The Australian Pipeliner

April 2008

President’s Message

APIA’s Christmas functions were an excellent opportunity for me to introduce myself to as many members as possible as quickly as possible. I took that opportunity at the functions in Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane, and the February dinner in Adelaide was my first opportunity to address South Australian members as President.

Chief Executive’s Report

The new government in Canberra has hit the ground running, with the introduction of a range of initiatives and reviews – and the threat of funding cuts to many programs.

Vale Tom Hoffman

Tom Hoffman was born in Marrickville, New South Wales, on 16 April 1919. He started work as a youth during the depression in November 1933. Tom joined the army at the end of 1939 and served in the Western Desert and Syria with the Sixth Division. Returning to Australia in 1942 he transferred to the RAAF, served out the rest of the Second World War in England and was demobilised in February 1946.

Engineer training program

Cheryl Cartwright, APIA Chief Executive

In the last edition of The Australian Pipeliner, I outlined a plan to provide post-graduate training in pipeline engineering. If you don’t have your copy of the last edition, this article can be found on the APIA website, or call the APIA office on (02) 6273 0577 for a copy.

WA Chapter gather for first 2008 event

The APIA WA Chapter held a lunch and golf afternoon on 12 February at Burswood. The day kicked off with maximum registrations to both the lunch and golf, with a small waiting list for golf.

Adelaide learns about QSN Link

A group of around 80 pipeliners gathered in February for the Adelaide APIA dinner. The dinner was pleased to welcome Epic Energy’s Managing Director Steve Banning who gave an update on the Queensland to South Australia/New South Wales (QSN) Link.

Lowering project carbon footprints

While much of the current climate change discussion within the pipeline industry is centred around electricity generation and the role gas can play, a presentation by GHD’s Monique Chelin at the February Brisbane dinner highlighted how pipeline projects themselves can reduce their carbon footprints.

2008 set to see major policy implementations

Danielle Kellahan, Policy Adviser, APIA

The APIA secretariat has had a busy start to 2008. We have been working across a range of issues from the introduction of the new National Gas Law and matters such as the planned Bulletin Board, through to handling the development of the regulations on the Federal Government’s National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting System, as well as joining the debate on how to tackle climate change and Professor Garnaut’s Climate Change Taskforce.

Innovations to coincide with invitations to young pipeliners

The Brisbane seminar on 22 May will provide a new opportunity for APIA members, and the secretariat will be calling for members who are interested in making a presentation on new innovations or challenges for the industry.

A conversation with Martin Ferguson

Following the election of a Labor Government late last year, the Hon Martin Ferguson was appointed Minister for Resources and Energy and Minister for Tourism. In his role as Minister for Resources and Energy, Mr Ferguson will have a lot to do with the pipeline industry, and so The Australian Pipeliner spoke to him about his views of the past and future of the energy sector in Australia.

A day in the life in the field

Daniel Bush, Rosen Inspection

Young pipeliner Daniel Bush reports on swapping his business shirts for overalls to experience life in the field.

Building the Dampier to Perth Pipeline

Barry Wood

The Dampier to Perth Pipeline (known today as the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline) was built by the State Energy Commission of Western Australia (SECWA). The project planning commenced early 1979 with the selection of a route and construction was completed in 1984.

Joe Ashton

Barry Wood

Joe Ashton was born in London in 1937 and educated at an English public school, Beaumont College, before completing his national service. In 1965 he joined Wailes Dove Bitumastic, a firm that made coal tar enamel at a coating plant in Hebburn, north of Newcastle in England.

ACMC brings largest ductile iron pipe to Australia

The Australian pipeline industry now has access to ductile iron pipes and fittings that the rest of the world has had available for many years, with a range available from DN 80 to a staggering DN 3000 – the largest ductile pipe offered in the global market.

Innovations continue from Australian Portable Camps

Recent months have been a busy time for the team at Australian Portable Camps (APC), with Frank, Gino and the team having been involved in a number of major projects around Australia.

