Innovations™ Magazine October - December 2014

*May also be used to launch standard cleaning, batching or inline inspection tools.
NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA +1 918 447 5400
EUROPE/AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST +32 67 28 3611
ASIA PACIFIC +65 6364 8520
OFFSHORE SERVICES +1 832 448 7200
Provides Double
Block and Bleed
features at pressures
up to 1,480 psi.
Advanced patented technology
for reliable performance in
high-pressure applications.
Reduces safety concerns
associated with pressurized
piping systems.
Helps reduce fitting
costs and welding time.
STOPPLE®
Train Double Block and Bleed technology from TDW.
Safety,
simplified.
® Registered trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. ™ Trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. © Copyright 2014 All rights reserved.T.D.Williamson, Inc.
To learn more about STOPPLE® Train technology, contact your
nearest TDW sales representative or visit www.tdwilliamson.com.

1
INNOVATIONS•OCTOBER-DECEMBER2014
2 | EXECUTIVE OUTLOOK
Dynamic and Sustainable:
Natural Gas Today
4 | GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Regional Commentary from
Industry Experts
6 | TECHNOLOGY FOCUS
Providing Better Insight
Into Geotechnical Hazards
and Effects
8 | SAFETY MATTERS
Cost-Recovery Promotes
Pipeline Safety
10 | FUTURE THINKING
Pushing Limits,
Celebrating Failures
12 | MARKET REPORT
Industry Effort to Fill
Data Gaps
20 | TOUCHPOINTS
Pipeline Events, Papers
and Conferences
28 | BY THE NUMBERS
Nine Steps to Double Double
Isolation & Bypass
14 | Distributing Innovation
Operators, regulators, and governments work together
to inspire innovation and help build a sustainable
future for gas distribution.
22 | Eliminate Risk: Expecting Ø Leaks,
Ø Mistakes, 100% of the Time.
Exploring the tangible benefits of first-time pipeline
isolation success rates.
D E P A R T M E N T S
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Jim Myers Morgan
MANAGING EDITOR Waylon Summers
ART DIRECTOR Joe Antonacci
DESIGN PRODUCTION Kat Eaton, Mullerhaus.net
DIGITAL PRODUCTION Jim Greenway, Ward Mankin
PHOTOGRAPHY Jeremy Charles, Ezequiel Scagnetti,
Rory Daniels, Catalin Marin
T.D. Williamson
North and South America +1 918 447 5000
Europe/Africa/Middle East +32 67 28 3611
Asia Pacific +65 6364 8520
Offshore Services +47 5144 3240
www.tdwilliamson.com
Want to share your perspective on anything in our magazine?
Send us an e-mail: Innovations@tdwilliamson.com
V O L . V I , N O . 4 | O C T O B E R - D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 4
Innovations™ Magazine is a quarterly publication produced by T.D. Williamson.
®Registered trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc. in the United States and other countries. ™ Trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
© Copyright 2014. All rights reserved by T.D. Williamson, Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Printed in the United States of America.
14
10 22

2
If I had to choose only two words to describe today’s global
natural gas market, they would be “dynamic” and “sustainable.”
It’s no secret that natural gas production is growing at an
unprecedented pace in the United States due to the surge in supply
from unconventional sources, primarily shale. Even in the face of
lower American domestic prices, which bottomed out at $2.50 per
thousand cubic feet in 2012, the United States continued to add
volume, largely because of the gas produced in conjunction with
shale oil and the lucrative business of NGLs.
This isn’t just an American story, of course.
Demand for natural gas is increasing worldwide, particularly
demand for natural gas as a base fuel for power generation and home
heating. Natural gas currently accounts for 22 percent of the world’s
energy mix, and the slice of the pie is expected to grow to 25 percent
in less than two decades. By 2025, in fact, natural gas is expected to
overtake coal as the world’s second-largest energy source, behind oil.
Countries like China, India, Indonesia, and Mexico are building
and expanding their gas distribution infrastructure as they gasify
cities. In the United States and other developed nations, the focus
is on maintaining and upgrading already extensive gas distribution
networks. And because capital flows to where there’s opportunity,
investment in these economies’ infrastructure is building swiftly.
At T.D. Williamson, we believe that rising natural gas production
is here for the foreseeable future and that its benefits will continue
to energize the larger global economy, creating win-win scenarios
for many countries. Look at how increased natural gas is creating a
manufacturing renaissance in the United States, particularly around
energy-intensive manufacturing like steel. In the petrochemical
industry, we are seeing not only the reshoring of American
companies, but strong investment from beyond its borders.
In my 15 years with T.D. Williamson, I’ve never seen
infrastructure investment rise so rapidly as it has in recent years.
Our customers are moving quickly, investing boldly, and making
big decisions. They need partners that are just as dynamic and
committed as they are, partners who can help them sustain the flow
of natural gas.
BY BOB MCGREW
VICE PRESIDENT AND
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER,
T.D. WILLIAMSON
E X E C U T I V E O U T L O O K
Dynamic and Sustainable:
Natural Gas Today

3
"At T.D. Williamson, we believe that rising
natural gas production is here for the
foreseeable future and that its benefits will
continue to energize the larger economy."

4
EUROPE | CASPIAN | RUSSIA
GlobalPerspective
City of Moscow.
Though the pace of economic recovery has impacted oil and gas
infrastructure investments within the region, renewed investment
is being stimulated by the European market’s desire to reduce its
dependence upon eastern energy sources. This desire has driven a
surge in new infrastructure developments and rehabilitation projects
to improve the versatility and flexibility of European assets. Such
versatility can potentially stress assets, especially aged ones,
leading to a need for more frequent, comprehensive and accurate
integrity assessments, asset uprating, and risk mitigation measures.
Within Russia there is a requirement to ensure uninhibited supply routes into Europe, often circumnavigating potential
political instability via offshore routes. Additionally, Russian producers wish to diversify their customer-base in order to
reduce their reliance on European consumers. This is evident in the historic energy agreement recently signed between
Russia and China, and the corresponding plans for major new pipeline infrastructure in eastern Siberia.
Technology plays a key role in these developments. With traditional compressor-spreads redundant in many of today’s
major deep-water projects – such as South Stream – operators require novel and effective flood-prevention measures. This
need has led to surging demand for solutions like SMARTLAY™ technology.
For an operator in this region to be considered a global player, they must attain consistent standards of pipeline integrity
and asset performance. This is driving increased demand for advanced pipeline integrity and intervention practices that can
leverage a steady return on long-term capital investments.
From Portugal to Ukraine, Norway to Siberia, across new assets and old, the year ahead will be an exciting one filled with
strategic partnerships to meet this region’s increasingly complex pressurized piping needs.
Johan Desaegher
REGIONAL DIRECTOR, T.D. WILLIAMSON

