An internship report on SNGPL

SUBMITTED TO

GM SNGPL Islamabad

SUBMITTED BY

HAMZA ASMAT DDP-FA14-BEC-039

Department of Chemical Engineering

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Lahore
 Table of contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT .. 5
PREFACE...............................................................................................................................................6
Internship Objectives..................................................................................................................7
1. An Introduction to (SNGPL)..... 8
1.1 Vision Statement . 9

1.2 Mission Statement... 9

1.3 Services. 9

1.4 Natural Gas... 9

Gas Sources.... 10

2. SNGPLs Distribution Department ...... 11

2.1 Operations of Distribution .. 11

2.2 Departments of SNGPL ]........... 11

3. GENERAL... 12

3.1Gas Network.. 12

3.2 Important Terms... 12

4. Working of Distributions Departments.. 14

4.1 Development.. 14

4.1.1 Sizing.... 15

4.1.2 Pre-Treatment of Pipelines before installations ... 16

4.1.3 Installations .. 17

4.2 U.F.G.C .. 18

4.2.1 Electronic Volume Corrector .... 20

4.2.2 Types of EVC ..... 20

4.3 Operation & Maintenance . 22

4.4 Metering ... 23

4.4.1 Methods used for Gas Measurement . 24

4.4.2 Volume Measurement through Gas Meters .. 24

4.4.3 Gas Meters .. 25

A. Positive Displacement Meters 25

B. Inferential Meters .. 27

4.5 Metering Workshop . 30

4.5.1 Standardization of domestic meters .. 31

4.5.2 Standardization of industrial meters .. 31

4.6 Corrosion Control . 32

4.6.1 Mission.... 32

4.6.2 Types of Corrosion ... 32

4.6.3 Corrosion Protection .... 34

COMMENTS. 35
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First of all thanks to ALLAH Almighty. We have taken efforts in this project;
however, it would not have been possible without the kind support and help of
many individuals of SNGPL.
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to all of them. We are highly indebted
to HR department Lahore, and Admin Officer (ISB), who permitted our training
program in Islamabad.
We would like to express our gratitude towards the members of [SNGPL (D)
Islamabad] for their kind co-operation. We extend our special regards to the
Heads of all the four departments under whom we completed our training. We
thank them for providing us with necessary information regarding their respective
department and also for their kind support in completing this report.
Our thanks and appreciations also go to our Parents and University Administration
for helping us in availing this Internship program.
 PREFACE

In our four week internship at Sui Northern Gas Pipe Lines Limited (SNGPL)
Islamabad, we were sent to Distribution Headquarters where we visited different
departments under Distribution and observed their working procedures.
We were taught a lot of new things mainly how to deal with professionals. We got
acquaintance with their professional dealing. We also learned the applications of
Chemical Engineering regarding the flow properties of Natural Gas, the main fluid
of SNGPL.
This report includes a brief introduction to the departments of [SNGPL (D)]. We
have thrown light to their objectives and responsibilities.
 Internship Objectives
To solidify the ideal concepts of
chemical Engineering
To observe and learn
managerial aspects of
Professional life
 1. An introduction to SNGPL:
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) is the largest integrated gas company,
built in 1963.

It has 46 years of experience in operation and maintenance of high-pressure
gas transmission and distribution systems.

Serving more than 3.4 million consumers in North Central Pakistan (Punjab
and Khyber Pakhtoon khwa)

It has undertaken planning, designing and construction of pipelines, both for
itself and other organizations

The distribution activities covering1,624 main towns along with adjoining
villages in Punjab & Khyber Pakhtoon Khwa are organized through 8
regional offices.
1.1 Vision Statement

To be the leading integrated natural gas provider

To improve the quality of life of our customers
Achieve maximum benefit for our stakeholders
Uninterrupted and environment friendly energy resource.

1.2 Mission Statement

A commitment to deliver natural gas to all door steps in their chosen areas
through continuous expansion of their network, by optimally employing
technological, human and organizational resources, best practices and high
ethical standards.

1.3 Services

Construction of transmission and distribution pipeline networks

Compressor station design / planning and installation

Project planning and permissions

Preliminary cost and design estimates

Surveying

Mapping

Station automation & control, SCADA

Construction of gas pressure reduction and custody transfer meter stations

1.4 Natural Gas:

Natural gas is found in gaseous form naturally, underground at varying depths,
comprised primarily of methane, natural gas is odorless and colorless. Prior to
distribution, a harmless odorant is added so that any leakage can be easily
detected before an unsafe situation occurs. It is also a

Cleanest burning fuel, as it emits only CO2 and water vapor.

