
not suitable for rock masses
composed of small, loose blocks;
relatively easy to set up and
execute; backhoes and dump
trucks required to remove blasted
material; particularly useful on
steep slopes.
Signicant over-excavation with
very irregular, possibly unstable
trench walls and oor; sidecast
spoil causes ecological damage
and increases risk of sediment
release to watercourses;
alternatively, spoil transported to
temporary or permanent disposal
sites.
Potential restrictions on use of
explosives; cannot be used in
built-up areas or in proximity
to utilities, structures and other
pipelines.
HYDRAULIC ROCK BREAKERS
AND BACKHOES (+/-RIPPING)
Can be used in rock masses
composed of small, loose blocks,
but generally not economic in
very strong, abrasive, massive
rock; easy to set up but can be
very time consuming; useful
for tight curves, and where the
ground changes from soil to rock
over short distances.
Moderate over-excavation with
irregular trench walls and
oor; sidecast spoil may cause
ecological damage locally; some
spoil may have to be transported
to temporary or permanent
disposal sites.
Suitable for use in built up
areas or in proximity to utilities,
structures and other pipelines.
CHAIN TRENCHERS Efcient in weak to strong rocks;
generally not economic in very
strong, abrasive, massive rock;
unsuitable for rock masses
containing loose cobbles and
boulders or those containing
pockets of wet clay; larger
machines require considerable
lateral working space and
operate most efciently over
long distances in relatively
homogeneous rock.
Minimal over-excavation
with regular trench walls and
oor; provided that there is
sufcient operating space, spoil
is deposited in a continuous
windrow alongside the trench;
where space is limited, spoil
must be discharged to dump
trucks and transported to
temporary sites for processing;
no sidecast spoil.
Smaller machines suitable
for use in built-up areas or in
proximity to utilities, structures
and other pipelines.
Table 1. Some important factors to be considered in selecting an appropriate trench excavation method in rock.
Figure 3: A Trencor 1860D cutting moderately strong
limestone for a 56 inch diameter gas pipeline in
Saudi Arabia in 2003.
Figure 4: A Tesmec TRS1085 cutting a 0.61 m wide
x 1.32 m deep trench for the Antamina mineral
concentrates pipeline in mountainous terrain in Peru
in 2000.
Figure 5: A Laurini Somico screener/padder operat-
ing in Algeria in spoil derived from desert sand
which is locally weakly cemented by gypsum. A
second screener/padder is undergoing repair in the
background.
Figure 6: A Trench-Tech crusher/screener/padder
operating in spoil derived from a sandy gravel, cob-
ble and boulder deposit in which the larger particles
are of strong andesite. The project is a 24 inch
diameter gas pipeline between Argentina and Chile
constructed in the late 1990s.
Current Arctic proposals
Currently, a pipeline is being proposed to
bring approximately 30 trillion cubic feet of
stranded gas on the North Slope of Alaska to
markets. Many diferent competing schemes
have been investigated, but the most likely to
succeed is a pipeline south to the Fairbanks
area, and then southeast along the Alaska
Highway into Canada. Those routes too are
controversial, but the pipeline is extremely
popular in Alaska, and the recently resigned
Governor Sarah Palin had made it one of
her target projects. New Governor Sean
Parnell is expected to continue advocacy
of the gas pipeline. An unlikely alternative
is an ofshore pipeline in the Arctic Ocean,
eastward parallel to the coast, to link into a
Canadian gas pipeline from the Mackenzie
Delta region. A Fairbanks newspaper
condemned that option as the very worst
for Alaska and one that must be fought
relentlessly, because it would deprive the
state of jobs.
The Mackenzie Valley Gas Pipeline has
been argued about for almost as long as
the Trans-Alaska Pipeline has existed, but
nothing has been built. Much engineering
was done in the 1970s, and there were
hearings in front of the Berger Commission,
but in the end the Commission ruled against
the project, essentially on socio-economic
rather than technical grounds.
Alternative projects have invested large
sums in site investigation and engineering.
The current lead project is the Mackenzie
Gas Project, led by ExxonMobil and its
partners, and there were public hearings
in Yellowknife in 2006. Some First Nations
aboriginal groups are partners in the project,
but others are opposed. The project appears
currently to be on the back burner, in part
because the estimated cost suddenly leapt
from $US9 billion to $US16 billion.
Thaw settlement
The thaw settlement problem described
earlier is still present, but in a gas pipeline
it can be countered by chilling the gas. That
creates another problem, frost heave, in
which water migrates toward cold fronts in
unfrozen ground, freezes to form ice lenses,
and as more water arrives the lenses grow
and lift and bend the pipeline. Ideally, the
temperature of the gas and the pipeline wall
ought to match the ground temperature
exactly, so that both frost heave and thaw
settlement are avoided, but that is not easy
to arrange and control.
The Russians have vast gas reserves
in the Yamal peninsula that juts into the
Arctic Ocean, and have built an extensive
network of pipelines to bring gas to the
industrial cities of Siberia, European Russia,
and further into Europe. Figure 1 shows a
Siberian pipeline that thawed the very wet
ground it was buried in, lost lateral support,
and buckled dramatically.
Oil and gas development beneath the
Arctic seas creates a need for underwater
pipelines. The thaw settlement and frost
heave problems essentially disappear,
because the upper boundary of the
permafrost rapidly drops away from the
shore, and because the seabed temperature
regime is far more stable and little afected
by the seasons. The principal problems with
Arctic underwater pipelines are ice gouging
and construction.
Ice gouging
Ice gouging of the seabed occurs when
large ice masses, mostly ridges formed
by collisions between diferent ice sheets
(and not technically icebergs), drift into
shallow water, run aground, and are then
pushed along by more ice behind them.
They cut deep gouges into the seabed, often
5 m deep and 50 m or more wide. A rapid
calculation shows that the force required to
cut such a gouge is thousands of tonnes. If a
pipeline were in the way, the force would be
transferred to the pipeline, and it would be
damaged. We already know that it is difcult
and expensive to protect a pipeline against
damage if a ships anchor is accidentally
dragged into it, and the force that gouging
ice might apply is ten times larger. The
solution is to trench the pipe so that the
ice passes harmlessly over it, but it has to
be safely below the deepest gouge, and
somewhat further because the seabed soil
beneath the ice is heavily deformed, though
it may be practicable to protect a pipeline
from that by placing a weak layer directly
above it.
Subsea Arctic pipelines
Finding a reliable and economical
construction method for underwater
pipelines is a harder problem. It depends
on location: the Arctic is a huge area, with
widely varying climates, and it makes no
more sense to think of a unique Arctic
environment than it would to think of a
unique tropical environment. The engineer
has some freedom to choose the season of
the year. In some places there is a long open-
water season, and there a pipeline might
be constructed by conventional laybarge,
reeling, or tow methods. A difculty is to be
condent that the construction vessel can be
brought to site, can lay the pipeline, and can
get out before the ice consolidates, so that
the vessel is not expensively trapped over the
following winter.
