Pipeline Engineering and Design

Pipeline engineering is a core firm competence. Our firm has completed over 2,000 pipeline projects over our 30+ years in compliance with 49 CFR 192 (Transportation of Natural and Other Gas by Pipeline) and 49 CFR 195 (Transportation of Hazardous Liquids by Pipeline).

Pipeline design projects typically require the following deliverables:

  • Specialty pipe stress calculations (e.g., HDD installations, surcharge loading, operational loading, imposed stresses during construction, etc.),Static and dynamic hydraulic modeling / analysis using Synergi SPS Modeler software and hydraulic study reports,

  • Pipe stress and flexibility analysis using CAESAR II pipe stress software and pipe stress analysis reports,

  • Reference drawings (e.g., cover sheet, drawing list, construction notes, vicinity map, and special inspection requirements),

  • Piping and Instrumentation Diagrams (P&ID’s),

  • Pipeline alignment sheets (plan and profile),

  • Weld maps,

  • Interconnecting piping and tie-in details, plans, and profiles,

  • Piping isometric drawings with bills of material,

  • Pipe trench and backfill details cross sectional,

  • Cathodic protection and test station details,

  • Casing details for bored crossings,

  • Detailed piping, civil and structural drawings for valve settings, pig launchers and receiver, etc.

  • MOP / MAOP calculations with adjustment for elevation profiles,

  • Hydrostatic testing plans and line drying procedures with supporting drawings to established MOP / MAOP for regulatory requirements,

  • Rights-of-way mapping,

  • Decommissioning and abandonment planning,

  • Worksite traffic control plans,

  • Shoring plans,

  • Construction work scope / specification documents, and Construction cost estimating.

Our firm’s principals are recognized pipeline engineering subject matter experts and have published several articles on these subjects, including pipeline safety. Some of these include:

  • Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Risk Assessment, California State Fire Marshal, March 1993.

  • California Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Risk Assessment, Proceedings of the 1993 International Pipeline Risk Assessment, Rehabilitation and Repair Conference, September 1993.

  • Block Valve Effectiveness and Seismic Activity - California Hazardous Liquid Pipelines, Proceedings of the 1994 International Pipeline Risk Assessment, Rehabilitation and Repair Conference, September 1994.

  • California Hazardous Liquid Pipeline Risk Assessment, Proceedings of the 1994 API Pipeline Conference, April 1994.

  • Risk Assessment of California Low Pressure Crude Oil and Crude Oil Gathering Lines, California State Fire Marshal , July 1996.

  • Fiber Optic “Trip Wire” Monitors Chemical Pipeline and Reports on Third Party Intrusions, Pipe Line and Gas Industry, May 2000.

  • Innovative Pipeline Mitigations Employed to Minimize Chemical Pipeline Risks, Chemical Engineering Expo, Houston, Texas, June 2000.

  • Improving Pipeline Safety, Chemical Engineering Magazine, July 2000.

  • Keeping Pipelines Safe from Harm, Chemical Engineering Magazine, May 2001.

  • Improving Pipeline Safety - Risk Mitigation Techniques You Don’t Think Of, Independent Liquid Terminals Association (ILTA), June 2001.

  • Managing System Integrity for Hazardous Liquid Pipelines, American Petroleum Institute (API) Recommended Practice 1160, Founding Committee Member.

  • Unintended Consequences, MidStream Business. January/February 2011

Our firm’s regulatory knowledge is widely recognized. As a result, we have been asked to provide the following services to a number of our pipeline clients:

  • Facility evaluations,

  • U.S. Department of Transportation facility audits,

  • Regulatory Compliance Training,

  • Evaluations of pipeline system over-pressure protection,

  • Steady State and dynamic pipeline hydraulic evaluations and studies including line sizing,

  • Operation hydraulic simulation studies with alarm/shut down analysis,

  • MAOP, and MOP determination (with elevation adjustments as required), move to electrical,

  • Control Valve Sizing and Selection

  • Instrumentation Specification

  • Equipment Selection and Sizing (e.g., compressor and pump sizing, vessel sizing, etc.)

  • Pipe Stress Analysis and Pipe Restraint/Flexibility Studies using CAESAR II (including buried piping analysis), and

  • Dispersion Modeling