5
MIDDLE EAST | AFRICA
ASIA PACIFIC
Regional Commentary from the Industry's Foremost Experts
Geopolitical risk, social unrest, and pricing volatility are terms often associated with
the Middle East/Africa (MEA) region, but so is immense economic growth. Spreading from
the Maghreb and South Africa to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Iraq, MEA is a region of complex
and interrelated cultures, race, politics, languages and religion. Although diverse, the
region shares many common themes. One such theme: countries with higher break-even
costs are struggling to re-invest in major projects and development (i.e., Algeria, Libya and
Bahrain), while those with lower break-even costs are experiencing growth, at least from a
cash flow perspective (i.e., Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Saudi Arabia).
Despite the unique challenges of MEA — including governmental influence over policy,
surging populations, and a transition to private sector growth and stability — oil and gas investments in the cash-rich
countries continue to increase.
Due to the potential for such significant growth in energy infrastructure and transportation, MEA will remain attractive to
both foreign and domestic investors for many years to come.
Asia Pacific is a vast area area comprised of more than 40 countries, including India,
Australia, and China. Of these regions, China and India have the largest, most complicated
and fastest growing pipeline networks, each with more than 50,000 km (31,000 miles) of
transmission lines, several thousand kilometers of upstream gathering lines, and several
more thousand kilometers of distribution.
Although one of the most energy-hungry areas of the world, Asia Pacific (with the
exception of Australia) operates with less governmental focus on pipeline integrity and
regulation enforcement than most. Operators are often their own regulators, responsible
for developing and executing cleaning and inline inspection programs as they see fit.
However, even as government regulation is less in this region, operators across the globe share the economic pressure to avoid
shutdown. This being so, Asia Pacific operators must increasingly rely on hot tapping and isolation technologies, both on and
offshore, to maintain flow. Malaysia and Australia, in particular, depend on specialized remote controlled isolation technologies
for their unique offshore valve replacements. This growing need for pipeline expertise is driving operators to develop or adopt
best practices and to partner with pipeline service providers to meet the challenges of increasing energy demand.
Juan Chacin
Danny Haykal
• Saudi Arabia — Safania offshore field development,
Jizan refinery (under execution), Ras Tanura refinery
(under bidding), Midyan gas field (just awarded)
• Iraq — increasing production to more than 12 million
bpd over the next decade
• Libya — looking toward a licensing round for
international oil firms in the next few years
• Algeria — focusing on increased gas production to
supply gas-hungry Europe
• UAE — expanding gas production at the Shah and Bab
fields to cope with increasing industrial demand, and
looking to increase offshore oil production, such as at
the Umm Lulu field

Helping operators
gather more complete
information on the
effects of strain-
based events.
6
T E C H N O L O G Y F O C U S
Even in a world that prizes groundbreaking feats and values
groundbreaking thinking, ground instability is anything but a positive
event for pipeline operators. When ground instability taxes a pipeline
well beyond its typical working stress limits, any number of anomalies
can occur, including buckles, kinks, crack growth, and large, longitudinal
plastic deformation that might eventually lead to pipeline failure.
For onshore operators, the risk of pipeline strain is often associated
with earthquakes, landslides, or frost heave, although in the desert,
pipelines buried in hot, sandy soil have even been known to move
themselves. And offshore, seismic activity is often associated with
upheaval buckling.
Fortunately, ground movement-related pipeline incidents defined
by regulators as serious or significant are relatively rare – in Europe,
they amount to about seven percent of all incidents; in the United
States, that number is slightly lower, at five percent. But however low-
probability they may seem, pipeline incidents related to earth movement
aren’t cheap: according to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA), serious and significant ground movement
events in the United States during the last two decades have cost the oil
and gas industry nearly US$364 million.
Groundbreaking!
Technology provides better insight into
geotechnical hazards and effects.
GROUND MOVEMENT-RELATED PIPELINE
INCIDENTS IN THE UNITED STATES
COST TO THE OIL & GAS INDUSTRY
IN THE LAST TWO DECADES
5% $364MILLION

7
With a figure that steep, it’s easy to understand
why detecting, monitoring, and mitigating motion-
induced strain events have become an increasingly
high-profile, high-tech part of integrity management
— so much so, in fact, that two organizations have
recently sponsored Joint Industry Projects, or JIPs,
around the topic.
JIPs Encourage Detection And
Validation Of Strain-Based Events
A JIP is a way of creating knowledge in partnership,
looking for a solution to a specific problem that
requires fundamental or applied research. In the
United States, both the Virginia-based Pipeline
Research Council International (PRCI) and the
Center for Reliable Energy Systems (CRES), Dublin,
Ohio, have within the last few years organized JIPs to
help the pipeline industry understand how detecting
and validating the effects of ground movement strain
can aid in reaching pipeline integrity goals.
While a fair amount of PRCI’s work has
focused on strain-based
design for the construction
of new pipelines, the CRES
collaboration turned its
attention more to technology
deployment for assessing strain
events in existing pipelines.
CRES’ JIP group, which
included Kinder Morgan,
Spectra, T.D. Williamson, and
other operators, inspection
companies, and experts in
geotechnical science, materials,
welding, and mechanics, set about to identify:
� The chief geotechnical hazards causing
strain events.
� Inspection tools to detect related
pipeline damage.
� Material properties and flaw
characteristics that increase the likelihood
of damage from pipeline movement.
� Mitigation and monitoring activities.
CRES’ JIP findings were presented at the
Government/Industry Pipeline R&D Forum
sponsored by PHMSA in July 2012. The group
reported that even sophisticated strain capacity models
left something to be desired in terms of precision.
Among the group’s concerns, for example, was the
fact that the strain capacity tests were developed under
laboratory conditions. As such, the models measured
strain on straight, undamaged pipes, without taking
into account interacting defects, field bends, or load
differences that could occur on site.
The JIP suggested that to more accurately
determine the effects of ground movement events
on in-service pipelines, operators would need to fill
in missing data about material properties and flaw
characteristics; understand how longitudinal strains
interact with anomalies from corrosion or mechanical
damage; and employ better means of detecting and
monitoring flaws and fittings.
Moving Toward Better, More
Complete Information
Jed Ludlow, principal inline inspection (ILI) data
scientist for T.D. Williamson, applauds the JIP’s
work as part of the evolution helping to better
predict fitness-for-service in pipelines subjected to
ground movement. He also sees
advances in ILI technology as
further evidence of progress in
the right direction.
“For many years, in the
case of strain events, pipeline
operators had to rely on data
that was gathered from outside
the pipe, above ground, to
make integrity management
decisions,” Ludlow says. “That
meant there was no way to
really examine the entire length
or surface of the pipeline for anomalies. But
today, instead of relying on external data about
ground motion and wondering if the pipeline has
been affected, we can use sophisticated ILI to
examine every square inch of the pipeline, from
start to finish, using non-destructive evaluation
(NDE) techniques.
“For example, specific to strain events, by
running XYZ mapping tools and performing a
bending strain analysis, the operator now has a
complete picture of a pipe segment’s centerline
shape from end-to-end,” Ludlow explains.
And most operators will agree that this is
a groundbreaking step toward more complete
integrity management.
Although ground
movement causes less
than 10% of pipeline
incidents in the US
and Europe, the annual
associated costs figure
in the millions.

