The Australian Pipeliner

July 2007

President’s Message

One of the most inspiring things about APIA and its members is the determination to not only adapt to changing times, but to prepare for possible changes – to think ahead.

It’s been a little over a year since the inaugural Young People’s Forum. The enthusiastic response to this initiative, which is intended to help keep our talented young pipeliners in the industry, has been most welcome.

Gang at the Gong

Mark Dragar, Senior Integrity Engineer – Alinta Asset Management & YPF State Representative NSW/ACT

The much anticipated ‘Gang at the Gong’ tour occurred on 12 – 13 April, with twenty eager Young Pipeliners Forum participants (YPFers) from around Australia in attendance.

Hot rocks: Australia’s energy future?

The March Adelaide Dinner was a great success with attendees hearing a highly informative presentation from Barry Goldstein of the Petroleum & Geothermal Group of Primary Industries and Resources SA. Barry spoke on Australia’s burgeoning hot rock and hydrothermal industry and a summary of his presentation is reproduced here.

Managing ageing assets

Bob Allison, Chair of Pipeline Operators Group

The sixth annual Pipeline Operations seminar saw some of our most knowledgeable pipeliners sharing their experiences in the management of ageing pipeline assets and strategies for ensuring ongoing performance.

Bolivia to Brazil…and on to Sydney

The Sydney Dinner on 12 April was entertained by a very informative presentation about the construction of the Bolivia to Brazil pipeline.

Watching the detective

Following on from the Annual Golf Day at Burswood in February, it was back to the Parmelia Hilton Hotel for the WA Chapter Lunch held on 18 April. The lunch was well supported with 91 attendees.

APIA National Convention & Exhibition 2007 Australia’s Pipelines - Our Energy Lifelines

Australia’s pipelines certainly are our energy lifelines, and the APIA Convention and Exhibition is the forum that brings all the industry together to discuss important issues for these lifelines.

Successful Joint Technical Meeting held in Canberra

The APIA Research and Standards Committee was the proud host of the 16th Joint Technical Meeting (JTM) on Pipeline Research held at the Hyatt Hotel in Canberra from 17 to 20 April 2007.

APIA provides JTM experience for young pipeliners

Six young pipeliners were provided with scholarships from the APIA to attend the Joint Technical Meeting (JTM). One of the recipients, Anthony Cobiac of Epic Energy, provided this account of his experience to The Australian Pipeliner.

Australia sees JTM first: Best paper award

At the recent Joint Technical Meeting, the Best Paper Award was awarded to Valerie Linton, Erwin Gamboa and Michael Law for their paper entitled ‘Fatigue Crack Extension and Repair of Pipes with SCC Cracks’. The first time a best paper has been awarded at a JTM, the selection was made by prominent international pipeline expert David Batte.

Fatigue Crack Extension and Repair of Pipes with SCC Cracks

VM Linton, E Gamboa: University of Adelaide; M Law: ANSTO (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation).

In 2007 for the first time at a Joint Technical Meeting a “Best Paper” was selected. Following is the abstract of the winning paper.

International pipeline and offshore contractors to gather in Sydney

Sydney will host the 41st Annual Convention of IPLOCA, the International Pipeline and Offshore Contractors Association, between 1 - 5 October this year.

AS 2885. 1 - 2007: Pipelines - Gas and Liquid Petroleum Part 1: Design and Construction

Phil Venton, Chairman, ME38-1

Australian Standards are intended to be reviewed, and where necessary revised on a 5 year cycle. May 2007 saw the publication of AS 2885.1 2007 Pipelines – Gas and Liquid Petroleum, Part 1: Design and Construction.

AGIT: educating the next generation of gas industry professionals

The Australian Gas Industry Trust (AGIT) was established in 1999 to pursue educational activities in connection with the Australian gas industry. Each year the Trust stages Gas Speak and conducts an international study tour.

DBP: Building WA’s future

It’s been a busy time in the West with the ongoing expansion of the Dampier Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBNGP) following its sale two and a half years ago. The Australian Pipeliner spoke to Mark Cooper, General Manager Commercial of Dampier Bunbury Pipeline (DBP), owners of the DBNGP, to learn more about their activities.

The Moomba to Sydney Pipeline: 1971 to 1976

The Moomba to Sydney Pipeline (MSP), now a little over thirty years old, supplies gas to Sydney and many other NSW towns and cities. It was a huge undertaking for a young pipeline industry and was planned and built under extremely trying circumstances.

Fritz Boegel

Fritz Boegel was born in eastern Europe (prior to 1945, Germany’s East Prussia) in 1938 with, as he put it, “a silver spoon in his mouth”, his forefathers and father being respected and wealthy business people in their district until a move to the west in 1945 was forced by advancing Russian troops. He left West Germany with his parents and sister in 1956 to enter the sunny shores of Fremantle, WA.

Bridging the engineering generational gap

A growing generational gap in the engineering sector is evident, particularly in oil and gas, as experienced engineers head towards retirement and additional workload and responsibility is being passed on to younger engineers.

APC Socotherm sets yet another coating milestone

APC Socotherm’s drive to deliver proven worldwide technologies into the Australian market has made the availability of Trikote™ 3LPP offshore coating in Australia a reality.

Fusion Bond Epoxy for Higher Operating Temperatures (H.O.T.)

For many years Fusion Bond Epoxy (FBE) has been a major anticorrosion coating, protecting oil and gas pipelines in many parts for the world, in hot climates, and cold climates, on land and under the sea. It has gained a reputation as one of the most effective protective systems.