In other areas the winter ice is stable and
xed in position, and there a pipeline can be
made-up on shore and dragged by an
ice-based winch along the seabed under
the ice, if necessary into a pre-excavated
trench. This technique was applied to install
a pipeline bundle in the Drake Gas Field of
the coast of Melville Island in the Canadian
Arctic, in a demonstration project as long
ago as 1978. That project used a plough to
excavate the trench, and when many years
later the well was plugged and the site was
cleaned up, the plough was disposed of by
bulldozing a hole, pushing the plough in,
and backlling over it which will be an
intriguing puzzle to an archaeologist in a
thousand years time.
An alternative is to weld together the
pipeline on the sea ice, cut a trench through
the ice, and lower the pipeline to the seabed
with sidebooms, as in conventional land
construction. That technique was applied to
a pipeline running to the NorthStar articial
island of the north coast of Alaska.
In yet other locations, there is too much
sea ice in summer to use a laybarge, and the
winter ice is not stable enough for ice-based
construction, usually because the site lies
close to constantly moving ice pack. There
bottom pull methods may be preferred,
particularly if the line is running to an
articial drilling and production island, or to
a bottom-founded caisson platform.
Arctic challenges
and possibilities
The Arctic is beautiful and
environmentally vulnerable, and at the same
time has huge resources that society will
want to take advantage of. Oil companies are
nowadays highly aware of the possibility of
environmental damage, extremely sensitive
about it, and rmly supervised. There is
no lack of challenging and unexpected
problems for the pipeline engineer.
TERRAIN REVIEW TERRAIN REVIEW
Figure 1: A buckled pipeline in Siberia that thawed
the ground in which it was buried.
B
efore the construction of the Trans-
Alaska Pipeline, only pipelines of
short lengths had been constructed in
places such as Siberia and close to Norman
Wells on the Mackenzie River, Canada.
Following BPs discovery of 25 Bbbl of oil
in place at the Prudhoe Bay oil eld near the
Arctic Ocean coast in 1968, the Trans-Alaska
Pipeline was proposed.
A demonstration project took the tanker
Manhattan through the North-West Passage
in 1969, and showed that it was feasible to
make the voyage in the summer, but that a
year-round transportation route would be
difcult if not impracticable. The alternative
solution was a 48 inch diameter pipeline,
1,300 kmfromPump Station 1 near Prudhoe
Bay to the ice-free port of Valdez, southeast of
Anchorage, Alaska.
In its time, the project was high-prole
and hugely controversial and when I began
research on one aspect of the engineering I
was bullied by colleagues (and their wives),
on the grounds that the pipeline would
ruin Alaska. That idea turned out to be
completely false. There were years of hearings
and lawsuits, but in the end the permits
were issued, construction began in 1974 and
was completed at a cost of $US8 billion. The
pipeline began operation in 1977.
A land pipeline in the Arctic runs into
potential technical difculties. Most of them
are to do with the ows of water and heat,
like the majority of geotechnical problems
are. Frozen soil is very strong, and can bear
large loads. On the other hand, if a pipeline
is hot and heat is conducted from the
pipeline into the soil, the frozen soil thaws,
and if it has a large ice content it turns into
a soft mud that can carry hardly any load
and lets a pipeline sink. The amount of
ice in frozen soil varies enormously, even
over quite short horizontal distances, and
therefore the amount of sinking varies. A
pipeline might become severely bent, and in
extreme cases might buckle.
This problemcan be dealt with by
insulating the pipeline, and by raising it above
the ground surface on piles. At the time of the
conceptual engineering of the Trans-Alaska
Pipeline, pessimists thought that it might be
necessary to do this for 100 kmor so, but in
the end a much greater length was raised. That
solution creates other difculties, some of them
unexpected. Alaskans are fond of guns and
hunting, and so people shoot at the pipeline.
Reindeer or Caribou migrate, and it was
objected that they would see a raised pipeline
as a barrier, but in reality they are intelligent
enough to walk underneath.
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline has nowbeen
in operation for 30 years, without any major
incident to the main line, though a 6,000 bbl
oil spill froma owline happened in 2006. Over
the pipelines lifetime it has transported 15 Bbbl
of oil. The throughput has decreased, from
more than 2 MMbbl/d at the peak to around
1 MMbbl/d now, and some of the original eight
pump stations have been decommissioned.
Pipeline construction in the Arctic had been little considered until the 1,300 km Trans-Alaska Pipeline
was proposed 40 years ago. Professor Andrew Palmer of the National University of Singapore worked
on a technical issue during the pipelines planning and has maintained a strong interest in the project
since. Here, he explains some of the challenges the project had to overcome.
Overcoming the challenges of
Arctic
pipelines
assessed based on the actual growing size
of the thaw bulb instead of the commonly-
used total thickness of the thaw-unstable
permafrost layers. The predictions of the
current model provide clear scenarios of
pipeline thaw-settlement evolution and
corresponding bending strains over its
lifetime, and helps avoid over-conservative
designs.
The developed model can be used
during the initial pipeline design phase
to improve safety and cost-effectiveness;
the evaluation can aid the selection of
proper construction and implementation
methods used to minimise the impact
to the permafrost and the surrounding
environment. In addition, the model
can be used to assess existing pipelines
embedded in permafrost soils from both
thermal and mechanical perspectives.
J P Kenny in the Arctic
engineering industry
Currently, J P Kenny is involved in the
DNV ICE Pipe joint industry project, which
is aimed at evaluating and presenting
design methods and recommendations
specically related to the installation,
operation and maintenance of ofshore
pipelines in areas of extreme cold and ice.
As part of its involvement, the company
is using its ice gouge simulator tool to
contribute to a major study on numerical
ice-soil-pipe interaction.
In addition to developing advanced
simulation tools, J P Kenny has provided
its Arctic expertise to a number of projects,
including a consortium comprising
Gazprom, Total and StatoilHydro for a
trunkline project that will bring gas from
the Shtokman eld in the Barents Sea to
Northern Russia. J P Kenny collaborates
with Wood Group sister company IMV
Projects Atlantic and with the Memorial
University of Newfoundland (MUN) in St
Johns, Canada, to develop leading-edge
solutions for engineering in Arctic regions.
Wood Group formed a partnership with
MUN in January 2009 and is donating
$US461,883 for the sponsorship of the Wood
Group Chair in Ofshore Engineering for
Arctic and Harsh Environments, focused on
oil and gas engineering in cold regions.
R
emote locations, extreme cold and
harsh weather conditions, lack of
infrastructure, difcult transportation
of materials, goods and services, sensitive
environments, and limited construction
windows are merely some of the challenges
faced when designing, constructing and
operating in Arctic regions. As a result of the
high costs and long cycle times associated
with developing oil and gas in the Arctic,
break-even oil prices can be as high as $US61
per bbl. Safety of course takes precedence;
however, unnecessary conservatism should
be avoided to reduce expenses when
technically and practically feasible.
J P Kenny, part of international energy
services company John Wood Group, has
developed three-dimensional (3D) finite
element (FE) simulator tools to deal with
common challenges in Arctic regions: ice
gouging and permafrost.
Ice gouging
Ice gouging (or ice scouring) occurs
when environmental forces drive ice
features (icebergs or ice-ridges) that extend
deeper than the water depth through the
seabed soil. Ice gouging occurs offshore
in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions, such as
in the shallow Beaufort Sea and offshore
Newfoundland, Canada. With the majority
of estimated Arctic oil and gas reserves
being held offshore, ice gouging could
potentially govern the design of pipelines
and subsea architecture for many future oil
and gas field developments.