8
S A F E T Y M AT T E R S
Cost-Recovery Programs
Promote Pipeline Safety Projects
A cooperative
approach between
commissions, law
makers and operators
is driving pipeline
safety improvements.
With the popularity of natural gas surging around the globe,
more governments than ever are investing in pipeline safety. In Canada,
for example, the government is requiring more pipeline inspections.
And in England, a new regulatory model has been developed to reward
utilities for performance in several areas, including network safety.
In the United States, many of the safety projects taking place today
are being driven by state regulators and lawmakers who are embracing the
saying, “the carrot is better than the stick.”
In recent years, many local utility commissions in the United States
have worked with natural gas utilities on programs that enable operators
to recover the costs of accelerating replacement and modernization of
their infrastructure. As of mid-2014, the American Gas Association
(AGA) reported 38 states had some type of cost-recovery program in place,
and more are in the works.
“If you step back and look at the environment we’re in now, natural gas
is getting a lot of attention — and rightfully so,” says AGA Senior Vice
President and Chief Operating Officer Lori Traweek. “Many states are
looking for ways to expand natural gas infrastructure, and at the same time,
they want to make sure existing infrastructure is modernized and safe.”
Replaced With Confidence
One of the most important steps to pipeline safety is replacing
gas mains that may no longer be fit for service. Made of cast iron
or untreated steel, they can be susceptible to corrosion and leaks.
According to the United States Pipeline and Hazardous Materials
Safety Administration (PHMSA), there are more than 3.2 million
kilometers (2 million miles) of natural gas distribution mains and
service pipelines in place across the United States.
The good news, AGA says, is that during the last decade, natural
gas utilities have installed updated polyethylene lines at a rate of 48,000
kilometers (30,000 miles) per year, connecting new customers or
replacing older infrastructure. Today, only three percent of the entire
U.S. gas system utilizes cast iron mains.
By 2012, operators’ efforts to replace aging pipelines contributed
to nearly a 90 percent decrease in serious pipeline incidents within
the United States. AGA is confident that state efforts to accelerate
infrastructure replacement will play an important role in further
reducing that number.

9
A Call To Action: Growing Momentum
Much of the recent infrastructure modernization was inspired by a
call to action by former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood,
who in 2011 encouraged U.S. pipeline operators to identify pipeline
sections that needed to be repaired, rehabilitated or replaced. “We
have a responsibility to work together to prevent the loss of life and
environmental damage that can result from poor pipeline conditions,”
LaHood said at the time.
In 2013, the National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissions (NARUC) passed a resolution calling for more
infrastructure replacement and cost-recovery programs at the state level.
“State commissions and inspectors are best suited to determine how best
to finance system improvements because each state is different and the
needs and financial circumstances of each utility are unique,” it posits.
While some states already had cost-recovery programs in place, a
variety of new programs have come online since then. In Michigan,
the Public Service Commission established a main-replacement
program rider in 2011, enabling a utility company to recover
incremental capital-related costs associated with pipeline replacement.
In April 2013, the commission approved a similar program for
Detroit, Michigan-based DTE Gas Co.
In May 2013, Indiana lawmakers passed legislation allowing
utilities to submit five-year infrastructure improvement plans to
state regulators for approval. If their plans are approved, utilities
can recover their investment through a tracker on customers’ billing
statements. In July 2014, the Massachusetts governor signed a bill
that creates a protocol for pipeline leaks and includes cost-recovery
programs for pipeline replacement. Lawmakers are also considering
a bill that would establish a revolving loan fund for pipeline repairs
and replacements.
Global Innovation For Safety
Safety-enhancement efforts are building momentum worldwide.
Canada’s Jobs, Growth and Long-Term Prosperity Act recently
provided CAD$15.1 million over two years to enable the National
Energy Board to double pipeline inspections and audits to identify
safety issues.
England’s new regulatory model RIIO — Revenue set to deliver
strong Incentives, Innovations and Outputs — rewards companies for
innovation. Its goals include safer infrastructure.
And, in the United States, Traweek is excited about the cooperative
approach to pipeline safety improvements she’s observing among
commissions, lawmakers and operators.
“No pun intended, but natural gas is hot," she says. "It drives
innovation from research organizations and from equipment and
service providers. That’s when we’re at our best … when there are
multiple stakeholders working together to innovate.”
2004-2014
2014
2013
2011
3.2 MILLION KM
of natural gas
distribution mains &
service pipelines in
place across the U.S.
PE lines in the U.S.
updated at a rate of
ONLY 3 PERCENT
of entire U.S. gas
system still utilizes
cast iron mains
Massachusetts governor signs bill
to increase leak detetcion and
pipeline replacement
NARUC calls for more
infrastructure replacement
and cost-recovery programs at
the state level
Former U.S. secretary call
to action to identify pipeline
needing replacement
in serious pipeline
incidents within the
U.S. by 2012
90%decrease
48,000km/yr
in the U.S. have a
cost-recovery program
in place as of mid-2014
50
38states

10
F U T U R E T H I N K I N G
Think about the last time you flew to one of your shale play
operations, processing plants or gas distribution centers. Did you stop
to consider the hundreds of thousands of moving and interconnected
parts that allow the engines to function, landing gear to extend, or
wings to flex without tearing off?
Unless you have a decent fear of flying, probably not. You simply
expected these things to function as they should — to take off, fly and
land without event. And that’s a practical expectation, as evidenced by
the extreme rarity of commercial flight malfunctions. From flying across
the Atlantic to placing a communications satellite in orbit, it’s clear
the aerospace industry has developed processes to almost completely
eliminate operational risk.
The ability to continuously deliver such unwavering reliability under
extreme circumstances is due in part to Highly Accelerated Life Testing
(HALT). By subjecting products to stresses far beyond the norm —
temperature cycling, voltage margining and vibration — HALT enables
manufacturers to identify product weaknesses and address them long
before those products are put to work in real-world settings.
“HALT” process identifies
product weaknesses before
they hit the market.
BY JEFF FOOTE
DIRECTOR OF PIPELINE
INTEGRITY TECHNOLOGY,
T.D. WILLIAMSON
Pushing Limits,

11
Going To Extremes
HALT is not your typical test; it’s impossible to pass
or fail, says Brent Skoumal, a quality and reliability
test engineer with global pipeline solutions provider
T.D. Williamson (TDW). “This isn’t a simulation
test,” Skoumal says. “It’s a limit discovery test.”
The HALT process typically relies on a test
chamber that creates the extreme conditions
necessary to reveal product weaknesses.
The Qualmark Typhoon 5 chamber that
TDW utilizes, for example, includes a
vibration table capable of holding products
or components weighing up to 600 pounds.
The table can produce random vibration
from 10 hertz (Hz) to 5,000 Hz in six
degrees of freedom. Temperature ranges can
shift from 100C to -200C.
Before testing begins, a product or
component is checked for normal function
with no environmental stressors in place.
Then engineers introduce a stress factor in
small increments, checking the product after
each increase. For the Typhoon 5 chamber,
Qualmark recommends beginning with
increasingly cold temperatures, followed
by heat, vibrations, rapid thermal shifts,
and finally, rapid thermal shifts with
simultaneous vibration increases.
The testing continues until the product
fails. “Then you’ve found an operating limit or destruct
limit,” Skoumal says. From there, engineers determine
the cause of the failure, evaluate the need for changes,
and if needed, repeat testing until they’re confident
they’ve achieved maximum robustness.
HALT is not a new process. The testing method
was developed by engineer Gregg Hobbs in the late
1980s to help engineers improve product quality.
In recent years HALT has experienced an uptick
in usage in the oil and gas industry, says Neill
Doertenbach, senior applications engineer with
Colorado-based Qualmark Corp. Qualmark, one of
the pioneers in developing HALT, is a test-chamber
manufacturer that provides HALT training and
project management.
“In oil and gas you have a high cost of failure and
high risk associated with that failure,” Doertenbach says.
Those factors certainly played a role in the
decision to bring HALT to TDW’s Global Pipeline
Integrity Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Paul McKee, quality and compliance manager
at TDW, states that as more HALT testing gets
underway, it will help companies save money by
avoiding costly failures in the field. “We want
to celebrate failures in a lab because we found
something that’s not going to occur in a customer
environment,” McKee says.
Until recently, the company’s product testing
was conducted in controlled environments where
the goal was product success. The decision to add
HALT testing is an investment in client satisfaction,
says McKee. “It’s about trying to create a more
reliable, more robust solution for pipeline operators.”
TDW recently launched HALT testing on new
circuit boards that will be used to acquire and store
pipeline data. “We also plan on establishing baseline
CONTINUED ON PAGE 27
“This isn’t a simulation test,” Skoumal
says. “It’s a limit discovery test.”
VIBRATIONS [10 Hz – 5,000 Hz]
HEAT
[100C]
COLD
[-200C]

