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Steel pipelines are used all over the world for cross country transport of natural gas, crude oil,
water, petrochemical and petroleum products at high pressures over long distances.
Engineering and Installation of Cross Country Pipe Lines form a special branch of piping design
and engineering, as it involves many aspects and parameters which are normally faced with, in
plant piping system within the boundaries of refinery or a chemical / petrochemical plant Special
Techniques have to be adopted for design, laying welding / jointing, corrosion protection,
testing, commissioning etc. The most common line familiar to all, is water line from reservoirs to
different consumption points, like, water-main from Vaiterna / Tansa dam to city of Mumbai.
Unlike water line, the hazardous chemical conveying Pipelines, involve many more stringent
precautions in their design and installation. This is mainly due to fire and explosion hazards
associated with the oils and chemicals.
The modes of Transport by pipe lines have advantages, which are given below :
a) Continuous un-interrupted transport is ensured.
b) No dependence on availability of roads, railways, bridges etc.
c) Least manpower requirement to operate the transport system except for inspection and
maintenance of minimum required level.
d) No hindrances on way as for surface transport, air water ways.
e) Possibility of crossing any odd areas like seas, oceans, rivers, mountains and underground
space.
f) Safety & purity of the product is ensured. The product reaches exactly in the same condition
from source to the supply point, with minimal loss of quality or quantity.
g) Once laid down, the system works automatically especially with the help of modern
instrumentation, safety devices, interlocks, communication system and remote control devices.
h) Minimum or no tampering on the way.
h) Cost of Transport per Unit of the product conveyed is far less than the transport by
Trucks/railways/ water/ Airways.
j) Fastest mode of transport even between two countries or continents.
k) Comparatively much less hazardous than surface transport & minimum dependence on human
factors.
There are of course certain disadvantages but they are offset by the advantages, to a large extent,
so as to make them ignorable as far as safety & techno-economic aspects are concerned. They
are listed as given below:
a) Right of way: Acquisition to run the pipeline, especially through private & agricultural land &
habituated areas.
b) High fire & explosion Hazards potential.
c) Problem of corrosion & leakages & repair work involved.
d) Daily on-route inspection, testing & quick arrangements for attending to repairs and
rectification work.
e) Possibility of laying other services in future (like other pipe lines due to ignorance of its
existence, among other agencies) causing damage.
f) Special Techniques & Agencies are required to design, engineer, install & operate the pipe line
system.
g) Expensive cathodic protection required for the protection of under gtound lines running in
close proximity of overhead High Tension electrical Transmission lines which induce the
currents in the metallic pipe lines, causing the corrosion by stray currents.
The modern techniques are well developed to offset the effects of the above disadvantages. Even
if a line has to be shut-off for a day or two, the storage facilities at the users end take care of such
stoppages even for 15 days to 1 month.
Such authorities include the following but not limited to the listed ones.
Local land authorities – district Collector, Municipal corporation, Tahsildars etc., Owners of the
respective Land.
P.W.D. authorities – Local Office
Irrigation Department.
Electricity supply Agencies / bodies / Boards.
Water-supply and Public Health Dept.
Controller of Explosives and use of Hazardous chemicals.
Industrial Development corporations
Railway Authorities.
Marine and Port Authorities.
Salt-commissioner and controller.
Competent Authorities for Land and ROW acquisition.
State and Central Governments for necessary permissions, licenses, clearances etc.
Import / export rules / regulations authorities.
Controller of Quarrying and Mining.
Navy / Army / Air force (Defense Authorities).
Plants for future installations.
Forest authorities.
Project Schedule:
Based on various data collected and the cost Estimates, over all project schedule has to be
prepared, based on past experience, and specific problems unique to the project under
consideration. This schedule should cover only broad activities to serve as a guide line for
preparation of detail activity schedule.
This should generally include:
a) Preliminary Survey / Data Collection.
b) Finalizing the route.
c) Cost Estimates / budget sanctions.
d) Acquisition of R.O.W. and land.
e) Basic Engineering package.
f) Detailed Engineering work.
g) Construction work (Civil / Mechanical / Piping / Electrical, Marine crossing, river crossing etc
/ cathodic protection).
h) Testing / Flushing / Pigging.
j) Commissioning and Hand over.
This will establish the overall completion time for the entire project work.
Loose clamps are provided over pipe line at intervals with 25 to 30 mm gap all around, to
prevent possibility of the line slipping off the supports due to long length. (Long pipe line
behaves like a flexible wire and when expanded, may tend to move out from the supports.
Lateral spring supports are provided at random intervals to prevent possibility of natural
frequencies of pipe matching with Bridge frequencies.
Erection Stresses: The handling of pipes may induce local and excessive stresses in following
conditions.
a) When cranes are used for lowering long lengths in position, local deformation / bending may
take place.
b) When pipe is pulled along the trench or through the sleeve laid across the road.
c) When the sub-marine portion of the line is gradually lowered from water level to below the
sea or river bed, it undergoes deformations at local points.
d) When long un-supported (un-back filled Trenches) lengths are hydro tested, the flexibility of
long lengths, sometimes causes vibrating movements on micro-scale and are more predominant
than in case of small in-plant piping. These have to be correctly assessed or damped by
intermediate Temporary and / or permanent supports, thrust blocks, anchors, backfilled portions
etc.
e) When the pipe line crosses a Hillock, it goes up the inclined plane and from peak runs down
the slope. The up-going line is subjected to a sort of compression due its own weight due to
sliding tendency or tension due to pulling effect, down the plane. The stresses due to any of these
effects should be estimated and provided for.
Corrosion Allowance: In normal in-plant piping, standard corrosion allowances are specified for
various duties in different design codes. Cross Country pipe lines run over a long distance and
the leaks on any account cannot be permitted. Hence extra corrosion allowance is specified for
cross country pipelines. In any case minimum of 3 mm or as specified, whichever is greater, is
provided as corrosion allowance.
Design codes generally followed for cross-country piping (in addition to normal codes for all
piping)
ASME B-31.4/ 31.8 for thickness Design.
API – 1104 for welding and related tests specifically on cross-country Gas and Oil lines.
API – 5L for material of construction.
Generally, in non-hazardous fluid line, say water lines, Breather valves (pressure and Vacuum)
are provided at he highest points, say on Bill-top, to prevent ‘Air-lock’ or to suck-in Air in case
vacuum or cavitation takes place. But in pipelines carrying Gas or Hydro-carbon liquids like
crude oil, refined oil, naptha, ethylene, propylene etc. No Breather Valve is permitted any where
on the line. This is because the hazardous liquid cannot be allowed to come out into the
atmosphere and Air (which contains oxygen) cannot be allowed to be sucked-in as the fluid may
combine with atmospheric oxygen and catch fire. Anytime the line is to be commissioned, the
fluid to be carried is filled into the pipeline by first passing the pig from supply end. There are no
chances of Air-Lock.