Tim Jackson

How to relocate a live gas transmission pipeline

In 2013 APA Group completed a unique project to relocate its Pilbara Energy Pipeline while it remained live, in order to make way for a new rail line that needed to be constructed as part of the Roy Hill Iron Ore Project, located in Western Australia.
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Teeing off the Convention in style

The annual Vermeer APIA Golf Classic, held this year at the picturesque Waterford Valley Golf Course, saw pipeliners brave the early morning temperatures to record a solid day on the green.
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Is driver safety on your radar?

An increasing number of operators and service providers in the gas and pipeline industry are turning to GPS vehicle tracking to help ensure driver safety and maximise fleet efficiency.
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Steel from the source: young pipeliners visit China to witness line pipe production

With pipelines spanning tens of thousands of kilometres around the globe, it is easy to forget the journey that these millions of tonnes of steel have taken. For one week in November 2014, three members of the Australian pipeline industry accompanied one of its prominent industry leaders to Baosteel Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. There they witnessed the process of making steel and line pipe from the production of the steel through to pipe forming, testing, final coating and shipping.
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APA’s Adrian Golding Memorial Golf Day

Outside of the official APIA functions, there are some annual events that enjoy tremendous support from pipeliners year after year. One of these events is APA Group's Young Golf Day. Each year in May, pipeliners get together in Young, New South Wales, talk about safe driving, play golf and remember a dear colleague, Adrian Golding.
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Worker on the line: Neil Scoble

Working in the pipeline industry for more than 30 years, McConnell Dowell Spread Boss/Senior Superintendent Neil Scoble speaks to The Australian Pipeliner about the versatility a career in the pipeline industry can bring.
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APA expands Victorian infrastructure to keep up with supply and demand changes

Australia's east coast gas markets have been relatively stable over the last 40 years, but that's all about to change at the end of 2014 with the commencement of LNG exports from Gladstone, Queensland. APA Group is responding to the transitioning eastern Australian gas market by developing its east coast pipeline grid and committing up to $600 million to increase capacity, upgrade compression and allow bi-directional flows, with $200 million of this capital program used to expand its southern state infrastructure to increase the flow of gas north from Victoria into New South Wales.
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WA YPF in Aloha Open

On 15 May 2014 approximately 30 members of the Western Australian Young Pipeliners Forum attended the annual SupaGolf Day, which took place in the popular tourist region of Swan Valley.
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Tests reveal a new benchmark in high-pressure butt-welding

Worldpoly's Australian-made, high-pressure welding machine was recently independently tested by Dr John Scheirs of ExcelPlas Polymer Testing Services in Dalby, Queensland, where it displayed extremely impressive weld quality abilities, setting a new benchmark in today's welding technology.
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2014 APIA Convention a roaring success

The 46th annual APIA Convention, held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 18-21 October 2014, attracted more than 700 pipeline industry professionals from Australia and overseas.
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New addition to the family: the SUPERIOR SPX-260

In 2014, Worldwide Machinery created its new umbrella brand "˜Worldwide Group', which covers the different divisions for the rent and sales of earthmoving and pipeline equipment plus industrial parts and manufacturing of pipeline equipment in the future.
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Comparing international pipeline failure rates

Rates of pipeline failure in Australia seem to be substantially lower than in the Americas and Europe, at only 10-20 per cent of the international mean for failures in onshore transmission pipelines. This paper examines the validity of the Australian data and explores reasons for the difference. Some reasons are obvious, such as the relative youth of Australian pipelines, which results in a negligible rate of corrosion failures. However, there is no obvious explanation for the markedly lower rate of failures due to third party damage. It is hypothesised that Australian practices for managing third party damage may differ in some way. Given the high social and economic cost of pipeline failures, there should be a comparative study to identify any beneficial differences between third party damage protection practices in Australia and elsewhere.
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2014: a year of achievements and opportunities

2014 was an impressive year for the Energy Pipelines CRC, including numerous achievements and opportunities for both our researchers and industry partners. The year saw the Energy Pipelines CRC recognised for its innovative research and the opening of new facilities for the pipeline industry.
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