1212
M A R K E T R E P O R T
Until recently, many distribution operators took
a “compliance” approach to pipeline safety. In other words, they
performed the required duties necessary to comply with regulations,
which didn’t include integrity management.
The result? Serious problems were often overlooked until it was
too late. In 2005, the American Gas Foundation published a study
revealing that there were 1,579 incidents on U.S. gas distribution
lines from 1990-2002, with 601 of them involving a fatality or an
injury requiring hospitalization1
.
Because integrity management regulations created by the Pipeline
and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) are
credited with helping to reduce incidents in the transmission market,
the U.S. Congress mandated that PHMSA create a set of minimum
standards for gas distribution lines modeled on Integrity Management
Plan (IMP) regulations for transmission pipelines. Today, any
distribution system put into place after August 2, 2001, must have an
implemented Distribution Integrity Management Plan (DIMP).
“[DIMP] has changed the mindset of the industry regarding
risks,” states Darin Burk, Chairman of the National Association of
Pipeline Safety Representatives (NAPSR). “Since implementation,
I’ve seen clean up of records, enhanced data collection, and
identification of training needs, among other things.”
The new DIMP rule is especially changing the way the
distribution industry gathers and uses data from their systems in
order to assess threats to pipeline integrity. This data serves as the
cornerstone for their integrity management plans.
Creating a Plan for Finding
and Managing Risks
Distribution systems can be small and simple, or large and complex —
just like the towns and cities in which they operate. Thus, PHMSA’s
goal was to come up with a set of actions that could be adopted by
distribution operators of all sizes. Operators take these action steps
and create their own written plan. In simple terms, DIMP is a set of
procedures outlining a plan to find risks, assess and manage them.
Changing the way
distribution operators
gather and use data to
assess pipeline integrity.
The DIMP Standards:
An Industrywide Effort To Fill Data Gaps

An operator’s DIMP must include
the following action steps, plus plans for
evaluation, monitoring and record-keeping2
:
Obtain knowledge of system infrastructure.
Operators should know the date that
a system was placed in service, its
approximate location, the people responsible
for maintaining it, and any current or
previous issues.
Identify threats. Operators must find
any potential issues along their pipeline.
Common threats to a distribution pipeline
system are corrosion, natural forces,
excavation damage, other outside force
damage, equipment failure, incorrect
operations, and any other concerns that
could compromise pipeline integrity.
Evaluate and prioritize risk. Inspections
and assessments can show thousands of
potential threats in a system. The operator
must be able to evaluate these risks and
consider the likelihood of a dangerous
incident.
Identify and implement measures to
mitigate risks. For each risk, the operator
must ensure that an action is being taken to
protect against incidence. This action might
be general monitoring for low-priority risks,
replacing steel pipes with polyethylene, or
repairing a section of pipeline.
To create their written plans, operators go through
extensive reviews of all construction, operation and
maintenance records. “This exercise allows operators
to identify the gaps in their system knowledge,”
says Burk. “For example, many operators know
the materials within their systems but have no data
identifying the specific locations of the various
materials. To effectively assess the existing and
potential threats to the system, knowing the
exact — or at least general — location of at-risk
materials provides for a more focused approach to
risk mitigation.”
All About The Data
As operators explore their records and start creating
DIMPs, they often realize that they need to enhance
their data collection methods. According to Burk,
one example is that many operators discover they
have insufficient data detailing leak causality. The
records reveal that many field personnel have unclear
reporting instructions, and therefore the various
causes can’t be easily determined.
“High-quality data is key to an effective risk
assessment,” states Philippe Simon, Director of
Market Development — Distribution for T.D.
Williamson. “Operators need data on potential
threats before they even create their plans because
they’ll need to assemble and evaluate that data to
outline their next steps.”
Obtaining quality data is easier for some
distribution operators than for others. Smaller gas
operators often don’t have the resources to manage a
13
CONTINUED ON PAGE 27
1
http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/dimp/docs/History_of_DIMP_06152011.pdf
2
For more information, see the PHMSA publication, “Guidance on Carrying Out Requirements in the Gas Distribution
Integrity Management Rule, Pipeline Safety: Integrity Management Program for Gas Distribution Pipelines.”
DATA MANAGEMENT
DOCUMENT
LEARN
FAILURE
FREQUENCY
EVALUATE
PRIORITIZE
INTEGRITY
ASSESSMENT
INSPECT,
MONITOR
TEST
MITIGATION,
INTERVENTION
REPAIR
IDENTIFY
THREATS
ANALYZE
SYSTEM
» CORROSION
» NATURAL FORCES
» OUTSIDE FORCE
» EXCAVATION
» EQUIPMENT FAILURE
» INCORRECT OPERATIONS
» DATE PLACED IN SERVICE
» LOCATION
» MAINTENANCE TEAM
» KNOWN ISSUES

The setting: The House of Commons, United
Kingdom. The year, 2006. The testimony given
by Mr. Ian Davidson MP, member of the Public
Accounts Select Committee in the British House
of Commons, representing the Committee of
Public Accounts; and Mr. David Gray, of the
Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM).
This was question 105 of 139.
For over an hour, OFGEM explained to
the committee the difficulties faced by U.K.
regulators, utility companies, and the issues with
aging pipelines. The Committee was unmoved.
COVERSTORY
15
Mr. Ian Davidson MP: “Let me be clear. If the [natural gas distribution]
companies find themselves in a position where the number of health and
safety breaches is increasing, a plausible defense for them is to say that they
cannot afford to do it because you are squeezing them too tightly.”
Mr. David Gray: “Yes, they might say that.”
Public Accounts Committee: “You are supposed to be looking after the interests
of consumers … I would have thought that physical safety must be a predominant
consideration … According to this, [ductile iron pipe] fails unpredictably. How
much of it is down there and do you have to dig it all up again?”
Ian Davidson MP, member of the Public
Accounts Select Committee in the British
House of Commons.
Working together for a sustainable future
• Doing More with Less
• A Revolutionary Regulatory Model
• Inspiring Results
• National Grid: A Case Study
• Justifying RIIO Readiness
• A Bright(er) Future

