In May, the Cooperative Research Centres Association presented the Energy Pipelines CRC with an “˜Excellence in Innovation’ award for research into fracture control in gas pipelines.
The research added significantly to the understanding of pipeline decompression and fracture, resulting in the development of the decompression and fracture control software EPDECOM and recommendations for AS2885.1 for fracture control plans.
The EPDECOM software is available as a commercial product and covers fracture control in methane, rich gas and carbon dioxide pipelines.
In March the Energy Pipelines CRC launched the National Facility for Pipeline Coatings Assessment, located at Deakin University.
This facility is the only Australian based independent coatings testing laboratory, offering clients a product testing capability backed-up with access to researchers investigating pipeline coating performance.
The facility acts as a linking point between researchers and industry, allowing for the best possible solution to be developed.
Demonstrating the long-term value and benefits of cooperative research has been a key element of the Energy Pipelines CRC’s activities in 2014.
Starting the year, our Chairman, Charles Rottier, and I visited the member companies of the APIA Research and Standards Committee (APIA RSC).
These companies make up the industry partners who shape the CRC’s research agenda and work with the researchers to ensure that the results are industry focused.
It gave us an opportunity to talk about which Energy Pipelines CRC activities the APIA RSC members find more useful and identify challenges that would benefit from research.
The Energy Pipelines CRC researchers, based in 2014 at the Universities of Adelaide and Wollongong, Deakin University and the Australian National University (ANU), continued to focus their attention on undertaking research that makes a real difference to the pipeline industry.
Several of them spent time in the field working with APIA RSC companies, learning first-hand about the issues faced by the industry.
During 2014, 39 research projects were completed and another 27 are in progress.
The researchers presented their results in 27 reports and 26 publications.
Summaries of the key findings of the research were presented at two industry focused seminars, hosted for members of the APIA RSC as well as research participants.
These events included informative presentations from both industry participants and researchers.
As part of the Energy Pipelines CRC’s international visitor program, Andrew Cosham from Atkins in the United Kingdom (UK) presented the keynote address at the June research seminar on fracture control in carbon dioxide pipelines.
Another UK fracture expert, Bob Andrews, also visited the Energy Pipelines CRC and, like Andrew, spent time with Energy Pipelines CRC researchers working on fracture.
Energy Pipelines CRC research of a broader interest was published in two books authored by ANU researchers, “˜Nightmare pipeline failures: fantasy planning, black swans and integrity management’ and “˜Risky rewards, how company bonuses affect safety’.
2014 also saw the completion of the research commissioned by the former Department of Resources Energy and Tourism (now the Department of Industry).
The multifaceted work addressed safety and efficiency aspects of pipeline design including decompression, dispersion of carbon dioxide from a pipeline rupture and pipeline corrosion.
The work also covered public safety and community engagement.
This work has been incorporated into the Australian pipeline Standard, AS2885, allowing for the design and construction of carbon dioxide pipelines in Australia.
A researcher conference held mid-year was an important opportunity for the Energy Pipelines CRC research team from all four programs of research to come together.
Topics addressed academic skills and industry knowledge, with master classes delivered by Nick Kastelein and Marijan Mikulic from GPA Engineering and David Johnson from Origin Energy.
Both researchers and industry personnel attending the International Pipeline Conference in Calgary had an opportunity to network and showcase Energy Pipelines CRC research on an international stage.
Jan Hayes, program leader of Research Program Four presented the plenary keynote address for the conference on Meeting the Challenge of Safe Organisations.
Deakin University PhD Student Facundo (Bob) Varela also attended the conference as a finalist in the student paper competition for his research on a wire electrode based corrosion sensor.
To bolster the transfer of research knowledge, the Energy Pipelines CRC management team, working with the web development team WISDOM, developed and launched a new public and members only website.
The new website provides far greater access to Energy Pipelines CRC research outcomes and information.
Nothing ever stays the same, and 2015 will be another dynamic year for the Energy Pipelines CRC.
As we continue to deliver value to industry through collaborative research, we will build on our strong capabilities further.
2015 will see the National Facility for Pipeline Coatings Assessment achieve its NATA Accreditation as well as the commercial rollout of EPDECOM to the broader pipeline industry.
In 2015, the Energy Pipelines CRC’s sociological and safety design research conducted through Research Program Four will move from ANU to RMIT University.
The transfer provides the opportunity to build a bigger, stronger team in this area.
We will also continue to build our special interest user groups, expanding research related to offshore pipelines and plastic/composites pipelines.
The Energy Pipelines CRC provides a unique opportunity for the pipeline industry to tackle key challenges that it faces, working with world class researchers to develop solutions to those challenges.
I would personally like to thank all those who contributed to the success of the Energy Pipelines CRC in 2014 and I look forward to working with our current and future partners to make 2015 even better.