Current practice in pipeline design to
mitigate the ice gouging hazard is to bury
the pipeline deep enough to reach a safety
target against pipeline system failure.
Contact with the keel of the ice feature is
avoided; however, pipelines are installed
in a region where some soil displacement
can be transferred to the pipeline. It is
therefore critical to accurately predict
sub-gouge soil displacement. J P Kenny
utilises the Coupled Eulerian Lagrangian
(CEL) FE method, available in ABAQUS/
Explicit FE analysis software that
simulates events involving impact to
model the ice gouge process and has
carried out extensive validation work
to ensure its models behave accurately.
The major advantage realised by this
modelling technique is that it overcomes
mesh distortion and convergence issues
experienced by other methods. In the CEL
FE formulation, the seabed soil is modelled
using an Eulerian material that is allowed
to freely flow throughout a fixed mesh.
Because the mesh does not distort, very
large deformations experienced during
the ice gouge process can be realistically
simulated.
The developed model consisting of
a rigid ice keel, Eulerian seabed and
Lagrangian pipeline provides a fully
coupled numerical solution for ice-soil-
pipeline interaction events. In running the
model, the first step of the analysis allows
the soil to reach an in situ initial stress
state; during the second step, the ice keel
is translated through the seabed causing
soil failure and displacement. The soil
forms a frontal mound, displaces to the
side, creating berms, and also displaces
below the gouge, imposing strains on
the buried pipeline. As pipeline strain
demand and response are determined
explicitly, the results of the model can be
used to optimise pipeline burial depth
requirements based on limit-state-based
design criteria. J P Kenny has performed
validation, sensitivity and hypothetical
design studies that have demonstrated the
reliability and applicability of the tool.
Determining pipeline burial depth
to protect against encroaching ice keels
has traditionally been a conservative
aspect of Arctic pipeline design due to
analysis procedures and a lack of explicit
criteria. Realistic 3D simulation can help
reduce the unknowns associated with
ice-soil-pipeline interaction, safely reduce
unnecessary conservatism, and ultimately
save on trenching costs.
Permafrost
Permafrost is permanently frozen soil,
covering about half of Canada and Russia,
and 85 per cent of Alaska. The existence
of permafrost presents a significant
challenge to the design, construction and
operation of pipelines on Arctic terrain.
Pipelines transporting warm hydrocarbons
can transfer heat to the surrounding soil,
causing the ground to thaw over years of
operation and lose load-carrying capacity.
Differential ground settlement is likely
to occur, over stressing pipelines and
inducing bending strains.
J P Kenny has developed a 3D FE
model for investigating the effects of
permafrost on Arctic pipelines. The model
predicts unsteady-state heat transfer,
thaw settlement, and global deformation
processes of a pipeline buried in
permafrost soil.
The model is designed to give accurate
predictions of the amount of thawed
ground around the pipe and corresponding
strain on the pipeline.
The thaw settlement of the pipeline is
The Arctic oil and gas market has garnered much renewed attention
as of late, and the team at J P Kenny is developing tools to help
ensure pipeline designs for future Arctic developments are as safe
and economical as possible.
Modelling tools aid in
Arctic pipeline design
TERRAIN REVIEW TERRAIN REVIEW
CEL FE ice-soil-pipeline interaction model.
As pipeline strain
demand and response
are determined explicitly,
the results of the model
can be used to optimise
pipeline burial depth
requirements based on
limit-state-based design
criteria.
INDUSTRY NEWS
The Pipeline Research Council International delivers research solutions that assure safe,
environmentally sound and cost effective operations worldwide.
T
he Pipeline Research Council
International (PRCI) is a not-for-prot
corporation comprised of 37 energy
pipeline companies from around the world.
The participating companies include 25 US
and 12 non-US, including companies from
Brazil, Canada, Europe and Saudi Arabia.
There are 15 associate members from the US,
Canada, Mexico, Japan and Australia.
Originally established in 1952 as
the Pipeline Research Committee by 15
pipeline companies, the organisation was
to address the problem of long-running
brittle fractures in natural gas transmission
pipelines. The problem was solved within
two years demonstrating the benets of
industry collaboration and the leveraging of
voluntary funding.
Since then, the PRCI has increasingly
focused on near-term integrity and reliability
solutions to design and operating problems,
and realising the opportunities that an
industry-managed program generates.
In turn, as the Associations research has
broadened, so has its membership with
an increasing focus on oil and petroleum
products pipelines.
PRCI President George Tenley says
In todays market, PRCI is the conduit
by which research contractors and the
industrys technical representatives target
the critical technical needs of oil and gas
pipelines.
How PRCI works
The PRCI is governed by a Board of
Directors, comprised of one voting member
from each pipeline member company.
The nine-member Executive Committee of
the Board develops policy and program
recommendations for the Board and
provides oversight of the technical
committees.
Program execution and management
are the responsibility of six technical
committees that develop research road
maps and provide strategic direction to
ensure timely outcomes.
Project teams, comprised of
representatives of the companies that
fund the project, manage the technology
programs and the individual projects within
these programs. The teams work directly
with technology and research rms, service
providers and key industry suppliers to
execute contract work scopes that target
research deliverables that are responsive to
the business and operating needs of PRCI
member companies.
Funding pipeline research
The majority of funding for PRCIs
technology programcomes fromits pipeline
member companies and associate members
through their annual subscriptions.
Funding for the PRCI technology
development programis augmented through:
supplemental funding of member companies,
associate members and technical program
associate members; and, co-founding
fromnon-member pipeline companies,
equipment manufacturers, vendors, research
development rms, and agencies of the United
States Federal Government, most notably the
Departments of Transportation and Energy.
2009 technical program
PRCIs 2009 technical programwill focus
on the following topics:
Corrosion
Design, materials and construction
Operations and integrity
Measurement
Compressor and pump stations
Underground storage
Participation in PRCI benets those who
are fundamental to both the development
of research and its application. Benets
include:
A professional research management
infrastructure;
A highly leveraged research investment;
Earliest access to technology;
The opportunity to expand the knowledge
base of the industry, the company, the
employee;
Enhancing the credibility of the member
and the industry through a commitment
to planning for future systemintegrity
and reliability; and,
Providing a forumfor addressing unique,
time-sensitive problems and a means to
avoid duplicate eforts.
PRCI: providing pipeline
research worldwide
For more information on PRCI or to access technology products and reports, visit the PRCI website: www.prci.org
PRCIs annual research planning cycle.
I
nternal coating of natural gas pipelines is
employed to reduce friction and improve
ow efciency when conveying non-
corrosive natural gas, and to ofer adequate
corrosion resistance during subsequent
storage and transportation of coated pipe. By
reducing the surface roughness the coating
reduces the friction factor of the pipe wall.
The use of thin lm (<100 microns) epoxy
resin based coatings for this purpose has an
extensive track record with many pipeline
operators. Such coatings have typically been
formulated around solid 1-type epoxy resins
(with a molecular weight of approximately
1,000) in conjunction with either polyamine
adduct or polyamide curing agents.
The solid/semi-solid nature of the epoxy
resin and curing agent necessitates the use
of substantial levels of organic solvents in
order to provide a suitable liquid coating
composition. A typical commercial coating
product would therefore contain 4045
per cent by weight of solvent, equating to a
volatile organic compound (VOC) content of
400450 grams per litre.
