The Unique Online Summit for Pipeline Operators and Service & Technology Providers
Following the lessons learned from two editions of the online ptc the organizing EITEP Institute has developed a new online event concept offering extended knowledge transfer and networking features.
The 6th Virtual Pipeline Summit (VPS 6) will provide a comprehensive overview and competitive technology showcase of a spectrum of problems and solutions related to the "Offshore Pipeline Technologies".
The Virtual Pipeline Summit is organized by EITEP Institute, organizer of the Pipeline Technology Conference (ptc) and publisher of the Pipeline Technology Journal (ptj).
The Virtual Pipeline Summit features the same essential success factors as a a face-to-face event.
Extensive conference program with lectures and discussions on current challenges in day-to-day operations.
(accessible from the day of the summit until one week after the summit)
Advanced networking features for all participants and possibility to initiate video calls with sponsors and exhibitors.
(accessible from a few days before the summit until one week after the summit)
Virtual exhibition for pipeline operators to get an overview of technological advances and new solutions in the market.
(accessible from a few days before the summit until one week after the summit)
Technology Leader Industrial & Energy, Evonik Operations, Germany
Masters Degree in process engineering at Martin Luther University Halle/Germany.
10 years of experience in R&D in the polymers industry. Functional experience includes R&D, Testing & Application technology development and polymer processing as project and team leader. Mainly focused in development work for the energy market with high performance polymers and semi finished products like unidirectional CF-Tapes. Recently moved to R&D projects portfolio management and tech scouting for Industrial & Energy.
Employment history:
Evonik Operations GmbH, 2019 - present
Technology leader Industrial & Energy
Responsible for directing and managing the R&D project portfolio of segment Industrial&Energy
Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH 2015 - 2019
Sen. Project Manager O&G Composites Development
Responsible for thermoplastic composites development for O&G and managing of material development and qualification projects.
Evonik Industries AG 2011 - 2015
Project Manager in Testing and Application Tech. Development
Responsible for development of specialized testing setups including in HP-HT environments for compatibility studies for polymers vs. supercritical CO2. Rig up and implementation of new composites testing lab into Product care and Analytics department, Head of Composites testing laboratory.
Fraunhofer IWM, Halle a. d. Saale, Germany, 2010 - 2011
Scientific assistant
Alternative & Clean Energy Technical Sales Advisor, Halliburton PPS, United Kingdom
With a background in ILI and pigging of challenging pipelines, Danny is a Director of the Pigging Products and Services Association and a member of the Pipeline Technology Conference Advisory Committee. Danny now concentrates on the role of pipelines in the energy transition, including repurposing of existing infrastructure to carry hydrogen and carbon dioxide for sequestration.
Director Conferences, EITEP Institute, Germany
Dennis Fandrich got a diploma degree in geography from the Leibniz University of Hannover with majors in spatial planning and economics. He made his first steps with international project management and marketing during his time at Hannover Fairs Asia in Singapore and joined the EITEP Institute in 2003. As project manager he was involved in the conceptual design, marketing, sales and organization of different international conferences, exhibitions and seminars in Bahrain, China, Tunisia and Germany. He is part of the editorial management team of the Pipeline Technology Journal and host of the Virtual Pipeline Summit series of online events. Since 2019 he is chairman of the Pipeline Technology Conference and coordinates the international advisory committee.
Project Manager, Net Zero Technology Centre, United Kingdom
Greg who is currently working with the Net Zero Technology Centre has over 30 years experience in onshore and offshore pipelines, with roles ranging from Design Engineer, to Operations Manager and Project Director covering all aspects including design, construction, operation and mothballing / abandonment working mainly in the UK but with periods in Australia and East Africa. During this time Greg has worked for consultancies, construction companies and major oil & gas operators.
Applications Engineering Manager - Europe Africa Caspian, Baker Hughes, United Kingdom
Peter Dixon is Regional Engineering Manager for Europe, Africa, Russia and Caspian, based in the UK. He has since spent 17 years working in various engineering functions to support the deep-water pipeline pre-commissioning sector. His primary involvement has been with the development and sustaining of the Denizen™ deep-water pipeline flooding and hydro-testing systems. He led much of the conceptual and detailed engineering for the first Denizen system. His current role entails developing engineering methodologies, policies and competency standards across the region’s engineering team. He also works with the engineering teams to develop the unique solutions required to evolve the pre-commissioning service, offering and deliver competitive solutions for operations projects. Peter holds an MSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and is a Chartered Engineer.
Subsea and Pipelines Manager, Petrofac, United Kingdom
Phil has held technical and business leadership roles at Xodus, Heerema, INTECSEA and KW Ltd. over the last 20 years. He now leads the subsea and pipeline team in Petrofac, which incorporates the same KW he helped establish in 1999. Current projects include design of onshore and offshore pipelines for hydrocarbon, hydrogen and CO2 service; subsea decommissioning; and support to field development studies.
