While operating oil and gas pipeline systems will always involve risk, the continued advancement of technology can help minimise it. Cliff Johnson, president of the pipeline research consortium PRCI, discusses how collaborative research efforts can ensure that pipelines operate with the highest safety and efficiency, both today and for future generations.
A key goal of the oil and gas pipeline industry is to push toward zero failures. High-profile pipeline failures in 2010 have highlighted the ongoing need to develop a proactive research effort to address the issues facing the industry. This research will reduce the risk of failure, increase public and environmental safety, and ensure greater pipeline integrity. It is important that the industry pool its resources – both personnel and capital – to perform this needed research.
Since 1952, the Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI), headquartered in Virgina, has been at the forefront of these initiatives. The organisation is comprised of a growing community of the world’s leading pipeline companies, vendors, service providers and other organisations that provide both funding and research direction. PRCI leverages these contributions to create a forum of research projects aimed at improving pipeline technology – technology that is developed through collaboration with a core group of researchers, including DNV.
PRCI’s new president Cliff Johnson now aims to take these initiatives further, in both technical scope and global reach.
“The strength of PRCI is the collaborative research model,” Mr Johnson says. “We are in a unique position to identify and address the key drivers of the pipeline industry because of our diverse membership. We are well situated to develop an industry roadmap that will spotlight the top research ideas that promise to improve the safety and efficiency of the entire oil and gas transmission infrastructure, from pipelines to processing facilities.”
Wide ranging research possibilities
“The diverse membership of PRCI, both hazardous liquid and natural gas pipeline operators from around the world, provides us with an overview of the entire industry’s needs,” Mr Johnson says. “One of these research areas is ensuring the integrity of aging systems. Many of the pipelines in North America are over 45 years old, past their original design life, and we are asking for more service from these lines. PRCI has been at the forefront of identifying the issues and finding the solutions and opportunities to maximise these assets. Some of the recent failures have highlighted the need to continue pushing for the next generation of solutions that will enable operators to move toward their goal of zero failures.”
As the industry continues to explore and develop alternative fuels, PRCI will continue to lead the research efforts in better pipeline networks for transportation of fluids such as carbon dioxide (CO2). “PRCI was a leader in the research for ethanol transportation and it is pushing forward with CO2 research,” Mr Johnson says. “There are a number of challenges in this area that PRCI is beginning to address, from exploring the impact of CO2 on seals and gaskets, to working with industry to create an R&D roadmap for CO2 transportation and storage.”
Advances in pipeline construction and design are another near-future R&D focus for Mr Johnson. “Within the past few years, PRCI has been developing a Reliability Based Design and Assessment (RBDA) approach for natural gas pipelines and we are in the process of developing a similar approach for liquid pipelines. This research will provide a number of benefits, including improved and consistent safety levels, lower cost design and operational solutions, clear and quantified performance-based criteria, and practical solutions for pipelines utilising new technologies or subject to unique loading conditions. In addition, the results of the project will serve as a basis for calibrating simpler limit states design checks that can be used in common design and operational situations. The natural gas pipeline portion of the research is already complete and has been, or will be, adopted into a number of industry standards in North America. The liquid pipeline, once complete, will also be incorporated into key industry documents. This is a key advancement for the new construction of these assets.”
Comprehensive collaboration
Achieving success in any of these research endeavours will require greater collaboration across the board, amongst operators, vendors, regulatory agencies and outside industries. “The technology development process can be thought of as a continuous cycle involving R&D, industry acceptance, standards development, and regulations. Each of these plays an important role for successful technology implementation.”
The R&D stage of this cycle will have to include outside resources. “Other industries have a great deal to share with, and learn from, the hydrocarbon pipeline industry,” Mr Johnson says. “For example, I see greater knowledge transfer taking place between pipeline companies and the water and nuclear power industries, which are both having infrastructure issues.”
PRCI has set up a Long-Term Research Committee to investigate the use of crossover technologies from other industries. For example, this committee is currently examining aerial inspection systems developed by the US space agency, NASA, that might help the pipeline industry better monitor its lines.
Partnerships
Ensuring that future technologies meet regulatory approval means more regulatory agency involvement. “Within the past five years, PRCI has begun partnerships with some of the standards-development organisations including NACE International and ASME International, and US regulatory agencies such as the Pipeline Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of the US Department of Transportation,” Mr Johnson says. “We get them involved early in the process, which gives them a better understanding of the technology, and this gives the technology a better opportunity for industry adoption.”
Better collaboration is also required amongst regulatory agencies in different countries. “We are seeing globalisation of companies, but not globalisation of regulations. As a result, companies whose pipelines cross country borders may have to comply with quite different regulatory regimes, which places inefficiencies in their systems,” Mr Johnson says. “I think we will see more streamlining of regulations amongst the major offshore oil and gas producing regions, such as the US Gulf of Mexico, Brazil, and the North Sea in coming years, particularly in light of the recent failure in the Gulf of Mexico. I also think these regulations will require a balance between being prescriptive and being more open to encouraging growth and the adoption of new tools and technologies.”
Technology transfer
Mr Johnson sees PRCI and DNV jointly playing a role in streamlining the regulatory framework to drive new technology adoption. “Moving forward, one of the keys will be technology transfer from R&D to application, standardisation and regulations. DNV and PRCI are well positioned to strengthen our current relationship by sharing our knowledge gained through our long-term efforts from around the world, which will provide a basis for ensuring public and environmental safety and increasing pipeline integrity.”
Text: Ted Moon
Date: 08 March 2011