Performance requirements
The performance attributes required
for an internal ow efciency coating are
detailed in a number of internationally
recognised performance specications and
standards API RP 5L2 (API), TRANSCO CM2
(British Gas), and more recently ISO 15741.
Whilst there are difering requirements
within each, many common requirements
exist including:
Adhesion
Hardness
Flexibility
Corrosion resistance
Water resistance
Chemical resistance
Resistance to gas pressure variations.
The overall properties required from
the cured ow coating present a number
of challenges to the formulator seeking to
reduce VOC content.
The use of liquid epoxy resin, rather than
solid 1-type resins, enables solvent contents
to be reduced. However, the lower molecular
weight of liquid resin results in the formation
of polymer networks with an increased
crosslink density, yielding coatings of limited
exibility. The use of exibilising agents
generally leads to reductions in corrosion,
water and/or chemical resistance, and the
use of non-reactive diluents or plasticisers
must be avoided to prevent out-gassing
from the coating as a result of in-service
temperature/pressure uctuations.
Despite these constraints, appropriately
formulated ow efciency coatings can now
be produced with VOC contents ranging from
225 grams per litre down to zero.
Effect of internal ow coating on
surface roughness
According to Koebsh et al. (2005)
1
, a
number of roughness/prole parameters can
be used to characterise pipeline surfaces,
including:
Average roughness (Ra)
Root mean square roughness (Rq)
Maximumheight of prole (Rt)
Average maximumheight of prole
(Rz).
It might be assumed that dry lm
thickness is the principal driver in reducing
the surface roughness of a blast-cleaned
surface. However, study of the roughness
parameters obtained froma range of ow
coating compositions, at equivalent dry lm
thickness, reveals the volume solids of the
liquid coating to be highly signicant in
reducing surface roughness.
Roughness parameter plots for three ow
coating variants applied to blast-cleaned
steel line pipe (Rz = 40 microns) at a dry lm
thickness of 75 microns are shown in Figure 1,
with a summary of the data detailed in Table 1.
Solvented, thin lm epoxy ow efciency
coatings have served pipeline operators
well for many years. However, their VOC
content may be considered environmentally
undesirable and ultimately unsustainable.
The new generation of reduced solvent
content (high solids) and solvent free (100
per cent solids) ow coatings enables
the environmental impact of internal
coating processes to be minimised without
compromising coating performance.
Furthermore, hitherto unexpected benets in
reducing the surface roughness of internally
coated pipe are realised by the adoption of
these new coating technologies, without any
increase in applied coating thickness.
References
1. Koebsh et al. (2005) Measuring roughness of blasted steel
pipe surfaces: a case study. 16th International Conference
on Pipeline Protection.
Thin film epoxy coatings have long been known to reduce the internal roughness, and hence the friction
factor, of natural gas flowlines. A new generation of high solids materials provide environmentally
sustainable solutions without increased coating thickness or loss of performance.
Going with the flow: internal coatings
By Ian Robinson and Craig Thomas, 3M United Kingdom plc (formerly E Wood Ltd)
Flow coating composition
Volume solids
(%)
VOC content
(g/litre)
Roughness parameters
(microns)
Ra Rq Rz
Conventional solvent based 45 440 1.38 1.64 5.90
High solids solvented 75 225 0.65 0.81 3.88
Solvent free 100 0 0.16 0.20 0.83
Table 1: Roughness parameters for a range of ow coatings at 75 microns dry lm thickness.
To see a comparison of VOC emissions
for different owcoating technologies,
read an expanded version of the article on
Figure 1: Roughness plots for a range of ow coat-
ings at 75 microns dry lm thickness. (Left to right
blast cleaned steel, conventional solvented coating,
high solids coating and solvent free coating).
MEET THE ASSOCIATION
I
nvesting in efective permanent markers
pays for itself many times over through
reduced damages. On top of a reduction
in repair costs, fewer damages reduce the
risk of major lawsuits and improve the
reliability of the system, which leads to
happier customers.
When someone with a shovel, auger or
backhoe is about to dig over your pipeline,
a permanent marker can be there to convey
your message to call before you dig.
Many companies think that they have
a permanent marking system because they
have installed pipeline markers during
construction; however, many permanent
marking systems are not maintained with
any regularity. Pipelines can be especially
vulnerable when left unmarked in cities.
Common causes of
third party damage
Ultimately pipeline companies and
excavators have the same objective, to
complete their project without damaging
pipelines. A lack of communication and the
number of non-professional excavators
such as property owners and small
contractors without good safety training
programs, can lead to accidents that could
easily be avoided.
A list of common circumstances that lead
to third party damage by non-professional
excavators is listed below.
PROBLEM: No permanent markers to
warn the amateur excavator to call before
they dig. This is especially common in
urban areas where facilities are buried
under pavement and landscaped areas.
SOLUTION: Low cost, permanent
pavement, curb, and soil markers.
PROBLEM: Property owners dont
know to call before they dig on their
own property.
SOLUTION: Low prole curb markers
can serve as permanent reminders
to homeowners, without generating
grafti complaints.
PROBLEM: Unmaintained markers. No
visible warning message may mean that
no call is made to locate the buried asset.
SOLUTION: An ongoing permanent
marker maintenance program, including
conversion of low visibility markers into
high visibility markers by maintenance
crews. The few minutes spent installing
a new marker may eliminate future
damage that often lead to expensive time
consuming repairs.
PROBLEM: Markers that cannot be seen
from every direction.
SOLUTION: Use marker posts and
legends that can be seen from anywhere
on your right-of-way.
Key steps to create an effective
permanent marking system
1. Create a list of all the environments in
which your system is operating under
paved surfaces, landscaped areas,
farmland, wooded areas, areas prone to
vandalismand areas used by of-road
vehicles.
2. Establish a standard message and colour
scheme that conveys all the aspects of
a warning message that you feel are
important. Make sure your message is
clear and concise, and use contrasting
colours.
3. Be sure that both your marker posts and
warning messages can be seen fromany
direction.
4. Create a systemthat is easy to maintain.
5. Create systems that are safe. If you use a
rigid marker or sign, be sure it is highly
visible. This is especially important if
ATV riders, snowmobilers, dirt bikers,
bicyclists, horseback riders, and/or
pedestrians use your right-of-way. Flexible
posts can reduce any risks associated with
accidental impacts to your marker.
Permanent markers are your last line of
defence against third party damage. When
an excavator has not called to locate a buried
asset and is standing above your facility about
to dig, a permanent marker is the only thing
left between your pipeline and almost certain
damage. A permanent marker system, which
is on duty seven days a week, 24 hours a day,
costs far less than repairs.
If your pipeline gets hit, the repair costs and liability can be huge. Permanent markers can prevent
accidental damages by protecting a pipeline seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
The last line of defence
By Scott Landes, Rhino Marking and Protection Systems
INDUSTRY NEWS INDUSTRY NEWS
Scott Landes has been designing and implementing pipeline route marking systems for over 25 years. He has spoken at
conferences worldwide and is a member of the Common Ground Alliance Education Committee.
Which way is the main ofce?
Clear consistent messages are crucial.
In July, the bi-annual joint technical meeting between the Pipeline Research Council International,
the European Pipeline Research Group and the Australian Pipeline Industry Association Research and
Standards Committee was held.