OSD Pipelines continues to attract key industry talent to its growing business

Managing Director, Brian O’Sullivan is delighted to announce the board appointment of Peter Dighton; as well as the appointments of Martin Axelby as Manager Calgary, and Steve Budden in the corporate management team.

Cameron continues as a majore manufacture of pipeline ball valves

Following recent acquisitions of the Dresser Valve Group and PCC Flow Technologies, Cameron’s Engineered Valves Division has emerged as one the largest and most respected manufacturers of trunnion mounted ball valves for gas transmission pipelines.

Dressta pipelayers offer choice

Dressta Co. Ltd continues the heritage of the International Harvester line of pipelayers with its line of pipelayers ranging from 33,350 kg to 100,000 kg in three models.

Building pipelines, building safety

As Chair of the APIA Safety Committee, there is no doubt that McConnell Dowell’s Mark Twycross is qualified to answer any number of questions about safety, so The Australian Pipeliner asked Mark about safety in the past, present and future of the pipeline industry.

Glassmetal signs - for safey’s sake

The health and safety of employees is a major concern for all businesses. Although some hazards can be eliminated by safer work practices or by erecting physical barriers, this will not eliminate all hazards. Where a hazard remains, signs should be erected to warn employees of the existence and nature of the hazard.

New investment at Boddingtons

Boddingtons manufactures and distributes plastic warning tapes and extruded meshes for both detection and protection of underground cable and pipelines for gas, electricity, water and optic fibre communication lines. These products give pipeline owners the peace of mind that their assets are safe and protected from third-party damage.

Flinders designs new subsea pipeline inspection vehicle

Subsea pipeline inspections could be undertaken with greater versatility and lower cost with a new underwater vehicle being designed and developed by Flinders University in South Australia.

Emerging standards for In-Line Inspection qualification and certification

By Bryce Brown, Manager of Integrity & Compliance, Rosen North America and Chris Yoxall, General Manager, Rosen Australia Pty L

For many years, the use of In-Line Inspection (ILI) has been a proven non-destructive testing method for the pipeline industry. While ILI is accepted as a common practice, given the high regulatory oversight in certain parts of the world, a lot of focus has been placed on ILI as a subject – particularly towards the standards, qualification of the systems and personnel involved, and reliability of the process.

Developments in composite sleeves for permanent pipe and pipeline repair

Dr Paul S Hill, Manager – Composite Technology, Clock Spring Company, L.P., UK; Shawn Laughlin, President, Clock Spring Company,

Clock Spring has been one of the major successes in the last 20 years in improving the management of integrity of pipe systems, from both an integrity point of view and in terms of cost.

Efficient and easy to use coating systems from PIH

Pipeline Induction Heat (PIH), a CRC Evans Company, is a specialist field joint coating applicator providing services to onshore, offshore and spoolbase pipeline construction contractors.

Digital, remote, ‘around the clock’ monitoring

The majority of the cathodic protection systems in service in Australia are manually operated and rely completely on periodic surveys by field technicians to verify their correct operation. Savcor now provides a range of innovative technologies that provide ‘around the clock’ monitoring.

Australia’s local pipeline pig manufacturer - APP

Advanced Polymer Products (APP) has 15 years’ collective experience in manufacturing pipeline pigs for the leading onshore and offshore companies throughout Australasia.

Heath represents Hemiwedge Valve Corporation in Australia

Stan Allen, VP Technology, Hemiwedge Valve Corporation

Heath Pipeline Services is now representing Hemiwedge® Valve Corporation from the USA, and will be introducing the Hemiwedge Cartridge Valve, with its unique patented design that combines benefits of quarter turn valves with the durability of gate valves. Even more important is the ability to service the valves without removal from the pipeline – no more splitting flanges.

FastMig welding machine range from Kemppi

Choosing the right welding machine for your requirements is an obvious first step in any purchase. Kemppi’s FastMig™ Synergic range is suitable for the MIG/MAG welding of all materials in the heavy and medium heavy metal industry

Pipeline route surveying with reference to the digital cadastre data base and aerial photography

Cameron Sly, LandPartners Limited

At the 2007 APIA Annual Convention Cameron Sly, presented a paper entitled The Water Crisis: Surveying ‘Our Energy Lifelines’. This article provides further information on points of interest surrounding the Digital Cadastre Data Base (DCDB) accuracies, the use of photogrammetry for pipeline route surveys and the use of these data sets for different stages of pipeline design.

