Pipeline

Pipelines are “pipes, usually underground, that transport and distribute fluids,” and “in an energy context, the fluids are usually either oil, oil products and natural gas” and “outside of an energy context, pipelines transport other fluids like water” [1].

Pipelines are generally “constructed with quality certified steel” and are needed to “deliver this energy and its benefits to consumers” [2]. Other types of pipelines include “cast iron pipeline” which has “improved corrosion resistance” and will often carry “water, gas and sewage,” “plastic pipeline,” which generally transmits “water over long distances” and “concrete pipeline” [4]. Pipelines for “waste water” may be made of “clay based on the pressure in the pipe and other conditions,” and “petroleum oil pipeline” is “manufactured from steel” and “joined together by welding” [4].

The above are different types of pipelines, which fall under “sub-categories of pipelines” which include “gathering lines” which are “10-30 centimeters in diameter, and work to transport natural gas, crude oil,” along with “feeder lines” which move “crude oil, natural gas." The others are “transmission pipelines” which “range from 10 centimeters in diameter to over a meter” and “distribution pipelines” with a “range in diameter from 1-15 centimeters” [1].

Pipelines can also be categorized by “method of construction,” with “underground pipelines, above-ground pipeline, elevated pipeline, offshore and underwater pipeline,” meaning that pipelines can be located in a variety of settings and be exposed or completely buried [4]. In addition to this, pipelines are incredibly recognizable for joining up with “compressor stations, usually placed at 40 to 100 mile intervals along the pipeline” where pipelines enter the station and are “compressed by either a turbine, motor, or engine” along with joining up with “a great number of valves along their entire length” [3].

References

[1] Afework, B., Hanania, J., Stenhouse, K., & Donev, J. (2020, January 31). Pipeline. Retrieved (2021, July 17), from https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Pipeline

[2] Association of Oil Pipe Lines. (n.d.). Pipeline Basics. Retrieved (2021, July 18), from https://aopl.org/page/pipeline-basics

[3] NaturalGas.org. (2013, September 20). The Transportation of Natural Gas. Retrieved (2021, July 17), from http://naturalgas.org/naturalgas/transport/

[4] The Constructor – The Construction Encyclopedia. (n.d.). 16 Types of Pipelines and their Construction Method. Retrieved (2021, July 18), from https://theconstructor.org/structural-engg/structural-design/types-pipeline-construction-method/1854/