8
World Pipelines
/
MARCH 2016
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON EVENTS VISIT
Events DIARY
20 - 24 March 2016
2016 No-Dig Show
Dallas, USA
/
4 - 8 April 2016
Tube Düsseldorf 2016
Düsseldorf, Germany
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19 - 21 April 2016
MOC 2016
Alexandria, Egypt
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2 - 5 May 2016
Offshore Technology Conference
Houston, USA
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23 - 25 May 2016
Pipeline Technology Conference
Berlin, Germany
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29 May - 2 June 2016
Pipe Line Contractors Associaton
of Canada
Charlottetown, Canada
/
7 - 9 June 2016
Global Petroleum Show
Calgary, Canada
/
29 August - 1 September 2016
ONS 2016
Stavanger, Norway
/
12 - 15 September
Turbo Pump Symposia
Houston, USA
12 - 16 September 2016
IPLOCA Convention
Paris, France
/
W
o
rld News
➤
Trans-Pecos pipeline set for
construction
➤
Potential delays on Atlantic
Sunrise pipeline project
➤
Gazprom’s co-operation with
Russian pipe companies
➤
McDermott to name flagship
vessel
To read more about the articles go to
News Highlights
Newly proposed route for
Atlantic Coast pipeline
After being denied approval to run
through two national forests due to
concerns about endangered wildlife,
Dominion has now proposed a new route
for the Atlantic Coast pipeline.
The new route for the US$5 billion,
1.5 billion ft
3
natural gas the pipeline, is
intended to pass through West Virginia
and Virginia (USA).
The original route was denied after
environmental and wildlife concerns;
particular focus was on the endangered
salamanders, flying squirrels and red spruce
ecosystem restoration areas.
The US Forest Service – which must
support the pipeline in order for the route
to be approved – had stated that the line
was short of the “minimum requirements”
when it came to the safeguarding of
wildlife.
The route would have transported
natural gas through the Monongahela and
George Washington national forests.
Dominion has stated that it has been
working with the US Forest Service in
order to select the new course.
As a result, it has been confirmed by a
US Forest Service spokesman that a review
of the pipeline route is set to begin soon.
Although spokesman Jason Kirchner
assured that “the [US Forest Service’s]
screening will determine if the proposed
route meets required criteria for
protecting sensitive resources,” many still
oppose the pipeline, as it appears that
Dominion would reduce one-third of the
pipeline’s footprint through the new route,
but would add 30 miles to the already
550 mile project.
Staff Attorney for Appalachian
Mountain Advocates, Ben Luckett, argued:
“This new route would still cause dramatic
forest fragmentation through some of the
most high-quality forest habitat in our
region.”
Though the supporters of the Atlantic
Coats pipeline believe it will create jobs
and attract outside businesses who are
looking for cheap natural gas from the
fracking fields in West Virginia, many still
hold the concern of environmental
damages and the impact the pipeline will
have on the endangered wildlife.
Innovative drone seals pipeline leaks
The United Arab Emirates’ National Drones for
Good Award has been awarded to the
‘Buildrone’ team from Imperial College London.
The drone is able to detect an oil or gas
pipeline leak, before ‘printing’ off material that
can be used as a sealant. The team was led by
student Talib Alhinai.
Alhinai stated: “Compared to current
methods where humans have to maintain
pipelines, our approach offers major time and
cost savings while simultaneously reducing risks
to engineers when doing inspection and repair
tasks.”
The drone has the ability of repairing leaks
by depositing liquid polyurethane foam on the
pipeline, which expands in five minutes after
coming into contact with the air, thus
effectively sealing the area.
Expanding on the question of whether this
type of technology is a global necessity, Alhinai
answered: “Oil spills in vulnerable environments
[and] leaks from cracked pipelines are a major
hazard and can endanger humans, the
ecosystem and lead to substantial financial
losses. Recent examples of pipeline leaks
include: the toxic spill of cancerous chemicals in
the Yellowstone River in the US; a leak in
Alberta, Canada, where 5 million l of oil polluted
the environment; and a gas pipeline explosion
that killed five people in Mexico.”
