June 2014 Issue
In This Issue
- In Memory of John T. Schmidt Vice President, RCP Integrity Services
- NPMS New Operator Standards Submission Guide
- May Newsletter Correction
- API Forum for Emergency Responders
- Pipeline Safety Management System Public Workshop August 5, 2014 – Rosemont, IL
- Managing Pipeline Cracking Challenges Workshop August 5, 2014 – Rosemont, IL
- Government/Industry Pipeline R&D Forum August 6 & 7, 2014 – Rosemont, IL
- Summer / Fall Conference Schedule
- Pipeline Regulations for iPhone
- Send us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses of Pipeline Samples, yearning to breathe free.
- New RCP Pipeline Pressure Testing Workshop August 26 & 27
In Memory of John T. Schmidt Vice President, RCP Integrity Services
It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you that John T. Schmidt passed away unexpectedly on June 4, 2014. John was a recognized leader in the corrosion control industry and a long-standing and active member of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE). In his 40+ years in the industry he held the positions of Director of Pipeline Integrity and Director of Asset Risk Management. He had worked both domestically and internationally on corrosion control and pipeline integrity projects for major engineering and pipeline operations companies. He was a NACE certified instructor and member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI); Southern Gas Association (SGA); and the American Gas Association (AGA). He will be greatly missed.
NPMS New Operator Standards Submission Guide
The National Pipeline Mapping System (NPMS) Operator Standards for Pipeline, Liquefied Natural gas and Breakout Tank Farm Submissions has been updated, effective May 2014. Changes include:
- Section 1.1 regarding abandoned pipelines was clarified to specifically include gas pipelines, not just liquid pipelines.
- In the Pipeline Attribute Table, a note was added to the COMMODITY attribute description to clarify when to use the commodity code EPL and EPG.
- A typo was corrected in the Abandonment Certification Template in Appendix B.
Both the NPMS
Operator Standards and the content of the Making
a Submission Website page have been updated and are available online.
RCP provides NPMS Submittal services for initial submittals and updates as
required by federal regulations. For more information on these services,
contact Jessica
Roger.
May Newsletter Correction
Last month’s article headlined “NTSB Report on PHMSA’s State Pipeline Safety Program” was incorrectly titled and incorrectly attributed the report in question to NTSB. The report was actually from the Office of Inspector General in the US Department of Transportation, at the request of NTSB. It was not NTSB’s report. We apologize for the error.
API Forum for Emergency Responders
June 18 – 19, Houston, TX
Protecting
lives, the environment and property in the wake of a hazardous liquid pipeline
release is the shared goal of first responders, regulatory agencies and
pipeline operators. The Association of Oil Pipelines (AOPL) and the American
Petroleum Institute (API) is presenting a 2-day forum on how we together can
promote a timely & effective response to pipeline emergencies.
Full Agenda and Online Registration here.
Sheraton North Houston
15700 John F. Kennedy Blvd
Houston, Texas 77032
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Full-day session is open to ALL interested in liquids pipeline emergency
response.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
Half-day session for pipeline operators only.
Forum Registration Fee: No
registration charge for qualified first responders and first responder association
staff.
- The forum registration fee for pipeline operators (both days – June 18-19) is: $225.
- The forum registration fee for all others, including state and federal agency representatives, for the June 18 joint emergency response forum (one-day only) is: $125
Hotel Room Registration:
The hotel cutoff date for room reservations was June 3. Call the Sheraton North
Hotel at 281-442-5100 for availability.
Pipeline Safety Management System Public Workshop August 5, 2014 – Rosemont, IL
PHMSA has announced that they intend to host another public workshop on July 2 on the Pipeline Safety Management System Recommended Practice currently being developed by API. PHMSA hosted a previous workshop on this topic on February 28, 2014 (see our April 2014 newsletter for information and links to the presentations). The RP development team expects to have a revised draft for final approval before the upcoming workshop. The upcoming workshop is expected to take place at the Westin Alexandria, Alexandria, VA, and will also be webcast. PHMSA has not yet provided a draft agenda or links for online registration, but details should be posted at this site once they are available: http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/meetings/Home.mtg.
Managing Pipeline Cracking Challenges Workshop August 5, 2014 – Rosemont, IL
The
Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA) and the National Association of Pipeline Safety
Representatives are holding this event to gather and disseminate information on
the state of the art of crack detection in hazardous liquid and natural gas
pipelines. Perspectives on the challenges involved with detecting and
characterizing crack like defects, including environmentally assisted cracks
and cracks with corrosion, will be provided from operators and regulators. This
event will provide an update on technology developments via research, the
success rate in deploying such technology for detection and a discussion on the
level of and types of data collected in support of engineering assessments. It
will also discuss other information in support of criteria for determining when
a probable crack defect in a pipeline segment must be excavated, the time
limits for completing those excavations and in support of models for
determining crack growth rates.
Online registration, hotel information and a draft agenda can be found on PHMSA’s
website.
