Not all pipelines are created equal: New horizons – Keynote summary

Patrick Smyth: Vice President, Performance - Canadian Energy Pipeline Association (CEPA)

As the operators of 135,000 kilometres of pipeline in Canada and the United States, CEPA’s members have experience working with pipelines of all ages, shapes and sizes. Patrick will highlight how innovation, technological advances and industry collaboration support the development of new state-of-the-art pipelines, along with the safe and responsible maintenance of pipes that have been in the ground for several decades. He will also discuss how the industry is setting competition aside and working together better than ever before through the CEPA Integrity First® program in its commitment to zero incidents.

Biography

Daryl Ronsky is Vice President Collaboration of ROSEN Canada. He has worked with ROSEN for 9 years.
Mr. Ronsky started his pipeline career with Alberta Gas Trunk Line in Edson Alberta after finishing his Mechanical Engineering degree at the University of Alberta. He has worked in the pipeline industry ever since. He has worked technically in the areas of rotating equipment and pipeline integrity for the bulk of his career. This work has allowed him to participate in projects all over the world.
Mr. Ronsky is active with the International Pipeline Conference since 1996, and he is a founding member of the Young Pipeliners Association of Canada.

Where Does All My NDE Data Go?

This presentation will focus on ROSEN’s step forward in improving the information exchange of field data with the operators through the new Field Management System.  It will highlight how this data is being stored and organized within the new Pipeline Data Warehouse.  Further, it will give examples of how this data along with machine learning techniques will be used to bring added value to the our clients.

Biography:

Kevin Siggers graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Masters of Applied Science and has been a Pipeline Integrity Engineer in for the last 9 years.  Kevin began his career with Enbridge Pipelines and FortisBC before his recent move to ROSEN.  Through his time as an integrity engineer Kevin has strived to improve how ILI data is used to inform integrity decisions.  At ROSEN Kevin is focused on new ways of handling the flow of information with clients and using novel techniques to improve the quality of information provided.

The Line Is Clean, And We Got Good Data…That’s A Good Message!

This will be a case study on cleaning a 30” gas line. An extended cleaning program was necessary after unexpected amounts of debris where found.

Once upon a time in a place close by there was a 30” gas pipeline that needed inspecting. Nobody would have guessed that this expected clean line would have any debris let alone thousands of pounds that had slowly accumulated unnoticed. The Rosen Allied cleaning force was tasked with eliminating this overwhelming foe, because they were the only ones crazy enough to try. The 100 year battle lasted a numbing 1 year. Pigs were sacrificed, nitrogen depleted, fingers pinched and tears shed, but the good guys prevailed and saved the day. For now the gas flows freely, but the battle is far from over as each operator is realizing they too have one of these problem pipelines in their fleet.

Biography

Johannes Becker Is ROSEN Canada’s go to technical expert, and has worked on many projects that required a special technical approach to make them happen. Being a mechanical engineer, having worked in the field, workshop and 8 years in ILI tool configuration and design, he knows what is takes to send pigs through pipes. When he is not working with smart pigs he is passionate about helping the in-laws on their farm with all kinds non smart animals and conquers Alberta’s back country with his Motorbike. When tasked with how to inspect the reactivation segments of the Trans Mountain Pipeline he worked tirelessly with his counterparts all over the world to come up with the most effective solution on how to inspect these two segments.

Our New Superpowers - Python In Data Science & Big Data

Python has become the number one programming language in a variety of studies lately. A trend that has been emerging for a long time now. Especially in Data Science and Big Data applications Python plays out its strengths and is widely considered to be a key technology to success. This talk is meant to be a sneak peek behind the scenes of Research & Development at ROSEN in this area, to show where and how we use Python and what we envision for the future.

