Carlo Spinelli is leader of the “X80 Intermediate Pressure Eni Project”, and the Technology Planner for Eni Gas & Power. He is also the Eni G&P official member in EPRG (European Pipeline Research Group). In his presentation he will outline how SIRCOS - The ENI subsea pipeline repair system is an effective deep water remote repair system for pipelines.

Earlier cross country pipelines in the Middle East were designed and constructed along remote corridors with few crossings, and have minimum number of high consequence areas (HCA’s). During the last fifteen years the region had seen a major topographical transformation due to the rapid expansion of populated, agricultural and industrial areas. In many cases such changes were not anticipated during design stage. To deal with this issue, it is necessary to carry out detailed risk assessment to identify newly developed HCA’s, and address identified gaps in order to bring the old lines up to date with respect to safety requirements. This presentation highlights short falls of old pipelines design criteria, lists elements for integrity and risk assessment program, and discusses their implementation on one case study

Development and effective implementation of flow lines quality and integrity plans from early stages starting from design through material procurement, construction, installation, commissioning and maintenance as a part of the overall pipe line management. System will includes control of design, procured material and compliance with best – practice quality procedures in a systematic manner starting from setting the requirements from beginning along with continues monitoring of performance and overall efficiency to avoid discrepancies, deviations and defects.

Black powder solid is a universal problem in operations of gas pipelines. These solid compounds can delay in-line inspection, erode control valves, and develop problems for customers. Solutions to removing black powder solid in sales gas pipelines are offered. Saudi Aramco has evaluated solids removal methods such as chemical cleaning, mechanical cleaning, and the use of filters. Attendees will benefit from this presentation by understanding the impact of the black powder solid problem in their pipeline operations, the chemistry of the solids formation, and initiatives to remove black powder.

Modern pipeline maintenance requires advanced corrosion protection systems in order to prolong service cycles and to ensure reliable and sustainable operation features. Besides traditional application systems which make use of chemical crosslinking reactions for guaranteed protection one might consider a totally contradictionary approach in order to protect metal pipelines against the penetration of humidity and air: The proposal of an elastomeric polymer without any specific chemical functionality will exhibit new and unique aspects for sustainable corrosion protection repair projects. Properties and the tape application of the elastomer will be described. Possibilities to use elastomers as part of pipeline maintenance will be discussed. Where are the limits and where are the chances for materials that are not hard at all but tough enough to make the job ?

Onshore pipelines are constructed in much the same way, using similar types of equipment, as they were thirty years ago. Over the same period, the Offshore and Subsea Industries have been radically transformed by the implementation of new and novel technologies bringing with it reduced unit costs, improvements in productivity and a substantial extension in capability. The remaining untapped oil and gas reserves are increasingly found in remote, inaccessible regions, frequently requiring onshore pipelines to transport oil and gas production to customers. Pipeline transportation costs will therefore form an ever-increasing proportion of total field development costs as pipelines become longer in ever more demanding environments. Focus has therefore fallen on pipeline costs in a world where high steel prices and scarce equipment and skilled personnel has led to sprialling cost inflation. Working smarter to improve productivity and reduce unit costs via innovation and technology offers significant opportunities. These developments require a significant change in the way we address future pipeline projects and in particular the way we harness technology to meet these challenges.

Otto will discuss the challenge of building and developing a gas pipeline such as Urucu–Manaus, in the middle of Amazon rainforest, goes beyond conventional engineering solutions commonly used in this kind of contract. The development of this venture join a large variety of activities, from the several techniques of pipeline construction to the improvement of the skills of local workers, without leaving out important points such as integrated management of work, for instance, safety, environment care, health, communication with the involved parts, archeology, goods and services acquisition, telecommunications and the means of transportation of equipments and workers.

Managing more than 300 numbers of ageing pipelines required significant effort to ensure all pipelines are in good condition. Any pipelines leaks will mean lost of production, damage to environment and jeopardize company reputation. Ensuring all pipelines being managed properly without losing focus and priority, in 2000, PETRONAS Carigali Sdn Bhd, (PCSB) has embarked into managing pipeline integrity based on risk approach instead of traditional way which is time based. Risk based approach is utilizing all pipelines inspection data and corrosion monitoring data prior to decision to plan for next pipeline inspection and develop way forward for pipeline integrity management for each of pipeline. It will also analyze the consequences of failure of each pipeline in term of environment, business and people safety. To prioritize which pipeline require more focus and urgency, pipeline will be risk ranked accordingly based on their condition and consequences of failure/ The paper will share the experience of PCSB in managing ageing pipeline integrity based on risk approach