T
he meeting was held in Milan,
Italy, and over 150 researchers and
engineers attended the four-day
conference to participate in discussions and
presentations relevant to the high pressure
transmission pipelines industry.
The meeting saw the Pipeline Research
Council International (PRCI) and the
Australian Pipeline Industry Association
Research and Standards Committee
(APIA RSC) sign a reciprocal membership
agreement, whereby each organisation will
become a member of the other.
The agreement will grant PRCI and
APIA RSC access to research results and
the provision of opportunities for the
collaboration on pipeline research projects
that are of mutual interest to both parties.
APIA RSC Chairman Leigh Fletcher said
The signing of this agreement will not only
allow the APIA RSC access to PRCI research
for the purposes of making our own research
stronger, it will also allow the members of
the APIA RSC access to PRCI past, present
and future research, for use in their own
commercial endeavours.
This delivers great value to our
members and is a tribute to the value that
PRCI places upon the work that the APIA
RSC does, he said.
The shared research agreement precedes
the Australian Governments recent approval
of the Energy Pipelines Co-operative
Research Centre the countrys rst
dedicated research centre to ensuring the
continued safe and cost efective operation
of the nations gas pipeline network and
provides the foundation for the next
generation of pipelines.
The $US14.6 million research centre
will initially focus on four areas of pipeline
development, covering construction and
maintenance, corrosion control, and public
safety, through four distinct projects:
More efcient use of materials for energy
pipelines;
Extension of the safe operating life of
new and existing energy pipelines;
Advanced design and construction of
energy pipelines; and,
Public safety and the security of supply
of energy pipelines.
Pipeline research groups collaborate
PRCI President George Tenley (left) and APIA RSC Chairman Leigh Fletcher sign the reciprocal
membership agreement.
Over 150 researchers and engineers attended the four-day
conference to participate in discussions and presentations
relevant to the high pressure transmission pipelines
industry.
REGULATORY
H
eadquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma,
United States, Vacuworx is
celebrating its 10
th
anniversary
this year. The company is a world leader in
vacuumlifting for eld applications.
The Vacuworx lifting systemis a self-
contained pipe lifter that attaches to an
excavator. It is remotely controlled by the
equipment operator fromthe safety of the
excavator, eliminating the need for any
additional ground crew. Ground personnel
are no longer needed to sling or put chains
on the pipe, nor are workers needed to
control the pipe on each end with guide lines.
The operator places the Vacuworx
systemon the pipe, presses a button, and
has immediate control of the pipe. The
operator can then move and position the
pipe, release it and move on to the next
piece of pipe. Companies have reported that
using the Vacuworx systemis seven to twelve
times faster than traditional pipe-handling
methods. In addition, pipe-handling is
achieved this with less personnel.
Traditional pipe-handling methods,
such as chains, slings and hooks, can cause
damage to most types of pipe coating. This
damage costs the contractor a great deal of
time and money to repair the coating. Using
the Vacuworx systemcan avoid these costly
repairs. The only thing coming into contact
with the pipe with a Vacuworx systemis
a rubber pad seal that suctions onto the
pipe. This causes no damage to the coating
allowing the contractor to avoid costly repairs
and associated downtime on the project.
Vacuworx Director of Sales and
Marketing Shawn Lowman says that the
demand for Vacuworx products has grown
worldwide due to the efciency and safety it
afords the contractor.
We will be opening a Vacuworx facility
in Australia the fourth quarter of 2009, he
says.
Vacuworx has lifters available for
immediate shipment from320 tonne
capacity and beyond. The company ofers
diesel, electric, gas, or hydraulic powered
models. Whether lifting steel, concrete,
ductile, or plastic pipe, Vacuworx has the
appropriate lifting pad available for the job.
Manufacturer of vacuum-based pipe lifting systems, Vacuworx International, can provide safe and
efficient solutions for pipe lifting on a range of pipeline projects.
Safety and efficiency on the job site
INDUSTRY NEWS
The Vacuworx pipe lifter in action.
Vacuworx has lifters
available for immediate
shipment from 320 tonne
capacity and beyond.
The ISO Standard TC67 aims to harmonise the international
standards for petroleum and natural gas industries, including the
international pipeline industry. ISO TC67 sub-committee 2 member
Jennifer Ward explains the committees goals and outlines its
progress.
I
SO standards for oil and gas pipelines
have not been widely used in the past
and typically most countries operate
under their own primary pipeline standard.
The benet of course for having ones own
pipeline standard is that the standard is
able to be moulded to suit some specic
conditions prevalent to that countrys
industry.
While there are perceived benets of
having a standard unique to each country,
the industry worldwide has recognised that
having these difering standards makes
it difcult for the players in the pipeline
industry to both supply and consult to these
many varying standards.
ISO TC67 is an international technical
committee devoted to the harmonisation of
international standards in the petroleumand
natural gas industries. The sub-committee
number 2 (SC2) is primarily focused on
transmission pipeline systems.
While harmonisation is the primary goal
of SC2, the emphasis is also on achieving
a high level standard. ISO recognises that
there are a number of merits to countries
unique pipeline standards that should not
be overlooked. These merits have been
developed through individual research and
learnings over the years.
While the standard for pipelines (ISO
13623 Pipeline Transportation Systems) is
the governing standard of this committee, the
emphasis is on many of the sub-standards
that support pipeline transportation systems.
Such standards include linepipe, coatings,
cathodic protection, mechanical ttings, as
well as pipeline valves and actuators. These
standards are developed by forming diferent
working group committees made up of
country-nominated experts in that particular
eld. These committees do the primary work
developing and improving these standards for
international ballot.
Where is the ISO harmonisation
process today?
There are 26 countries who are
participating members of ISO TC67 SC2,
including Germany, France, Italy, the
Netherlands (Chair and Secretariat), UK,
Brazil, Denmark, Australia, the United
States and Canada.
A Plenary Meeting is held annually
to discuss the progress of these standards,
with the last meeting held this year in
Sydney, Australia. Attendance at the
meeting was strong considering the
nancial situation worldwide, with a
total of 24 delegates in attendance. New
participating member countries were
also in attendance, being Malaysia and
Kazakhstan.
While consensus is sometimes difcult
between difering nations, particularly
for some key contentious standards, the
general status at these meetings is that
most groups are well progressed in working
toward harmonisation. Standards that have
achieved harmonisation include those to do
with linepipe and pipeline valves, but it is
still a slow process.
Most countries are still committed
to their own well-loved primary pipeline
standard and have not fully adopted the
ISO 13623 as their primary code. However,
these countries are gradually incorporating
the ISO TC67 subset of pipeline standards
where applicable. In turn, these standards
are progressing further toward not only
harmonisation, but also to being recognised
as a standard of integrity to support the
pipeline industry worldwide. This ensures
that when these ISO standards become more
well-known and implemented, they can
accommodate the varying unique aspects
of these diferent pipelining nations while
still demanding a high standard of supply to
each industry.
