Pipelines: their safety and significance
Article from: OGEL 4 (2006), in Pipelines
Introduction
The world's oil and gas pipeline network exceeds one million kilometres in length, and is expanding continually. At the same time, the integrity and fitness-for-purpose of the exiting pipeline network, as it gets increasingly older and exceeds its design life, presents pipeline operators with a whole range of new challenges, particularly as pipeline-transported gas is more-and-more used for the generation of electricity. This article examines some of these issues, and tries to put into this context the fact that while pipelines are the safest and cheapest means of transporting ...