Introduction to Pipeline Technology

Accreditation

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Introduction

Oil and Gas from field production plants are transported to petroleum refineries; petrochemical and chemical plants; power plants and terminals by cross country pipelines. Pipelines have been the backbone energy transport infrastructure in many regions of the world for many decades now and this situation will most likely continue into the future.

The pipeline industry is capital intensive and subject to extreme public scrutiny and regulatory pressures. The safety and mechanical integrity of these pipelines are of paramount importance because they may traverse populated areas and also because of the need for continuity of supply of oil and gas to processing facilities.

Pipelines are the safest and most efficient means of transporting crude oil and natural gas from producing fields to refineries and processing plants and of distributing petroleum products and natural gas to the consumer, as witnessed by the few recorded incidents of fatality or injury despite the millions of kilometres of pipelines in use world-wide. However, even the best designed and maintained pipeline will be subjected to degradation and may become defective over time as it progresses through its design life. Consequently, operators should be aware of the effect these defects will have on their pipeline, and must effectively assess their significance in terms of the continuing integrity of the pipeline.

Ensuring the long-term integrity of pipelines requires a clear understanding of the degradation and damage mechanisms that a pipeline may be subjected to coupled with a systematic approach to pipeline inspection and maintenance that embodies proven management processes and the judicious application of industry best practices. Industry standards such as API 1160 and ASME B31.8S represent the starting point for a range of best practices that are available to all pipeline operators.

This course provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of oil and gas pipeline systems which integrates the hydraulic and mechanical design, operations & maintenance, and the all important safety and integrity aspects of these pipeline systems.

Who Should Attend?

The course is intended to benefit pipeline design and project engineers as well as operations maintenance professionals, managers and supervisors involved in the operation, inspection, maintenance, and repair of oil and gas pipeline systems including pump and compressor stations. The course will be also beneficial to recent engineering graduates who work in the oil and gas industry.

Objectives

The objectives of the course are:

• To highlight the function and significance of pipelines in providing safe and reliable performance over their entire life.
• To present a concise overview of oil and gas processing facilities to better understand the types and characteristics of the fluids that are transported by pipelines and their impact on the design and integrity of the pipelines.
• To provide a clear understanding of the fundamentals of hydraulics and fluid flow and their application in the hydraulic design of oil and gas pipeline systems.
• To provide methodologies for the mechanical design of pipelines in accordance with industry codes ASME B31.4 and B31.8 and best practices.
• To discuss the key elements of pipeline integrity management based on best industry practices and standards (ASME B31.8S, API 1160); in-line inspection using smart pigs (API 1163), fitness-for-service assessment (ASME B31G, RSTRENG, etc), and repair/rehabilitation options.

Organisational Impact

The company will achieve improved financial performance through the application of life cycle cost principles in the design of optimum piping systems that achieve optimum balance between capital investment and energy costs.

The company will be able to achieve measurable improvement in pipeline integrity through effective interaction between engineering, operation and maintenance functions. The company will be able to enhance its loss prevention and safety performance.

The company will be able to enhance its ability to use best industry practices in inspection, maintenance, and repairs resulting in lower life cycle costs while complying with applicable codes and standards, and other regulatory requirements.

Personal Impact

The delegates will gain sound and practical understanding of the key aspects in the hydraulic and mechanical design of pipelines taking into consideration total life cycle cost. They will gain better understanding of design codes, standards, and best industry practices.

Delegates will also better understand the damage mechanisms that affect pipeline systems, how to use effective inspection methods to detect and characterize the damages they cause, how to control and mitigate the damage mechanisms, and how to assess these damages and make repair/run recommendations.

The delegates will gain clear understanding of the common repair methods and their advantages and limitations to safeguard against related failure and to avoid excessive repair costs.

Training Methodology

The course is comprehensive and highly interactive. It combines structured and focused presentations and discussions of topics covered with actual relevant examples. It combines sound engineering principles, methods, and applicable codes & standards and best industry practices with workshops that cover case studies of major failures and their root causes. To maximize learnings, optional Question & Answer sessions are available at the end of each day to avail participants the opportunity to ask questions relating to topics discussed and specific pipeline problems they may experience.

All delegates will receive a detailed set of course presentation and lecture notes which will provide an invaluable reference document.