It is lighter than air and dissipates easily into atmosphere.
 2. SNGPLS Distribution Department:
SNGPL's Distribution department is responsible for the safe, reliable and efficient
distribution of natural gas through the utility pipes to customers,
(Domestic/Commercial/Industrial/Special Domestic). The department has

Its own development, planning and metering staff

8 regional offices
3.35M domestic consumers
52,242 Commercial consumers
5953 Industrial consumers
Consists of 67,449 KM of pipeline.

2.1 Operations of distribution

Physical connection
Lay down service lines
Pipe fitting
Coat and wrap materials
Consumer meter station

2.2 Departments of SNGPL [D]:

Here is the list of Departments we visited during our training

Development
U.F.G.C
Operation/Maintenance
Metering
Metering workshop
Corrosion
 3. GENERAL

3.1 Gas Network:

Gas well ----------> Separation ----------- > Purification ------------ > Transmission-Lines

(1000-3000 psi) ----200km----- > Compressor Station ---------- > SMS (100-200 psi)

------------- > Distribution Lines (100-200 psi) ------------- > TBS --------- > DRS ----------

> CMS (30-35 psi)

3.2 Important Terms:

Distribution System
A general term applied to all Company owned pipelines from the outlet of SMSs to
the outlet of CMSs and all pressure regulation stations, C.P. stations, metering
stations located on these.

Transmission and transmission pressure

The transportation of gas from the gas fields to various centers of distribution
including all pipeline operations and maintenance work connected with it. All
pressures in excess of 275 psig (maximum distribution pressure) will be termed as
Transmission pressure.

Sales Meter Station (SMS)

These are installations designed to reduce/control the pressure of gas and
measure the quantity of gas being fed into a distribution system.
Consumer Metering Station (CMS)
It is the installation designed to reduce/control the pressure of gas and measure
the quantity of gas being fed into a consumers houseline. These are Terminal
points
Of the Companys distribution system

Supply Main S/M

These are gas mains installed for the purpose of transporting gas from a source of
supply (SMS or another supply main) to one or more large volume consumers or
to interconnect supply mains. Operation pressure limits are 60-150 psig.

Feeder Mains F/M

These are gas mains installed for the purpose of distribution of gas within a town.
They feed gas into various District Main Systems directly or through a District
Regulator Station (DRS). Operating pressure limits are 30-60 psig.
4. Working of Distributions Departments

4.1 Development

Planning & Development department is responsible for Survey & Design,

Geographical Information System (GIS), Mapping and Contracts. AutoCAD
release 2008 software is used as drafting tool.
Planning, Survey and design of new transmission pipeline system,
distribution supply mains and augmentation of existing transmission /
distribution system.
Development of Geographical information System (GIS) maps of natural gas
distribution network and transmission pipelines.
The jobs of Development department are given below

4.1.1 Sizing

Gas Mains are sized for the gas loads provided by the Sales Department
using standard gas Flow Formulas, and the standard pressure drops for
various categories of mains. 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 nominal dia,
will be used.
Load estimation

To estimate the load for a CMS standard measures are used:

3
For domestic line 1 house = 35 ft

3
1 commercial (industries and CNG) = 150 ft

if there are 100 houses in a town then the load will be estimated as;

= 3.5 mcf

Where,

Mcf = (thousand cubic feet of gas)

3
SNGPL defines one cu-ft as a volume of gas which occupies 1 cuft space at a
pressure of 14.65 psia and 60F called base condition.
4.1.2 Pre-Treatment Before Installations of Pipe Lines

Cleaning of pipe

Prior to installations, Pipe surface should be free from all loose mill scale,
welding residue, corrosion products, dirt oil, grease, old coatings, paint,
moisture and other foreign materials.
Cleaning is done either manually by using wire brushes or by sand blasting
machine.

Priming

Pipeline primer shall be applied immediately after the cleaning of the pipe
surface just prior to the coating wrapping.
The pipe surface shall be dry at the time the primer is applied.
Primer may be applied by spray type or brush.

Welding

Welding shall be carried out on the pipe placed in a fixed horizontal

position.

Proper night cap shall be installed on the welded pipe lengths on the close
of the work at site daily.