Harmonisation of pipeline
standards through ISO
PARTICIPATING MEMBERS
IN ISO TC67 SC2:
Argentina
Australia
Brazil
Canada
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Indonesia
Iran
Italy
Japan
Kazakhstan
Republic of Korea
Malaysia
Mexico
The Netherlands
Norway
Romania
Russian Federation
Republic of South Africa
Sweden
The United Kingdom
The United States
OBSERVING MEMBERS
IN ISO TC67 SC2:
Poland
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Spain
Switzerland
Jennifer Ward is a pipeline engineer at APA Group, an Australian pipeline owner and operator.
The 30th meeting of the
ISO TC67 SC2 committee
is to be held in the
Netherlands in April 2010.
15 million cubic metres of earth were
moved. The pipeline crossed 400 water
barriers, including 45 major rivers, and
more than 200 railways and highways.
Oil from the pipeline rst reached
Czechoslovakia and Poland at the
beginning of 1962, and Hungary and the
GDR in 1963.
Meeting demand
Over its lifetime, the Druzhba Pipeline
system has provided conditions for a
reliable and uninterrupted supply of
Russian oil.
An important economic advantage
has been the considerable reduction in
transport costs previously much of
the oil was carried by rail, but with the
introduction of the pipeline, transport costs
fell to an average of 2025 per cent of rail
carriage gures.
To meet growing oil demand, work
started in 1965 on the construction of a
second stage of the Druzhba Pipeline,
which followed the route of the rst line
and was built in separate sections by the
diferent countries concerned. The second
pipeline totals 4,412 km in length, with the
diameter ranging from 28 47 inches.
By the end of 1974, Comecon countries
had received approximately 300 MMt of oil
through the Druzhba Pipeline more than
40 MMt to Hungary, 80 MMt to the GDR,
60 MMt to Poland, and more than 100 MMt
to Czechoslovakia.
Druzhba connectivity
Since its construction, there has been
much interest in extending Druzhba
Pipelines reach.
In 1973 the approximately 2,000 km
Ust Balyk Almetievsk Pipeline came into
operation. The pipeline varies in size from
4048 inches in diameter. The construction
of this pipeline made it possible to connect
the Druzhba system with oil elds in West
Siberia.
Construction of the 1,170 km Baltic
Pipeline System-2 began in June 2009.
The pipeline is set to run from the Unecha
junction of the Druzhba Pipeline near the
border of Russia and Belarus, to the Ust
Luga terminal on the Gulf of Finland. The
project will include a 172 km lateral to the
Kirishi Oil Renery.
The pipeline is to have seven pumping
stations and an initial capacity of 30 MMt/a
of oil.
The pipeline will be constructed in two
stages, the first of which is expected to
be completed by September 2012 and the
second stage by December 2013.
In addition, it has been proposed that
the Adria Pipeline, which runs between
the port of Omisalj in Croatia and Hungary,
be reversed and connected to the Druzhba
Pipeline. The pipeline has been operating
since 1974 and was originally designed
to load Middle Eastern oil at the port and
pipe it to Yugoslavia and Hungary.
The pipelines reversal would mean
that oil through the Druzhba Pipeline
could be extended to run to an export
outlet on the Adriatic Sea. Connecting the
two pipelines requires the co-operation
of six countries. The countries Russia,
Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary and
Croatia signed an agreement in 2002,
however disagreements regarding tariffs
and environmental issues have hampered
the pipelines development since then.
German Oil Trading Gmbh (GOT)
has also proposed a connection to the
Druzhba Pipeline, that would link Unecha
to Wilhelmshaven Port. The pipeline
would be 1,800 km and have a capacity of
25 MMt/a of oil. GOT announced the project
in 2007.
Important link for Europe
As the worlds largest oil pipeline,
Druzhba remains a key link in the European
energy section four decades after its initial
construction. Not only was the pipeline an
organisational and construction feat in the
1960s, the continued interest in European
countries accessing the pipelines resource
bodes well for pipeline projects into the
future.
Each edition, Pipelines International will take a look at important projects constructed throughout
history, starting with the Druzhba Pipeline. Known as the largest and most prominent oil pipeline in
the world, the Druzhba Pipeline remains a leading service for the transportation of oil to European
countries, being in operation since 1962.
T
he Council for Mutual Economic
Assistance (Comecon) held its 10
th

session in Prague on 18 December
1958, and there an agreement to construct
the worlds largest oil pipleline was signed.
The Druzhba Pipeline was built to meet
the oil requirements of Bulgaria, Hungary,
the former German Democratic Republic
(GDR East Germany), Poland and
Czechoslovakia.
Work on the 5,327 km Druzhba Oil
Pipeline, also known as the Friendship
Pipeline, began in 1960. Each country was
responsible for the construction of their
section and the pipeline would be seen as
the property of that country.
An agreement was made between the
Soviet Union and the countries which
were to take part in the construction of
the pipeline. A special design bureau of
Hungary, the IC Bohlen technical bureau
(GDR), the Oil Project bureau (Poland), and
the Chemoproject Institute (Czechoslovakia)
assisted in the preparation of specic data
and solutions to problems relating to their
sections of the pipeline.
Constructing Druzhba
Pipe for the line was manufactured in
the Soviet Union and Poland, and ttings in
Czechoslovakia. The GDR delivered pumps,
and Hungary provided automation and
communications equipment.
The total length of the rst stage of the
pipeline ranges between 11 and 32 inches,
with 173 pumping units, each with a
capacity of 7,000 cubic metres per hour,
installed along the line.
The section on former Soviet territory
(Almetievsk Kuibyshev Unecha Mozyr
Brest, with the Mozyr Brody Uzhgorod
branch line) is 3,004 km long. This part
of the pipeline was designed not only
to deliver oil to the European Comecon
members but also to ensure supplies to oil
processing plants in the western regions
of Russia and the export of oil to other
countries via the Baltic port of Ventspils.
Crossing the former Czechoslovak
territory, from Uzhgorog Sagi Bratislava,
Sagi Hungarian state border, Sagi
Gnevitse, is 836 km long. The section on
Polish territory stretches from the former
Soviet border Plock former GDR border
and is 675 km long. Approximately 27 km
is located on former GDR territory from the
state border to the town of Schwedt, and
123 km on Hungarian territory from the state
border to Sashalombat.
The pipeline cost approximately
400 million roubles ($US12.7 million) to
build as much as 730,000 tonnes of pipe
were laid along the route and more than
Druzhba Pipeline
HISTORY HISTORY
The pipeline is now operated by
a number of different companies
throughout the countries it passes
through. These include:
Transneft in Russia
Gomeltransneft Druzbha in
Belarus
Ukr TransNafta in Ukraine
PERN in Poland and Germany
Transpetrol in Slovakia
Mero in Czech Republic
MOL in Hungary
The control panel for the 5,327 km Druzhba oil pipeline.
Coating and wrapping operations in progress on a section of the second Druzhba Oil Pipeline.
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
For more information visit
www.crc-evans.com
Get welding with
the light P625
welder
C
RC Evans Automatic Welding has
announced its new dual-torch
external automatic welding
machine for small-diameter ofshore
and spoolbase applications.
The P625 is fully digital, with
through-the-arc tracking and pulse
metal inert gas (MIG) to maximise
speed and produce high quality welds.
The digital technology takes care of
accuracy and repeatable performance
from pre-weld programming to post-
project assessment.
The light welder allows software
to be upgraded in the eld, so that
changes in weld parameters can be
made on the y, getting the machine
back to work quickly.