His career includes design and assessment of complex subsea systems comprising pipelines, flowlines, risers and associated structures, spools and hardware. Phil has contributed to technical advances in deepwater, pipe-in-pipe, arctic and seismic design, with numerous published papers. His experience includes all project phases and most of the major offshore oil and gas production regions. Before entering the subsea oil and gas sector, Phil provided structural engineering and advanced analysis consultancy services to a wide range of landmark projects, from the UK’s tallest sculpture to the world’s tallest building.
Phil graduated from Loughborough University, UK, and is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Subsea pipeline Consultant, Petrobras, Brazil
Head of Analysis UM, NDT Global, Germany
Thomas Meinzer is a Head of GMI Data Analysis and UT ILI specialist at NDT Global who is responsible for best quality services for all different kind of application scenarios related to compression wave data analysis projects globally.
Background of Thomas is electrical engineering.
After spending almost three decades in the UT ILI business with main focus on corrosion detection, Thomas knows exactly how to serve and advise pipeline operators best in various types of corrosion challenges.
Area Sales Manager, NDT Global, Germany
Thomas Mrugala graduated from the Technical University of Karlsruhe (KIT) in 2000 with a degree in industrial engineering. He worked in the mechanical and electrical engineering industries before moving into pipeline services. Thomas joined NDT Global in 2013 as Area Sales Manager and is currently responsible for in-line inspection in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Norway. He has over 8 years' experience in the pipeline industry and has a proven record of accomplishment in business development.
Business Development Manager, KTN (company of the ROSEN group), Norway
Master mechanical engineering, University of Hannover, Germany (Dipl. Ing.)
7 years operator (project manager) at Preussag oil + gas.
Since 1988 on vendor side: different roles in marketing + sales / business development for Pipetronix/PII, NDT Systems & Services. Since 2014 business development manager for KTN AS, Bergen, Norway, a company of the Rosen Group.
From 1985 - today directly involved in hundreds of pipeline inspection projects with Caliper, INS/mapping, MFL, EMAT and UT technology.
Inspection consultant since September 2013 (PIC, Pipeline Inspection Consulting).
Advisor Pipelines for EITEP, was PPSA director, presented many papers on international pipeline conferences, trainings for customers and seminars about pipeline inspection
All time specifications are in Central European Time (CET). The presentations will be recorded and will remain available online afterwards.
The UK seabed plays home to 1000 pipelines measuring over 45,000 kilometers, that the renewables industry could potentially reuse. Using existing pipelines reduces the infrastructure cost for renewable energy, minimising the initial upfront capital expenditure of commissioning a new pipeline by as much as 70%.
Not all of these pipelines will be suitable for transporting CO2 or hydrogen. Therefore, each one must be assessed to determine its suitability for reuse. This assessment is fundamental to any reuse project but is a time-consuming and challenging task. One option is to reapply the appropriate design codes. However, as the pipeline has already been in use, this is insufficient and involves significant work to assess its suitability fully.
The oil and gas industry has already developed a comprehensive methodology for assessing pipelines that examines the pipeline's life and the elements that would need to be addressed based on Failure Modes, Effects and Critically Analysis (FMECA). This approach was adapted to apply to reuse in the renewables sector, and high-level test cases were conducted. These assessments focused on reusing the pipelines to transport CO2 or H2 and demonstrated that the methodology was a valid and valuable approach to assessing a pipelines fitness for change of use for renewable energy.
This presentation will cover the background behind the methodology as well as presenting a summary of the findings from the test case.
Newly installed gas export pipelines have traditionally been flooded, hydrotested, dewatered and air dried before finally being nitrogen inerted, prior to commissioning gas-up. For long export pipelines, typically of high diameter, this process is both time and resource intensive. A large volume of water is pulled from the sea, via a filtration and chemical dosing processes before being pumped into the pipeline. This water is then pressurized to provide a strength test of the pipeline and establish its leak-tightness. The subsequent dewatering and drying phases, particularly for deepwater pipelines, require enormous horsepower from air compression units that will run for weeks.
However, in conjunction with pipeline operators and DNV GL, Baker Hughes PPS has pioneered a new way to pre-commission these massive export lines, where the disadvantages with the system pressure test are extraordinary. Instead, the strength assessment of the pipeline is made under the DNV waiver via stringent requirements of the mill pressure tests, rigorous inspection and test of joints made during construction, higher design factors of safety and an installation track-record.
The term “dry pre-commissioning” refers to the removal of the flood and hydrotest operations. Consequently, the air-drying phase is also either eliminated or significantly condensed. Pipeline cleaning, conditioning, gauging and caliper inspection remain likely project requirements. Performing these operations without the traditional flooding of the pipeline is challenging, particularly where the pipeline profile has significant elevation changes. Prediction and control of the pig speed, ensuring consistent MEG swabbing, sufficient cleaning with minimum fluid and minimizing the diesel-powered air-spread are all competing factors.
