Natural Gas Pipelines cover thousands of miles transporting natural gas from source to destination. They transport gas from oil wells to processing plants for purification, several compressor stations to maintain flow pressure, and finally to city gate stations. The gas is sent to distribution companies to service end consumers. Natural Gas Pipeline Surveys are conducted regularly to ensure optimum performance and safety. Let’s discuss a few critical points about Natural Gas Pipeline Surveys.
- During Natural Gas Pipeline Surveys, what are the essential items covered?
- What makes these surveys critical in the operations of oil and gas companies?
- How does Fielda help inspectors improve Natural Gas Pipeline Surveys?
Key elements covered during surveys: Inspectors usually patrol the pipelines and conduct visual surveys along the pipeline or from the air. The survey aids in auditing surface conditions for the possibility of leaks, safety risks, construction work that could affect the pipes, etc. They also check items like the cathodic protection system and using “smart” pig; inspectors conduct detailed internal examinations to check for pits, dents, corrosion, and metal loss. Surveys also include a review of safety equipment, gas detection systems, pressure relief devices, and fire suppression systems.
What makes Natural Gas Pipeline Surveys so crucial: Natural Gas Pipelines are exposed to various risks. These could be physical damage from the surface and external environment or internal malfunctions of specific systems along the route. There are also strict guidelines and regulations stipulated by bodies like the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), etc. Therefore, oil and gas companies need to ensure compliance to avoid safety risks and potential penalties. Operationally, if issues are not spotted and addressed on time, they can escalate into a crisis, disrupting supply and financial losses. Surveys help pre-empt and manage these vital aspects for optimum operational efficiency.
How Fielda helps inspectors with Natural Gas Pipeline Surveys: Gas pipelines have two characteristics that challenge routine surveys. First, they are spread across vast distances, making tracking specific sections or components more difficult in the large geographical expanse covered. And because of their routing, pipelines are often in off-grid areas with no connectivity. Fielda helps inspectors easily overcome these challenges. Its GIS capability helps inspectors accurately map and track assets across the pipeline. And its offline data collection feature ensures that no matter how far-flung the site is, data collection is seamless.
Pre-empt: Identify quality issues, repairs required, and compliance gaps before they escalate
Optimize: Streamline surveys through accurate geo-spatial data for optimum resource deployment and field staff planning
Consolidate: Integrate collected data with existing organizational databases and systems for a holistic view of operations
About Fielda: Fielda helps companies manage and maintain their assets and gain real-time oversight of all tasks, workflows, and projects to improve operational efficiency, enhance team productivity and impact the bottom line. Whether it’s installations, inspections, repairs, replacement of parts, servicing and maintenance, or routine audits, with Fielda’s mobile data collection, GIS-enabled technology, automated and custom workflows, and analytics, you can eliminate errors, enhance response time, ease workflow bottlenecks, and simplify your field operations.