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Types of Pipelines

 There are two general types of energy pipelines – oil


pipelines and natural gas pipelines. Within each
group are subsets that serve very specific portions of
the energy marketplace.
 Within the oil pipeline network there are both crude
oil lines and refined product lines.
 Crude oil is also subdivided in to 'Gathering Lines' and
'Trunk Lines.'

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Gathering lines
 These are very small pipelines usually from 2 to 8
inches in diameter in the areas of the country in which
crude oil is found deep within the earth.
 It is estimated that there are between 30,000 to 40,000
miles of these small gathering lines located primarily
in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Wyoming with
small systems in a number of other oil producing
states.
 These small lines gather the oil from many wells, both
onshore and offshore, and connect to larger trunk lines
measuring from 8 to 24 inches in diameter.

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Trunk Lines
 Trunk lines include a few very large lines, such as the
Trans Alaska Pipeline System, which is 48 inches in
diameter.
 The larger cross-country crude oil transmission
pipelines bring crude oil from producing areas to
refineries.
 There are approximately 55,000 miles of crude oil
trunk lines in the U.S.

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Refined Product Pipelines
 The next group of oil pipelines are those carrying
refined petroleum products – gasoline, jet fuel, home
heating oil and diesel fuel.
 These pipelines deliver petroleum products to large fuel
terminals with storage tanks to be loaded into tanker
trucks.
 Trucks cover the last few miles to make local deliveries
to gas stations and homes. Major industries, airports
and electrical power generation plants are supplied
directly by pipeline.

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Refined Products Pipelines
 The nation's crude oil pipelines transport crude oil
from oilfields to refineries, where the oil is turned into
dozens of useful products such as gasoline, home
heating oil, jet fuel, diesel, lubricants and the raw
materials for fertilizer, chemicals and pharmaceuticals.
 Products pipelines then transport refined products to
terminals or local distribution centers.
 Refined products are then distributed to the
companies and consumers who rely on a steady and
economically transported supply of these products.

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 Most gasoline and diesel fuel supplies are delivered to
the marketplace by pipelines - from refineries to local
distribution centers.
 Tanker trucks carry gasoline only the last few miles of
the trip to individual service stations. Major American
airports rely almost entirely on pipelines, and have
dedicated pipelines to deliver jet fuel directly to the
airport.
 Almost all plastics are made from resins and other raw
materials derived from oil.

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Natural Gas Pipelines
 Natural gas is found in many of the same areas of the
country as crude oil and is collected through small
gathering systems and moved to gas processing plants,
where impurities are removed.
 The gathering lines move natural gas to large cross-
country transmission pipelines.
 Natural gas, unlike oil, is delivered directly to homes
and businesses through local distribution lines.
 Large distribution lines, called mains, move the gas
close to cities. These main lines, along with the much
smaller lines to homes and businesses, deliver natural
gas under streets in almost every city and town.
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Who Operates the Nation's Pipelines?
 The network of oil and natural gas pipelines that serve the
country is not a single entity.
 Larger group of pipeline systems are owned and operated by
companies who are only pipeline operators and who are not
involved in other aspects of the oil industry.
 There are also those companies, like a power plant or a
chemical plant, who may operate a small pipeline system to
bring fuel to the plant or to move feedstocks from one plant
to another.
 Natural gas pipelines run the gamut from large, regional
companies to small, municipal gas systems and everything in
between.
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Who Watches Out for Pipeline Safety?

 First and foremost... pipeline companies are


responsible for the safety and reliability of their own
pipeline systems.
 Additionally, federal and state regulators oversee
compliance with a host of regulatory requirements.
 Almost all aspects of the pipeline business and
pipeline operations are regulated.
 The safety aspects of pipeline operations are audited
and inspected frequently by the federal Office of
Pipeline Safety (FOPS) in cooperation with the states
in which pipelines are located.
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 When new oil pipelines are being considered, operators
must work with both state and federal permitting
agencies, which are responsible for protecting wetlands,
wildlife, ecosystems, and drinking water resources.
 Whenever new pipe is installed in the ground, workers
are protected by requirements of the Safety and Health
Administration.
 Facilities including pipeline terminals and tank farms fall
under local requirements based on codes published by
the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
 The tariffs pipelines charge for the transportation
services they provide are overseen by the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC).
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How Safe are Pipelines?
 Pipeline systems are recognized as both the safest
transportation mode and the most economical way of
distributing the vast quantities of oil from production
fields to refineries and from refineries to consumers.
 Oil pipelines are usually the only feasible way to
transport significant volumes by land over long
distances. Without pipelines, our streets and highways
would be overwhelmed by the trucks trying to keep up
with the nation’s demand for petroleum products.
 Deaths and injuries resulting from oil pipeline
transportation are very rare but do occur occasionally.
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Compressor Stations
 To ensure that the natural gas flowing through any one
pipeline remains pressurized, compression of this
natural gas is required periodically along the pipe.
 Compressor stations also usually contain some type of
liquid separator, much like the ones used to dehydrate
natural gas during its processing.
 The liquid separators at compressor stations ensure that
the natural gas in the pipeline is as pure as possible, and
usually filters the gas prior to compression.

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Metering Stations
• Metering stations are placed periodically along
interstate natural gas pipelines.
• These stations allow pipeline companies to monitor
and manage the natural gas in their pipes.
• These metering stations measure the flow of gas along
the pipeline, and allow pipeline companies to 'track'
natural gas as it flows along the pipeline
• These metering stations employ specialized meters to
measure the natural gas as it flows through the
pipeline, without impeding its movement
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Valves
 Interstate pipelines include a great number of valves
along their entire length. These valves work like
gateways.
 These large valves can be placed every 5 to 20 miles
along the pipeline, and are subject to regulation by
safety codes.

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Pig Launcher
 Used for launching & despatching pigs to the outgoing
pipeline.
 After the pig is launched into the pipeline, it is trapped
at the other end of the pipeline by Pig Receiver.

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Pigging
The main function of pigs are :
 To clean and remove debris
 For pre-inspection & certification of newly built
pipeline.
 To maximize efficiency and ensure continuous
operation by removing pipeline deposits.
 To monitor corrosion and damage on the internal
surface of the pipeline.

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Gas Compression Facility
 Booster stations are required every few kms to
maintain the pressures in the pipeline.

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Filter/Coalescer
 Filter/Coalescer is used for the cleaning of the arriving
gas from dust particles and for removal of any
entrained liquid from the gas.

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Pipeline Risks
 Internal corrosion & cracking
 Internal erosion
 Mechanical impact
 Fatigue
 Geo-technical forces
 Growth of material defects
 Over pressurization

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SCADA
 Overall monitoring & control of pipeline
 Leak Detection
 Pipeline efficiency monitoring
 Monitoring movement of pigs
 Gas quality detection
 Early warning of adverse operating condition
 Automatic shut down of the valves

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The End…………………….

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