Four Wheel Drive Hire Service merges with Sargent Truck Lease

A merger has been announced between leading specialist four wheel drive rental company Four Wheel Drive Hire Service and light and heavy commercial vehicle lease and rental company Sargent Truck Lease.

Red Rock expands to Melbourne

Red Rock Oilfield Services, founded in Perth in October 2000, are building their business across the country with the opening of a new office in Melbourne.

Boddingtons celebrates ten years in Australia

Having recently celebrated ten years operating in Australia, Boddingtons has come a long way since its humble beginnings operating from a small office in a trucking depot company importing and selling product manufactured at its parent company in the UK.

Coal seam gas: the year in review

Commercial production of coal seam gas in Australia is only a decade old, but has continued to grow immensely in the past year. The Australian Pipeliner’s Kim Brockett compiled this special report outlining the years’ developments.

CSG: reshaping Australia’s gas landscape

The Australian Pipeliner’s Maryam Jahanshahi recently met with the President of the Australian Coal Seam Gas Council, Queensland Gas Company’s Managing Director Richard Cottee to hear about the vision for Australia’s coal seam gas industry.

Land access issues for pipelines

Mark Boydell, Solicitor – Energy, Resources and Infrastructure, Hopgood Ganim Lawyers

Obtaining a pipeline licence under the Petroleum and Gas Act 2004 may seem like a straightforward process, but the licence itself does not grant the holder any rights of access of land and moving forward with a project once a licence has been granted is not always simple.

DEUTZ leads way with CSG and CMM

DEUTZ is leading the way in CSG and CMM with advanced governing technology and a cost effective 4 MW gas engine.

PPI establishes itself in the CSG pipeline business

PPI Corporation has been producing polyethylene (PE) pipe in Brisbane for nearly 30 years and in that time has earned an enviable reputation for quality and service.

Adtech FRP: specialists in fibreglass pipe

Adtech FRP Pipelines is a dedicated fibreglass pipeline company specialising in the oil and gas and mining industries.

TI660M trencher hits Australia

Rarely does a piece of machinery generate as much excitement as the Trencor T1660M did upon its arrival on site at the Western Corridor Recycled Water Project.

PipeLine Machinery International: providing pipeline equipment solutions

PipeLine Machinery International (PLM) is meeting the needs of the pipeline construction industry by providing the latest in purpose built and traditional Caterpillar® machines as well as a full line of after-market units and attachments designed specifically for the unique needs of the pipeline contractor.

Infrastructure Constructions expands into Queensland

Over the years Sydney-based underground civil construction specialist, Infrastructure Constructions (IC) has gone from strength to strength, through both its horizontal directional drilling and trenching divisions.

HDD reaches new levels of accuracy

A recently executed project in Canberra has highlighted the important role HDD can play in pipeline installations, when accuracy is critical to ensuring the right connections are in place for a pipeline to flow.

Trenchless Technology boom - get on board!

In increasingly crowded urban environments, and as concerns regarding environmental impacts grow, when it comes to installing and rehabilitating underground infrastructure, in many cases Trenchless Technology is not just an option – it’s a necessity.

Mixing flexibility and performance

Expanding its drilling-fluid supply systems for HDD equipment, Vermeer has introduced the MX240 Modular Drilling Fluid Mixing System.

DrillTec hits Kupe targets

The Kupe Gas Project in South Taranaki, New Zealand is now well underway with installation of the 2 x 2,200 m casings being completed before the end of April 2007.

Australian offshore pipelines conquer new waters

With many kilometres of submarine pipelines having been built in Australian waters in the last decade, and even more being planned and engineered for the next decade, Australia is making history in offshore pipeline construction.

Pluto poised to power Australia’s LNG growth

Poised to increase Australia’s LNG output by between 5 - 6 MMt/a, the Pluto gas development represents a mammoth offshore engineering challenge but will also provide a similarly substantive benefit, not only in resource output but also in engineering and design breakthroughs devised specifically for the development.

Securing water supply in regional NSW

The Darling Anabranch Pipeline Scheme was opened in February, securing water supplies for southwest New South Wales.

SRWP surging ahead

The Australian Pipeliner recently visited the Southern Regional Water Pipeline (SRWP) to see the latest developments first hand.

Santos enhances Fairview coal seam gas production with new pipeline

Santos has positioned itself for significant growth in coal seam gas production in southeast Queensland with the completion of the Comet Ridge pipeline linking Fairview directly with Wallumbilla.

Fairview – Wallumbilla another success for Diversified

Following signing of a contract in early July 2006, Diversified Construction Corporation installed the Fairview – Wallumbilla pipeline and associated facilities, achieving first gas flow through the pipeline in March 2007. The project was constructed in six months and involved the deployment of in excess of 140 personnel.

MFS delivers ease on easements

Reinforcing Maloney Field Services’ (MFS) position as a truly national provider of land access services, MFS was delighted to be engaged by Santos for the Fairview to Wallumbilla Pipeline Project.

Fyfe: helping deliver important projects in remote areas

Fyfe is proud to be a major player in the successful delivery of Santos’ Fairview coal seam gas development in Queensland. For more than 10 years, Fyfe has developed field activities in the Cooper Basin and was pleased when it was extended to cover coal seam gas development work in Queensland.

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The Australian Pipeliner

July 2007

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