Biography:

Jens studied physics and computer science. He started at ROSEN 15 years ago assuring and increasing inline inspection performance by simulating the tools measurement setup with the help of FEM calculations. After a few years he was appointed head of the physics department within R&D which he was in charge of for almost 10 years. During this period he was both responsible and a driver for introducing the programming language Python as a state of the art solution for experiment control, data processing and algorithm prototyping. A large organizational change offered him a new role enabling to work on technology management and focus on ROSENs future needs. In addition to leading the related department Jens envisioned new ways for more efficient data processing and analysis to allow the best possible result for quality and efficiency at that time. Today he is focusing on proving those ideas and fostering the base foundation for introducing the corresponding technology.

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Shortly after graduating from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering, Randy transitioned into the world of Pipeline Integrity.  With 19 years of experience in the industry, Randy has gained valuable experience with an In-Line Inspection service provider as a Data Analyst, Project Manager, and Integrity Engineer as well as natural gas and liquid Operators.  Randy's current role  is the Supervisor, Integrity Assessment at Inter Pipeline Ltd.

The Journey Of A Pipeline Engineer

Pipeline standards and regulations explicitly require pipeline engineers to be both technically ‘competent in’ and ‘qualified for’ all the tasks they perform. Are you able to demonstrate your technical competence as a pipeline engineer? Has it been independently validated? This presentation will examine of the elements of technical competence and how this should be assessed, supported and independently validated. We will look at various real-world examples of how an engineer can ensure they are demonstrably ‘competent and qualified’.

Biography:

Simon Irvine joined ROSEN to support service development and operations within ROSEN’s Education Systems and Services. He comes with over 10 years’ international experience in education and learning, with a heavy focus on the oil and gas sector.

 

The Next Generation In Metal Loss Inspection

This presentation will provide a high level overview of the developments ROSEN is undertaking in the field of metal loss inspection services.

17,000km And Counting

Since 2009, TransCanada has developed a structured crack management program to mitigate this threat and ensure safe pipeline operations throughout is system. TransCanada selected the EMAT ILI technology as the primary tool for advancing this threat mitigation effort with ROSEN being the primary supplier for this service.  This presentation will summarize this journey over the years and discuss some of the successes and challenges experienced.  The presentation will also present an insight into the anticipated advancements and further challenges as this program continues to progress into the future.

Integrity Assessment of Pipelines with Uncertain Material Properties

The presentation will describe some of the challenges that can be faced when assessing the integrity of pipelines that lack adequate documentation to confirm material properties such as grade and material fracture toughness. With the use of recent case studies it discusses how ROSEN’s RoMat tool can be used as an integrity part of an integrity management program.

Biography:

Andrew is based in ROSEN’s office in Newcastle, UK and manages a team of over 40 integrity engineers who provide integrity consultancy support to clients worldwide. Andrew is a mechanical engineer who has been working in the field of pipeline integrity for over 15 years specialising in post-in line inspection integrity assessment. As well working with pipeline owners and operators, Andrew’s team provides supports to local integrity engineering staff within ROSEN’s regional operating bases through training, staff secondments and day to day project collaboration.

Pint-sized Powerhouse

Pressure cycling is leading to cracking of liquid pipelines all over the world. Regulators as well as proactive operators are pushing the technological development to generate inspection solutions for every pipeline. Driven by the demand for small diameter crack detection services, ROSEN introduces a small diameter 6 inch  RoCD UT-C for high resolution axial crack detection in liquid lines. The miniaturization of electrical and mechanical components as well as a new compensation of the pipe curvature played the key role during development. Efficient energy management with decreased power consumption and the utilization of established storage solutions like SD cards are allowing long inspection runs and fast turnaround times.

Biography:

Johannes Keuter finished his apprenticeship as banker at the Dresdner Bank as part of the Allianz Group in 2006 and worked there as a Financial Consultant. After the Community Service in 2007 his study of mechanical engineering and management at the University of Applied Science Osnabrueck and at the University of Paderborn followed. He received his bachelor degree in mechanical engineering and management in 2010 and his master degree from the University Paderborn in 2012.