Competencies Emphasized

Participants will enhance their competencies in the following areas:

• Gain essential and integrated knowledge about the hydraulic and mechanical design of pipelines including sizing and selection of major components including storage tanks, pumping and compression facilities, metering and block valves/regulator stations.
• Understand, predict and identify degradation and damage mechanisms that affect pipelines fitness for continued service and thereby reduce the risk of potential failures.
• Awareness of best industry practices in managing pipeline integrity and how to apply them to reduce the risk of potential failures.
• Enhance competence and productivity thereby enhancing their competence and performance level and making additional value added contributions to their organizations.

 SEMINAR OUTLINE 

DAY 1

Function and Significance of Oil and Gas Pipelines

• Overview and basic fundamentals
• Historical background
• Significance of pipelines in transportation of oil & gas
• The Rationale of the Crisis Manager
• Pipeline systems types and applications
• Gathering pipelines (flowlines)
• Transportation pipelines
• Distribution pipelines
• Pipelines in context of production and refining
• Overview of oil and gas production processes and facilities
• Overview of petroleum refining
• Pipeline system components
• Piping
• Pumping/Compression stations
• Block valve/Regulator stations
• Metering stations
• Pig launching and receiving facilities
• Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems
• Codes and standards related to pipelines
• Types and manufacture of line pipe
• Common specifications (ASTM, ASME, API, NACE)
• Materials of construction

DAY 2

Hydraulic Design of Oil and Gas Pipelines

• Fundamentals of hydraulics and fluid flow in pipelines
• Life cycle cost considerations – optimizing initial investment and energy costs
• Hydraulic design considerations for oil pipeline systems
• Design basis
• Route selection
• Pipe sizing and hydraulic profile
• Pumping stations – sizing, number and location of pump stations
• Hydraulic design considerations for gas pipelines
• Design basis
• Route selection
• Pipe sizing and hydraulic profile
• Compressor stations
• Workshop 1 – worked examples –
• Hydraulic design of oil pipeline
• Hydraulic design of gas pipelines

DAY 3

Mechanical Design of Oil and Gas Pipelines

• Fundamentals of mechanical design of pressure piping
• Pressure integrity – stresses due to fluid pressure
• Mechanical integrity – bending and thermal stresses
• Design considerations to avoid failure in steel transmission pipelines
• Guidelines for the design of buried pipelines
• Stress analysis in underground (buried) pipeline
• Design and construction codes and best practices
• Materials of construction for pipeline system
• Impact of service conditions on material selection
• Common material specifications (API 5L)
• Workshop 2 – worked examples
• Mechanical design of oil pipeline
• Mechanical design of gas pipeline

DAY 4

Pipeline Operation and Integrity Management

• Pipeline instrumentation and operation
• Flow measurement, proving devices, leak detection
• Pipeline monitoring and SCADA systems
• Damage mechanisms affecting pipelines
• Metal loss due to corrosion and erosion
• Mechanical damage due to construction and encroachment– dents, gauges, wrinkles, scrapes
• Cracking - sheer cracks, ductile tearing, fatigue cracks, SCC
• Looking after yourself and your staff
• Pipeline integrity management (PIM) – Key components
• Threat Identification/Risk Assessment – API 1160, ASME B31.8S, NACE RP 0102
• Remediation/Prevention
• Management of change
• Integrity management software for pipelines
• Benchmarking pipeline integrity management activities
• In-line inspection of pipelines (pipeline pigging)
• Types, application, and selection
• Best industry practices - API 1163 In-line inspection systems qualification standard
• Corrosion protection and control in oil and gas pipelines
• Corrosion inhibitors
• Coating and lining – holidays, disbondment
• Cathodic protection of pipelines – types and fundamentals
• Workshop 3 – Case studies
• Pipeline Failures – causes and learnings

DAY 5

Pipeline Fitness-For-Service Assessments, Repair & Rehabilitation

• Assessment of defects in pipelines
• Overview of fitness-for-service assessment
• Factors to consider when evaluating damage on pipelines
• Best industry practices for Fitness-for-service (FFS) assessments
• ASME B31G & RSTRENG
• NACE RP 0502 –2002–Pipeline External Corrosion Direct Assessment Methodology
• NACE RP 0204 –2004–Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) Direct Assessment Methodology
• DNV Recommended practice RP F101 corroded pipelines
• Pipeline Repair and Rehabilitation
• External repair of pipelines
• Hot-tapping on pipelines, piping and equipment
• Internal repair of pipelines
• Workshop 4 – Worked examples
• Fitness-for-service assessment of damaged pipelines