Government/Industry Pipeline R&D Forum August 6 & 7, 2014 – Rosemont, IL
The
Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA) and the National Association of Pipeline Safety
Representatives periodically hold this event to generate a National research
agenda that fosters solutions for the many challenges with pipeline safety and
with protecting the environment. The forum allows public, government and
industry pipeline stakeholders to develop a consensus on the technical gaps and
challenges for future research. It also reduces duplication of programs,
factors ongoing research efforts, leverages resources and broadens synergies.
The national research agenda coming out of these events is aligned with the
needs of the pipeline safety mission, makes use of the best available knowledge
and expertise, and considers stakeholder perspectives.
Online registration, hotel information and the draft agenda can be found on the
PHMSA
website.
Summer / Fall Conference Schedule
Have
you registered and confirmed your reservations for these upcoming conferences?
RCP and RCP Integrity Services will be attending. We hope to see you there!
Texas Gas Association (TGA) Operations & Management
Conference
June 10 – 13, 2014
San Marcos, Texas
Louisiana Gas Association (LGA) 2014 Pipeline Safety
Conference
July 21 – 25, 2014
New Orleans, LA
Western Regional Gas Conference (WRGC)
August 19 – 20, 2014
Tempe Mission Palms Hotel
60 E. Fifth Street
Tempe, AZ
Come early and join us for RCP’s 1-day training session on Pipeline Pressure
Testing on Monday, August
18, at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. RCP
personnel have established themselves as industry experts, designing,
implementing and validating pressure test programs for various operators.
Recent PHMSA advisories and pending regulations will soon mandate pressure
tests for operating gas and liquid pipelines that have not previously been
subjected to pressured leak and strength tests. This course will provide an
overview of the planning and implementation processes necessary to plan,
execute and document pipeline pressure tests efficiently to satisfy code
requirements as defined by 49 CFR Parts 192 and 195, consistently. Topics
covered include discussion of code terminology and requirements, planning,
permitting, preparation of the test segment, testing, returning the line to
service and documentation. The price to attend is $250 per person (lunch
included). More details and registration can be found on RCP’s
website.
NACE
Central Area Conference 2014
August 25 – 27, 2014
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Arkansas
Gas Association Annual Conference
September 14 -16, 2014
Fayetteville, Arkansas
International
Pipeline Conference & Exposition (IPC /IPE)
September 29 – October 3, 2014
Calgary, AB, Canada
RCP will be exhibiting in Booth #531 at the Expo.
Don’t miss this opportunity to meet RCP’s President, Bill Byrd, and attend his
presentation on “Site-Specific Quantitative Pipeline Risk Analysis using
Monte Carlo Methods” (Track 12). The paper was co-authored by Matthew
Wylie, Chief Information Officer and General Counsel at RCP Inc.
This paper will compare a site specific quantitative risk analysis using
traditional “average” risk ranking methods to a more complex Monte
Carlo analysis which uses a range of possibilities and consequences for each
threat – each with their own probability. The comparison is based on the
California “Guidance Protocol for School Site Pipeline Risk Analysis,””
a quantitative risk analysis protocol which uses average probability and
consequence values, and will extend it to explain how a more complex Monte
Carlo analysis of those same risk factors can give a more comprehensive
understanding of anticipated risks and consequences.
Pipeline Regulations for iPhone
There’s
an app for that! In 2009, at our request, Tekk Innovations developed an iPhone
application containing the federal pipeline safety regulations (49 CFR 40, and
190-199). It has keyword search and the capability to e-mail excerpts of the
regulations to others. There have been many updates since the original app was
released. Version 5.101.20140124 was updated on February 3, 2014. The app can
be found in the iTunes
store. The cost is $19.99.
Tekk Innovations has also developed apps for all the other CFRs, including all
of 49 CFR for those who want all the transportation regulations, not just the
pipeline ones; Louisiana Law, California Law and FAA FAR for Pilots.
Editor’s Note: I like the app with just the pipeline parts of 49 CFR, since I
can search the pipeline regulations easier that way without getting hits from
the other transportation regulations.
Send us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses of Pipeline Samples, yearning to breathe free.
Is
your pipeline company merging? Divesting? Moving? Are old hands retiring, and
clearing out their offices? No matter the reason, if you have interesting
pipeline samples that need a new home, please let us know. We do training
frequently, and would like to have physical pipe samples of corrosion,
cracking, welding defects, seam defects, etc. Miniature models of smart pigs
and other tools are also welcome. We promise to give them a good home – but
call before shipping those 40’ pipe joints.
For more information, contact Jessica Roger. Or ship direct to: RCP Inc., 801 Louisiana
Street, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77002.
New RCP Pipeline Pressure Testing Workshop August 26 & 27
For
the first time, RCP is offering a 2-day workshop on Pipeline Pressure Testing.
RCP personnel have established themselves as industry experts, designing,
implementing and validating pressure test programs for various operators.
Recent PHMSA advisories and pending regulations will soon mandate pressure
tests for operating gas and liquid pipelines that have not previously been
subjected to pressured leak and strength tests. This course will provide an
overview of how to efficiently plan, execute and document pipeline pressure
tests that consistently satisfy code requirements as defined by CFR 49 Parts
192 and 195.
More information and class registration can be found on the RCP website.
W. R. (Bill) Byrd, PE
President
RCP Inc.