As a Technical Product Manager for ILI tools, especially MFL, he started at the ROSEN Technology and Research Center where he managed several ILI tool development projects. This leads to the function as International Service Manager for ILI metal loss services at ROSEN Technology and Research Center from 2013. He was responsible for special ILI tool applications like corrosion resistant alloy (CRA) pipelines, operational low flow low pressure conditions (LFLP) or hard spot detection for different ILI technologies like MFL, UT, EC, Geometry, cleaning, etc. and also for support of operating companies regarding research & development approaches for performance specifications verification. Writing of concept respectively feasibility studies e.g. in Front End Engineering & Design (FEED) phases regarding ILI possibilities and challenges was part of his responsibilities as well.

In 2015 he went to ROSEN Middle East as Project Manager Sales ILI and worked in the Middle East until beginning of 2016. Since beginning of 2016 he is focusing on ultrasonic (UT) crack detection and metal loss services in his role as International Service Manager and manages the further development of these ILI services.

ROSEN 3, Unpiggable 0. Winning With Challenging Pipelines

This presentation outlines the features and capabilities of this new Pint-Sized Powerhouse, and illustrates its success through one of the first inspection projects, a 200km crude oil pipeline in North America.

Biography

Eric Kubian; originally from Calgary, is a Welding Engineering Technologist from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology and API 570 certified piping inspector, with over 20 years of experience in asset integrity management, corrosion monitoring and pipeline inspection. He joined ROSEN Canada in 2017 with the role of Technical Sales Manager focusing on the application of ROSEN’s integrity management solutions in the upstream oil and gas sector.

How Deep Is Your….Cover? Assessing DoC From High Resolution Gyro/IMU Data

Using results from a large UK-based project, this presentation will briefly describe the processes involved in loss of pipeline cover, and highlight the methods and technology involved in determining Depth of Cover for buried pipelines.

Novel Electrically Conductive Smart Plastics For Process Condition Monitoring

Thanks to their corrosion resistance, light weight, low cost, and high performance, electrically conductive polymer composites have received significant attention for the replacement of metals and inorganic materials for sensors, actuators, piezoelectric materials and generators.

Biography:

Dr. Ali Sarvi has the role of Technical Specialist at ROSEN Intelligent Plastic Solutions (IPS), Canada. He works on the development and manufacturing of engineering plastics for applications in severe environments like the oil sands and mining. He joined ROSEN in 2014, and since then has been responsible for the reliability of all products manufactured in ROSEN IPS Canada, developing new products and new polyurethane formulas for new applications.

Custom-designed polyurethane formulas for different applications, are ROSEN’s strength. Depending on the application conditions and client requirements, the polyurethane formulas are modified to deliver the maximum value to the clients.

Ali has received his bachelor and master’s degrees in Polymer Engineering from Amirkabir University of Technology (Tehran Polytechnic), Iran in 2007 and 2009, respectively. Then, he studied the effects of crystal nucleation on rheological behavior of semi-crystalline polymer melts filled with nanoparticles. Later, he pursued his studies at the University of Calgary, Canada where he received his PhD in Chemical Engineering. His PhD thesis was focused on synthesis and characterization of conductive nanoparticles (i.e. metal nanowires) and nanofibers. Tailoring filler network structure in polymer composites at nanoscale was performed in order to improve polymer composite properties. The goal was to achieve the favorite electrical properties at the lowest possible nanofiller loadings. The journal paper published from his these results in The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering was selected as the Best Graduate Student Paper in 2015.  
 

Why Wait For Wrinkles, Assess Them Now.

Monitoring of process condition using novel technology of electrically conductive polymer as sensor is an advantageous alternative for existing sensing and monitoring technologies in the market. Current established sensors fail under severe process conditions, mostly due to a lack of compatibility with the bulk polymer and/or an poor resistance to the process environment.

Therefore, ROSEN is developing tailor-made sensors which are fully integrated in to bulk polymer material. Different grades and arrangements of these electrically conductive polymer sensors are capable of detecting loads, deformation and erosion of bulk polymer which they can be custom-designed for different applications. ROSEN provides the complete solution of high performance elastomer, embedded sensors, electronics and software to its clients.