“The best thing is for us to get that data to you,”
stated the OFGEM representative. He would need
to come up with the answer.
At a time when 39 percent of the U.K. gas
network was considered at-risk, and the last known
statistic for leaks was 23,000 per year, it seemed
OFGEM had a lot of answers to come up with.
For the past two decades, concerns have been
mounting on both sides of the Atlantic regarding
aging infrastructure under some of the world’s
most populated areas. Recently, in New York’s East
Harlem neighborhood, an explosion destroyed a
five-story building and killed eight people. The
cause? A pipeline that was more than 127 years
old. In Lanarkshire, Scotland, just a few days before
the Christmas holiday in 1999, a family of four
died when their house exploded. Investigations
determined that the cause of the explosion was
natural gas leaking through fractured pipes.
Pipelines worldwide are leaking, cracking, and
creating the potential for catastrophic accidents.
Natural gas customers are clamoring: Why are
those old iron pipes still down there?
DOING MORE WITH LESS
The task of replacing outdated gas pipelines
typically falls on Gas Distribution Network
(GDN) operators. Historically, however, in a tightly
regulated, price-control model, it has not been easy
for GDN operators to come up with the funds to
replace pipelines.
GDNs are tasked with an astounding array
of responsibilities: They must be stewards of
the environment; they must meet shareholder
demands and customer service expectations. They
are held responsible for the safety and integrity of
their systems, and they are expected to respond to
emergencies, market gas, invest in infrastructure,
and head up innovative projects to maintain and
enlarge the grid.
What’s more, GDNs are expected to pay for
much-needed upgrades and maintenance work that
will prevent future disasters and loss of life. But
recovering the cost of those upgrades is complicated.
Fortunately, regulatory bodies and GDNs
around the world are working together to face this
situation head on.
In a June 2014 interview with the United
States National Association of Regulatory Utility
Commissioners (NARUC), Communications
Director Robert Thormeyer expressed optimism
about the industry’s response and actions following
the East Harlem explosion.
“Never say, ‘It will never happen again,’ but
we are becoming more prepared and can reduce
high-profile incidents like the one in New York,” he
said. “I think everyone is aware that it takes federal
government, state government, utilities and the
public to do this. The awareness is there, the states
are working on it.”
Thormeyer is right. The states are working on
it. As of July 2014, 38 U.S. states have adopted
accelerated rate recovery mechanisms that allow
GDNs to apply for special approval to raise
prices to recover pipeline replacement costs.
Another development in the United States is the
Distribution Integrity Management Program
(DIMP), a state-federal partnership that requires
GDNs to formally prioritize pipeline replacement
projects, ensuring that the oldest and/or most
damaged pipelines are replaced first.
A REVOLUTIONARY REGULATORY MODEL:
RIIO A WINNING FORMULA IN THE U.K.
While America is working on its own unique
solutions, U.K.’s OFGEM has been far from idle.
In fact, the organization has recently implemented
a completely unprecedented regulatory model
called RIIO.
RIIO formulates utility revenue with a simple
calculation: Revenue = Incentives + Innovation +
Outputs.
In most other countries, the onus typically
falls on GDNs to proactively secure funding for
the research, technology, or manpower required to
safely and cost effectively replace their networks.
RIIO, on the other hand, requires operators
to include plans for, and anticipated results of,
their technological and methodological advances
when getting their business models approved. The
regulation has tied revenue and innovation together
in a way that’s hard to ignore.
When asked if it would be an option not to
innovate under RIIO, a spokesperson for National
16

Grid explained, “It’s absolutely crucial that we
display our work on innovation to OFGEM. While
it may be an option to do very little, it wouldn’t
make sense for us in terms of financial revenue, if
we didn’t pursue a positive innovation strategy.”
The National Grid spokesperson went on to add
that the company has taken the call to innovate
very seriously; they innovate because they believe
it’s in the best interest of all parties involved, and
most importantly in the interest of the customer.
Outside of RIIO funding, National Grid spends
between US$3.9 million and US$6.6 million per
year for internal research and development.
INSPIRING RESULTS
Lisa O’Brien, OFGEM senior communications
manager, sees RIIO as being a new best practices
model. “We are already starting to see elements
being adopted across Europe,” she says. “There are a
lot of people looking at how we’re regulating.”
And with good reason: After privatization in
the 1990s, research in GDN innovations in the
U.K. started declining. With utilities under tight
price controls, there was less funding for large-scale
industry-changing projects. The first attempt to
address this lack of funding was the Innovation
Funding Incentive for Sustainable Development
(IFI), RIIO’s direct predecessor.
According to National Grid Project Manager
for Innovation and Gas Distribution Network
Strategy Darren White, IFI was essential to the
continued development of GDN research. “IFI
provided dedicated funding for some innovation
projects that may not have flown,” he said.
“Because of the risk appetite within gas distribution
networks, these projects may not have been funded
by businesses alone.”
RIIO takes the work IFI started a step further:
RIIO requires results and intellectual property
rights from projects funded by the program to be
shared with other local distribution companies. A
portal at smarternetworks.org was launched where
utilities are required to post updates on all projects
funded by the initiative. It’s a dynamic place, with
more than 100 projects and flurries of updates from
truly motivated utilities.
The system has already had a huge impact
on the dynamics of the industry. Take, for
example, the RIIO-funded project on Investment
Prioritization in Distribution Systems. This project
recommends transferrable approaches between
the strategies used for U.K. water industry main
replacement and strategies for replacing natural gas
distribution pipelines.
Just a decade ago, such a project might have
been too big, too expensive, and too cumbersome.
Today, the project puts together collaborators in
otherwise competing networks: Wales West
Utilities, Northern Gas Networks, Scotia Gas
Networks, and National Grid.
Local distribution companies are inspired.
National Grid, for example, is working on a pilot
17
COVERSTORY
SeriousPipeline
IncidentsbyCause 22.8% Other Causes
21% Excavation
Damage
22.8% Other Outside
Force Damage
10.2% Material, Welding
Equipment Failure
5.4% Natural Force Damage
22.8% Incorrect Operation
4.2% Corrosion
Source: PHMSA Flagged Incidents File, August 4, 2014.

to reward and recognize great ideas. “Engineers are
so enthusiastic that it doesn’t take much to prime
it,” said National Grid’s chief operating officer John
Pettigrew in a recent interview with Utility Week.
NATIONAL GRID: A CASE STUDY
Utilities such as National Grid are embracing their
pivotal role with purpose. National Grid is one of
the largest investor-owned utilities in the world. It
connects 15 to 16 million people each day with
energy and has operations in the U.K. and the
United States. In 2012, National Grid collaborated
on 17 joint GDN projects. Between 2008 and
2012, National Grid commissioned 83 innovation
projects; approximately 40 percent secured funding
with collaborative partners.
A few examples include:
Condition Based Management System
National Grid plans to invest approximately
US$942,000 to build an advanced Condition
Based Risk Management (CBRM) system. The
CBRM allows the future Health Index and
Probability of failure to be simulated and
assessed, allowing investment decisions to
be prioritized.
PE Asset Life Research
This US$3.4 million project funded jointly by
National Grid Gas and Scotia Gas Networks will
collect a variety of data related to U.K.’s network
of older polyethylene (PE) gas pipes, which were
constructed of a less-durable formula than
modern PE pipes. To measure the performance
of the oldest of these first-generation pipelines,
National Grid and Scotia Gas Networks will launch
a series of extensive tests to gather data about
the pipelines’ performance, current condition, and
expected remaining life span.
Guided Wave Non-Destructive Testing
Inspection of Mains Pipelines
New guided wave technology for use in
difficult-to-inspect pipelines is being tested by
three collaborating companies: National Grid,
Northern Gas Networks, and T.D. Williamson.
The technology uses bursts of ultrasound which
are fired into the pipe wall material. The wave
returns information about corrosion, cracks, and
pipe-wall thickness. If successful, the new device
will enable previously uninspected pipelines to
be efficiently inspected and more objectively
classified for risk.
JUSTIFYING RIIO READINESS
In order to qualify for funding under RIIO,
creators of new innovations must take additional
steps to prove their technologies align with a
set of core stakeholder benefits. For example,
consider POLYSTOPP® technology. POLYSTOPP
technology is a flow stopping method used within
PE piping. The technique gives operators an
alternative to squeezing the pipe when they wish to
stop the flow of gas.
Under IFI funding, National Grid tested
POLYSTOPP technologies on smaller lines
and concluded that, “National Grid can
approve flow stopping operational products
for larger diameter pipelines.” To ensure the
technology’s eligibility under RIIO, the creators
of POLYSTOPP at T.D. Williamson, a global
pipeline solutions company, have aligned their
technology with stakeholder benefits.
T.D. Williamson’s
POLYSTOPP®
flow-stopping
technology.

