Onsite and under the guidance of McConnell Dowell’s engineering team, the group of young pipeliners discovered the intimacies of pipeline construction.

Briefing The Stage 5B Expansion involves 440 km of 26 inch diameter pipeline construction, looping the existing Dampier to Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBNGP) from Loop 0 near Karratha to Loop 10, east of Bunbury. Loop 10, located south of Perth, begins at Kwinana and then traverses south for approximately 125 km. Under Stage 5B around 33 km of this section is being looped.

Destination 1: the Murray River

Here the objective was to observe the initial phase of horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and learn about the logistics behind installing a 480 m string of pipeline beneath a river. The Site Project Engineer from McConnell Dowell gave a detailed explanation of the HDD project and shared both his current and past HDD experiences and knowledge.

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Ryan Perez, McConnell Dowell’s Primary Site Supervisor, then took the young pipeliners to the opposite bank to show the marker where the drilling pipe would eventually appear. He revealed that after drilling almost half a kilometre underground, the drill would be expected to surface within one metre of that exact point. Following this, the young pipeliners also witnessed the final stages of a HDD, where pipe had just been laid underneath a busy, sealed road.

Destination 2: pipe stringing operations

A 45 minute trip to the next location provided the young pipeliners the opportunity to re-energise with a packed lunch generously provided by WestNet Energy. Upon arrival, the group experienced firsthand the often difficult conditions that confront workers on a daily basis. Stepping from the air conditioned bus into the 32°C hot and dusty day, they observed the McConnell Dowell crew stringing the steel pipe. Mr Perez explained the process and the many considerations involved in stringing, while in the background the pipe trucks were hauling in pipe with vacuum lifters then placing the pipe in position.

Destination 3: storage facility

At the McConnell Dowell storage facility, Mr Perez highlighted various equipment used in pipeline construction. This included an itemised list of equipment, such as bending machines and sidebooms, and a detailed description of how they work and when they are used.

Final destination: Lucky Shag Hotel

Operation DBNGP successfully completed, the young pipeliners retreated to the Lucky Shag Hotel on Perth’s foreshore to debrief over a cool beverage.

The young pipeliners would like to extend a special thank you to all the companies who donated their time and contributed to the success of the field trip. Thanks go to WestNet Energy, in particular Aart ter Kuile who co-ordinated the site visit; McConnell Dowell, especially Mr Perez who shared his extensive industry knowledge; Enerflex for providing the personal protective equipment; and, Dampier Bunbury Pipeline.