Oil and gas pipelines have significant potential for enhancing stability and improving living standards in the host countries. Pipeline projects require significant investments to diversify upstream energy supply, downstream security of demand and enhanced midstream transport infrastructure to increase market access and interconnectivity for both. Nevertheless, considerable risks are attached to pipeline projects. Those risks pertain to the techno-economic viability of the projects, security aspects and the investment climate in the region. However, those risks can be seen as challenges that have to be faced to make the projects successful. This presentation will elaborate on the technical risks as well as on the commercial, financial and contractual arrangements required for a successful oil and gas pipeline project. This presentation will also present a risk analysis and risk mitigation methodology and address the concerns of the stakeholders in relation to pipeline projects.

Pipelines have an exceptional importance in oil and gas industries as several thousand kilometers of pipelines are commissioned every year. With continuous exploitation of energy resources, the demand for high strength pipelines steel for sour gas services is considerably increasing. In addition to the stringent requirements on mechanical properties, the pipelines steel for sour environment also need adequate resistance to hydrogen induced cracking (HIC). As one of the main suppliers of pipelines steel, SABIC has developed the technical capabilities to satisfy the large regional demand of pipelines for both sour and non sour applications. This presentation gives an overview of the recent developments, challenges and manufacturing technologies of the high performance API steel grades for sour and non sour applications.

Modern pipeline maintenance requires advanced corrosion protection systems in order to prolong service cycles and to ensure reliable and sustainable operation features. Besides traditional application systems which make use of chemical crosslinking reactions for guaranteed protection one might consider a totally contradictionary approach in order to protect metal pipelines against the penetration of humidity and air: The proposal of an elastomeric polymer without any specific chemical functionality will exhibit new and unique aspects for sustainable corrosion protection repair projects. Properties and the tape application of the elastomer will be described. Possibilities to use elastomers as part of pipeline maintenance will be discussed. Where are the limits and where are the chances for materials that are not hard at all but tough enough to make the job ?

South Pars gas field is located in the Persian Gulf and as a common field with Qatar forms one of the biggest non-associated gas fields in the world with gas in place of 14 Tcm and condensate in place of 19.5 Bbbl.Iranian section of South Pars with an area of 3700 km2 has been divided to 24 blocks (phases) to be developed from year 1997. Iranian Offshore Engineering and Construction Company (IOEC) has had a main role in offshore section of South Pars projects including jackets, platforms and subsea pipelines since development of phase 1. One of the ongoing projects of IOEC is development of offshore facilities of South Pars Phase 12 which includes 450 km subsea pipeline and 3 offshore production platforms. In this presentation technical and operational challenges of this project would be reviewed considering its inherent characteristics such as transportation of high pressure-high temperature severe sour gas in the form of 3-phase flow together with other operational limitations

The presentation outlines some effective integrity management strategies for a safe and cost effective operation of pipelines. Cover the following themes: A lifetime strategy for pipeline integrity; management – from design to operatio; How to re-qualify ageing pipelines for extended lifetime operation – philosophy, methods and data management tools – requirements;The next generation pipeline management tool – integrated solutions and finally the SmartPipe concept.

Markus Rieder is Head of the Department for Rehabilitation and Material at ILF Consulting Engineers in Munich, Germany and leads national and international pipeline rehabilitation projects. His presentation will summarize their procedural method of pipeline system evaluation, focusing on the design of the improvements and the implementation of these rehabilitation measures.

John Tiratsoo is currently editor of the independent UK-based on-line magazine Global Pipeline Monthly, the successor to Pipeline World. Prior to this, he achieved chartered (professional) status as a civil engineer and spent his early career building roads and bridges in the UK for the Department of Transport. John has initiated a number of successful conference series, dealing with pipeline pigging, pipeline integrity, and with pipeline risk management and reliability. These events are now held in Houston, Amsterdam, and elsewhere, and are combined with an increasingly-successful series of industry-based training courses. The series of conferences on pipeline pigging has resulted in three editions of the book Pipeline Pigging Technology, which John has also edited and published. In 2000, John started editing and publishing the Journal of Pipeline Integrity to offer an opportunity for scientific papers covering this subject an opportunity of being widely disseminated. After five successful years, the Journal has now been renamed as the Journal of Pipeline Engineering, which allows papers on a wider range of pipeline-interests an opportunity of publication. John has also been one of the key movers in the recent establishment of the Professional Institute of Pipeline Engineers, one of the main aims of which is to promote pipeline engineering as a discrete discipline in the wider field of engineering, a well as to provide status and accreditation to those who practice the discipline.