Pipeline Operations and Maintenance

What are the Goals?

By the end of this Pipeline Operations and Maintenance training course, delegates will be able to:

• Identify basic principles of safe operation & efficient maintenance of pipelines for various industrial applications.
• Develop deep understanding & familiarity with the practical aspects of operation and maintenance activities.
• Illustrate the concepts discussed and be provided with necessary experience in applying them.
• Use & follow the guidelines & best industrial practices related to operation, control, inspection & testing of pipelines.

Who is this Training Course for?

• Process, chemical and mechanical engineers working in petrochemical and process industry, including oil refineries and gas production companies where operation and maintenance of pipelines are high importance
• Operation, technical service and maintenance professionals from various processing plants involved in everyday operation, control, inspection and maintenance of pipelines
• Engineers and consultants dealing with planning of new production lines and retrofitting plants and introducing new technologies
• Technical professionals responsible for maintenance and repair of equipment

Daily Agenda

Day One: Overview of Technical Characteristics of Pipelines

• Overview of main elements of oil and gas pipeline systems
• Selection & sizing of pipelines: flow rate, MAWP, pumping power: ASME B31.3
• Selection of pipeline material and interaction with working fluid
• Operation of pump and compressor stations
• Pipeline flow control and measurements: custody transfer
• Workshop: Examples and solutions

Day Two: Operation & Material Degradation

• Pipeline material ageing: erosion, corrosion & stress corrosion cracking
• Corrosion Direct Assessment: External (ECDA) and internal (ICDA) Methods
• Cathodic protection, coating and other technologies: outer & inner surface
• Metal loss inline inspection (ILI) and smart pigging (NDT) monitoring
• Pipeline fatigue, cracks, seam defects and ruptures
• Workshop: Examples and solutions

Day Three: Operation & Safety Management

• Safety Instrumentation, Control Valves and Other Safety Accessories
• Transient operation and effects and water hammer
• Pipeline failure prevention & root cause analysis
• Leak detection methods (LDAR) and patrolling & surveillance: SCADA
• Inspection (RBI), Hydrostatic test methodology
• Workshop: Examples and Solutions

Day Four: Maintenance Technologies

• Pipeline maintenance & cleaning technologies: pipeline reconditioning
• Monitoring of pipeline vibrations and support integrity
• Repair technologies: welding of composite sleeves and segment replacements
• Maintenance of valves, fittings and accessories
• Valve repair: hot tapping, temporary plugging (stopple)
• Workshop: Examples and solutions

Day Five: Testing & Monitoring in Operation

• Hydrostatic testing: allowable operating pressure and hydrostatic test pressure
• Reliability and availability of pipelines in operation
• Risk based inspection (RBI)
• Fitness for Service (FFS)
• Estimate of remaining life of equipment
• Course summary and review