Test of piping for tightness

All distribution lines should be tested with air at 1.5 time the maximum
operating pressure of the line i.e.
o Supply main to be tested at 250 psig (op pressure is 150 psig)
o Distribution lines to be tested at 100 psig (op pressure is 60psig)
 After successful completion of the test, the lines shall be purged with air for
removal of any foreign material.
Before introduction of gas a slug of inert gas (N2 or CO2) shall be introduced
into the pipe to avoid formation of explosive air gas mixture.

Commissioning

Before turning on gas into piping, all openings from which gas can escape should
be closed. Immediately after turning gas into piping the system shall be checked
as follows: -

Checking for leakage can be done by carefully watching the test dial of the
meter with test hand on the upstroke for a sufficient length of time when it
should NOT indicate any movement.
If the houseline test proves to be O.K. then the piping shall be purged and a
small gas burner lighted on it. If the meter dial hand does not move nor the
meter does not register flow of gas through the meter then the meter is
defective and should be replaced.

4.1.3 Installations

Home line installations are done at Low Pressure (pressure in homes is 1

or less than 1 psi)
Whereas Industrial/Commercial installations are done at High Pressure
e.g.
o Industries (40-50 psi)
o CNG stations (20-35 psi)
4.2 U.F.G.C

U.F.G.C stands for Unaccounted for Gas Control, it is the loss of gas which can
be stated as

U.F.G = Purchased gas - sold gas

This department deals with the possible control over the losses of Natural Gas,
Which are mainly caused by:

i. Leakages

ii. Under Billing

iii. Theft

i. Leakages

Leakage is the action of unmeasured gas passing from a

Transmission/distribution system to the outside atmosphere. Leaks can
occur on pipe walls at welded, screwed or flanged connections, at couplings
and at valve stems.
 Gas leakages are detected by its odor (the smell of added odorant).
Leakages are caused when the pipe joints are damaged or there are holes
on pipe surface due to the pressure of sewerage pipes lying along or above
them or when they are corroded or eroded.

Pipe replacements or electrical welding are done to over come these

leakages.

ii. Under Billing

This type of loss is caused by error in noting down the reading of meters,
owing to the un-awareness of meter readers, or some technical error in
mechanical counter of the meter.

These losses can be minimized by arranging proper training programs for

the meter readers, and by replacing the suspected meters.

iii. Thef

Theft is the major and an increasing cause of Gas losses in many regions
of the country. The common way of gas theft is tempering of meters.
Here are listed some of the theft anomalies through which a consumer
can be suspected, these are:

Miss match between the reading of EVC (Electronic Volume Corrector) and
mechanical counter of the meter.
Non-zero fault volume (it is the volume on which T,P factors are not
accommodated by disturbing the T,P probes of EVC)
Running load of consumer is more than the reported load to company.
 Sealed wires of meters in a non-rigid of flexible state.
Miss match between last 3-digits of Seal on meter and Insert.
Lose wires passing through oil plugs of meters as these places are most
likely to use for tempering of meters.
The CMS inside the consumer premises is also suspected.

4.2.1 Electronic Volume Corrector (EVC)

Since Natural Gas is a compressible fluid its volume is a function of temperature

and pressure.

Electronic volume corrector (EVC) allows for compensation of live pressure,

temperature and super-compressibility. EVC is actually a dedicated
microcomputer that takes metered volume in the form of pulses and uses
transducers to measure gas pressure and temperature and hence corrects the
metered volume. The basic design of the EVC allows for very accurate
measurements and long term reliability. It has some inherent qualities:

Conversion error of 0.5% or better

Large, easy to read dual display eliminates need for confusing parameter
codes by displaying numeric value along with the associated description
Mechanical backup counter
Gauge pressure displayed

4.2.2 Types of EVC

Dresser (PTZ or IMC)

EL-Gas (mini elcor, elcor 1, elcor 2)
Mercury
Dresser and EL-gas are more common, their hourly, weekly and monthly data can
be retrieved on laptops by connecting data cable to data output port of EVC and
thus analyzed for suspected consumers to check and report for gas thefts.

In addition to this, on industrial CMSs solar panels are installed which provide
online monitoring of EVC data through GPRS.
 4.3 OPERATION & MAINTENANCE

O & M Department deals with the rectification of customers complaints on daily

basis.