INNOVATIONS•OCTOBER-DECEMBER2014COVERSTORY
19
A BRIGHT(ER) FUTURE
Operators on both sides of the ocean are coming
up with innovative ways to ensure the safety and
integrity of gas pipelines. Solutions like DIMP
and RIIO are helping operators make significant
progress toward updating and replacing aging,
corroded pipes.
The industry is already leaps and bounds
beyond where it was just a decade ago. In one
example given by Tom King, Executive Director
of US National Grid, by following their DIMP
program in Rhode Island, they’ve reduced per-mile
leak repairs more than 40 percent.
The U.K. has experienced similar success: From
1990 to 2002, an average of four iron-mains-related
incidents occurred per year; by 2012, that number
dropped nearly in half, to just 2.2 per year.
As Senior Vice President and Chief Operating
Officer of the American Gas Association, Lori
Traweek, puts it, utility companies have committed
to improving infrastructure.
“There is a growing effort to accelerate
replacement of pipelines no longer fit for service,”
she said. “We have a tremendous opportunity
to utilize a resource that is abundant, and that
offers environmental benefits. As long as networks
and regulators keep working together, putting
stakeholders at the forefront, the future of gas
distribution networks looks very bright indeed.”
The operation to isolate a section of pipe can be performed in less than one hour
after electrofusion of the fitting. The temporary bypass between the two temporary
universal valves allows gas to continue to flow during the operation.
Only the gas in the isolated section is lost. In addition, smaller excavation
sizes and less waste materials are sent to the landfill.
POLYSTOPP®
technology protects pipe from stress-induced damages.
Less damage means preserving the long-term integrity of the pipe.
Because the POLYSTOPP®
plug is rigid, the technology minimizes or eliminates
potentially dangerous leaks during the plugging process.
AligningTechnologywithStakeholderBenefits
DELIVER QUALITY SERVICE TO ALL
IMPROVE CUSTOMER AND
STAKEHOLDER SATISFACTION
TRANSITION TO LOW CARBON ECONOMY
AND MINIMIZE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
SAFEGUARD FUTURE GENERATIONS
ROBUST ASSET CONDITION AND
NETWORK OPTIMIZATION
BE RELIABLE
EFFICIENT AND SAFE WORK DELIVERY
AND REMOVAL OF RISK
KEEP PEOPLE SAFE

20
TDW Events, Papers Conferences
TouchPoints
Bakken Oil Product
and Service Show
8-9 OCTOBER | Williston, ND | USA
Pipeline Week
28-30 OCTOBER | Houston, TX | USA
Deepwater Operations
4-6 NOVEMBER | Galveston, TX | USA
International Pipeline Conference Exposition
30 SEPTEMBER – 2 OCTOBER | Calgary, AB |Canada
ADIPEC: Abu Dhabi International
Petroleum Exhibition Conference
November 10-13, 2014
Abu Dhabi, UAE
The Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC)
welcomes all oil and gas professionals from around the world.The event now
ranks amongst the top 3 oil and gas events globally and is unquestionably the
leading exhibition and conference for oil and gas professionals in the Middle
East,Africa and Asian sub-continent. Growth and success go hand in hand with
longevity and this year’s event takes place between November 10-13, 2014,
marking 30 years of service to the oil and gas industry across the world.
Hall 4, Stand 4410 T.D. Williamson #ADIPEC

21
TDW experts deliver — providing technical presentations and
hands-on demonstrations throughout the world. To learn more:
tdwontour@tdwilliamson.com.
OCTOBER 2014
SEPT 30 - OCT 2
International Pipeline
Conference Exposition
Calgary, AB, Canada
8-9 Bakken Oil Product and Service Show
Williston, ND, USA
14-16 Offshore Technology Days
Bergen, Norway
18-21 APIA Annual Convention Exhibition
Melbourne, VIC, Australia
28-30 Pipeline Week
Houston,TX, USA
4-6 Deepwater Operations
Galveston,TX, USA
10-13 ADIPEC
Abu Dhabi, UAE
19-20 Tank Storage Germany
Hamburg, Germany
2-5 POLLUTEC
Lyon, France
NOVEMBER 2014
IndicatesTDW will present
a white paper at this event
ADIPEC
10-13 NOVEMBER | Abu Dhabi | UAE
APIA Annual Convention Exhibition
18-21 OCTOBER | Melbourne, VIC | Australia
Offshore Technology Days
14-16 OCTOBER | Bergen | Norway
Tank Storage Germany
19-20 NOVEMBER | Hamburg | Germany
POLLUTEC
2-5 DECEMBER | Lyon | France
DECEMBER 2014

22
ELIMINAEXPECTING Ø LEAKS, Ø MI
T• Doubling
Isolation Safety
• Seven Seals Set In
Less Than 30 Minutes
• What Do The
Numbers Say?
• Getting Uncertainty
Down To Zero
hink about creating a temporary isolation to repair or
rehabilitate a gas distribution pipeline, one that you want to keep
operating while you complete the work. What happens if you can’t get a
good seal the first time to completely stop natural gas from leaking? At the
very least, you’ll waste product, time, money and other limited resources.
In addition, as Frank Dum points out, you’re operating in a vapor-
rich environment, which means risk is elevated. And because gas
distribution pipelines are located in or near population zones, safety must
be guaranteed.
An expert on hot tapping and isolation solutions based in the United
States, Dum is dedicated to making pipeline isolations both safer and
more cost-effective. He’ll be among the first to tell you that accidents
during pipeline isolations are rare. But that doesn’t mean there should be
any room for error.