This presentation details several of those technical challenges that were overcome in the development of a successful and innovative “dry pre-commissioning” methodology that demonstrates the viability of the no-hydrotest approach for major export pipelines.
Pipeline system integrity has become increasingly important to pipeline operators. Accurate measurement and evaluation of the physical condition of oil and gas pipelines is critical to effective integrity management, as well as to assure pipeline safety.
Typically, inline inspection is carried out for the detection and sizing of geometry-, corrosion- and cracking defects. However, there are still many pipeline systems offshore which were never designed and built for conventional ILI tools and modifications would be extremely expensive.
KTN AS, Bergen, Norway, a company of the Rosen Group, has developed during the last 19 years a flexible tethered, bidi, self-propelled inspection tool for challenging pipelines which can combine technologies for measurement of the pipeline geometry (dents, ovalities, roofing etc.), wall thickness / corrosion / laminations, crack detection and precise crack sizing. Technologies used are piezo UT pulse echo vertical- and angular beam, phased array, TOFD, high resolution camera, grinding machine and eddy current based technologies for dry lines. This tool is tailor made for every inspection and cannot only detect axial cracks (SCC, fatigue crack etc.) but cracks in all directions (girth weld cracks, etc.). The crack depth and profile is measured quantitatively. Data collection is done on the way in and out, the results are visible in real-time.
The paper will explain the technologies used and the specifications achieved and will shortly give the results of successful projects done offshore as detection and accurate sizing of girth weld cracks, circumferential cracks at anodes and axial cracks in and along longseam welds.
An North Sea operator required inspection of a subsea line critical to the company’s business. The pipeline system is transporting gas and condensate form a template to a platform. The Flexible Riser with a diameter of 10" and a total length of 720 m as well as its End Fittings were intended to be inspected in order to be able to assess the conditions of both critical parts of the asset.
The flexible raiser starting at a platform, going to the seabed on 322 meters depth is connected by its end fittings to a 6,5 km 10" subsea pipeline which ends in a template. Due to the system layout the inspection had to be done by a BiDi tool.
Since the Flexible Raiser and its End Fittings had never been inspected before and in order to obtain reliable evidence on the condition of this critical pipeline section, the requested ILI solution had to be capable to perform a high resolution measurement of the pitch between the carcasses in the raisers whole length and the critical end couplings as well as the End Fitting positions.
After careful evaluation of its options for inspecting the line, the operator chose NDT Global’s tailored Evo Series 1.0 UG ultrasonic geometry and wall thickness inspection tool. This tool equipped with two UG modules offers unsurpassed axial resolution of 0.75 mm, and circumferential resolution of 6.2 mm and is capable to run in dual directions
United Kingdom
We help operators confidently manage their assets and prepare for their energy future, partnering to deliver data, technology, solutions and expertise for more innovative ways of working. The mutual goals - safe operations, asset integrity, enhanced profitability, and reduced emissions. Combining our powerful engineering capabilities and experience with a strong service footprint brings peace of mind to even the most complex challenges.
Switzerland
The ROSEN Group is a globally leading provider of cutting-edge solutions in all areas of the integrity process chain. Since its origins as a one-man business in 1981, ROSEN has rapidly grown and continues to do so. Today, the business is still privately owned and consists of a team of more than 4,000 employees, operating in more than 120 countries.
Germany
NDT Global is the leading provider of ultra-high-tech diagnostic inspection solutions, advanced data analysis, and integrity assessment services for ensuring the safety and longevity of assets. As the forerunner in ultrasonic inspection technologies, we also deploy a range of non-ultrasonic technologies, such as Inertial Measurement Units. We apply inspection technologies to detect, diagnose and model various types of threats across diverse classes of assets. By providing predictive, decision-ready insights driven by the world’s most accurate data, NDT Global enables the conditions for asset owners to optimize infrastructure health and drive operational efficiencies while reducing risk and minimizing their carbon footprint.
Germany
The Pipeline Technology Journal (ptj) features latest developments, innovative solutions and a comprehensive news service for the international pipeline industry. All the technical articles are freely available on an open access basis. The ptj newsletter and the electronic journal reach more than 20,000 pipeline experts worldwide.
VPS is not just another webinar. The goal of the Virtual Pipeline Summit is to give back to the pipeline industry the lost opportunities for knowledge transfer and networking, and to provide a comprehensive overview and competitive technology showcase of a spectrum of problems and solutions in these challenging times.
The VPS provides a comprehensive overview of current problems and solutions in the market. The different technological approaches are in competition with each other and can be discussed online before, during and after the summit. The leading technology and service providert will present themselves in a virtual exhibition.