Department has its welding section and welding teams which deals with
emergency rectification of complaints
Usually the complaints are about leakages (on or underground leakages)
Laser detectors are used to identify underground leakages
Meter replacements and disconnection of suspected meters is also done
Maintenance of valves , shifting of meters and service lines form old lines to
now lines is also dealt
Help line number is 1199
The minimum rectification limit is 24 hours.
4.4 METERING

Metering Department is responsible for accurate measurement of gas,

operation and maintenance of all metering and regulating stations having
following major scope of work.
Operation and maintenance of instruments like Valves, Regulators, Relief
Valves, Electronic Volume Corrector, Meters etc.
Calibration of Instruments such as Pressure / Temperature Recorders,
Calorimeters, Gauges etc.
Design of metering and Regulating Stations
Schedule meter replacement
Operation and Augmentation of Distribution network
Repair of all types of meters at Central and Regional meter shops and
generation of impartial and accurate Meter Inspection Report

WHY THE GAS SHOULD BE MEASURED?

To know the volume of gas being consumed by each consumer for the
purpose of billing (revenue collection)
Standardize the measurement for each customer, everybody should be
treated equally
For the reconciliation of the system
To minimize the measurement losses
4.4.1 Methods Used for Gas Measurement

Fixed factor measurement

A very precise regulator is installed upstream of the meter.

High Pressure Measurement

By the use of volume correctors or P/T recorders.

4.4.2 Volume Measurement through Gas Meters

For the continuous measurement, rate of flow is determined by time period

in which the volume has passed, Gas meters are used for this purpose.
 4.4.3 Gas Meters

A. Positive Displacement Meters

These meters measures the known volume of gas in the fixed chamber and
displaces this volume. The number of fixed volumes displaced is calibrated to
provide volume of gas passed through the meter on its index. These meters have
deformable chamber walls in which volume of gas fills and displaces out. Their
types are:

i. Diaphragm Meters
These are most common meters.

Within the meter there are two or more chambers

formed by movable diaphragms.
With the gas flow directed by internal valves, the
chambers alternately fill and expel gas, producing
a near continuous flow through the meter.
As the diaphragms expand and contract, levers
connected to cranks convert the linear motion of
the diaphragms into rotary motion of a crank shaft
which serves as the primary flow element.
This shaft can drive a counter mechanism or it
can produce electrical pulses for a flow computer.
ii. Rotary Meters
Rotary meters are highly machined precision instruments
capable of handling higher volumes and pressures than
diaphragm meters.
Within the meter, there are, two figure "8" shaped lobes,
the rotors (also known as impellers or pistons), spin in
precise alignment.
With each turn, they move a specific quantity of gas
through the meter.
The rotational movement of the crank shaft serves as a primary flow
element and may produce electrical pulses for a flow computer or may
drive an odometer-like counter.
 B. Inferential Meters

These meters do not directly measure the volume of gas but uses some property
of fluid flow to inference the gas volume. Usually velocity of fluid stream is
measured through the fixed Area and volume is computed by using formula

Q = VA

i. Turbine meters
Gas turbine meters are velocity sensing devices
A turbine meter introduces a restriction (called a nose cone) of known
cross-sectional area into the gas stream

The direction of flow through the meter is parallel to a turbine rotor axis
The speed of rotation of the turbine rotor is nominally proportional to
the rate of flow
Gas volumes are inferred from the rotations of the turbine rotor
ii. Orifice Meters
An orifice gas meter consists of a straight length of pipe inside which a
precisely known orifice creates a pressure drop, thereby affecting the
flow.
Orifice meters infer the rate of gas flow by measuring the pressure
difference across a deliberately designed and installed flow disturbance.

The gas static pressure, density, viscosity, and temperature must be

measured or known in addition to the differential pressure for the meter to
accurately measure the fluid.
Orifice meters often do not handle a large range of flow rates.
However, they are easy to field-service and have no moving parts.
iii. Sonic Meters
The Sonic meters are based on ultrasonic and electronic platform.
They are more complex than meters that are purely mechanical, as they
require significant signal processing and computation capabilities.
Ultrasonic meters measure the speed of gas
movement by measuring the speed at which
sound travels in the gaseous medium within
the pipe.
Ultrasonic meters are high-cost and work
best with no liquids present at all in the
measured gas.
Primarily used in high-flow, high-pressure
applications such as utility pipeline meter
stations, where the gas is always dry and lean.

Following are also the jobs of metering department

Obtaining copy of program of checking, inspecting, and flow proving of meters

installed at meter stations, from workshop and to check a record maintained for

Meter stations.

Meters.

Valves.