Biodiversity planning for responsible oil and gas development

Helen Wood and Toivo Zoete, Golder Associates, Brisbane Office

As energy and infrastructure development organisations look at ways of addressing their environmental requirements and maintaining their social licence, one area in particular has come to the fore. Biodiversity (or biological diversity) management is a hot topic, and biodiversity offsetting in particular is the subject of current debate.

Fyfe Engineers and Surveyors - a long and distinguished history

Fyfe Engineers and Surveyors has a long and distinguished history in surveying and land development work that goes back to 1966 when the company founder Ross Fyfe was employed as a trainee surveyor at BHP Whyalla works.

Pipeline design certainty - terrain and imagery solutions

Lisa Dykes & Gail Kelly, AAMHatch

The 2007 APIA Convention at Royal Pines featured vigorous debate regarding terrain data sourcing for corridor engineering purposes. In this article, Lisa Dykes and Gail Kelly provide further detail about the process of surveying and use of LiDAR technology in pipeline design.

Route selection: more than just drawing a line

When planning for the construction of a pipeline, what could be more important than optimising the route, obtaining accurate survey information, producing high quality plans and conducting effective risk assessment? On completion, what could be more important than having a solution custom designed with all the information needed for operating the pipeline?

Pipe protection during storage

As long as pipes have been produced, storage has been an issue. How can pipes be stored safely, and how can not only the pipes be protected but also the people around them?

For Wheels that work, and people who do too

Having supplied vehicles to such pipeline projects as the North Queensland Gas Pipeline, the Moomba to Sydney Pipeline and the Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline Stage 4 and 5A expansions, there is no doubt that Sargent is a major partner to the pipeline industry. The Australian Pipeliner recently had a chat with Sargent’s Managing Director Mary Ann Strelow.

One Track pipe tracking and data collection system

With increasing demand for oil and gas pipeline construction in Australia comes the desire to have a mechanism that improves accountability at all levels and overall construction efficiency.

NationWide expands range in 2008

NationWide Hire – Australia’s largest provider of off-road and project specific trucks – has just expanded its range by adding new industry exclusive, car licence-capable Isuzu 4x4 single and Dual Cab trucks.

Toll provides logistics services for pipeline construction

Toll Project Services has recently provided logistical support for a number of pipeline projects, including the Brooklyn – Lara pipeline and Delta’s Newcastle Inter-Connector pipeline project.

Carbon dioxide impurities adn their effects on CO2 pipelines

Patricia N. Seevam, Julia M. Race, Martin J. Downie (School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, UK)

As carbon capture and storage (CCS) options are being increasingly examined in Australia and around the world, The Australian Pipeliner thought it timely to republish part of a paper outlining the effects of impurities in CO2 with relation to transport of CO2 via pipeline.

Fracture Propagation in CO2 Pipelines

(An extract from : ‘CHALLENGES FOR OFFSHORE TRANSPORT OF ANTHROPOGENIC CARBON DIOXIDE’, Julia M. Race Patricia N. Seevam Martin J. Downie , School of Marine Science and Technology, Newcastle University, UK, Proceedings of OMAE2007 26th International Conference on Offshore Mechanics and Arctic Engineering June 10-15, 2007, San Diego, California USA). This extract appears courtesy of ASME, organisers of OMAE2007.

Brooklyn Lara Pipeline

The development of the Brooklyn Lara Pipeline (BLP) responds to a prediction that the Melbourne metropolitan market will need additional capacity to meet the demand for gas. The APIA pipeline will both increase storage capacity to buffer periods of peak demand and accommodate the increased gas flows expected from the southwest Victorian gas fields.

Chatswood Gas Pipeline relocation

Codmah was recently contracted to relocate a primary gas pipeline in the busy Chatswood CBD area.

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April 2008

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