INNOVATIONS•OCTOBER-DECEMBER2014FEATURESTORY
23
ATE RISKISTAKES, 100% OF THE TIME.
Doubling Isolation Safety
Ever since the introduction of double block and
bleed isolation with STOPPLE® Train technology,
natural gas distribution owners and operators
around the world have been achieving safer
isolations more quickly.
Traditional double block and bleed isolation
uses two plugging heads and therefore requires
two fittings and hot taps. But the patented
STOPPLE Train system, developed by global
pipeline service provider T.D. Williamson
(TDW), cuts the number of hot taps and fittings
in half. With the STOPPLE Train system, two
connected plugging heads that move together are
inserted through just one single entrance into the
pipeline. A bleed port is then positioned between
the two plugging heads, creating a zone of zero
energy. Any product that escapes beyond the first
head will be bled out of the line before it can
reach the second one. By preventing gas seepage,
this approach allows operators to provide a safer
environment for personnel working downstream
of the isolation.
Although various double block and bleed
isolation methodologies have been adopted
throughout the industry — for use on Canadian
high pressure transmission lines and required
in most refineries in the United States — there

24
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
30
NUMBEROFSEALS
TIME TO SET SEALS (in minutes)
0
was still a performance metric not being met: a
leak-proof seal. While the success of any isolation
job hinges on getting the plugging heads to seal
completely, creating an acceptable, leak-proof seal
on the first attempt was never assured.
But Dum says the STOPPLE Train system
has greatly increased the likelihood of getting
a good seal the first time. That means it is safer
to use. And because it requires 50 percent fewer
pipeline penetrations, there are fewer welds and
less equipment on the line.
Beyond those benefits, the first-time success
of STOPPLE Train technology means the entire
plugging process can go faster, too.
Seven Seals Set In
Less Than 30 Minutes
When you operate the pipeline that delivers 75
percent of the natural gas to the residents and
businesses of a bustling city hub like Nashville,
Tennessee, keeping energy flowing isn’t only a
priority — it’s non-negotiable. Even during major
maintenance, a bleed down isn’t an option.
But what happens when the time comes to
replace the 50-year-old manifold on your gas main?
How can you replace it without interrupting service?
That was the challenge one of Nashville’s
largest gas operators faced in 2011. And as if that
task wasn’t daunting enough, the operator had to
contend with seven separate lines running through
the manifold — lines that varied from 8 inches to
20 inches in diameter. To confound matters even
further, no one on staff knew exactly where the
manifold was located, just how big it was, or how
much equipment would be needed to excavate,
isolate, remove and replace it.
One thing was certain, though. The operator
would have to hot tap and plug all seven lines
and create a temporary bypass before removal of
the manifold could begin. Because the lines were
riddled with anomalies including corrosion, pitting
and ovality — all issues that could make getting a
good plugging seal difficult — estimating how long
the hot tapping and plugging process would take
was equal parts past experience and guesswork. As a
result, the operator gave itself a generous timetable,
allowing as much as two weeks to complete the
entire job.
By using STOPPLE Train technology, however,
the operator moved rapidly, safely, and effectively
through the hot tapping and plugging process. In
fact, all seven plugging heads were set in about 30
minutes. And less than 30 minutes
later, the bleed valves were opened
and the operator verified that a 100
percent seal had been achieved.
In other words, it took less than
an hour to set all seven STOPPLE
Train systems, with 100 percent
workable seals the very first time.
Given the common pipe
anomalies the operator was aware
of, Dum isn’t surprised that there
was extra time allotted for hot
tapping and plugging. He’s also not
surprised that the STOPPLE Train
system exceeded all expectations.
“The operator thought they
would have a very hard time getting a good seal,”
Dum says. “They thought they’d have to change the
sealing elements, go back in and try to get a better
seal, repeating the process over and over. It would
have been a guessing game as to which ones were
leaking, but this was eliminated with STOPPLE
Train technology.”
What Do The Numbers Say?
Completing an isolation project safely, successfully
and faster isn’t just good business — there is also
a financial upside when hot tapping and plugging

times are reduced.
Helping operators understand just how much
they can save by getting a good seal the first time is
where Veronyca Kwan comes in.
As a senior business market analyst for TDW,
Kwan’s focus is on the economics and value side of
the hot tapping and plugging process. As such, she’s
concerned with quantifying — from a “hard dollar”
standpoint — just how important it is for natural
gas asset owners and operators to get a good seal with
zero leakage the first time, every time. She’s even
developed a calculator to do the math.
According to Kwan, the calculator helps owners
and operators decide whether it’s more economical
to shut down a pipeline for repair or other activity;
use a standard isolation; or use STOPPLE Train
technology.
By assessing data that includes pipeline condition,
length, diameter, other operating parameters and
variables, and even environmental considerations,
the calculator can produce real-time results tailor-
made to various operating conditions.
With STOPPLE Train technology providing
such high first-time success rates, the operator keeps
product flowing and eliminates wasted labor and
other costs. In most cases, the savings generated by
using the system far outweigh its initial cost, Kwan
says.
For the Nashville project, the operator
had 100-ton cranes, bulldozers, other ancillary
equipment, and a 40- to 50-person crew on standby
on site, ready to begin work once the isolations
were completed. At a price tag of US$50,000 to
US$100,000 per day, delays caused by less than
perfect plugging seals could add up to tremendous
dollars spent on idle people and equipment.
Kwan refers to the calculator as “engineering-
oriented,” saying it produces a corresponding
spreadsheet that outlines supporting tasks.
“We’re trying to identify net savings of time,
money, labor, equipment, tariffs and more,” Kwan
says. “In this way, the calculator provides value to
owners and operators.”
Getting Uncertainty Down To Zero
If every gas distribution pipeline were brand new,
operators wouldn’t have to give a second thought
to the age-related problems that cause first time
plugging difficulties, such as corrosion and pitting.
But in the real world, gas distribution pipelines
have some age on them. Much of Europe’s gas
distribution network dates from the 1960s and
1970s; in Denmark, Ireland and Spain, the pipelines
are younger, but they’ve still been in place since the
mid-1980s. In the United States, 44 percent of the
gas distribution pipelines were installed during the
1970s or earlier.
Even in new pipelines — and there are plenty
of those being built around the world — different
pressures and other operating scenarios can affect the
first-time plugging success rate.
Although pipeline age didn’t prevent the
STOPPLE Train technology from achieving a
100 percent first time success rate in Nashville,
companies such as TDW are testing ways to further
overcome issues like operating pressures and defects
that can affect the first-time success rate of plugging
seals on pipe of any age. INNOVATIONS•OCTOBER-DECEMBER2014FEATURESTORY
25
IDLE WORKERS
IDLE EQUIPMENT
(40-50 PERSON CREW)
(100-TON CRANE, BULLDOZERS
ADDITIONAL EQUIPMENT)
The Financial Impact Of Delays Created By Imperfect Plugging
$50,000-
$100,000
USD PER DAY