Filters.
4.5 Metering workshop

The central metering workshop is situated in Lahore; however, on

regional level there are three Metering Workshops at Islamabad, Multan
and Faisalabad.
The Regional Workshop performs check over domestic and industrial
meters (16M capacity) only and on the following lines
Internal Tampering, Reparability checking
Flow Proving
Flow Chart for Checking/Repairing of Meters
Receipt of Meters
Repairing/Overhauling
Repair Card
Leakage Testing
Flow Proving
If not within Accuracy
Repairable
Meter Seal Checking
If not Repairable
Within Accuracy
Repair Area
Painting
Dispatch Area
Initiate Scrapping
Resealing & Dispatching
There are two types of meters which are used at domestic level.

i. Remus meters
ii. G 4 meters

Repairing of Remus meter is easy, but in the case of error in a G4 meter the
whole internal body needs to be replaced.

4.5.1 Standardization of a Domestic Meter

Flow proving is employed for the standardization of new and faulty meters
Five meters in series are connected with the standard meter (calibrated)
A known flow of Air is passed through standard meter and then in series to
all the connected meters and the reading of every meter is noted down
A tolerance of +2 is acceptable between the reading of a testing and
standard meter
leakage is checked by putting all the meters in a soapy water bath, if any
kind of leakage is present then bubbles are produced in water.

4.5.2 Standardization of an Industrial Meter

In case of industrial meters we can standardized them by using flow

proving machine.
4.6 Corrosion Control

Corrosion is the electrochemical oxidation of metals in reaction with an

oxidant such as oxygen. It can be concentrated locally to form a pit or crack or
it can expand across the whole surface.
The jobs of corrosion department is

To protect all company underground pipeline from corrosion

To ensure optimal use of utilization of pipelines
To enable continuous, safe and reliable delivery of Natural Gas
To avoid any adverse effect on environment, people and assets
4.6.1 Mission
To protect pipeline through Cathodic Protection (CP)
To prevent, detect, mitigate corrosion and assessment of pipeline integrity
by applying best engineering practices
To maintain safe and high technical standards to ensure continuous and
reliable delivery
4.6.2 Types of corrosion

Galvanic Corrosion
Pitting Corrosion
Crevice Corrosion
High temperature Corrosion
Galvanic corrosion
Galvanic corrosion is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes
preferentially to another when both metals are in electrical contact and immersed
in an electrolyte.

One way is to electrically insulate the two metals from each other.
Unless they are in electrical contact, there can be no galvanic couple set
up. This can be done using plastic or another insulator to separate
pipelines of different metals.

Pitting Corrosion

Pitting corrosion, or pitting, is a form of extremely localized corrosion that leads

to the creation of small holes in the metal.

The driving power for pitting corrosion is the depassivation of a small area,
which becomes anodic while an unknown but potentially vast area becomes
cathodic, leading to very localized galvanic corrosion. The corrosion penetrates
the mass of the metal, with limited diffusion of ions

Crevice Corrosion

Crevice corrosion is a corrosion occurring in spaces to which the access of the

working fluid from the environment is limited. These spaces are generally
called crevices. Examples of crevices are gaps and contact areas between parts,
under gaskets or seals
4.6.3 Corrosion Protection

Surface treatments
Reactive coatings
Cathodic protection

Surface treatments

Plating, painting, and the application of enamel are the most common
anti-corrosion treatments.
They work by providing a barrier of corrosion-resistant material between
the damaging environment and the structural material.

Reactive coatings

If the environment is controlled corrosion inhibitors can often be added to it.

These form an electrically insulating and/or chemically impermeable coating on
exposed metal surfaces, to suppress electrochemical reactions. Such methods
obviously make the system less sensitive to scratches or defects in the coating,
since extra inhibitors can be made available wherever metal becomes exposed.

Cathodic protection

Cathodic protection (CP) is a technique to control the corrosion of a metal

surface by making that surface the cathode of an electrochemical cell. Cathodic
protection systems are most commonly used to protect steel, water, and fuel
pipelines and tanks; steel pier piles, ships, and offshore oil platforms.
COMMENTS

The experience at SNGPL distribution office was very delightful. We were taught
managerial aspects and also learnt the engineering applications.

But we want to make a humble request to SNGPL administrations to

accommodate the students in Transmission Headquarters where they will be able
to learn practical applications of fluid flow equipments like Compressors turbine
etc, their major field of interest.

With this note we once again pay our regards to SNGPL and wish it a BEST
TOMORROW rather the better.