In the ofce,
a personal digital
assistant (PDA)
user can program
parameters and
download them
wirelessly to the
P625 on the job,
the data can be
uploaded and
taken back to the
ofce for analysis and reporting.
The P625 will also accommodate
future innovations in that it can be
updated with the latest technology.
T
his new international conference
and its accompanying courses and
exhibition will cover a wide range of
issues concerning pipeline rehabilitation,
ranging from the initial stages of evaluation
of a pipelines condition to the steps required
to undertake rehabilitation of the structure
to ensure its continued tness-for-purpose
and prolong its economic lifetime.
The event will discuss the latest
developments in the industry, showcase
some of the most recent achievements, and
provide an unmatched opportunity for both
networking and learning.
The conference program will be divided
into the following broad areas of interest:
Inspection internal and external
Integrity assessment
Repair and rehabilitation
practices and technologies
Internal issues including black
powder, microbial corrosion
External issues including
coatings, DCVG, direct
assessment
The event is being organised by two
respected names in the pipeline industry;
Clarion the Houston based technical
publisher and training company and
UK-based Tiratsoo Technical (formerly
known as Scientific Surveys and now a
division of Great Southern Press).
Evaluation and Rehabilitation of Pipelines an innovative new conference and exhibition that also
incorporates a training program is being held from 1922 October 2009 at the Pittsburgh Marriott City
Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States.
Pipeline evaluation conference
ready to hit Pittsburgh
EVENTS
For more information or to register visit
www.piperehabconf.com
EVALUATION AND REHABILITATION
OF PIPELINES
Training courses: 1920 October
Conference: 2122 October
Exhibition: 2122 October
Training courses
In addition to the conferences
technical presentations there will be
two pre-conference training courses:
Performing Pipeline Rehabilitation,
Sidney Taylor, InCal Pipeline
Rehabilitation
Pipeline Repair and In-Service
Welding, Bill Bruce, DNV Columbus
The conference technical program is
now online at www.piperehabconf.com
For more information visit www.oneeyeindustries.com
For more information visit www.dnv.com
DATE/VENUE EVENT CONTACT
14-18 September 2009
Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Pipeline courses including: Onshore Pipeline Engineering, Pipeline
Engineering Courses, Practical Pigging Training, Deepwater Riser
Engineering Course, Defect Assessment in Pipelines
www.clarion.org
22-24 September 2009
Rio de Janiero, Brazil
Rio Pipeline 2009 www.riopipeline.com.br
5-7 October 2009
Germany
Operation of Pipeline Systems - Security Systems and Life-Cycle
Extension Strategies
www.pipeline-seminar.com
1215 October, 2009
Oostende, Belgium
Pipeline Technology 2009 Conference www.ti.kviv.be/conf/Pipeline2009
1720 October, 2009
Cairns, Australia
Australian Pipeline Industry Association 2009 Convention www.apia.net.au
1922 October, 2009
Pittsburgh, United States
Evaluation and Rehabilitation of Pipelines www.piperehabconf.com
November
Houston, United States
Pipeline courses including: Onshore Pipeline Engineering, Subsea
Production Systems Engineering, Pipeline Mapping, GIS and Data
Integration, Subsea Pipeline Engineering Course, Microbiological
Corrosion in Pipelines
www.clarion.org
26 November 2009
Newcastle, United Kingdom
Pipeline courses including: Onshore Pipeline Engineering, Defect
Assessment in Pipelines.
www.clarion.org
1113 November, 2009
Monterrey, Nuevo Len, Mexico
10
th
International Congress and Exhibition 2009 Pipeline www.10congresodeductos.com
7-11 December 2009
Calgary
Pipeline courses including: Pigging & In-line Inspection, Defect
Assessment in Pipelines
www.clarion.org
1518 February, 2010
Houston, United States
22
nd
International Pipeline Pigging & Integrity Management
Conference
www.clarion.org
September 27 - October 1, 2010
Calgary, Canada
International Pipeline Conference 2010 www.internationalpipelineconference.com
DNV & Gassco develop new acoustic
inspection method
D
et Norske Veritas (DNV) has joined with Gassco to develop a new acoustic
inspection method, which allows the internal and external status of gas
pipelines to be accurately characterised. Measurements can now be made
without reducing the gas ow, and the net efect is both an improvement on the safety
of gas pipelines and substantially reduced inspection costs.
The technique involves attaching a necklace to a standard cleaning pig, making it
possible to determine the condition of a pipeline through absolute measurements of the
whole pipeline surface.
The new method builds on acoustic resonance principles and can be used both on
land and ofshore.
Gassco President and CEO Brian Bjordal said For us, this means that inspection
and maintenance costs can be sharply reduced while enhancing the quality of the
inspections. Now wall thickness can be measured much more exactly.
DNV President and CEO Henrik O. Madsen said Based on acoustic half-wave
resonance, it represents a technological quantum leap. The industry will now secure
efective decision support for maintenance and repair, and we will enhance safety and
cost-efciency for the pipeline network.
CRC Evans P625
welding machine.
One Eye magnetic separation system
O
ne Eye Industries has developed the Black Powder Magnetic Separation System
as a solution to pipeline and processing problems caused by black powder.
The magnetic separator system enables efcient separation of ferrous and
non-ferrous particles in gas and hydrocarbon transmission systems by creating multiple
powerful compressed magnetic elds that en-circle the magnetic separator element.
This technology projects three times further than traditional magnetic elds which
signicantly increases separation efciency.
The Magnetic Separator elements operate at full strength up to 148Celsius and are
highly resistant to vibration and ofer over 10 years of service life.
The Magnetic Separator also removes paramagnetic minerals such as nickel from
production processes and will signicantly reduce consumption of traditional ltration
and in doing so, will reduce costs and improve your environmental footprint.
Are you launching
a new product or
service?
Contact us at
news@pipelinesinternational.com
MEDIA KIT EVENTS
The Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition takes place at the SulAmerica Convention Centre in
Rio de Janeiro from 2224 September 2009.
T
he event brings together
professionals and executives of the
pipeline sector to share technical
advances, operational experiences and
present about ongoing pipeline projects.
The Rio Pipeline Conference and
Exhibition is a forum for different sections
of the pipeline industry from operation,
construction and engineering to research
and development, training and equipment
suppliers.
The Conference program includes
panels, talks, technical sessions, poster
sessions and mini-curses on relevant topics.
Mini-courses will be held before and after
the conference, on the 21 and 25 October
2009 at the Instituto Brasileiro De Petroleo
(IBP) headquarters. Courses will be available
in the following areas:
Pipeline compression systems design
and operation;
Welding in pipeline building; and,
Risk management and organisational
crisis management - an administrative
approach for the oil industry.
The Exhibition takes place parallel to
the Conference allowing a larger interaction
between delegates, visitors and companies
related to the pipeline sector and showcasing
state-of-the-art technology.
Since its inauguration, the conference
has grown in number of exhibitors and
delegates, with outstanding international
participation, and this edition of 2009
promises numbers even more signicant.
Carnival for Pipelines in Rio
Pigging and Integrity 2010
in Houston
The 22
nd
Pipeline Pigging & Integrity Management Conference and Exhibition is set to take place at the
Marriott Westchase Hotel, Houston, Texas, from 1518 February 2010.