Receive future issues of Innovations™
Magazine
by email or find back issues at TDW-Innovations.com
2 0 1 4 Y E A R I N R E V I E W : M A R K E T R E P O R T S
SUBSCRIBE
Click to
view this issue
Click to
continue the story
Click to
read more
Changing Directions
ISSUE NO. 1 PG 13
Repurposed Pipelines
Meet Growing Energy Demands
The oil and gas industry’s approach to
change has often been compared to the
formation of fossil fuels themselves: slow,
steady, and done under pressure.
But these days, energy companies are
stepping up the pace. For one thing,
they’re being forced to respond to altered
market conditions arising from new shale
and tar sands activity. Take for example
the production growth in the Marcellus
Shale, which covers…
Working in Isolation
ISSUE NO. 2 PG 12
How Isolations Can Help Solve
Pipeline Challenges – From Valve
Repair To Extending Reservoir Life
The Malampaya Shallow Water Platform in
the Philippines provides 40 percent of the
gas to Luzon, one of the most populated
islands in the world. So shutting it down
for any length of time could result in gas
shortages and serious damage to Luzon’s
economy.
But that’s exactly the proposition that Shell
Philippines Exploration and Production
(SPEX) was faced with in 2010…
Up-and-Coming
ISSUE NO. 3 PG 12
What Australia Can Learn from
Shale Successes and Failures in
Other Nations
In 2011, larger oil and gas companies like
ExxonMobil, Marathon Oil, Talisman Energy,
and Chevron started pouring into Poland.
The United States Energy Information
Administration (EIA) had just estimated
the country’s potential shale reserves at
5.3tn cubic meters — the largest in Europe.
The Baltic Basin, a giant shale gas play
stretching from northern Poland up to
Lithuania, seemed to be poised…
Shareholder return, increasing regulation, a more involved public, and the ever-present need for risk reduction
and mitigation. Simply put, managing pipelines and processing plants is an often overwhelming challenge.
Innovations™
magazine, however, makes it slightly more manageable.
From industry innovation, to market trending and analysis, the editorial staff at Innovations magazine is
committed to delivering engaging content with valuable commentary from the pressurized piping industry's
most respected experts. We encourage you to join the dialogue today.

27
program in-house. Larger gas utility companies may
have a managed program, but are still looking for
new solutions and techniques to
make their DIMP more effective.
To help small distribution
operators with DIMP creation,
the American Public Gas
Association developed SHRIMP:
Simple, Handy, Risk-based
Integrity Management
Plan. SHRIMP is a software
application meant for gas
distribution utilities that lack
the in-house engineering
and management needed to
maintain a DIMP. The tool helps
operators make sense of their
data and create a written plan.
Although SHRIMP is
specific to small operators, both
large and small distribution
operators can learn from new
integrity management solutions and technology
from the transmission market, whose management
techniques can be easily transferred to distribution.
And since DIMP is now required, many companies
that offer evaluation and repair services for the
transmission market have expanded their expertise
into distribution. For example, service providers
like T.D. Williamson offer comprehensive inline
inspection tools and non-destructive evaluation
(NDE) technologies and services for use in both
the transmission and distribution markets. Inline
inspection tools can provide data related to internal
and external material loss in the pipes, changes
inside the pipe wall, pipeline expansion, and
other anomalies that can help predict leakage.
After gathering data on the
pipeline system, NDE is
used to verify its accuracy so
that operators can effectively
prioritize and mitigate risks.
Positive Changes
For The Distribution
Market
Burk, who was heavily
involved in DIMP
implementation efforts
at NAPSR, says that he’s
noticed that operators
are making constructive
changes in the ways in which
they approach risk. Plus, as
a result of the identification
of potential threats, the
distribution market as
a whole is working to reduce the number of
dangerous incidents. In the United States, Burk
says, “over the past four to five years, 32 states
have passed legislation that allows for accelerated
rate recovery of costs associated with replacement
of at-risk pipe. Operators may accelerate the
replacement based on the risk analysis. And as a
result of evaluating their data, operators are now
able to focus their resources to replacement of the
highest risk facilities.”
SHRIMP PROCESS
ENTER/CONFIRM SYSTEM INFO
SELECT SETTINGS
COMPLETE THREAT INTERVIEWS
VALIDATE RISK RANKINGS
SELECT ADDITIONAL ACTIONS
SELECT PERFORMANCE MEASURES
CREATE IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
DOWNLOAD PLAN
The APGA tool helps operators make sense of
their data and create a written plan.
operating limits on all current and future inline
inspection tools,” Skoumal said.
Bypassing Disaster
HALT covers the full gamut of industries,
Doertenbach says. “We do aerospace and air traffic
control. HALT was mentioned on the floor of the
House during a discussion on missile defense systems.”
More recently, HALT helped a Qualmark
client in the oil and gas upstream sector learn
why an electrical component was malfunctioning
downhole. “Twice it failed downhole to the tune
of a whole lot of money,” Doertenbach states.
Within 20 hours of [HALT] testing, we had
forced the same failure. It gave them a chance to
do failure analysis.”
Essentially, Doertenbach says, HALT failures
like these really are successes.
“If you can screen out a failure mode, it’s
money in your hand.”
Pushing Limits
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
DIMP Standards
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13

PhasesFourBY THE
NUMBERS
28
BY THE
NUMBERS
1
7
2
8
NineSteps to
Open bleed ports to achieve zero energy zone. By opening the bleed ports,
the operator achieves true Double Block and Bleed isolation, allowing for
excellent sealing and zero product leakage in the isolated area.
3
Illustration features STOPPLE®Train isolation
technology by T.D. Williamson.
Install SANDWICH®
Valve and threaded valves. These
valves sit atop the fittings to allow for insertion and removal
of equipment from the pipe without loss of product.
Weld fittings, tapping fittings, and threaded valve stems on
the line. These fittings are permanently affixed to the line to
allow mounting of tapping and plugging equipment.
Fully set upstream plugging head. Once set, the
upstream sealing element completely stops flow through
the isolated area, which is subsequently drained.
DOWNTIME AND LOST OPPORTUNITY
ARE NO LONGER the inevitable outcomes of
pipeline maintenance and repair. Here are nine steps
to achieve greater jobsite safety, uninterrupted flow,
and increased first-time sealing success.
Tap all fittings. Using
pilot drills and cutters, the
tapping blade penetrates
the pipe wall to allow a path
for equipment insertion.

of PROGRESSIVE PIGGING
29
DOUBLE ISOLATION BYPASS
DOUBLE-
6
4
9
5
Fully set downstream plugging head. By setting the second
sealing element, which is rated for the full pressure of the line,
the upstream head transitions to a neutral environment.
Partially set upstream nose wheel to bottom
of pipe. This partial setting of the plugging head
slows and diverts product flow into the bypass,
allowing the downstream plugging head to be set.
Complete pipeline maintenance. Requisite or preventive pipe maintenance is completed
and full operation resumes. With completion plugs and blind flanges set into the fittings,
the bypass is disassembled and all temporary equipment is removed.
Install bypass piping and allow flow through bypass.
Bypass piping allows the diversion of product around the
isolated section of pipe, enabling the operator to continue
producing product and associated revenue.

CREATE EH
DISTRIBUTION AD
IF POSSIBLE
(OTHERWISE USE
NDE AD FROM Q2)
North South America
Europe / Africa / Middle East
Asia Pacific
Offshore Services
+1 918 447 5000
+32 67 28 3611
+65 6364 8520
+1 832 448 7200
® Registered trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. ™ Trademark of T.D. Williamson, Inc. in the United States and in other countries. ©Copyright 2014 All rights reserved. T.D. Williamson, Inc.
Trusted Partnership
For four generations, companies around the world have trusted
TDW’s unwavering commitment to pipeline performance.
So can you.
Inline Inspection • Non-destructive Evaluation • Interactive Reporting
TDWilliamson.com

Innovations™ Magazine October - December 2014

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (20)

Destaque

Destaque (20)

Semelhante a Innovations™ Magazine October - December 2014

Semelhante a Innovations™ Magazine October - December 2014 (20)

Mais de T.D. Williamson

Mais de T.D. Williamson (20)

Último

Último (20)

Innovations™ Magazine October - December 2014