Study of Pipeline Transportation of Diluted Bitumen
The committee will analyze whether transportation of diluted bitumen (dilbit) by transmission pipeline has an increased likelihood of release compared with pipeline transportation of other crude oils. Should the committee conclude that an increased likelihood of release exists, it will review the federal hazardous liquid pipeline facility regulations to determine whether they are sufficient to mitigate the increased likelihood of release.
In the first phase of the project, the committee will examine whether dilbit can affect transmission pipelines and their operations so as to create an increased likelihood of release when compared with other crude oils transported through pipelines. Should the committee conclude there is no increased likelihood of release or find there is insufficient information to reach such a conclusion, a second phase of the project will not be required and the committee will prepare a final report to the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). This report may include recommendations for improving information to assess the likelihood of failure.
Should the committee conclude there is an increased likelihood of release on the basis of dilbit’s effects on transmission pipelines and their operations, it will issue a brief Phase 1 report of its findings and then proceed to the second phase of the project to determine whether hazardous liquids pipeline regulations are sufficient to mitigate the increased likelihood of release. The committee’s final report following completion of this second phase will contain the complete set of findings, conclusions, and recommendations of both project phases.
Committee Membership:
Chair
Dr. Mark A. Barteau DTE Energy Professor of Advanced Energy Research
Director, University of Michigan Energy Institute
Ann Arbor, MI
Members
Dr. Frank Cheng
Professor and Canada Reasearch Chair in Pipeline Engineering
University of Calgary
Calgary, AB
Mr. James F. Dante
Manager, Materials Engineering Department
Southwest Research Institute
San Antonio, TX
Dr. Scott Fogler
Vennema Professor of Chemical Engineering, Arthur F. Thurnau Professor
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor, MI
Mr. O.B. Harris
President
O.B. Harris, LLC
Missouri City, TX
Dr. Brenda J. Little
Senior Scientist
Naval Research Laboratory
Stennis Space Center, MS
Dr. Mohammad Modarres
Professor of Nuclear and Reliability Engineering
University of Maryland, College Park
College Park, MD
Mr. W. Kent Muhlbauer
President
WKM Consultancy, LLC
Austin, TX
Dr. Srdjan Nešić
Professor of Chemical Engineering and Director, Institute for Corrosion and Multiphase Flow Technology
Ohio University
Athens, OH
Dr. Joe H. Payer
Research Professor of Corrosion and Reliability Engineering
University of Akron
Akron, OH
Mr. Richard A. Rabinow
President
The Rabinow Consortium, LLC
Houston, TX
Mr. George W. Tenley, Jr.
President (retired)
Pipeline Research Council International, Inc.
Hedgesville, WV
Committee Updates:
Posted 02/04/2013
January 31-February 1, 2013 Committee Meeting
January 31, 2013
Speaker Presentations
Posted 10/31/2012 - October 23-24, Committee Meeting
October 23, 2012
Speaker Presentations
- Heather Dettman, CanMet Energy, "Diluted Bitumen Chemical and Physical Properties"
- Randy Segato, Suncor Energy, and Andre Lemeiux, CCQTA. "Canadian Heavy Oil and Bitumen Quality"
- Tom Miesner, Pipeline Knowledge and Development Company. "Introduction to Oil Pipelines: National Academy of Sciences" Randy Segato, Suncor Energy. "Canada's Oil Sands Overview and Bitumen Blending Primer"
- Jeffery Gilliam, PHMSA. "PHMSA Regulatory Authority and Keystone XL Pipeline"
- Harry Giles, Crude Oil Quality Association (COQA). "COQA: An Overview"
- Cheryl Trench, Allegro Energy Consulting. "Improving Liquid Pipeline Safety: Signposts from the Record"
- Peter Lidiak, API. "Oil Pipeline Safety Record and the Pipeline Performance Tracking System"
- Blaine Keener, PHMSA. "Hazardous Liquids Accident Data with Emphasis on Crude Oil and Internal Corrosion"
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Posted 10/12/2012
October 9, 2012 Site Visit - Edmonton, Canada
October 9, 2012
Speaker Presentations
- John Zhou, Executive Director, Environmental Management,Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions: "Follow-up Studies on Corrosivity of Dilbit and Dilbit Pipeline Transportation Issues"
- Ashok Anand, Director, Petrolium Quality, Enbridge: "Enbridge Systems and Commodities"
- Terri Funk, Supervisor, Pipeline Integrity, and Shoaib Nasin, Integrity Technologist, Interpipeline: "Crude Oil and Diluted Bitumen Transportation"
Posted 07/24/2012
July 23, 2012
Speaker presentations
- Linda Daugherty, Deputy Associate Administrator for Policy and Programs, Alan Mayberry, Deputy Associate Administrator of Field Operations, and Jeffery Gilliam, Director of Engineering & Research: "Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Briefing"
- Oliver Moghissi, Pres., NACE ; Dir., DNV Materials & Corrosion Technology Center: "Overview of relevant industry consensus standards and state of the practice in detecting, preventing, and mitigating internal corrosion"
- John Zhou, Alberta Innovates Energy and Environment Solutions and Jenny Been, Corrosion Specialist, Pipe Integrity:"Comparison of the Corrosivity of Dilbit and Conventional Crude"
- Peter Lidiak, Director, Pipelines, American Petroleum Institute: "Diluted Bitumen; What it is, pipeline transportation and impact on pipelines"
- Scott Ironside, Director, Integrity Programs: "Pipeline Transportation of Diluted Bitumen – Enbridge Experience"
- Bruce Dupuis, Program Manager, Liquid Pipeline Integrity and Jenny Been, Corrosion Specialist, Pipe Integrity: "Crude Oil Transportation and Integrity Management"
- Anthony Swift, Attorney, International Program, NRDC: "Identifying safety issues with diluted bitumen pipelines"
July 24, 2012
Speaker presentations