T
he Pipeline & Integrity Management
Conference and Exhibition provides
a forum dedicated exclusively to
pigging for maintenance and inspection,
as well as pipeline integrity evaluation
and repair.
The event will draw engineering
management and field operating
personnel from both transmission and
distribution companies concerned with
improved operations and integrity
management.
Training courses will also be available
from 1516 February, with further details
to be announced soon. The Exhibition
will run from 1618 February with the
Conference starting on 17 February.
The event is being organized by
Clarion the Houston based technical
publisher and training company and
Great Southern Press.
For more information or to register visit www.clarion.org
The Rio Pipeline Conference and Exhibition is organised by IBP. For more information or to register visit www.riopipeline.com.br
BRINGING THE PIPELINE WORLD TOGETHER
1. Pipelines International is published by two of the
longest standing names in the pipeline media.
2. Magazine advertising remains the most effective
way to market your products and services.
3. Natural gas is set to play an ever increasing role
in energy production and will need pipelines to
reach markets.
4. It is an excellent way to advise the industry of a
new product or service.
5. The readership is highly targeted toward senior
members of the pipeline industry, balanced across
regions and roles.
6. It is great value and will give you a strong return
on your investment.
7. Pipelines International will have the best editorial
and the best design meaning your advert will
make the best impression.
reasons to advertise
7
MEDIA KIT MEDIA KIT
Pipelines International is the new magazine for the global pipeline
industry. Published quarterly, the magazine will reect the
diversity of the pipeline industry across the continents.
The magazine will include region reviews; project reviews; and
project, company and regulatory news, as well as features on
important industry areas such as integrity management.
The magazine will be directly mailed to over 10,000 decision-
making pipeline industry members around the globe with a
balance between regions and roles. The magazine will be
present at a wide number of industry events throughout the year
with its launch occurring at Rio Pipeline 2009.
The Pipelines International team
Pipelines International is being published by the merger of two
long-standing pipeline media companies, Scientic Surveys and
Great Southern Press. The new company will be known as Great
Southern Press.
John Tiratsoo and Scientic Surveys are long-time publishers of
information on pipelines including information on companies,
projects, the latest news and technical information. John is also
the editor of the must-have book on pigging, Pipeline pigging and
integrity technology.
Great Southern Press has been publishing about pipelines since
1972. It publishes The Australian Pipeliner the agship of
the Australian pipeline industry as well as a number of other
industry titles including Gas Today.
Current and former publications from the Pipelines International
team include Pipeline World, Pipeline Asia, Pipes & Pipelines
International, The Indonesian Pipeliner, Pipeline, Plant & Offshore,
and the Journal of Pipeline Engineering.
bringing the worldwide
pipeline industry together
Full Page (Trimmed Size)
210 mm x 297 mm
Full Page (Bleed Size)
216 mm x 303 mm
Half Page (Horizontal)
185 mm x 125 mm
Half Page (Vertical)
122 mm x 185 mm
Double Page (Trimmed Size)
420 mm x 297 mm
Double Page (Bleed Size)
426 mm x 303 mm
Half Page (Vertical)
90 mm x 250 mm
Third Page (Vertical)
59 mm x 250 mm
Third Page (Horizontal)
185 mm x 83 mm
Quarter Page (Horizontal)
185 mm x 60 mm
Quarter Page (Vertical)
90 mm x 125 mm
Quarter Page (Special)
122 mm x 90 mm
Prices per Insertion (prices below are in $US)
4 TIMES TWICE ONCE
Double Page Spread $8,500 $9,500 $10,000
Outside Back Cover $7,600 $8,500 $9,000
Inside Front Cover $6,800 $7,600 $8,000
Inside Back Cover $6,800 $7,600 $8,000
Page One $5,900 $6,600 $7,000
Full Page $5,000 $5,700 $6,000
Half Page $3,400 $3,800 $4,000
Third Page $3,000 $3,350 $3,600
Quarter Page $2,350 $2,650 $2,800
Prices per Insertion (prices below are in )
4 TIMES TWICE ONCE
Double page spread 6,400 7,100 7,500
Outside Back Cover 5,750 6,400 6,750
Inside Front Cover 4,950 5,550 5,850
Inside Back Cover 4,950 5,550 5,850
Page One 4,350 4,900 5,200
Full page 3,750 4,250 4,500
Half Page 2,550 2,850 3,000
Third Page 2,250 2,550 2,700
Quarter Page 1,750 2,000 2,100
advertising rates & sizes
Colour: All adverts are full colour
Prepayment of bookings attracts a 5 per cent discount for multiple bookings, and a 2 per cent discount for single bookings.
Multiple bookings provide excellent value and
ensure extended exposure, particularly if you book
all four editions plus the annual directory.
REGULAR
DECEMBER 2009 MARCH 2010 JUNE 2010 SEPTEMBER 2010
Region Review United States Middle East Southeast Asia Canada
Feature Pigging Trenchless Technology Compressors Valves
Equipment
Feature
Pipe Layers & Side Booms Automatic Welding Padding Machines Trenchers
Terrain Review Mountains Ofshore Desert Forest
DEADLINE 6 November 2009 12 March 2010 14 May 2010 6 August 2010
COMING IN FUTURE ISSUES
ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION:
A limited number of qualied free subscriptions are available.
You can use this form to apply obligation free.
Paid subscriptions are also available at the following rate
$US60, 45 (for one year/ve issues including Directory)
I would like to subscribe to Pipelines International:
Please invoice me
Please debit my credit card the amount of: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Expiry: _ _ / _ _ Name on card: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Please either detach this page or make a photocopy and send to:
Great Southern Press
GPO Box 4967 Melbourne VIC 3001
Phone: +61 3 9248 5100 | Fax: +61 3 9602 2708
Email: query@pipelinesinternational.com
or subscribe online at:
ADVERTISERS INDEX
3M United Kingdom plc
(Corrosion Protection Products) 13
Allu UK Ltd IFC
Evaluation and Rehabilitation of
Pipelines Conference and Exhibition 11
International Pipeline Pigging &
Integrity Management Conference 9
Journal of Pipeline Engineering 29
Omnisens 27
Pipelines International Update IBC
PipeLine Machinery International 3
Rhino Marking & Protection Systems 7
Rio Pipeline 2009 1
Rosen Group 5
Vacuworx OBC
SUBSCRIPTION FORM
Name:
Job Title:
Company:
Address:
Telephone:
Fax:
Email:
Pipelines International
Great
Southern
Press
STAY
updated
for free.
The Pipelines International website
contains all the articles from the
magazine as well as daily news articles
from around the world. In the coming
months even more exciting content will
be added for pipeline professionals.

On the website you can sign up for the
Pipelines International Update a free
service that will bring you the latest news
direct to your email inbox each week.

Sign up today at our website.
pin_website.indd 1 26/08/09 3:26 PM
EN Y
OF THE
INDUSTRY
>>
When you have a great product, backed up with immediate
equipment availability, a huge parts inventory, and service
after the sale...Being the best isnt bragging, especially
when its true!
10105 E. 55th Place
Tulsa, OK 74146
866.664.3450
requests@vacuworx.com
www.vacuworx.com

Pin 2009-09

Transféré par

Informations du document

Titre original

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Pin 2009-09

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

SEPTEMBER 2009 ISSUE 001

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi