September 13-14, 2017

Join us September 13-14, 2017 in Houston at our corporate office and dedicated training facility for this new workshop on the fundamentals of pipeline operations. This 2-day course is designed to give a comprehensive overview of gas and liquid energy transmission pipelines and how they are operated and maintained. It is appropriate for both technical and non-technical personnel who are new to the energy transmission pipeline industry, as well as those who need a broader understanding of pipeline operations and management in general. The course walks through the practical things that a typical pipeline company’s operations organization does on a regular basis to operate and maintain the pipeline system as a whole. Course topics include:

• Components of a pipeline system (types of pipe, coatings, tanks, valves, pumps, compressors, pressure vessels, pig traps, meters, instrumentation, control systems / SCADA)
• Operations activities (starting / stopping, batching, managing receipts and deliveries, measurement, monitoring, pressure control, leak detection)
• Inspection and Maintenance (valves, ROWs, tanks, pumps, compressors, instrumentation, pigging, cathodic protection)
• Repair (in-service repair techniques, welding, OOS repairs / replacements)
• Integrity Management (ILI, Pressure Tests, Direct Assessment), including assessment processes, analysis, follow-ups
• Emergency Response (planning, organization / ICS, drills, response)
• Public Awareness / Damage Prevention / One Calls

Each attendee will receive the presentation as well as applicable handouts in a hardcopy notebook.

The course involves many hands-on demonstrations and examples using RCP’s in-house Pipeline Flow Loop*. To promote an optimal learning environment, class size will be limited. To register for our workshop, click here .

*RCP’s in-house Pipeline Flow Loop is an engineering marvel (!). It is a working 2” diameter pipeline system incorporating many of the components of a transmission pipeline system including state-of-the-art SCADA control system and instrumentation for flow, pressure, temperature, and volume, as well as automated valves, pig traps, variable speed pump, and more. It also incorporates clear pipe segments so that students can see a pig in operation, see phase separation as it occurs, and understand the importance of elevation change. It occupies 2 walls outside our training room. Students can monitor and control the pipeline from the training room (“control room”), and then step into the hall to see the pipeline in action.

PHMSA is extending the due date for the first submission of the annual report for Underground Natural Gas Storage facilities. PHMSA regulations at 49 CFR 191.17 require operators of underground natural gas storage facilities to submit an annual report by July 18, 2017. PHMSA is extending the due date for the submission of Calendar Year 2016 annual report for several months from the date the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approves the collection of the annual report under OMB Control Number 2137-0522. When OMB approves the report, PHMSA will post the date of OMB approval on the Office of Pipeline Safety website. PHMSA will also publish a Federal Register notice announcing this delay and providing additional information.

Research Announcement (RA) # DTPH56-17-RA-00002

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) is now soliciting for new pipeline safety research, white papers on individual projects addressing key pipeline challenges, and cover emerging areas of underground natural gas storage and LNG. The November 2016 Pipeline R&D Forum identified several technical gaps as potential new research projects. These research topics include:

• Threat Prevention
• Leak Detection
• Anomaly Detection / Characterization
• Underground Natural Gas Storage
• Liquefied Natural Gas

Researchers should visit https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/rd/ to understand more about PHMSA’s pipeline research strategy and performance and visit https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/ to review all related current and previous research. The merit review panel will not evaluate any white paper that duplicates current or previous research efforts.
Announcement details including areas of research, white paper requirements and submission, can be found at https://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/matrix/RfpInfo.rdm?rfp=62.

811 is the nationwide number that excavators can call to reach their local “one call” center, which alerts the operators of buried utilities in the planned excavation area to go out and mark the location of their facilities (such as pipelines) before the excavator starts digging. The 811 system is similar to the better-known 911 system for emergency notifications. There are many outreach programs to educate excavators about “811”… including special events of various types on August 11 (8-11). For example, Block Parties will be held in Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, and Minneapolis, with food, drinks, and entertainment. Other typical events include special offers for pizza (large pizza for $8.11), fun runs with an $8.11 entry fee, etc. Click here for a listing of events. The block party in Houston will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jones Plaza, 600 Louisiana St., which is only 1 block from RCP’s downtown Houston offices. Please let us know if you would like to drop by for a tour!

According to the PHMSA Pipeline enforcement activity website, PHMSA has initiated 125 new enforcement cases in the first 6 months of 2017 (for an annual rate of 250 cases a year). This compares to 164 cases in 2016, 197 cases in 2015, and 154 cases in 2014. The lesson is clear. While new rulemaking activity may be progressing slowly in 2017, PHMSA is actively enforcing the rules that are in place.