The Biennial Joint Technical Meeting (JTM) on Pipeline Research brings together members and researchers from the European Pipeline Research Group (EPRG), the United States-based Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI), and the Australian Pipeline Industry Association Research and Standards Committee (APIA RSC). The meeting facilitates the technical exchange of research program outputs; members discuss experiences and issues and plan research focus areas for the coming period.

The JTM included 30 papers presented in six technical categories and five workshop sessions on research needs, issues and opportunities. The technical categories included:

* Pipe manufacture and properties; * Design; * Girth welding and installation; * Corrosion and corrosion protection; * Environmentally assisted cracking; and, * Mechanical damage.

The workshop streams, designed to identify research gaps and opportunities, were consistent with the technical presentation categories. The workshop sessions aimed to achieve a unified strategic plan for global industry research requirements; identifying research priorities and mapping how the organisations could work collaboratively to achieve the project objectives.

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Twenty-two representatives of the Australian pipeline industry attended the JTM and many of these people played key roles in the presentations and workshops. Presentations from Australia included:

* Phil Venton (Venton & Associates) – Pipeline design and construction research * Valerie Linton (University of Adelaide)– The influence of Boron in EXX10 welding consumables * David Pack (Curtin University) – The mechanisms for the formation of ‘elemental sulphur’ in natural gas pipeline systems * Lex Edmond (Monash University)– Coatings and cathodic protection– corrosion mitigation in the field * Craig Clarke (APA Group) – The practical application of APIA’s SCC research to the Moomba to Sydney Pipeline.

Mr Venton, Craig Bonar, Richard Robinson and Max Kimber were Co-Chairs for various presentation sessions. Mr Robinson and Mr Venton were also Co-Chairs in the workshop sessions, along with Ms Linton and Leigh Fletcher.

A feature of the attendee list at this year’s event was the inclusion of the five young Australian pipeline engineers awarded scholarships to attend the JTM and the following two-week study tour of European gas and pipeline related facilities. The scholarships were funded by APIA, the Australian Gas Industry Trust and Orrcon. See page 28 for a full report on their visit.

All of this hard work could not go unrewarded, and delegates and partners enjoyed a number of very interesting and enjoyable functions at the end of each day. In particular, the welcome function saw attendees walking through downtown Milan to visit the National Art Gallery and then enjoy cocktails in the world-famous Galleria Vittorio Emanuel II. The partners spent a memorable day at Lake Como, which is one of the most famous and fascinating lakes in the world and was the backdrop for a number of scenes in the James Bond movie Casino Royale. The conference dinner, held at the nearby Palazzo Reale, provided a special treat for delegates and partners when they were provided with the opportunity to participate in a 30-minute visit to the Monet exhibition.

A highlight of the JTM was the signing of the reciprocal membership agreement between the PRCI and the APIA RSC. This was the culmination of much hard work by Mr Fletcher, Chair of the APIA RSC, and his predecessor, Mr Kimber. For more information on the agreement see page 96.

The JTM was deemed a great success by all the participants and APIA’s thanks go to Gerhard Knauf, the Secretary General of EPRG, and his team of organisers for orchestrating what was a memorable event in Milan. The next JTM will be held in San Francisco, United States of America, in April/May of 2011 and will be hosted by the PRCI.